Evolving marine biomimetics for regenerative dentistry.
New products that help make human tissue and organ regeneration more effective are in high demand and include materials, structures and substrates that drive cell-to-tissue transformations, orchestrate anatomical assembly and tissue integration with biology. Marine organisms are exemplary bioresources that have extensive possibilities in supporting and facilitating development of human tissue substitutes. Such organisms represent a deep and diverse reserve of materials, substrates and structures that can facilitate tissue reconstruction within lab-based cultures. The reason is that they possess sophisticated structures, architectures and biomaterial designs that are still difficult to replicate using synthetic processes, so far. These products offer tantalizing pre-made options that are versatile, adaptable and have many functions for current tissue engineers seeking fresh solutions to the deficiencies in existing dental biomaterials, which lack the intrinsic elements of biofunctioning, structural and mechanical design to regenerate anatomically correct dental tissues both in the culture dish and in vivo.
Oral Biosciences, Faculty of Dentistry, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China. dwgreen@hku.hk.
David W
DW
Green
Division in Anatomy and Developmental Biology, Department of Oral Biology, Oral Science Research Center, BK21 PLUS Project, Yonsei University College of Dentistry, Seoul 120-752, Korea. rori0610@graduate.hku.hk.
Wing-Fu
WF
Lai
Oral Biosciences, Faculty of Dentistry, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China. hsjung@hku.hk.
Han-Sung
HS
Jung
D000818:Animals; D032701:Biomimetics; D003813:Dentistry / Q000639:trends*; D006801:Humans; D007448:Invertebrates; D012038:Regeneration; D044968:Regenerative Medicine / Q000639:trends*; D023822:Tissue Engineering; D014070:Tooth / Q000254:growth & development