Advanced biomaterials for regenerative medicine and their possible therapeutic significance in treating COVID-19: a critical overview.

Abstract

The potential of biomaterials in medical sciences has attracted much interest, especially in promoting tissue regeneration and controlling immune responses. As COVID-19 pandemic broke out, there was an increased interest in understanding more about how biomaterials could be employed to fight this dreaded disease, especially in the context of regenerative medicine. Out of the numerous regenerative medicine possibilities, stem cells and scaffolding (grafting) technology are two major areas in modern medicines and surgery. Mesenchymal stem cells are useful in tissue repair, tailored therapy and treating COVID-19. Using biomaterials in COVID-19 treatment is intricate that needs multi- and cross-disciplinary research. Cell-based therapy and organ transplant pose immunological rejection challenge. Immunomodulation enhanced, tumorigenicity decreased, inflammation addressed and tissue damage restricted bioengineered stem cells need clinical insights and validation. Advanced stem cell based therapies should ideally be effective, safe and scalable. Cost and scalability shall dictate the dawn of technoeconomically feasible regenerative medicine. A globally standard and uniform approval process could accelerate translational regenerative medicine. Researchers, patient advocacy organisations, the regulators and the biopharmaceutical stakeholders need to join hands for easy navigation of regulatory measures and expeditious market entry of regenerative medicine. This article summarises advances in biomaterials for regenerative medicine, and their possible therapeutic benefits in managing infectious diseases like COVID-19. It highlights the significant recent developments in biomaterial design, scaffold construction, and stem cell-based therapies to treat tissue damage and COVID-19 linked immunological disregulation. It also highlights the potential contribution of biomaterials towards creating novel treatment strategies to manage COVID-19.