Themed collection 31st Annual Conference of the European Society of Biomaterials

Ana Paula Pêgo, M. Cristina L. Martins and Pedro L. Granja introduce the themed issue on the 31^st Annual Conference of the European Society for Biomaterials (ESB 2021).

An overview of scaffolds for corneal endothelial tissue engineering, their properties and materials starting from the Descemet's membrane and evaluating the scaffolds from a materials scientist perspective.

Coating and targeting strategies improve superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles-induced hyperthermia, while omics can unveil molecular effects.

Porous yet dense collagen matrices obtained by ice templating allow for long-term 3D cell culture with enhanced physiological relevance.

Two novel bilayer constructs for the repair of osteochondral defects were developed from nanofibers and ceramic particles embedded into PVA matrices, exhibiting multiple promising properties similar to those of corresponding natural tissues.

A cell-laden alginate/Pluronic-based bioink doped with BaTiO₃ piezoelectric nanoparticles (BTNPs) was investigated. BTNPs promoted myogenic differentiation and the synergy with ultrasound boosted the expression of MYOD1, MYOG, and MYH2 genes.

Piezoelectric poly-L-lactide nanotubes mechanically deformed with ultrasound selectively destroy bacterial membranes, exhibiting a contact-based antimicrobial effect.

Several tissue engineering approaches are based on the ability of mesenchymal cells to endogenously synthesize an extracellular matrix (ECM) in vitro, which can be seen as a form of biomaterial.

Hydrogels have been recently proposed as suitable materials to generate reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS) upon gas-plasma treatment, and postulated as promising alternatives to conventional cancer therapies.

Lymph node-inspired 3D hydrogels with precisely defined porosity were produced, which improve the state-of-the-art T cell proliferation, a procedure that is especially important for novel cellular immunotherapies.

Three-dimensional bioabsorbable textiles represent a novel technology for the manufacturing of tissue engineering scaffolds.

The addition of alloying elements, in particular chromium, reduced the dissolution rate of silicon nitride coatings without affecting other functional properties such as hardness. Optimum chromium contents gave an enhanced in vitro cell viability.

PDNPs elicit an antioxidant effect on healthy and ARSACS-derived fibroblasts, thus reducing ROS levels, ROS-induced apoptosis/necrosis, and ROS-induced mitochondrial impairments, and enhancing protein expression.

Combinatorial assessment of lung cancer biomarkers via microfluidics-assisted liquid biopsy.

The mechanical and oscillatory behavior of the biomimetic electrospun SF-PCL TM implants can be tuned by adjusting the solution concentration, the SF-PCL mixing ratio and the electrospinning parameters to achieve comparable properties to human TMs.

Transparent, cytocompatible and high resolution 3D-DLP-printing offers new opportunities in cell culture and organs-on-a-chip.

Polycaprolactone/silica hybrids offer a dual therapeutic effect: the promotion of bone regeneration thanks to silicate ions and strong antibacterial properties against the risk of osteomyelitis.

A dual keratinocyte attachment cell adhesive peptides (CAPs) and anti-inflammatory conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) coating as a strategy for promoting soft tissue sealing around transmucosal implants.

Liposomes were loaded with a polyphenol-rich extract from grape pomace. Liposomes successfully crossed the BBB and efficiently protected neural cells from neurodegeneration in relevant in vitro models.

Identifying an optimal range of cell morphology characteristics to monitor cell–surface interactions, helping to screen biomaterial applications such as cell sheets, intelligent cell culture surfaces, or functional coatings.