Fundamentals of Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine

Book excerpt: "Fundamentals of Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine" provides a complete overview of the state of the art in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. Tissue engineering has grown tremendously during the past decade. Advances in genetic medicine and stem cell technology have significantly improved the potential to influence cell and tissue performance, and have recently expanded the field towards regenerative medicine. In recent years a number of approaches have been used routinely in daily clinical practice, others have been introduced in clinical studies, and multitudes are in the preclinical testing phase. Because of these developments, there is a need to provide comprehensive and detailed information for researchers and clinicians on this rapidly expanding field. This book offers, in a single volume, the prerequisites of a comprehensive understanding of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. The book is conceptualized according to a didactic approach (general aspects: social, economic, and ethical considerations; basic biological aspects of regenerative medicine: stem cell medicine, biomolecules, genetic engineering; classic methods of tissue engineering: cell, tissue, organ culture; biotechnological issues: scaffolds; bioreactors, laboratory work; and an extended medical discipline oriented approach: review of clinical use in the various medical specialties). The content of the book, written in 68 chapters by the world’s leading research and clinical specialists in their discipline, represents therefore the recent intellect, experience, and state of this bio-medical field.