With their rapid evolution, both the development of recombinant proteins and the application of gene therapy techniques promise to revolutionize the treatment of bone and cartilage repair. In this text, a panel of leading orthopedic and craniofacial surgeons and researchers comprehensively reviews the bioogy of bone formation and repair, the basic science of autologous bone graft, allograft, bone substitutes, and growth factors, and explores their clinical application in patients with bone repair problems.