title: Biodegradable composite scaffolds: a strategy to modulate stem cell behaviour.
abstract: The application of new biomaterial technologies offers the potential to direct the stem cell fate, targeting the delivery of cells and reducing immune rejection, thereby supporting the development of regenerative medicine. Cells respond to their surrounding structure and with nanostructures exhibit unique proliferative and differentiation properties. This review presents the relevance, the promising perspectives and challenges of current biodegradable composite scaffolds in terms of material properties, processing technology and surface modification, focusing on significant recent patents in these fields. It has been reported how biodegradable porous composite scaffolds can be engineered with initial properties that reproduce the anisotropy, viscoelasticity, tension-compression non-linearity of different tissues by introducing specific nanostructures. Moreover the modulation of electrical, morphological, surface and topographic scaffold properties enables specific stem cell response. Recent advances in nanotechnology have allowed to engineer novel biomaterials with these complexity levels. Understanding the specific biological response triggered by various aspects of the fibrous environment is important in guiding the design and engineering of novel substrates that mimic the native cell matrix interactions in vivo.
authors.affiliation: Materials Engineering Center, UdR INSTM, University of Perugia, 05100 Terni, Italy. Ilaria.armentano@unipg.it
authors.forename: Ilaria
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Armentano
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Fortunati
authors.forename: Samantha
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mattioli
authors.forename: Nicolatta
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Rescignano
authors.forename: José M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Kenny
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001672:Biocompatible Materials / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D006801:Humans; D049329:Nanostructures; D011108:Polymers / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D016062:Porosity; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000502:physiology*; D023822:Tissue Engineering
chemical_list: D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D011108:Polymers