Biomaterials have had a major impact on the practice of contemporary medicine and patient care. Growing into a major interdisciplinary effort involving chemists, biologists, engineers, and physicians, biomaterials development has enabled the creation of high-quality devices, implants, and drug carriers with greater biocompatibility and biofunctionality. The fast-paced research and increasing interest in finding new and improved biocompatible or biodegradable polymers has provided a wealth of new information, transforming this edition of Polymeric Biomaterials into a two-volume set. Completely revised and expanded, this state-of-the-art reference presents recent developments in polymeric biomaterials: from their chemical, physical, and structural properties to current applications in the medical and pharmaceutical fields.

The book is organized into two volumes containing 53 authoritative chapters written by experts from around the world. The first volume, Polymeric Biomaterials: Structure and Function, contains information about the structure and properties of synthetic polymers including polyesters, polyphosphazenes, and elastomers and natural polymers such as mucoadhesives, chitin, lignin, and carbohydrate derivatives. It also describes their blends or composites—for example, metal–polymer composites and biodegradable polymeric/ceramic composites—as well as drug carriers and delivery systems, gene and nucleic acids delivery, and polymer synthesis and processing techniques.

The second volume, Polymeric Biomaterials: Medicinal and Pharmaceutical Applications, addresses processing of polymeric biomaterials into specific forms that ensure biocompatibility and biodegradability for various uses in the medical and pharmaceutical arenas. The chapters address numerous medical issues including pulmonary disease, cancer, heart disease, tissue damage, and bone disease. The applications covered include a variety of drug delivery systems, medical devices, anticancer therapies, biological uses for hydrogels, nanotechnology, bioartificial organs, and tissue engineering. This third edition set presents new and substantially revised topics, providing a comprehensive reference of the latest developments and the most up-to-date applications of biomaterials in medicine.