Features:

• Provides extensive descriptions of biodegradable polymers used in regenerative medicine
• Discusses injectable systems and scaffolds, partially degradable polymeric materials, and composite materials for orthopedics and dentistry
• Includes a detailed description of biodegradable controlled release systems
• Discusses the biological performance of biodegradable systems
• Addresses the use of biodegradable polymers, and their biocompatibility, in the engineering of a wide range of tissues
• Integrates the diverse fields of engineering, materials science, biology, polymer chemistry, and materials development and characterization

Contents

Processing and Applications of Biodegradable Systems

• Biodegradable Polymers in Medicine
• Injectable Biodegradable Systems
• Injectable Polymeric Scaffolds for Bone Tissue Engineering
• Totally or Partially Biodegradable Self-Polymerizing Composites for Orthopedic Surgery and Dental Applications
• Fiber Bonding and Particle Aggregation as Promising Methodologies for the Fabrication of Biodegradable Scaffolds for HardTissue Engineering
• Design and Fabrication of Scaffolds Via Solid Free Form Fabrication
• Biodegradable Composites for Biomedical Applications
• Development of Bioactive Composites Based on Biodegradable Systems for Bone Replacement Applications
• Mechanical Characterization of Biomaterials
• Chitosan-Based Microcomposites - From Biodegradable Microparticles to Self-Curing Hydrogels
• Processing and Biomedical Applications of Degradable Polymeric Fibers
• Understanding the Enzymatic Degradation of Biodegradable Polymers and Strategies to Control Their Degradation Rate

Production of Biomimetic Coatings on the Surface of Degradable Polymers

• Bonelike Apatite Coatings Nucleated on Biodegradable Polymers as a Way to Induce Bone Mineralization: Current Developments and Future Trends
• Biomimetic Coatings, Proteins, and Biocatalysts: A New Approach to Tailor the Properties of Biodegradable Polymers

Systems for Controlled Release of Bioactive Agents

• Strategies for Delivering Bone and Cartilage Regenerating Factors
• Resorbable Polymeric Delivery Systems Based on Physical Absorption/Diffusion versus Chemically Controlled Delivery Systems
• Enzyme Immobilization in Biodegradable Polymers for Biomedical Applications
• Use of Chemically Modified Chitosan and Other Natural-Origin Polymers in Tissue Engineering and Drug Delivery

Biocompatibility and Immunological Responses to Degradable Biomaterials

• Cytotoxicity Screening of Biodegradable Polymeric Systems
• Natural-Origin Degradable Materials: The Barrier or the Passage through the Immune System?
• Mediation of the Cytokine Network in the Implantation of Orthopedic Devices
• Protein and Cell Interactions with Biodegradable Systems
• Surface Activation and Modification - A Way for Improving the Biocompatibility of Degradable Biomaterials

Biodegradable Polymers for the Engineering and Regeneration of Different Tissues

• Bone and Articular Cartilage Tissue Engineering: The Biological Components
• Tissue Engineering of the Liver
• Smart Biodegradable Hydrogels with Applications in Drug Delivery and Tissue Engineering
• Skin Tissue Engineering Part I - Review
• Skin Tissue Engineering Part II - The In Vitro Evaluation of Natural and Synthetic 3-D Matrices as Dermal Substrates
• Biodegradable Polymers for Guided Nerve Regeneration

Index

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