title: Inorganic polymers: morphogenic inorganic biopolymers for rapid prototyping chain.
abstract: In recent years, considerable progress has been achieved towards the development of customized scaffold materials, in particular for bone tissue engineering and repair, by the introduction of rapid prototyping or solid freeform fabrication techniques. These new fabrication techniques allow to overcome many problems associated with conventional bone implants, such as inadequate external morphology and internal architecture, porosity and interconnectivity, and low reproducibility. However, the applicability of these new techniques is still hampered by the fact that high processing temperature or a postsintering is often required to increase the mechanical stability of the generated scaffold, as well as a post-processing, i.e., surface modification/functionalization to enhance the biocompatibility of the scaffold or to bind some bioactive component. A solution might be provided by the introduction of novel inorganic biopolymers, biosilica and polyphosphate, which resist harsh conditions applied in the RP chain and are morphogenetically active and do not need supplementation by growth factors/cytokines to stimulate the growth and the differentiation of bone-forming cells.
authors.affiliation: ERC Advanced Investigator Group, Institute for Physiological Chemistry, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University, Duesbergweg 6, 55128, Mainz, Germany, wmueller@uni-mainz.de.
authors.forename: Werner E G
authors.initials: WE
authors.lastname: Müller
authors.forename: Heinz C
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Schröder
authors.forename: Zhijian
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.forename: Qingling
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Feng
authors.forename: Xiaohong
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D001704:Biopolymers / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001842:Bone and Bones / Q000737:chemistry / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D007287:Inorganic Chemicals / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D010011:Osteocytes / Q000187:drug effects; D010012:Osteogenesis / Q000187:drug effects; D016062:Porosity; D023822:Tissue Engineering; D054457:Tissue Scaffolds
chemical_list: D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D001704:Biopolymers; D007287:Inorganic Chemicals