Implementing tissue engineering and regenerative medicine solutions in medical implants

Background: Surgical implants are widely used in the medical field but their long-term performance is limited due to failure of integration with tissues. This manuscript describes verywell-known problems associated with implants and discusses novel solutions used in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine that can be implemented in this uncommonly discussed medical area. Sources of data: General and medical literature describing modifications of medical and surgical implants, biofunctionalization, tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. Areas of agreement: Procedures for surgical implantation have grown sub-stantially in the last few decades and provided improved quality of life for patients, regardless of area of implantation and device type and purpose. Areas of controversy: In general, implants fail because of lack of long-term integration with the surrounding tissues. Implant manufacturers have not addressed implant failure from the point of view of biointegration. In add-ition, some medical practitioners are inclined to treat implant failure by using anti-infection methods to prevent bacterial adhesion. However, both approaches are conceptually limited, as discussed in this manuscript. Growing points: Implantation in the future will not be limited to medically needed procedures but also to a growing number of cosmetic body trans-formation procedures, which may include perceived ‘improved implant func-tions ’ over natural tissues or organs. An additional trend is that implant procedures are being progressively performed in younger individuals. Areas timely for developing research: Current implants generally do not allow the physician to have controlled long-term access to internal tissues i