The apparent strong desire of clinicians for the use of growth factors to facilitate reconstructive surgical procedures in particular by obviating the need for procurement of autogenous grafts is contrasted by the very limited availability of BMPs and TGFbetafor clinical application. Further, growth factors usually exist, as inactive or partially active precursors that require proteolytic activation, and may further require binding to matrix molecules for activity or stabilization. Growth factors also typically have short biological half-lives. As many cellular processes involved in...