title: Stem cells, growth factors and scaffolds in craniofacial regenerative medicine.
abstract: Current reconstructive approaches to large craniofacial skeletal defects are often complicated and challenging. Critical-sized defects are unable to heal via natural regenerative processes and require surgical intervention, traditionally involving autologous bone (mainly in the form of nonvascularized grafts) or alloplasts. Autologous bone grafts remain the gold standard of care in spite of the associated risk of donor site morbidity. Tissue engineering approaches represent a promising alternative that would serve to facilitate bone regeneration even in large craniofacial skeletal defects. This strategy has been tested in a myriad of iterations by utilizing a variety of osteoconductive scaffold materials, osteoblastic stem cells, as well as osteoinductive growth factors and small molecules. One of the major challenges facing tissue engineers is creating a scaffold fulfilling the properties necessary for controlled bone regeneration. These properties include osteoconduction, osetoinduction, biocompatibility, biodegradability, vascularization, and progenitor cell retention. This review will provide an overview of how optimization of the aforementioned scaffold parameters facilitates bone regenerative capabilities as well as a discussion of common osteoconductive scaffold materials.
authors.affiliation: The University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine, Chicago, IL 60637, USA; Department of Orthopedic Surgery and Rehabilitation Medicine, The University of Chicago Medical Center, Chicago, IL 60637, USA; Laboratory of Craniofacial Biology and Development, Section of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Department of Surgery, The University of Chicago Medicine, Chicago, IL 60637, USA.
authors.forename: Viktor
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Tollemar
authors.affiliation: The University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine, Chicago, IL 60637, USA; Department of Orthopedic Surgery and Rehabilitation Medicine, The University of Chicago Medical Center, Chicago, IL 60637, USA.
authors.forename: Zach J
authors.initials: ZJ
authors.lastname: Collier
authors.affiliation: The University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine, Chicago, IL 60637, USA; Department of Orthopedic Surgery and Rehabilitation Medicine, The University of Chicago Medical Center, Chicago, IL 60637, USA.
authors.forename: Maryam K
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Mohammed
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedic Surgery and Rehabilitation Medicine, The University of Chicago Medical Center, Chicago, IL 60637, USA.
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL 60611, USA; Biomedical Engineering Department, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208.
authors.forename: Guillermo A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Ameer
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Craniofacial Biology and Development, Section of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Department of Surgery, The University of Chicago Medicine, Chicago, IL 60637, USA.
authors.forename: Russell R
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Reid
keywords: Scaffolds; bone regeneration; craniofacial defects; osteogenesis; regenerative medicine; tissue engineering