The editors of this special volume would first like to thank all authors for their excellent contributions. We would also like to thank Prof. Dr. Thomas Scheper, Dr. Marion Hertel and Ulrike Kreusel for providing the opportunity to compose this volume and Springer for organizational and technical support. Tissue engineering represents one of the major emerging fields in modern b- technology; it combines different subjects ranging from biological and material sciences to engineering and clinical disciplines. The aim of tissue engineering is the development of therapeutic approaches to substitute diseased organs or tissues or improve their function. Therefore, three dimensional biocompatible materials are seeded with cells and cultivated in suitable systems to generate functional tissues. Many different aspects play a role in the formation of 3D tissue structures. In the first place the source of the used cells is of the utmost importance. To prevent tissue rejection or immune response, preferentially autologous cells are now used. In particular, stem cells from different sources are gaining exceptional importance as they can be differentiated into different tissues by using special media and supplements. In the field of biomaterials, numerous scaffold materials already exist but new composites are also being developed based on polymeric, natural or xenogenic sources. Moreover, a very important issue in tissue en- neering is the formation of tissues under well defined, controlled and reprod- ible conditions. Therefore, a substantial number of new bioreactors have been developed.

For the first time in a single volume, the design, characterisation and operation of the bioreactor system in which the tissue is grown is detailed. Bioreactors for Tissue Engineering presents an overall picture of the current state of knowledge in the engineering of bioreactors for several tissue types (bone, cartilage, vascular), addresses the issue of mechanical conditioning of the tissue, and describes the use of techniques such as MRI for monitoring tissue growth. This unique volume is dedicated to the fundamentals and application of bioreactor technology to tissue engineering products. Not only will it appeal to graduate students and experienced researchers in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, but also to tissue engineers and culture technologists, academic and industrial chemical engineers, biochemical engineers and cell biologists who wish to understand the criteria used to design and develop novel systems for tissue growth in vitro.

Advanced Techniques in Bone Regeneration is a book that brings together over 15 chapters, written by leading practitioners and researchers, of the latest advances in the area, including surgical techniques, new discoveries, and promising methods involving biomaterials and tissue engineering. This book is intended for all who work in the treatment of disorders involving problems with the regeneration of bone tissue, are doctors or dentists, as well as are researchers and teachers involved in this exciting field of scientific knowledge.

Describes the state-of-the-art techniques and methods involved in the design, operation, preparation and containment of bioreactor systems, taking into account the interrelated effects of variables associated with both upstream and downstream stages of the design process. The importance of the initial steps in the development of a bioprocess, such as strain and media selection, that have an overwhelming influence on all further operations, is emphasized.;This work is intended for biochemical, chemical and bioprocess engineers; biotechnologists; industrial biochemists; micro- and molecular biologists; food scientists; and upper-level undergraduate and graduate students in these disciplines.

This special volume "Tools and Applications of Biochemical Engineering Science" is dedicated to Professor Wolf-Dieter Deckwer on the occasion of his 60th bir- day. It was a great pleasure for me to act together with Professor Karl Schtigerl as volume editor and to present here a collection of 11 outstanding review articles written mainly by former students, associates, colleagues and friends of Wolf- Dieter Deckwer. The title of this special volume well reflects the research interests and sci- tific pursuit of Wolf-Dieter Deckwer during his more than 20 years’ work in the area of biochemical engineering, particularly during the last 15 years when he was the head of the Biochemical Engineering Division of GBF (German Nat- nal Research Center for Biotechnology). He has decisively pushed the devel- ment not only of "software tools" ranging from analytical means and mathe- tical models for monitoring and understanding cellular processes to gene expression systems for designing microorganisms, but also of "hardware tools" such as computer control systems, bioreaction and separation devices for eff- tively producing a variety of bioproducts on semi-production scale. New developments in some of these important tools in biochemical engineering are reviewed in articles included in this volume. Wolf-Dieter Deckwer was among the leading biochemical engineers who timely pointed out the necessity of applying these tools in an integrated manner for bioprocess development. By establishing "Integrated Bioprocess Development" as one of the GBF main - search topics as early as 1990 he also actively promoted this idea.

Analysis and Control of Polynomial Dynamic Models with Biological Applications synthesizes three mathematical background areas (graphs, matrices and optimization) to solve problems in the biological sciences (in particular, dynamic analysis and controller design of QP and polynomial systems arising from predator-prey and biochemical models). The book puts a significant emphasis on applications, focusing on quasi-polynomial (QP, or generalized Lotka-Volterra) and kinetic systems (also called biochemical reaction networks or simply CRNs) since they are universal descriptors for smooth nonlinear systems and can represent all important dynamical phenomena that are present in biological (and also in general) dynamical systems. - Describes and illustrates the relationship between the dynamical, algebraic and structural features of the quasi-polynomial (QP) and kinetic models - Shows the applicability of kinetic and QP representation in biological modeling and control through examples and case studies - Emphasizes the importance and applicability of quantitative models in understanding and influencing natural phenomena

Biomaterials for Organ and Tissue Regeneration: New Technologies and Future Prospects examines the use of biomaterials in applications related to artificial tissues and organs. With a strong focus on fundamental and traditional tissue engineering strategies, the book also examines how emerging and enabling technologies are being developed and applied. Sections provide essential information on biomaterial, cell properties and cell types used in organ generation. A section on state-of-the-art in organ regeneration for clinical purposes is followed by a discussion on enabling technologies, such as bioprinting, on chip organ systems and in silico simulations. - Provides a systematic overview of the field, from fundamentals, to current challenges and opportunities - Encompasses the classic paradigm of tissue engineering for creation of new functional tissue - Discusses enabling technologies such as bioprinting, organ-on-chip systems and in silico simulations