Today, more than 900,000 patients in the United States live with end-stage renal disease, with many more suffer from poor renal regeneration. Current methods commonly use synthetic tissue-engineered constructs to deliver cells, drugs, or as scaffolds for reconstruction of injured tissues. However, these constructs usually lack vascularization in vivo, and have poor nutrient diffusion abilities that limit their effectiveness. On the other hand, we have found that extracellular matrix (ECM) hydrogels can be used as scaffolds to facilitate the repair and reconstruction of various tissues. The objective of this study is to fabricate and characterize the mechanics and cell response in vitro of ECM hydrogels prepared from decellularized human kidney tissues. Our preliminary data indicate that Sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) decellularization of human kidney tissue sections gives the most optimal results in terms of cellular material removal and ECM structure preservation; decellularized human kidney ECM, when mixed with collagen gel on a 1:1 ratio, shows similar mechanical properties as commonly used type I collagen gel. These data suggest that decellularized human kidney ECM hydrogels are able to provide the structural support necessary for cellular activities. Given these findings and the fact that ECM hydrogels are derived from naturally occurring kidney materials, I hypothesize that decellularized human kidney ECM hydrogel is able to not only provide structural support for cell growth and proliferation, but also to enhance bioactivity and vascularization. To test this hypothesis, I performed angiogenesis and tubulogenesis studies by seeding human umbilical vein endothelial cells and human kidney microvascular endothelial cells onto or in the decellularized human kidney ECM hydrogel as well as type I collagen gel.

Dynamic soft materials that have the ability to expand and contract, change stiffness, self-heal or dissolve in response to environmental changes, are of great interest in applications ranging from biosensing and drug delivery to soft robotics and tissue engineering. This book covers the state-of-the-art and current trends in the very active and exciting field of bioinspired soft matter, its fundamentals and comprehension from the structural-property point of view, as well as materials and cutting-edge technologies that enable their design, fabrication, advanced characterization and underpin their biomedical applications. The book contents are supported by illustrated examples, schemes, and figures, offering a comprehensive and thorough overview of key aspects of soft matter. The book will provide a trusted resource for undergraduate and graduate students and will extensively benefit researchers and professionals working across the fields of chemistry, biochemistry, polymer chemistry, materials science and engineering, nanosciences, nanotechnologies, nanomedicine, biomedical engineering and medical sciences.

This book will consist of 8 chapters, in which important issues regarding decellularized materials (DMs) will be discussed. This book will provide special knowledge of materials for the persons with biomedical background, and special biomedical knowledge for the persons with the background of materials, which will hopefully become a valuable informative read for the researchers and students of biomedical engineering major.

The notion of being able to engineer complete organs has inspired an entire generation of researchers. While recent years have brought significant progress in regenerative medicine and tissue engineering, the immense challenges encountered when trying to engineer an entire organ have to be acknowledged. Despite a good understanding of cell phenotypes, cellular niches and cell-to-biomaterial interactions, the formation of tissues composed of multiple cells remains highly challenging. Only a step-by-step approach will allow the future production of a living tissue construct ready for implantation and to augment organ function. In this book, expert authors present the current state of this approach. It offers a concise overview and serves as a great starting point for anyone interested in the application of tissue engineering or regenerative medicine for organ engineering. Each chapter contains a short overview including physiological and pathological changes as well as the current clinical need. The potential cell sources and suitable biomaterials for each organ type are discussed and possibilities to produce organ-like structures are illustrated. The ultimate goal is for the generated small tissues to unfold their full potential in vivo and to serve as a native tissue equivalent. By integrating and evolving, these implants will form functional tissue in-vivo. This book discusses the desired outcome by focusing on well-defined functional readouts. Each chapter addresses the status of clinical translations and closes with the discussion of current bottlenecks and an outlook for the coming years. A successful regenerative medicine approach could solve organ shortage by providing biological substitutes for clinical use - clearly, this merits a collaborative effort.

The repair of musculoskeletal tissue is a vital concern of all surgical specialties, orthopedics and related disciplines. Written by recognized experts, this book aims to provide both basic and advanced knowledge of the newer methodologies being developed and introduced to the clinical arena. A valuable resource for researchers, developers, and clinicians, the book presents a foundation to propel the technology and integration of the current state of knowledge into the 21st century.

This volume outlines the current status in the field of biomimetic medical materials and illustrates research into their applications in tissue engineering. The book is divided into six parts, focusing on nano biomaterials, stem cells, tissue engineering, 3D printing, immune responses and intellectual property. Each chapter has its own introduction and outlines current research trends in a variety of applications of biomimetic medical materials. The biomimetic medical materials that are covered include functional hydrogels, nanoparticles for drug delivery and medicine, the 3D bioprinting of biomaterials, sensor materials, stem cell interactions with biomaterials, immune responses to biomaterials, biodegradable hard scaffolds for tissue engineering, as well as other important topics, like intellectual property. Each chapter is written by a team of experts. This volume attempts to introduce the biomimetic properties of biomedical materials within the context of our current understanding of the nanotechnology of nanoparticles and fibres and the macroscopic aspects of 3D bioprinting.

This book explores in depth a wide range of new biomaterials that hold great promise for applications in regenerative medicine. The opening two sections are devoted to biomaterials designed to direct stem cell fate and regulate signaling pathways. Diverse novel functional biomaterials, including injectable nanocomposite hydrogels, electrosprayed nanoparticles, and waterborne polyurethane-based materials, are then discussed. The fourth section focuses on inorganic biomaterials, such as nanobioceramics, hydroxyapatite, and titanium dioxide. Finally, up-to-date information is provided on a wide range of smart natural biomaterials, ranging from silk fibroin-based scaffolds and collagen type I to chitosan, mussel-inspired biomaterials, and natural polymeric scaffolds. This is one of two books to be based on contributions from leading experts that were delivered at the 2018 Asia University Symposium on Biomedical Engineering in Seoul, Korea – the companion book examines in depth the latest enabling technologies for regenerative medicine.