The “holy grail” of RM is the development of “smart” materials that do not require additional biologically active factors. These materials are alleged to exactly mimic the natural bone environment, serving as a scaffold for the orchestrated activation of local cellular processes.

To bypass the drawbacks of a grafting procedure, the ultimate challenge of this project will be to create a bone substitute that is made of the patient’s own, bone-forming cells. By first collecting a bone marrow aspirate, subsequently selecting the MSCs and expanding them by culturing, and finally directing them to the lineage of bone-forming cells, an equivalent of a bone transplant is created. For successful cell-based bone regeneration, vascular supply is essential. Only ingrowth of an adequate number of new blood vessels within a short period of time optimizes the survival rate of the implanted cells.