Growth Factor Delivery in Tissue Engineering

Growth factor delivery lies at the heart of contemporary tissue engineering, aiming to recreate the intricate signalling environment that directs cellular growth, differentiation and extracellular matrix formation. Unmodified proteins disperse rapidly and lose activity, so engineered carriers are employed to stabilise, protect and release growth factors in a controlled manner. Scaffold-based approaches integrate natural or synthetic polymers into three-dimensional constructs that mimic native tissue architecture and present bioactive cues. Nanomaterial platforms—including polymeric nanoparticles, liposomes and mesoporous silica—offer further control over release kinetics and can be combined with scaffolds to achieve sequential presentation of multiple factors. By tailoring material composition, degradation rates and binding affinities, these systems foster osteoinduction, angiogenesis and immunomodulation, thereby enhancing regeneration of bone, cartilage, skin and vasculature. Advances in responsive hydrogels, mathematical modelling and biofunctional surface chemistries are refining spatiotemporal control, reducing required doses and minimising adverse effects. This field continues to evolve towards clinically translatable platforms that deliver growth factors with surgical ease, safety and reproducible performance.

Research from Nature Portfolio

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Research from all publishers

Recent studies have demonstrated the promise of nanomaterial‐based carriers to protect and activate growth factors for bone repair. Functional nanoparticles encapsulate proteins such as BMP-2 and VEGF, shielding them from enzymatic degradation and enabling sustained release over therapeutically relevant timeframes. When embedded within polymeric scaffolds, these hybrid systems permit sequential delivery of osteogenic and angiogenic cues, enhancing both mineral deposition and vascular ingrowth in preclinical models.

Advances in polymer scaffold design have underscored the importance of spatiotemporal control. Bioresorbable matrices combining synthetic polymers with natural extracellular matrix components can be engineered with gradient structures or dual‐phase systems. These platforms deliver multiple growth factors in a programmable sequence, guiding cell recruitment, differentiation and maturation in bone and cartilage regeneration.

Investigations into surface immobilisation and biofunctional interfaces have revealed that covalent or affinity‐based tethering of growth factors preserves local concentration and bioactivity. Hydrogels functionalised with glycosaminoglycan mimetics modulate the retention and release of VEGF, enabling tunable vascular network formation. Such chemically defined strategies reduce burst release and allow fine‐tuning of growth factor presentation to match the kinetics of native tissue repair.

Growth Factor Delivery in Tissue Engineering publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in growth factor delivery in tissue engineering across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Growth factor: A soluble protein that regulates cell proliferation, differentiation and survival during tissue development and repair.

Scaffold: A three-dimensional, porous structure that provides mechanical support and guiding architecture for cell attachment and tissue formation.

Nanomaterial: A material with structural features at the nanoscale (1–100 nm) used to encapsulate or immobilise biomolecules for controlled delivery.

Osteoinduction: The process by which signalling molecules stimulate progenitor cells to differentiate into bone‐forming osteoblasts.

Angiogenesis: The formation of new blood vessels from existing vasculature, essential for supplying nutrients and oxygen to regenerating tissue.

References

1. The Delivery and Activation of Growth Factors Using Nanomaterials for Bone Repair. Pharmaceutics (2023).
2. Bone tissue engineering via growth factor delivery: from scaffolds to complex matrices. Regenerative Biomaterials (2018).
3. Growth Factor Engineering Strategies for Regenerative Medicine Applications. Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology (2020).
4. Progress and Prospects of Polymer-Based Drug Delivery Systems for Bone Tissue Regeneration. Polymers (2020).
5. Chemical strategies for the presentation and delivery of growth factors. Journal of Materials Chemistry B (2014).
6. Tuning the Local Availability of VEGF within Glycosaminoglycan‐Based Hydrogels to Modulate Vascular Endothelial Cell Morphogenesis. Advanced Functional Materials (2020).
7. Engineered biomaterial strategies for controlling growth factors in tissue engineering. Drug Delivery (2020).