Nanoengineering in Musculoskeletal Regeneration

Book excerpt: Nanoengineering in Musculoskeletal Regeneration provides the reader an updated summary of the therapeutic pipeline—from biomedical discovery to clinical implementation—aimed at improving treatments for patients with conditions of the muscles, tendons, cartilage, meniscus, and bone. Regenerative medicine focuses on using stem cell biology to advance medical therapies for devastating disorders. This text presents novel, significant, and interdisciplinary theoretical and experimental results related to nanoscience and nanotechnology in musculoskeletal regeneration. Content includes basic, translational, and clinical research addressing musculoskeletal repair and regeneration for the treatment of diseases and injuries of the skeleton and its associated tissues.Musculoskeletal degeneration and complications from injuries have become more prevalent as people live longer and increasingly participate in rigorous athletic and recreational activities. Additionally, defects in skeletal tissues may immobilize people and cause inflammation and pain. Musculoskeletal regeneration research provides solutions to repair, restore, or replace skeletal elements and associated tissues that are affected by acute injury, chronic degeneration, genetic dysfunction, and cancer-related defects. The goal of musculoskeletal regeneration medicine research is to improve quality of life and outcomes for people with musculoskeletal injury or degradation. - Provides broad coverage in all research areas focused on the applications of nanotechnology in musculoskeletal regeneration - Offers useful guidance for physician-scientists with expertise in orthopedics, regenerative medicine, bioengineering, biomaterials, nanoengineering, stem cell biology, and chemistry - Serves as a practical reference for many disciplines, including bioengineering, biomaterials, tissue engineering, regenerative medicine, musculoskeletal regenerative medicine, and nanomedicine