{"title":"Designing 4D printed drug delivery systems based on smart polymers and hydrogels: principles, strategies, and future perspectives.","authors":"Turdimuhammad Abdullah, Ayimgül Uzunyol, Suleyman Hekim, Cemil Dizman, Gamze Aydin, Oguz Okay, Adnan Memić","doi":"10.1088/2516-1091/aea7ea","DOIUrl":"10.1088/2516-1091/aea7ea","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The development of advanced drug delivery systems (DDSs) has the potential to revolutionize pharmaceutical industry by enabling precise, controlled, and targeted drug release. Polymer-based biodegradable systems have drawn notable attention due to their inherent biocompatibility and ability to enable localized, sustained drug delivery. Nonetheless, their widespread clinical adoption is hindered by challenges such as uncontrolled drug release kinetics, limited patient-specific customization, and scalability constraints. Three-dimensional (3D) printing overcomes these limitations by offering unparalleled design flexibility and customization, while 4D printing can further address dynamic control challenges by enabling stimuli-responsive drug carriers for precise and targeted release. This review offers a comprehensive overview of 4D printing technologies for drug delivery applications, with a particular focus on a wide range of polymer-based smart materials. We discuss the basic principles of 3D printing, the evolution toward 4D printing, and the various stimuli-responsive mechanisms employed to achieve programmable drug release. We then explore key polymeric materials, including smart hydrogels, shape-memory polymers, self-healing polymers, and vitrimers, highlighting their potential in next-generation drug delivery platforms. Finally, we address the existing challenges and future perspectives of 4D printing in pharmaceutical applications, emphasizing the need for scalable, cost-effective, and clinically viable solutions.</p>","PeriodicalId":74582,"journal":{"name":"Progress in biomedical engineering (Bristol, England)","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":7.7,"publicationDate":"2026-10-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148979123","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Laura Bevis, Elisa Rauseo, Anna Hebda-Boon, Dylan Morrissey, Wahbi El-Bouri, Nigel Tai, Steffen Petersen, Anthony Mathur, Greg Gibran Slabaugh, Caroline Roney
{"title":"Clinical perspectives on the virtual human twin: an overview of engagement and adoption challenges.","authors":"Laura Bevis, Elisa Rauseo, Anna Hebda-Boon, Dylan Morrissey, Wahbi El-Bouri, Nigel Tai, Steffen Petersen, Anthony Mathur, Greg Gibran Slabaugh, Caroline Roney","doi":"10.1088/2516-1091/aead6b","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1088/2516-1091/aead6b","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Digital twins (DTs) in healthcare have the potential to transform patient care, but their adoption depends critically on the perspectives of clinical professionals, pa-tients, and the public. As part of the Ecosystem for Digital Twins in Healthcare (EDITH) initiative, we undertook a programme of targeted engagement to under-stand, explore and integrate these perspectives into the development of the Euro-pean Virtual Human Twin (VHT). Methods included surveys, breakout sessions at public ecosystem meetings, and three dedicated workshops with clinicians and pa-tient representatives covering cardiovascular and musculoskeletal applications.

Key findings emphasised the need for early and sustained end-user involvement to ensure that DTs in healthcare address unmet clinical needs, improve patient out-comes, and demonstrate cost-effectiveness. Participants identified practical chal-lenges in data access, validation, regulation, and integration into hospital systems, as well as broader socio-economic and trust-related concerns. Opportunities were also recognised for using digital twins to influence patient behaviour, enhance pre-ventive care, and support medical education.
From these insights, we identified recommendations across six themes: inclusion, clinical relevance, integration and validation, trust and equity, patient involvement, and incentives. The outcomes of this work provide an important step towards im-proving clinical interest, engagement, and eventual uptake in DTs in healthcare. Incorporating these perspectives into the VHT roadmap has strengthened its alignment with real-world clinical priorities and patient needs, supporting EDITH's vision of a sustainable and clinically impactful digital twin ecosystem. Further work is needed to extend this research across a wider range of clinical and patient stakeholder groups, and additional complex, multi-parametric clinical environments such as oncology.</p>","PeriodicalId":74582,"journal":{"name":"Progress in biomedical engineering (Bristol, England)","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":7.7,"publicationDate":"2026-09-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149076941","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Jesus Alejandro Martinez Juarez, Miraj Ud Din, Hui Jiang, Xiaohui Liu, Xuemei Wang
{"title":"Emerging Horizons in Cancer Monitoring: Electrical Impedance Tomography as a Cost-Effective Noninvasive Imaging and Diagnostics System.","authors":"Jesus Alejandro Martinez Juarez, Miraj Ud Din, Hui Jiang, Xiaohui Liu, Xuemei Wang","doi":"10.1088/2516-1091/aead6c","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1088/2516-1091/aead6c","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Cancer is a serious worldwide health issue. Routinary detection exams are recommended
for better prognosis, however there are still no suitable routinary procedures. Electrical
Impedance Tomography is a non-invasive, portable, low-cost novel imaging technology.
Its side effects are reversible heat discomfort and/or uncomfortable electrostimulation.
By measuring the dielectric properties of a region of interest, it makes possible to detect
and monitor cancer. Software such as EIDORS and COMSOL are used nowadays to solve
the forward and inverse problem. However, the state-of-the-art image reconstruction
solutions are based on deep learning and this ongoing research has boosted the accuracy
of EIT in a substantial manner. With such accuracy improvement, this technique has been
utilized for breast cancer detection. The successful results for breast cancer encouraged
researchers to explore its usage in other cancer types such as lung, skin, prostate, tongue
and gynaecological. Results reaffirm that EIT holds great potential to be used in clinical
cancer diagnostic scenarios and thus, more exhaustive research of EIT-based cancer
imaging is highly recommended. This review offers an overview of the main elements
that EIT technology comprises. Detailed explanation is provided for safety parameters
and possible adverse effects. A comprehensive overview of deep tomographic image
reconstruction in EIT is provided. Finally, an updated literature revision for EIT usage in
the oncological area is presented.</p>","PeriodicalId":74582,"journal":{"name":"Progress in biomedical engineering (Bristol, England)","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":7.7,"publicationDate":"2026-09-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149077002","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Ana M Sandoval-Castellanos, Yu-Rim Ahn, Robert J Canter, Erin G Brown, Jinhwan Kim
{"title":"Bioengineered cell therapies for pediatric solid tumors: unmet needs and a measurement-integrated approach.","authors":"Ana M Sandoval-Castellanos, Yu-Rim Ahn, Robert J Canter, Erin G Brown, Jinhwan Kim","doi":"10.1088/2516-1091/aea045","DOIUrl":"10.1088/2516-1091/aea045","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Pediatric solid tumors continue to pose a major therapeutic challenge, with survival gains lagging behind those achieved in pediatric hematologic malignancies. While traditional approaches have focused on dose escalation and intensification of systemic therapies to improve survival, this strategy is often limited by significant short- and long-term morbidity from intensive multimodal treatment. Because children have developing organs and decades of life ahead, therapeutic strategies must balance durable tumor control with preservation of neurodevelopment, organ function, and quality of life. Immunotherapy has generated significant interest as an alternative to dose escalation; however, clinical translation in pediatric solid tumors has been limited by antigen heterogeneity, tumor plasticity, immune-cold or immune-excluded phenotypes, and a profoundly immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment. Bioengineered cellular therapies, particularly chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells and CAR-modified natural killer (CAR NK) cells, provide a modular platform to address these barriers through synthetic receptor design, multi-antigen targeting, controlled activation, and improved trafficking to anatomically restricted sites such as the brain. However, engineering advances alone are unlikely to achieve durable benefit without parallel integration of quantitative<i>in vivo</i>monitoring capable of reporting biodistribution, persistence, and functional engagement. Non-invasive imaging and measurement-enabled approaches can provide mechanistic insight into therapeutic performance, discriminate between delivery failure and functional dysfunction, and support rational iteration of construct design, dosing, and route of administration. In this perspective, we review the current status of CAR T and CAR NK therapies in pediatric solid malignancies, outline key biological and engineering challenges, and propose a pediatric-centered development framework that integrates controllable cell engineering with quantitative, non-invasive assessment of<i>in vivo</i>behavior. By embedding measurement into the therapeutic design loop and prioritizing long-term safety and developmental outcomes alongside efficacy, next-generation engineered cell therapies may evolve toward adaptable, precision-guided systems capable of improving both survival and quality of life for children.</p>","PeriodicalId":74582,"journal":{"name":"Progress in biomedical engineering (Bristol, England)","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":7.7,"publicationDate":"2026-09-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13563200/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148852072","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Lluis Bernat, Cristina Romero, Anahis Casanova, Carlos A Jara, Andres Ubeda
{"title":"Wearable hand exoskeletons for motor rehabilitation: a scoping review.","authors":"Lluis Bernat, Cristina Romero, Anahis Casanova, Carlos A Jara, Andres Ubeda","doi":"10.1088/2516-1091/ae97c9","DOIUrl":"10.1088/2516-1091/ae97c9","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This scoping review maps the current development landscape of wearable hand exoskeletons for motor rehabilitation, covering publications from 2010 to October 2025 across four major databases. A total of 134 articles were included, identifying 116 unique devices validated with human subjects. The results show a clear predominance of soft structures over rigid or hybrid ones, with electric motors and tendon-driven mechanisms being the most frequent actuation and transmission choices. However, there is a lack of uniformity in the information on device metrics, such as total weight and system dimensions, or usability metrics, like donning and doffing times, which hinders the direct comparison of different technologies. This review synthesizes current trends and emphasizes the need for standardized validation protocols to advance toward effective clinical solutions.</p>","PeriodicalId":74582,"journal":{"name":"Progress in biomedical engineering (Bristol, England)","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":7.7,"publicationDate":"2026-09-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148708690","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Paola Pirini, Gianluca Mazzucco, Beatrice Pomaro, Alice Berardo
{"title":"Effects of ionizing radiation on bone microstructure and biomechanical properties: a systematic review in clinical and aerospace contexts.","authors":"Paola Pirini, Gianluca Mazzucco, Beatrice Pomaro, Alice Berardo","doi":"10.1088/2516-1091/ae98cc","DOIUrl":"10.1088/2516-1091/ae98cc","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p><i>Introduction</i>. This review examines the impact of ionizing radiation on bone microstructure and mechanical properties in murine models, with particular attention to how different radiation types, total absorbed doses, and dose rates influence skeletal tissue. The topic is highly relevant in both radiotherapy and aerospace research, two different scenarios but that share important skeletal consequences, such as disturbances in bone remodeling, deterioration of trabecular and cortical microarchitecture, and reductions in mechanical strength.<i>Methods</i>. This review was conducted following PRISMA guidelines, with a structured search across Scopus, PubMed, and Google Scholar using predefined keywords and Boolean operators. Experimental murine studies investigating the effects of ionizing radiation in radiotherapy- or spaceflight-simulating settings were considered eligible if they reported at least one bone morphological and one mechanical outcome. After screening and eligibility assessment, 11 studies were included and evaluated for methodological quality based on the robustness of the reported morphological and mechanical analyses.<i>Results</i>. The included studies indicate that radiation exposure in murine bone is associated with dose-, time-, and radiation quality-dependent deterioration, with early, transient effects after single doses and more persistent damage following repeated exposures. Trabecular bone emerged as the most vulnerable compartment, showing reduced trabecular number and increased separation across several studies. Mechanical outcomes appeared to be site-specific: cortical-rich bones often retain strength despite trabecular loss, whereas trabecular-rich sites appeared more susceptible, suggesting microstructural deterioration may contribute to functional impairment even when whole-bone strength is relatively preserved.<i>Conclusions</i>. These findings highlight that trabecular bone is the primary target of radiation-induced damage, with site-specific effects and persistent mechanical deficits, emphasizing the importance of multiscale assessment to understand and mitigate skeletal fragility in clinical and spaceflight contexts. However, a limited number of eligible studies and heterogeneity of experimental designs could reduce the strength of direct comparisons and the generalizability of these conclusions.</p>","PeriodicalId":74582,"journal":{"name":"Progress in biomedical engineering (Bristol, England)","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":7.7,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148724784","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Machine learning for thalassemia detection: a critical review of diagnostic pathways and emerging technologies.","authors":"Elham Baradari, Elif Ugurel, Elif Cemre Eryigit, Senol Piskin, Ozlem Yalcin","doi":"10.1088/2516-1091/ae98cb","DOIUrl":"10.1088/2516-1091/ae98cb","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Thalassemia remains a major diagnostic challenge because its detection requires the interpretation of multiple laboratory and molecular findings in different stages of care. Current diagnostic approaches are effective in clinical practice, but they are often discussed as separate methods rather than as parts of a connected diagnostic pathway. This review addresses this need through a pathway-based and methodologically oriented perspective, beginning with traditional diagnostic methods, moving to emerging diagnostic technologies, and then examining machine learning (ML) as a supportive layer within the diagnostic pathway. To clarify the role of ML, the discussion separates methodological aspects from clinical applications: the first part explains how models are developed and evaluated, while the second part examines where they may contribute in real diagnostic practice. Finally, key challenges are discussed that must be addressed for reliable clinical translation and future implementation. Overall, this review argues that the future of thalassemia detection lies in an integrated diagnostic framework that connects screening, confirmation, monitoring, and treatment planning to support faster, more reliable, and more individualized care for a variety of populations.</p>","PeriodicalId":74582,"journal":{"name":"Progress in biomedical engineering (Bristol, England)","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":7.7,"publicationDate":"2026-08-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148727668","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Huijing Xu, Zihan Jin, Yingyi Gao, Yan Gong, Jingjing Liang, Zhouxiao Lu, Kee Scholten, Xiling Li, Lu Chen, Ellis Meng, Dong Song
{"title":"Design of conformal planar penetrating multi-electrode arrays for recording multiple brain regions.","authors":"Huijing Xu, Zihan Jin, Yingyi Gao, Yan Gong, Jingjing Liang, Zhouxiao Lu, Kee Scholten, Xiling Li, Lu Chen, Ellis Meng, Dong Song","doi":"10.1088/2516-1091/ae92c4","DOIUrl":"10.1088/2516-1091/ae92c4","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Simultaneous recording of neural activity across multiple interacting brain regions is a central objective in systems neuroscience and neural engineering. Penetrating multi-electrode arrays (MEAs) are essential for this purpose, yet their performance is fundamentally constrained by the complex three-dimensional anatomy of the brain and by substantial variability across species and brain regions. As a result, fixed or generic MEA designs, with periodic electrode distribution, often provide limited spatial coverage and suboptimal recording efficiency. In this work, we present a systematic design framework for conformal planar penetrating MEAs that explicitly links neuroanatomical constraints to key engineering decisions, including probe geometry, shank arrangement, electrode distribution, and implantation strategy. The framework integrates anatomical analysis, surgical considerations, device prototyping, electrophysiological validation, and histological verification within an iterative workflow, enabling progressive refinement from initial concept to final design. We illustrate this approach through representative case studies with an initial emphasis on hippocampal arrays, where highly curved and layered cytoarchitecture presents stringent design challenges, and subsequent extensions to other brain regions and animal models. These examples demonstrate how anatomy-aware, conformal designs can improve access to targeted neural structures and enable multi-region recordings. Overall, this work provides a practical, generalizable methodology for designing conformal planar penetrating MEAs. The proposed framework complements existing high-density and/or flexible probes, offering a unifying perspective for developing anatomically tailored neural recording technologies for basic neuroscience research and future translational applications.</p>","PeriodicalId":74582,"journal":{"name":"Progress in biomedical engineering (Bristol, England)","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":7.7,"publicationDate":"2026-08-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148632918","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Md Zahirul Islam Khan, Somrita Roy, Soumya Nair, Asma Pinkey, Taslim Al-Hilal, Helen Ka-Wai Law, Sourav Roy
{"title":"Recent advancements and limitations of intestinal organoids for clinical applications.","authors":"Md Zahirul Islam Khan, Somrita Roy, Soumya Nair, Asma Pinkey, Taslim Al-Hilal, Helen Ka-Wai Law, Sourav Roy","doi":"10.1088/2516-1091/ae8107","DOIUrl":"10.1088/2516-1091/ae8107","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths worldwide, and there has been a concerning rise in its incidence among younger populations. Although there have been significant advances in molecular characterization, translating research findings into effective therapeutic strategies for CRC management remains suboptimal. This challenge is largely attributed to the limitations of conventional preclinical models, such as two-dimensional or patient-derived tumor xenograft (PDX), which fail to recapitulate the complexity and heterogeneity of CRC tissues. Intestinal organoids, derived from adult or pluripotent stem cells, have emerged as transformative tools to address the current limitations by mimicking the structural, genetic, and functional characteristics of native intestinal tissue in a three-dimensional culture environment. These organoids preserve patient-specific genomic features, allowing long-term growth, and serve as a more physiologically relevant model for studying CRC initiation, progression and drug resistance mechanisms. Furthermore, the integration of organoids with CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing, high-throughput drug screening, and multi-omics technologies has greatly enhanced their utility in personalized medicine and drug discovery. However, several unsolved challenges remain with the organoid model, such as culturing variability, a lack of protocol standardization, and an incomplete representation of the tumor microenvironment, particularly immune and stromal cells. This review offers a critical and comprehensive overview of intestinal organoid technologies in CRC research, identifies major knowledge gaps, and highlights emerging strategies to enhance their clinical application. The study aims to provide future directions that could significantly enhance precision oncology and ultimately improve therapeutic outcomes for CRC patients.</p>","PeriodicalId":74582,"journal":{"name":"Progress in biomedical engineering (Bristol, England)","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":7.7,"publicationDate":"2026-07-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13358522/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148310685","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Lipeng Song, Zhaozhen Liu, Akin Atas, Alexander Baker, Christine L Le Maitre, Glen Cooper
{"title":"Tissue engineering strategies for annulus fibrosus repair: a scoping review of repair methods, animal models, and evaluation techniques.","authors":"Lipeng Song, Zhaozhen Liu, Akin Atas, Alexander Baker, Christine L Le Maitre, Glen Cooper","doi":"10.1088/2516-1091/ae7f59","DOIUrl":"10.1088/2516-1091/ae7f59","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p><i>Background</i>. intervertebral disc (IVD) degeneration is a common chronic disease and may lead to disc herniation. Microdiscectomy removes the herniated tissue, but cannot address altered IVD biomechanics or restore annulus fibrosus (AF) structural integrity. With the development of tissue engineering, AF repair has shown potential in preclinical studies. However, these studies have not been reviewed from a practical experimental perspective, particularly focusing on animal models and evaluation methods. Therefore, this review aims to summarise and compare tissue-engineered AF repair strategies from the past decade and propose guidance for more standardised AF repair assessment.<i>Methods</i>. This scoping review followed the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses 2020 guidance covering studies from 2015 to 2025, a decade marked by rapid advancements in AF repair biomaterials. The search terms used were: ('annulus-fibrosus-repair' OR 'intervertebral-disc-repair' OR 'annular closure' OR 'IVD regeneration' OR 'AF regeneration') AND ('<i>in vitro</i>' OR '<i>in vivo</i>' OR 'comput*' OR 'animal model' OR 'biomechanic*'). Data were collected from Web of Science and PubMed databases.<i>Results</i>. Ninety-nine records were identified from PubMed and 155 from Web of Science in October 2025. After screening, 48 studies were included, demonstrating significant progress in biomaterial-driven AF repair. However, considerable variation was found in animal model selection, defect creation, and evaluation methods, limiting direct comparison across studies. In particular, AF defect sizes were often not consistently scaled to animal disc geometry. Accordingly, this review suggested geometrically scaled defect size ranges for common animal models. In addition, energy dissipation was identified as an important but rarely quantified marker of IVD viscoelastic restoration.<i>Conclusion</i>. This review provides practical guidance on animal model selection, AF defect size, and proposes an evaluation checklist for future AF repair studies. More standardised and physiologically relevant assessment is needed to improve cross-study comparison and support clinical translation.</p>","PeriodicalId":74582,"journal":{"name":"Progress in biomedical engineering (Bristol, England)","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":7.7,"publicationDate":"2026-07-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148280328","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}