Biogenic Silica Composites for Biomedical Applications

The biomedical sector has drawn great interest from researchers as an interdisciplinary field that focuses on tissue repair, localized delivery of treatments, bio-sensing, and imaging. The three primary elements, which include biomaterials, cells, and bioactive molecules are involved in effective bone tissue engineering along with their high specific tumor targeting ability but those are highly expensive and difficult to prepare. To solve these problems, a new developing area with noteworthy biomedical applications is natural sources-based biomaterials especially biosilica biomaterials and its composites. Improved efficacy and accuracy in meeting the demands of next-generation nanomedicines will require a new understanding of the connection between biosilica nanoparticles’ physiochemical characteristics and biological behavior. In the meantime, it would be crucial to conceptually change from a straightforward spatiotemporal control mechanism to a more complex biochemistry and signaling pathway regulation. Interestingly, the same bio-mineralization process has taken place in the structure of natural bone and diatom biosilica. Biosilica is a biocompatible, natural inorganic polymer formed by an enzymatic reaction, intermediated by an enzyme silicate present in the siliceous sponges. Right here, we delivered the extracted knowledge about biosilica formation with the necessary awareness highlighting the molecular mechanisms, biomedical field, and present-day innovative programs of biosilica for biomedical applications. This chapter could encourage biomedical scientists to develop novel hybrid biosilica based biomaterials using molecular biomimetic strategies and also as a result, which brings the bio-silicification process nearer to practical biomedical applications.