A Proteomics Approach to Understand the Role of Calcium Phosphate Ceramics in Bone Regeneration

In the field of orthopedic and craniomaxillofacial surgery, natural bone grafts, including autograft and allograft, play a crucial role in treating of bone defects. However, the application natural bone grafts is associated with important drawbacks like limited availability and donor site morbidity. To overcome these issues, an increasing demand exists for synthetic alternatives to natural bone grafts, which are relatively inexpensive and can be produced in large quantities. Among different bone graft substitutes, calcium phosphate (CaP) ceramics are extensively used, owing to their resemblance to bone mineral, and their biocompatibility and bioactivity. Nevertheless, the majority of currently available CaP-based bone graft substitutes are inferior to autografts, in terms of osteoconductivity and osteoinductivity1. In order to be able to improve bioactivity of synthetic bone graft substitutes, it is imperative to understand mechanisms of their interaction with the biological environment. Here we aim to use advanced proteomics techniques to study interactions between biomaterials and cells/tissues.