Polymeric Biomaterials
Medicinal and Pharmaceutical Applications, Volume 2

Biomaterials have had a major impact on the practice of contemporary medicine and patient care. Growing into a major interdisciplinary effort involving chemists, biologists, engineers, and physicians, biomaterials development has enabled the creation of high-quality devices, implants, and drug carriers with greater biocompatibility and biofunctionality. The fast-paced research and increasing interest in finding new and improved biocompatible or biodegradable polymers has provided a wealth of new information, transforming this edition of Polymeric Biomaterialsinto a two-volume set.

This volume, Polymeric Biomaterials: Medicinal and Pharmaceutical Applications, contains 28 authoritative chapters written by experts from around the world. Contributors cover the following topics:

• Processing polymeric biomaterials into specific forms that ensure biocompatibility and biodegradability for use in various applications in the medical and pharmaceutical arenas
• Use of biomaterials to address medical issues such as pulmonary disease, cancer, heart disease, tissue damage, and bone disease
• Applications including a variety of drug delivery systems, medical devices, anticancer therapies, biological uses for hydrogels, nanotechnology, bioartificial organs, and tissue engineering

Completely revised and expanded, this state-of-the-art reference presents recent developments in polymeric biomaterials and the most up-to-date applications of biomaterials in medicine.

Antithrombin–Heparin Complexes. Glucose-Sensitive Hydrogels. Advances in Polymeric and Lipid-Core Micelles as Drug Delivery Systems. Modular Biomimetic Drug Delivery Systems. Polymeric Nanoparticles for Drug Delivery. Drug Carrier Systems for Anticancer Agents. Application of Polymer Drugs to Medical Devices and Preparative Medicine. Polymer Implants for Intratumoral Drug Delivery and Cancer Therapy. Biological Stimulus-Responsive Hydrogels. Polymeric Materials for Surface Modification of Living Cells. Biomedical Applications of Shape Memory Polymers and Their Nanocomposites. Bioadhesive Drug Delivery Systems. Nanomedicines Coming of Age. Polymers for Myocardial Tissue Engineering. Acellular Tubular Grafts Constructed from Natural Materials in Vascular Tissue Engineering. pH-Responsive Polymers for Delivery of Nucleic Acid Therapeutics. Adhesive Biomaterials for Tissue Repair and Reconstruction. Polymeric Interactions with Drugs and Excipients. Manufacturing Multifunctional Scaffolds for Tissue Engineering. Virus-Based Nanoparticles as Drug Delivery Systems. Polymeric Biomaterials in Pulmonary Drug Delivery. Polymeric Gene Delivery Carriers for Pulmonary Diseases. Biomedical Application of Membranes in Bioartificial Organs and Tissue Engineering. Controlled Release Systems for Bone Regeneration. Controlled Release Systems Targeting Angiogenesis. Bioceramics for Development of Bioartificial Liver. Materials Biofunctionalization for Tissue Regeneration. Polymers-Based Devices for Dermal and Transdermal Delivery.

Severian Dumitriu (deceased) was a research professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering at the University of Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada. He edited several books, including Polymeric Biomaterials, Second Edition, Polysaccharides in Medicinal Applications, and Polysaccharides: Structural Diversity and Functional Versatility. He alsoauthored or coauthored more than 190 professional papers and book chapters in the fields of polymer and cellulose chemistry, polyfunctional initiators, and bioactive polymers and held 15 international patents. Professor Dumitriu received his BSc (1959) and MS (1961) in chemical engineering and his Ph.D. (1971) in macromolecular chemistry from the Polytechnic Institute of Jassy, Romania.

Valentin I. Popaearned his BSc and MSc in chemical engineering (1969) and Ph.D. in the field of polysaccharide chemistry (1976) from Polytechnic Institute of Iasi, Romania. He was awarded the Romanian Academy Prize for his contributions in the field of seaweed chemistry (1976). He has published more than 500 papers in the following fields: wood chemistry and biotechnology, biomass complex processing, biosynthesis and biodegradation of natural compounds, allelochemicals, bioadhesives, and bioremediation. Dr Popa is also the author or coauthor of 37 books or book chapters. He holds six patents and has been involved in many Romanian and European research projects as scientific manager. He is also a professor of wood chemistry and biotechnology at "Gheorghe Asachi" Technical University of Iasi, and editor-in-chief of Cellulose Chemistry and Technology.