Abstract
Biomimetics deals with the realization of processes and construction, as well as the development of principles of nature in technological applications and devices, i.e., there is a transfer (of knowledge) from biology to technology. It is worth noting that identical copies from nature to technology are not feasible in biomimetics. Instead, biomimetics encompasses a creative conversion into technology that is often based on various steps of abstractions and modifications, i.e., an independent successive construction that is a "new invention" rather than a blueprint of nature. It has been argued that we now need a new generation of 3D culture systems that would offer a middle ground between the bare bones approach of a standard petri dish and a live organism model, such as a rat, or mouse. The new strategy of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine at large, is to construct biomimetic matrices to mimic nature's hierarchical structural assemblages and mechanisms of simplicity and elegance that are conserved throughout genera and species.
The current generation of tissue engineering is a true integration of biology and engineering that makes it possible to design "biomimetic" environments that subject the cell to the combinations of factors known to guide tissue development and regeneration in vivo. The implications of this collaborative approach are likely to extend beyond the current goal of answering complex biological questions using new bioengineering tools, to the derivation of entirely new concepts that will shape future advances in regenerative medicine.
In this perspective chapter, we will focus on the development and use of biomimetic platforms that provide the interface between biological questions and engineering tools in the field of dental and craniofacial tissue engineering.