Advanced Functional Biomaterials for Stem Cell Delivery in Regenerative Engineering and Medicine

Stem cell-based therapies can potentially regenerate many types of tissues and organs, thereby providing solutions to a variety of diseases and injuries. However, acute cell death, uncontrolled differentiation, and low functional engraftment yields remain critical obstacles for clinical translation. Advanced functional biomaterial scaffolds that can deliver stem cells to the targeted tissues/organs and promote stem cell survival, differentiation, and integration to host tissues may potentially transform the clinical outcome of stem cell-based regenerative therapies. In this review, the authors briefly summarize sources of stem cells for transplantation, present the current state of the art in biomaterial design for stem cell delivery, and provide critical analysis for existing materials. Applications to the cardiovascular, neural, and musculoskeletal systems are highlighted with recent nonclinical studies and clinical trials. The authors also discuss how advances in biomaterials research can contribute to regenerative medicine research and stem cell therapies.