Immunomodulatory Biomaterials: Principles, Immune Engineering Strategies, and Emerging Applications in Regenerative Medicine

作者：Buran A, Durğun ME, Aydoğmuş E, Arslanoğlu H · 发表于：Biotechnology and bioengineering · 年份：2026 · DOI：10.1002/bit.70341

Biomaterials have undergone a remarkable transformation from passive structural components to bioactive therapeutic platforms capable of regulating complex biological processes and orchestrating host immune responses. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the fundamental principles, recent advances, and future perspectives of immunomodulatory biomaterials, emphasizing their expanding role in regenerative medicine and therapeutic applications. Initially, the major classes of biomaterials, including metallic, ceramic, polymeric, and composite systems, are systematically examined with respect to their physicochemical characteristics, biological functions, advantages, limitations, and clinical relevance. The review further explores the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying biomaterial-host interactions, including protein adsorption, cell adhesion, mechanotransduction, immune activation, foreign body responses, biofilm formation, and tissue integration. Particular emphasis is placed on the emerging concept of immunoengineering, highlighting how biomaterial properties such as surface chemistry, topography, stiffness, degradation behavior, and biofunctionalization can regulate innate and adaptive immune responses through macrophage polarization, dendritic cell activation, and T-cell modulation. Recent developments in smart and stimuli-responsive biomaterials, nanotechnology, surface engineering, extracellular matrix-inspired systems, and bioactive molecule delivery...