Materials as solid-phase therapeutics for in situ engineering of tissue regeneration

The two approaches used to develop biomaterials for in situ engineering of tissue regeneration are discussed. One of the approach is based on the customization of a natural cell invasion matrix, fibrin, and the other is based on synthetic mimetics of fibrin and collagen. The developed biomaterials present adhesion signals, possess protease-sensitive sites for materials degradation, and also present bound growth factors. The development of approaches by which to incorporate exogenous adhesion peptides, adhesion proteins, growth factor binding sites, and growth factors into fibrin during coagulation, exploiting the transglutaminase activity of the coagulation enzyme factor XIIIa are also discussed.