“This paper proposes an alternative approach to bone grafts by combining the patient’s own cells obtained from the bone marrow and a temporary scaffold.”

Tissue engineering or regenerative medicine addresses one of the most critical problems in reconstructive surgery, namely the lack of sufficient tissue for reconstruction. This paper proposes a novel approach to develop living bone grafts by combining cells from the bone marrow and a biodegradable polymer scaffold with a unique topography resembling the native extracellular matrix. Our approach combines several novel methodologies, i.e., the use of progenitor cells and subsequent differentiation, and the use of a novel scaffold.

This paper describes a new methodology to create bone-like tissue from marrow stromal cells and highly porous electropspun polymer scaffolds. Although our paper focuses on bone regeneration, this methodology can be easily adapted to create other tissues. This approach is very versatile as attested by the large number of recent publications in this field.

Skeletal reconstruction procedures frequently require bone grafts to fill the defects. Currently, using the patient’s own bone, obtained from a different site in the body, is the treatment of choice. However, this option is not always available since the amount of bone supply is limited and complications at the donor site may occur. In addition, this approach requires additional surgery to harvest the bone. This paper proposes an alternative approach to bone grafts by combining the patient’s own cells obtained from the bone marrow and a temporary scaffold. Cells from the bone marrow have been shown to turn into bone cells, and when cultured on these novel, highly porous scaffolds, bone-like tissue was obtained. These initial results are promising and may provide a clinical alternative to current skeletal reconstruction procedures.

Although significant advances have been made in the development of artificial prostheses and reconstructive procedures to treat skeletal defects, the clinical outcomes are not always satisfactory and frequently result in a low quality of life for the patients. The concept of tissue engineering or regenerative medicine proposes an exciting alternative using an interdisciplinary approach combining medicine, engineering and biology. The recent discoveries in biomaterials and stem cell research have opened new possibilities to create living tissue in the laboratory, which may take us one step closer to reach our overall goal, namely to alleviate the shortage of donor tissue.