Nanostructured injectable cell microcarriers for tissue regeneration

Review article looking at the recent advances in nanostructured microspheres that are employed as injectable, biomimetic and cell-instructive cell carriers, by Zhanpeng Zhang, Thomas W Eyster, Peter X Ma (University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA). Biodegradable polymer microspheres could help support the regeneration of irregularly shaped tissue defects thanks to their injectability, controllable biodegradability and capacity for drug incorporation and release. Furthermore, recent nanotechnological advances mean that their nanoscale physical and chemical properties can be sufficiently modulated to mimick the extracellular matrix and therefore better support regeneration through improved interactions between cells and the carrier and stem cell differentiation....