Models for evaluating the immune response to naturally derived biomaterials

The immune response to biomaterials has emerged as a critical determinant of tissue repair outcomes and is complex, involving multiple cell types, distinct spatiotemporal phenotypes, and is influenced by variables including processing of the material and host-related factors. This interaction between implanted material and the host immune cells has stimulated interest in analytical methods to characterize the immune response. The present review discusses these methods including in vitro, in vivo, ex vivo, in silico, and combination models utilized to evaluate the immune response to biomaterials and their applicability to clinical scenarios. Recent developments in modeling the immune response to emerging technologies that may provide better predictors of the immune response to implanted materials and ultimately lead to improved clinical outcomes are reviewed.