Advanced healthcare materials
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Bone tissue is a highly vascularized tissue and concomitant development of the vascular system and mineralized matrix requires a synergistic interaction between osteogenesis and angioblasts. Several strategies have been applied to achieve vascularized tissue-engineered bone, including the addition of cytokines as well as pre-vascularization strategies and co-culture systems. ⋯ Moreover, a strategy is proposed for the design of future scaffold structures, in which promoting the regeneration of vascularized bone by regulating the microenvironment should be the main focus. This overview can help illuminate progress in this field and identify the most recently developed scaffolds that show the greatest potential for achieving clinically vascularized bone.