Scaffolds for Tissue Engineering : Biological Design, Materials, and Fabrication

This book illustrates design principles for scaffolds for tissue engineering with particular relevance to the biological requirements needed to control and drive the biological cross-talk, and reviews materials and fabrication and validation methods. The book is mainly addressed to graduate and post-graduate students, who are approaching tissue engineering or experienced researchers who wish to have condensed but comprehensive information on materials, fabrication techniques, biological principles, and design criteria. The contributors are among the scientific leaders in their respective fields.

Scaffolds for tissue engineering are devices that exploit specific and complex physical and biological functions, in vitro or in vivo, and communicate through biochemical and physical signals with cells and, when implanted, with the body environment. Scaffolds are produced mainly with synthetic materials, and their fabrication technologies are derived from already well-established industrial processes, with some new specific technologies having been developed in the last years to address required complexities.

Often, a generalist approach is followed for the translation of materials and technologies designed for other applications, without considering the specific role of scaffolds from a physical and biological point of view. The book illustrates scaffold design principles, with particular relevance to the biological requirements needed to control and drive the biological cross talk, and reviews materials and fabrication and validation methods.