Advancements in Metal Ion-Driven Tissue Repair Materials

Background Over the past few decades, rapid progress in both tissue engineering and regenerative medicine has revolutionized approaches to tissue regeneration and reconstruction. This new era of research aims at combining the use of biomaterials with cellular therapy to restore injured/tissue-depleted organs. However, despite this tremendous success, traditional biomaterials face several limitations: poor mechanical properties, unsuitable degradation rates, low bioactivity etc., which prevent them from completely mimicking natural tissue microenvironments.To address this issue, researchers have begun integrating multidimensional designs encompassing biochemical, structural, and physical cues into biomaterials. Multidimensional cues play important roles in many essential physiological functions that occur throughout our body, orchestrating complex cellular behaviors and tissue remodeling. Incorporation of these multiple dimensions within scaffold structures, hydrogel networks, or even surface coatings has been shown to induce favorable cellular interactions through enhanced adhesion, proliferation, and growth characteristics. They also possess inherent antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory effects. In addition, the distinct biological activity induced by tailored structural and biochemical signals provides an exciting opportunity to develop patient-specific tissue engineering therapies aimed specifically towards cells residing within certain organs/tissues. Despite a series of remarkable advancements, numerous challenges remain. How to precisely synchronize these multidimensional cues, ensure their comprehensive biocompatibility, and adapt to the needs of different tissues requires further investigation. While it may not yet seem possible, continued advances will lead us down a path toward future generations of regenerative medical technologies. This will be an important direction for the intersection of medicine and engineering as well as clinical transformation.The objective of this project is to develop intelligent, tissue-specific biomaterial platforms that synergize multidimensional material designs with comprehensive biological validation, thereby advancing personalized therapies. This includes: 1. Advanced material design: Utilizing 3D printing, nanocomposites, and stimuli-responsive systems to achieve tunable multidimensional properties, addressing unique repair demands across diverse tissues. Such as 3D printed scaffolds incorporating dynamic nanomaterials that deliver localized cues in synchrony with the remodeling phase and dynamic hydrogel systems that regulate cellular metabolism through spatially controlled microenvironments. 2. Multifunctional integration: Incorporating antibacterial, anti-inflammatory or pro-angiogenic properties into multidimensional systems to address complex clinical situations such as chronic wounds or degenerative diseases. 3. Multiscale mechanistic studies: Investigating multidimension-mediated cellular signaling (e.g., differentiation, angiogenesis) and tissue remodeling through integrated in vitro, in vivo, and computational models. 4. Safety and efficacy frameworks: Establishing standardized protocols for assessing systemic toxicity, long-term biocompatibility across tissues, and determining the optimal parameters for different types of tissue. This research aims to unify material science, bioengineering, and clinical insights, ultimately enabling next-generation therapies that adapt to dynamic healing processes while addressing unmet needs in large tissue defects and degenerative conditions. The present Research Topic is dedicated to the advancement of multidimensional designed biomaterials for the purposes of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, with particular emphasis on interdisciplinary innovation. Contributions addressing, but not limited to, the following areas are invited: 1. Design strategies: Novel synthesis methods (e.g., nanocomposites, 3D-printed scaffolds) for integrating multiple physical and biochemical cues. 2. Mechanistic insights: Roles of multidimensional designs (structure, mechanics, and active molecules) in cellular signaling, differentiation, and tissue remodeling. 3. Functional optimization: Balancing structural cues, mechanical stability, and biodegradability for tissue-specific applications. 4. Multifunctionality: Antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, or angiogenic properties of multidimensional designed systems. 5. Synergistic Interactions and Safety: How different material dimensions interact, what parameters are optimal, and ensuring long-term safety to use over the long haul. 6. Preclinical translation: In vitro and in vivo evaluation of how multidimensional material properties govern regenerative outcomes in bone, cartilage, skin, or nerve tissues. We welcome Original Research, Reviews, Methods, Perspectives, and Brief Research Reports that bridge material science, bioengineering, and translational medicine. Submissions integrating computational modeling, advanced characterization (e.g., in situ imaging), or patient-specific approaches are encouraged. High-impact studies addressing unmet clinical needs and scalability will be prioritized. All submissions must place the structure–property–function relationships of the biomaterial at their core. Computational studies must include experimental validation. Clinical studies, drug discovery, and bibliometric analyses are outside the scope of this Research Topic. Topic editors: Veysel Kayser, Yihao Liu, Mingzhi Song Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/84110/advancements-in-metal-ion-driven-tissue-repair-materials