Application of Novel Biomaterials in Clinical Surgery

on vehicles encoding selected factors and advanced bioreactors with the application of mechanical load under analysis for healing tendon and ligament disorders. The contribution of Rücker and coworkers provides an overview on currently available and investigated resorbable osteosynthesis systems in craniomaxillofacial surgery and discusses their limitations with respect to sterilization, biocompatibility and stability in comparison to the nonresorbable ‘gold standard’ titanium alloys. Klinge et al. address the topic of textile implants, so-called ‘meshes’, which represent, presumably, the oldest and most frequently used (bio)materials in daily surgical care since the late 1950s when experimental work in dogs first showed that textile structures can help to cover large defects of the abdominal or thoracic wall. The indication for the use of meshes in order to reinforce tissue is huge and is still expanding. Klinge et al. elaborate thoroughly on the process of finding the ideal mesh which is designed with consideration of the surgical site-specific functional requirements to allow optimal performance. Pareta et al., in their article on the ‘design of a bioartificial pancreas’, highlight the successful development of a bioartificial pancreas using the approach of microencapsulation with perm-selective coating of islets in hydrogels for graft immunoisolation. They also critically review aspects such as the mechanical strength of microcapsules, the site of transplantation and the delivery of oxygen to the encapsulated islets, all important factors in the optimization process of In clinical surgery, the biomedical burden of treating diseased or injured organs is great. As populations grow and expand, the need for replacement tissues and organs is constantly increasing and requires novel tissueand organ-engineering strategies. Collective progress in the development of innovative materials and scaffolds which are capable of modulating the cellular responses required for tissue repair can only be achieved via multidisciplinary collaborative interactions between investigators in the diverse disciplines of the Life Sciences. ‘Reparative’ surgery includes cell-based therapies, artificial organs and engineered living tissues. The suitability and versatility of scientific and technological approaches are highly dependent on the ability to (1) synthesize novel materials, (2) assemble materials into adequate 2and 3-dimensional forms, and (3) precisely tailor material-related physical and biological properties with the hope of not only replacing tissues and organs but also utilizing the body’s innate capacity for regeneration. In this issue of Pathobiology , novel biomaterials are highlighted from different perspectives of their clinical use in surgery. Gross and Hoffmann focus on biomaterials suggested for the successful repair of tendon and ligament injuries which represent a major clinical challenge to orthopedic and trauma surgery. They also review some recent developments in extracellular matrix (‘biomimetic’) bioscaffolds, the delivery of growth factors, (stem) cell-derived therapy, gene-therapeutic approaches based