The Paradigm Shift from
Replacement to Regeneration
Exciting developments over the past 20 years include stem cell biology, advances in bioreactor systems for
engineering cell assays, injectable interactive materials, nanostructuring of biomaterials and progress in
directing biodegradability. This commentary, provided by a life scientist, also highlights some of the goals
yet to be achieved.
C.J. Kirkpatrick, REPAIR-Lab, Institute of Pathology, Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
Combined effort drives
the “revolution”
The formation of crosslinks is an important chemical strategy for consolidating
a macromolecular structure, and in my
view this is an apt metaphor to describe
the development of the multidisciplinary
approach that has characterised the past
20 years in the medical device industry.
Multidisciplinarity is one of the driving forces in executing the fundamental
change expressed in the title of this article.
The following short essay assesses the
ongoing “revolution” that has taken place
in the field of biomaterials and their application to medicine. It should of course
be clearly stated that the developments
described here are merely a glimpse of
what has been achieved. Moreover, there
is the expectation that a good percentage of what is still in the basic research
and preclinical stages of development will
establish itself in a sustainable fashion in
the medical device marketplace.
Developments in the life sciences
Advances in stem cell biology mean that
practically all adult tissues are suitable for
regeneration, at least from a theoretical
point of view. This knowledge has brought
with it the ability to isolate and characterise a number of stem cell types such as
mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), which
could be incorporated in a suitable tissue
