Novel biomaterials for drug delivery

Background: Research on the development of bioceramics as controlled delivery systems of biologically active molecules for bone implant technologies exhibits two distinct approaches: i) drug delivery to treat bone infection, inflammation or bone diseases; and ii) release of osteogenic agents that promote bone tissue regeneration, such as peptides, proteins and growth factors. Objective/methods: This is a review of the literature and patents on recently developed bioceramics for drug delivery systems in bone tissue regeneration. A critical overview concerning the conventional sol-gel glasses, as well as the last trends in silica-based mesoporous materials, is provided. Results/conclusion: Supramolecular chemistry has allowed major advances in the biomedical field, as a very precise control in the drug-load capacity, drug-release kinetics, together with an enhanced bone-forming capability, are achieved.