About this Research Topic

Background

Musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) are injuries or disorders that affect the human body's movement or musculoskeletal system, including muscles, nerves, tendons, joints, cartilage, and spinal discs. MSDs are the leading contributor to disability worldwide, and the prevalence of age, younger people are also affected. Treatment methods, such as medications to reduce inflammation and pain, physical therapy, occupational therapy, etc., only help patients learn how to manage pain and discomfort and maintain strength and range of motion. Herein, the concept of personalized medicine has risen to treat severe MSDs. The biofabrication of biopolymer has wide application toward musculoskeletal tissue repair and regeneration. Here, 3D bioprinting, a state-of-the-art technology, has fostered rapid and exciting developments based on biomimicry, autonomous self-assembly, mini-tissue building blocks strategies for tissue engineering, and regenerative medicine that address many challenges in MSD. However, despite the signs of progress in this area, there is a gap in translating research results.

Physicians often notice that musculoskeletal pain can be acute (having a rapid onset with severe symptoms) or chronic (long-lasting). Also, it can be localized in one area or widespread. In this regard, medications, physical therapy, occupational therapy, surgical treatments, and transplantation strategies have been applied as therapeutic methods for decades. These methods manage the pain by reducing inflammation, maintaining strength and range of motion, adjusting everyday activities and environments, but showing size-dependent regeneration, fibrocartilage tissue formation, and poor restoration of the biomechanical functions. Although joint replacement was introduced as an effective and alternative treatment strategy, poor functional outcomes, limited durability of the prostheses, and the need for probable secondary surgery prevent the expansion of this treatment method. As a result, MSD treatment remains challenging since therapeutic strategies have failed to achieve complete regeneration. The focus is recently shifting toward tissue engineering to regenerate defective sites using innovative biofabrication technologies such as 3D bioprinting with strong potential to fabricate individually designed scaffolds, direct printing in the defective sites, high accuracy, and incorporate stem cells and growth factors. This Research Topic aims to highlight the sign of progress in biofabrication of biopolymers to develop a new generation of MSD implants to restore tissue function.

This Research Topic's scope will highlight the innovative biopolymers for 3D bioprinting process to generate tissue-like structures for MSD regeneration. Types of manuscripts to be featured mainly include Original Research and Perspective articles. Review articles that describe the current state-of-the-art in biofabrication of biopolymers for MSD regeneration are welcomed. Within this view, this Research Topic encourage submissions addressing, but are not limited to, the following:

- Disease modeling as well as related molecular genetics, pathophysiology, and epidemiology
- Development of novel biopolymers for the regeneration of MSD
- Design and development of implantable and personalized implants for MSD repair
- Development of specific 3D printer for MSD applications

Keywords: Additive manufacturing, Tissue engineering, Biofabrication, Biopolymer, Musculoskeletal tissue

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

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