The complex microenvironment in vivo at different tissue sites with diverse cell types and under different pathological conditions may alter material properties and in turn, affect its in vivo performance. It is crucial, therefore, to carefully study tissue microenvironment and optimize materials in light of the specific conditions in which they will have to perform their function.
We believe that new advances in material design and detailed study of material-tissue interactions can open a new chapter in personalized medicine, where biomaterials are chosen and designed to precisely match the tissue and disease state, with a concomitant improvement in clinical outcomes.
Materials can no longer be considered as ‘one size fits all’ for a broadly defined indication, but should take into account the unique tissue microenvironment of each patient. This change in approach has been catalyzed by novel imaging and characterization techniques that allow us a more detailed understanding of the disease microenvironment and how it evolves over time.