[AVX Seminar] Biomaterials in tissue repair/regeneration: from foreign bodies to immunomodulation | Mário Barbosa

AVX Seminar

Title: Biomaterials in tissue repair/regeneration: from foreign bodies to immunomodulation

Speaker: Mário Barbosa

Affiliation: i3S-Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, ICBAS-Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar, Universidade do Porto

Abstract

First generations of materials applied in clinics aimed at restoring the function of the damaged tissues. Inertness was a goal, leading to the use of materials that had been largely developed for harsh industrial environments (e.g. titanium, stainless steels and hard ceramics). Most of the currently used dental and orthopaedic implants are examples of biomaterials that still follow that strategy. Upon implantation conventional biomaterials elicit a foreign body reaction which ultimately leads to encapsulation of medical devides. Although encapsulation may be beneficial in some cases (e.g. to avoid migration of pacemakers), generally it is undesirable. These biomaterials prevent the establishement of a pro-regenerative process, which requires the intervention of inflammation. Inflammation is a natural response to injury, and its modulation is crucial for the success of implanted biomaterials. Exacerbated or unresolved inflammation is deleterious, leading to implant failure and removel. Therefore, the paradigm of biomaterials development has shifted from “fighting inflammation” to “modulating inflammation”. This notion has led to the development of immunomudulatory biomaterials, which take advantage of the infllamatory reaction. This presentation will cover some of the critical isssues related to inflammation associated with biomaterials, including results obtained in our group with scaffolds made of fibrinogen, which is classically considered a pro-inflammatory protein.

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