SPR Imaging Label-Free Control of Biomineral Nucleation!?

Bone regeneration due to trauma and pathology, bone degeneration in aging population as well as osteporosis ellicit a societal need for new performant regenerative products. Although a wide range of biomaterials have been researched and applied for hard tissue repair and regeneration, there is still a high competition and challenge in improving their performances for in vivo applications. To create high-quality orthopaedic implants, several approaches have been proposed; among them the self-biomineralizing scaffolds are intensively researched. Despite intensive studies and an impressive number of investigated structures, no optimum formulation has been yet set-up. This is why high-performing methods of controlling the biomineralization induction are still needed and researched. In this context, a deeper and broader understanding of the mineralization phenomenon induced on/inside different materials would be extremely useful. The present chapter is aimed as the first attempt of investigation of biomaterials-induced biomineralization through the label-free Surface Plasmon Resonance Imaging (SPRi).