Biomaterial and Cell Interactions - The Foreign Body Response as an Obstacle in Nanomedicine

The foreign body reaction describes the host’s inflammatory response to an exogenous material. In the rapidly expanding disciplines of nanotechnology and nanomedicine, the interplay between an implant and host tissue has become increasingly important. Nanomedicine fundamentally aims to monitor and direct cell function at the molecular length scale. Controlling cell-biomaterial interactions is key to successful therapeutic implementation. However, current in vitro practice does not adequately address the foreign body reaction. In this opinion, I summarize consequences of the foreign body inflammatory response and its implications in nanoscale therapeutic designs.