Progress of structural scaffold biomaterials for bone tissue defect repair: A cutting-edge review

Tremendous challenges still remain in clinical bone tissue defect repair associated with higher morbidity, recurrence, and longer hospital stays. To combat these problems, bone tissue engineering has begun with artificial scaffold biomaterials and has ushered in a booming development with the rise of additive manufacturing techniques. This review provides a cutting-edge review on recent research progress in mechanics and biology of structural scaffold biomaterials, from the multidisciplinary perspective of starting with mechanical properties of natural bone materials. For mechanical properties, most of the research focuses on the static compression, fatigue or permeability properties of structural scaffold biomaterials. Developments at biological properties are critically discussed with an emphasis on promoting osteogenic capacity. However, biomimetic or composite strategies are commonly adopted in the design of structural scaffold biomaterials, which is lack of design for individualized demand. From the perspective of clinical personalized serve, a new paradigm of individualized demand-guided structural scaffold biomaterials design paradigm (DSBDP) is proposed, and its purpose is to progresses clinical bone defect repair biomaterials by regulating the balance among structure, mechanics and biology of biomaterials. This paper not only reviews state-of-the-art progress of structural scaffold biomaterials, but also puts forward the possible development direction of structural scaffold biomaterials through interdisciplinary research.