| Abstract Scope |
Since Professor Larry Hench discovered bioactive glass (BG) 50+ years ago, the field has expanded notably, from silicate systems used as bone replacing materials to novel BG compositions for advanced biomedical applications, including tissue engineering (TE), drug delivery and biofabrication. The success of BGs in such applications relates to their surface bioreactivity: important cell biology effects can be modulated by controlling BG ionic dissolution products. It will be shown that BGs support osteogenesis by stimulating bone-forming cells triggered by ionic products released during the BG dissolution. Moreover, angiogenesis, an essential process in which new blood vessels form from existing ones, can be also modulated by ions released from BGs, leading to applications in soft TE and wound healing. A special class of BGs will be discussed, namely sol-gel derived mesoporous BG nanoparticles (MBGNs), which have the capability of releasing simultaneously biomolecules and ions to achieve synergistic effects. Opportunities for further research in the field will be discussed, which are inspired by the original “bioactive material” vision of Prof. Hench. |