Polymers as biomaterials for tissue engineering and controlled drug delivery.

Adv Biochem Eng Biotechnol

Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, College of Medicine, University of Virginia, Charlottesville 22903, USA.

Published: December 2006

The advent of biodegradable polymers has significantly influenced the development and rapid growth of various technologies in modern medicine. Biodegradable polymers are mainly used where the transient existence of materials is required and they find applications as sutures, scaffolds for tissue regeneration, tissue adhesives, hemostats, and transient barriers for tissue adhesion, as well as drug delivery systems. Each of these applications demands materials with unique physical, chemical, biological, and biomechanical properties to provide efficient therapy. Consequently, a wide range of degradable polymers, both natural and synthetic, have been investigated for these applications. Furthermore, recent advances in molecular and cellular biology, coupled with the development of novel biotechnological drugs, necessitate the modification of existing polymers or synthesis of novel polymers for specific applications. This review highlights various biodegradable polymeric materials currently investigated for use in two key medical applications: drug delivery and tissue engineering.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/b137240DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

drug delivery
12
tissue engineering
8
biodegradable polymers
8
polymers
6
tissue
5
applications
5
polymers biomaterials
4
biomaterials tissue
4
engineering controlled
4
controlled drug
4

Similar Publications

Trends, characteristics, and outcomes of pregnancy in women with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder: A nationwide analysis.

Eur J Obstet Gynecol Reprod Biol

January 2025

Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Los Angeles General Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA. Electronic address:

Objective: To assess clinical and obstetric characteristics associated with pregnant patients with a diagnosis of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Methods: This serial cross-sectional study queried the Agency of Healthcare Research and Quality's Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project National Inpatient Sample. The study population was 16,759,786 hospital deliveries from 2016 to 2020.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Translocation across barriers and through constrictions is a mechanism that is often used in vivo for transporting material between compartments. A specific example is apicomplexan parasites invading host cells through the tight junction that acts as a pore, and a similar barrier crossing is involved in drug delivery using lipid vesicles penetrating intact skin. Here, we use triangulated membranes and energy minimization to study the translocation of vesicles through pores with fixed radii.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Pathogenic intracellular bacteria pose a significant threat to global public health due to the barriers presented by host cells hindering the timely detection of hidden bacteria and the effective delivery of therapeutic agents. To address these challenges, we propose a tandem diagnosis-guided treatment paradigm. A supramolecular sensor array is developed for simple, rapid, accurate, and high-throughput identification of intracellular bacteria.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

T cell lymphoma constitutes a complex group of diseases, characterized by heterogeneous molecular features and clinical symptoms, and a dismal outcome no matter the therapeutic strategy chosen. In an attempt to improve patients' survival chances, treatment combinations (chemotherapy, radiotherapy, immunotherapy, gene therapy and thermotherapy) have been tested for their synergistic effects that may dramatically improve outcomes and reduce the side effects of each single modality treatment when therapeutic effects add up while side effects are distributed. In this context, nanoscale drug delivery agents have been developed and exploited to enhance the release of drugs in the treatment of several diseases, showing potential benefits in terms of pharmaceutical flexibility, selectivity, dose reduction and minimization of adverse effects.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Ethnic disparities in HbA1c and hypoglycemia among youth with type 1 diabetes: beyond access to technology, social deprivation and mean blood glucose.

BMJ Open Diabetes Res Care

January 2025

Diabetes and Endocrinology, Birmingham Women's and Children's NHS Foundation Trust, Birmingham, UK

Introduction: The UK national pediatric diabetes audit reports higher HbA1c for children and young people (CYP) with type 1 diabetes (T1D) of Black ethnicity compared with White counterparts. This is presumably related to higher mean blood glucose (MBG) due to lower socioeconomic status (SES) and less access to technology. We aimed to determine if HbA1c ethnic disparity persists after accounting for the above variables.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!