Polymeric Biomaterials for Healthcare Applications

Polymeric Biomaterials for Healthcare Applications details a broad range of polymeric biomaterials, methods of synthesis and preparation, and their various applications in healthcare and biomedicine. Natural and organic polymeric biomaterials play an essential role in preventing and treating a variety of health issues. There is a need to thoroughly cover processing of polymers used in medicine; this book covers a very broad range of different polymers, from polymer nanoparticles and conjugates, to natural biopolymers and temperature-sensitive polymers. This book provides a fundamental overview of polymers and processing technologies to allow clinical scientists to explore the use of these polymers in alternative applications. A particular challenge right now is the development of polymers and processing methods that can be sterilized using methods that are acceptable to the regulator – each chapter of the book covers this challenge in relation to a specific polymer class. A wide variety of healthcare applications are depicted, including treatment for autoimmune diseases and bacterial infections; tissue engineering, gene delivery, wound dressing and more. Polymeric Biomaterials for Healthcare Applications provides a core introductory text for clinical and materials scientists new to the area of polymeric biomaterials, as well as a detailed insight of how to use these materials in healthcare applications. This book will prove useful to academics and researchers in materials science, biomedical engineering, clinical science and pharmaceutical science. Covers a broad range of polymeric biomaterials, including chitosan, alginate, cellulose, collagen, synthetic conjugates and more Details a wide variety of healthcare applications for polymeric biomaterials, such as orthopaedic engineering, antibiotics, targeted drug delivery and so on Provides a detailed overview of polymer processing technologies, and sterilization considerations