@article {19170,
	title = {Biofunctionalization of Ionic-doped Calcium Phosphates for Tissue Engineering},
	journal = {Chem2Nature First School},
	year = {2016},
	month = {2016-11-21 00:00:00},
	address = {Avepark, Guimar{\~a}es, Portugal},
	abstract = {<p>Calcium phosphates (CaPs) are the chemical compounds of special interest for human beings due to their similarity with the inorganic part of major normal (bones, teeth and antlers) calcified tissues of mammals. CaP materials are used in a variety of bone tissue engineering ranging from cements to implant coatings and, most commonly, bone void fillers. Essentially, CaPs act as scaffold in which they facilitate new bone creation through the migration and proliferation of bone forming cells.<sup>1</sup> In particular, CaPs are able to: (a) produce tunable drug release profiles, (b) be injectable using self-setting pastes, (c) deliver bioactive compounds, (d) accommodate an array of functional ions, and (e) be naturally antimicrobial. These biomaterials possess remarkable biocompatibility, osteoconductivity, bioresorbability, and high mechanical strength. The functionalization of CaPs, which means the modification of their composition, structure, and properties, has been vital to solve specific problems in various fields of bone tissue engineering. The partial substitution of Ca by different ions, e.g., strontium, zinc, manganese, magnesium, into the structure has shown significant osteogenic, angiogenic and neovascularization capability in the formation, growth, and repair of bone with faster patient healing times and high surgical success rates.<sup>2</sup> In addition, these ionic-dopants can lend controlled degradation and increase the mechanical strength of the developed CaP biomaterials.<sup>3</sup> This study aims to functionalize CaPs materials incorporating different ionic-dopants in order to improve their final mechanical and biological performance for bone tissue engineering applications.</p>},
	keywords = {Calcium phosphates, ionic-dopants, silk, Tissue engineering},
	author = {Pina, S. and Reis, R. L. and Oliveira, J. M.}
}
