Bioinspired concepts are becoming increasingly integrated into materials and devices intended for medical applications. Biological organisms evolve within specific environmental constraints, giving rise to elegant and efficient strategies for fabricating materials that often outperform man-made materials of similar composition. A main goal of the interdisciplinary field of bioinspired materials is to unlock the secrets of this process--the composition, processing, self-assembly, hierarchical organization, and properties of biological materials--and use this information to synthesize and engineer novel functional materials for a variety of practical applications. The authors are from a variety of scientific disciplines, including biology, biochemistry, chemistry, physics, materials science, mechanical engineering, and bioengineering. This book will appeal to readers interested in the cross-disciplinary fertilization of new ideas in this emerging field. The first volume of this book includes sections focused on the bioinspired approaches using biological macromolecules including poly(nucleic acids), polypeptides, and the derivatives. Both volumes cover the interdisciplinary fields of biological, synthetic, and the hybrid materials and describe their medical applications ranging from molecular to cellular levels.

This book is the first of two volumes that together offer a comprehensive account of cutting-edge advances in the development of biomaterials for use within tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. Topics addressed in this volume, which is devoted to bioinspired biomaterials, range from novel biomaterials for regenerative medicine through to emerging enabling technologies with applications in, for example, drug delivery, maternal–fetal medicine, peripheral nerve repair and regeneration, and brain tumor therapy. New bioinspired hydrogels receive detailed attention in the book, and a further focus is the use of bioinspired biomaterials in the regulation of stem cell fate. Here the coverage includes the role of scaffolds in cartilage regeneration, the bioapplication of inorganic nanomaterials in tissue engineering, and guidance of cell migration to improve tissue regeneration. The authors are recognized experts in the interdisciplinary field of regenerative medicine and the book will be of value for all with an interest in regenerative medicine based on biomaterials.

Bioinspired Materials for Medical Applications examines the inspiration of natural materials and their interpretation as modern biomaterials. With a strong focus on therapeutic and diagnostic applications, the book also examines the development and manipulation of bioinspired materials in regenerative medicine. The first set of chapters is heavily focused on bioinspired solutions for the delivery of drugs and therapeutics that also offer information on the fundamentals of these materials. Chapters in part two concentrate on bioinspired materials for diagnosis applications with a wide coverage of sensor and imaging systems With a broad coverage of the applications of bioinspired biomaterials, this book is a valuable resource for biomaterials researchers, clinicians, and scientists in academia and industry, and all those who wish to broaden their knowledge in the allied field. Explores how materials designed and produced with inspiration from nature can be used to enhance man-made biomaterials and medical devices Brings together the two fields of biomaterials and bioinspired materials Written by a world-class team of research scientists, engineers, and clinicians

Bioinspired materials can be defined as the organic or inorganic materials that mimic naturally occurring substances. With applications in a number of fields such as biomedical, chemical, mechanical, and civil engineering, research on the development of biologically-inspired materials is essential to further advancement. Emerging Research on Bioinspired Materials Engineering provides insight on fabrication strategies for bioinspired materials as well as a collective review of their current and prospective applications. Highlighting essential research on bioinspired processes and the nano-structural, physical, chemical, thermal, and mechanical aspects of biologically-inspired materials, this timely publication is an ideal reference source for engineers, researchers, scholars, and graduate students in the fields of materials science and engineering, nanotechnology, biotechnology, and biomedical materials science.

Taking a unique materials science approach, this text introduces students to the basic concepts and applications of materials and biomedical engineering and prepares them for the challenges of the new interdisciplinary field of biomaterials science. Split into three sections - Basic Biology Principles, Biological Materials, and Bioinspired Materials and Biomimetics - it presents biological materials along with the structural and functional classification of biopolymers, bioelastomers, foams, and ceramic composites. More traditional biomimetic designs such as Velcro are then discussed in conjunction with new developments that mimic the structure of biological materials at the molecular level, mixing nanoscale with biomolecular designs. Bioinspired design of materials and structures is also covered. Focused presentations of biomaterials are presented throughout the text in succinct boxes, emphasising biomedical applications, whilst the basic principles of biology are explained, so no prior knowledge is required. The topics are supported by approximately 500 illustrations, solved problems, and end-of-chapter exercises.

This book covers the latest bio-inspired materials synthesis techniques and biomedical applications that are advancing the field of tissue engineering. Bio-inspired concepts for biomedical engineering are at the forefront of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. Scientists, engineers and physicians are working together to replicate the sophisticated hierarchical organization and adaptability found in nature and selected by evolution to recapitulate the cellular microenvironment. This book demonstrates the dramatic clinical breakthroughs that have been made in engineering all four of the major tissue types and modulating the immune system. Part I (Engineering Bio-inspired Material Microenvironments) covers Bio-inspired Presentation of Chemical Cues, Bio-inspired Presentation of Physical Cues, and Bio-inspired Integration of Natural Materials. Part II (Bio-inspired Tissue Engineering) addresses tissue engineering in epithelial tissue, muscle tissue, connective tissue, and the immune system.