Omics-based approaches to guide the design of biomaterials

Recent developments in biomedical engineering have focused on designing smart and bio-responsive materials. However, a critical step in designing this next generation of biomaterials is to evaluate their holistic cellular and molecular interactions. Recent technological advances in biology, specifically in omics techniques, can provide high-throughput functional readouts of the cell genome, epigenome, transcriptome, proteome and metabolome. The ability of omics-based approaches to predict the biological response to engineered biomaterials have the potential to revolutionize biomedical research and replace the traditional “trial and error” approach as the first step in designing the next-generation of biomaterials. In addition, these omics-based approaches can be used to gain insight into in vivo responses of biomaterials, which currently relies heavily on semi-quantitative imaging-based methodologies rather than rigorous computational approaches. In this review, we have outlined various omics techniques that have been utilized to quantify and understand the biological performance of engineered biomaterials. Additionally, we have critically discussed the role of omics-based approaches in designing new biomaterials for regenerative medicine, immune engineering, and drug delivery. Finally, the potential of integrated multi-omics approaches to build a holistic understanding of the biological responses to newly developed biomaterials have been discussed.