Functional Biomaterial Solutions for Translational Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine

Dear Colleagues.

It is my privilege to invite you to submit a manuscript for an upcoming Special Issue of Materials entitled “Functional Biomaterial Solutions for Translational Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine”.

Innovative tissue engineering and regenerative medicine solutions, incorporating nanobiotechnology, advanced biomaterials, computer-assisted technologies, three-dimensional printing, and robotic systems, hold tremendous potential for revolutionizing functional and esthetic outcomes in cranio-maxillo-facial and head-and-neck healthcare. These advancements are not limited to one field but extend across various medical and surgical disciplines, offering novel possibilities and alternative solutions for our patient care.

Central to these innovations is the design, development, characterization, evaluation, optimization, and translation of advanced functional biomaterials. Possible through the integration of expertise from diverse scientific and technological domains, these materials are designed to refine and enhance traditional approaches. By incorporating cell-, gene-, and drug-delivery systems, alongside novel tools and nano-pharmacological formulations, these advancements promise to provide healthcare professionals with more precise, personalized, and effective treatments. Indeed, the evolution of these technologies is set to significantly improve safety, esthetics, function, and patient compliance across a broad spectrum of medical applications. Additionally, the inherently multidisciplinary nature of these advancements has fostered collaboration among experts in fields such as physics, chemistry, biology, materials science, pharmaceutics, robotics, and bioengineering. Emerging fabrication techniques, including three-dimensional printing and computer-assisted design, have further expanded the possibilities for research, development, and innovation (R&D&I), facilitating the translation of these solutions from the laboratory to clinical practice. Last yet not least, by advancing controlled drug delivery systems and other pharmaceutical applications, these technologies have the potential to revolutionize patient care, providing tailored, market-ready solutions that address the growing demands of modern medicine.

This Special Issue is dedicated yet not limited to the state-of-the-art in oro-dental and cranio-maxillo-facial tissue engineering (restoration, replacement, reconstruction, regeneration, and repair)-related topics and emphasizes the bionanotechnology-, functional biomaterial-, and three-dimensional-related topics for innovative alternative solution design, characterization, evaluation, and optimization. Hence, reporting physico-chemico-mechanical/rheological, cellular, histomorphometrical, and immunohistochemical parameters and safety (cyto-/bio-compatibility; in vitro/in vivo) and efficacy (pre-clinical and clinical) characteristics of functional biomaterials for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine is highly encouraged.

Through a collection of original papers, this Special Issue aims to exhibit the latest state-of-the-art in R&D&I ideas, concepts, findings, achievements, and future projections and promote awareness of this rapidly evolving and enabling multidisciplinary technology, thereby encouraging bridging the gap between medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, material sciences, and engineering (including sub-specialties, extending to the head and neck, orthopedics, and oncology, amongst others) for research collaboration across the fields to address the critical and urgent bio-dental/bio-medical concerns. Clinicians and researchers are invited to contribute with their original evidence-based articles as well as critical literature review manuscripts, summarizing the most recent and exciting innovative developments.

Potential topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Biomimetic nanobiomaterials;
• Bioceramics and bioglasses;
• Exosomes and multi-vesicular bodies as drug carriers and delivery vehicles;
• Functional scaffolds for craniomaxillofacial tissue engineering applications;
• Stimuli-responsive biomaterials for tissue engineering;
• Smart and multifunctional biomaterials for tissue engineering;
• Functional biomaterials and cell/tissue–material interactions;
• Natural polymer-based biomaterials for tissue engineering;
• Nanodentistry and the role of nanobiotechnology in biomaterials, pharmaceutics, and biodental tissue engineering;
• Image-guided surgery and medico-dental robotics;
• 3-D printing and surgical engineering in the craniomaxillofacial complex;
• Computer-aided planning and intraoperative navigation in dental implantology and craniomaxillofacial surgery;
• Biomaterial fabrication and evaluation techniques: freeze drying, electrospinning, etc.;
• Drug/gene delivery and cell therapy;
• Injectable biomaterials for pharmaceutic agent (cell, gene, drug) delivery;
• Cosmetology and orofacial surgery;
• Microfabrication approaches for engineering functional tissues;
• Platelet concentrates and platelet-rich fibrin for tissue repair;
• Translational functional biomaterials: benchtop to bedside/market.

Prof. Dr. Ziyad S. Haidar
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Materials is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• 3D printing
• tissue engineering
• regenerative medicine
• bionanotechnology
• polymers
• bioceramics
• biomaterials
• drug delivery
• electrospinning
• orthopedic