Martin W. King

Based on the author's extensive research experience in collagen textiles and tissue engineering, this book presents a comprehensive introduction and guidelines for engineering artificial tissue using collagen-based fibrous material as a therapeutic candidate for regenerative medicine. The book covers different aspects of fibrous collagen material, including its chemistry, sourcing, fabrication, and applications in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. Collagen-Based Biotextiles for Tissue Engineering provides a state-of-the-art overview of fibrous collagen-based materials and their application in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine for academic researchers, material scientists, and bioengineers.

In this concise but authoritative book, the authors take the reader through the epidemiology, risk factors and the basic mechanism of coronary artery disease. In addition, they explain how coronary microvascular dysfunction can lead to angina, even after successful angioplasty following a heart attack. The methods for diagnosis and the options for treatment are explained, ending with a discussion of the evolution of coronary angioplasty from balloon catheters to novel, fully resorbable polymeric drug eluting stents. Enclosed is a list of currently available commercial devices, as well as a listing of experimental products under research and development, so that readers can appreciate the serious nature of this disease and have an understanding of how the medical device sector is attempting to address this major healthcare problem. Globally in 2010, ischemic heart disease was the cause of 13.3% of all deaths. In the US alone, the direct medical costs from coronary artery disease andstroke are currently estimated to be $126 billion per year, and are expected to rise to $309 billion by 2035.

This book summarizes the properties and applications of conventional and commercially available fiber-forming, bioresorbable polymers, as well as those currently under study, for use as biotextiles. Factors affecting the performance of these biomaterials are presented, and precautionary measures to reduce premature, hydrolytic degradation during manufacturing and processing are discussed. Because of the structural requirements of medical devices and the technological advancements in synthetic fibers and textile technology, the new field of "Biotextiles" has evolved to exploit the potential of various woven, knitted, braided and non-woven textile structures for biomedical applications. Textile substrates provide certain unique mechanical properties to the medical device and because of an inherently high level of porosity, they can encourage cell growth and promote migration and proliferation. Bioresorbable devices that assist in the repair and regeneration of damaged tissues have in recent years replaced many of the permanent prosthetic devices. Thus, the topic of “Bioresorbable Biomaterials” generates much interest and research activity in the field of biomaterials science today. For this reason, the use of bioresorbable polymers as fibers is currently dominating the field of resorbable biomaterials for applications from sutures to tissue engineering scaffolds.