Abstract:

Biomaterial implants have a long history in the clinic, but regenerative biomaterials and regenerative medicine therapies, in general, have been slow to reach patients. Clinical translation provides a unique and critical opportunity to investigate the key therapeutic drivers of technology efficacy in people. Careful evaluation of clinical outcomes and reevaluation of design parameters is central to improving research and technology development. A key outcome of our clinical translation experiences in orthopedics and plastic surgery was the unexpected discovery of adaptive immune cells around synthetic implants. We are now working to understand the role of the immune system and cellular senescence in the biomaterial response and repair across different tissues. This new therapeutic target serves as the basis for the design of regenerative immunotherapies.