Tissue Engineering Using Ceramics and Polymers
By A.R. Boccaccini, J. Gough
* Publisher: Woodhead Publishing Ltd
* Number Of Pages: 624
* Publication Date: 2007-10-31
* ISBN-10 / ASIN: 1845691768
* ISBN-13 / EAN: 9781845691769

From Introduction:
The field of tissue engineering has advanced dramatically in the last 10 years, offering the potential for regenerating almost every tissue and organ of the human body. Tissue engineering and the related discipline of regenerative medicine remain a flourishing area of research with potential new treatments for many more disease states. The advances involve researchers in a multitude of disciplines, including cell biology, biomaterials science, imaging and characterisation of surfaces and cell±material interactions. In the field of biomaterials, for example, many additional and novel processing techniques have been developed for the construction of improved porous scaffolds and matrices, including a much wider variety of polymers, ceramics and their composites with tailored micro- and nanostructure, surface topography and chemistry as well as optimised properties for the intended application in tissue engineering strategies. There are in fact many more materials being investigated for potential scaffolds, including novel uses of natural materials, combinations of natural and synthetic materials and new structures designed to mimic extracellular matrix at all relevant scales (macro, micro and nano), which are intended to provide scaffolds that are closer to the in vivo cellular environment. There is also strong emphasis on biomechanics and the effects of mechanical forces on the cell response and subsequent tissue formation, again, aiming to mimic the conditions in vivo...