The interaction of tissue and synthetic material can be the pivotal element in the artificial replacement of a body part damaged by disease or trauma. Hip replacements, dental implants, pacemaker leads, vascular grafts, heart valves, and dialysis machines all involve microscopic, tissue-level events that determine the success or failure of such devices. An Introduction to Tissue-Biomaterial Interactions acquaints an undergraduate audience with the fundamental biological processes that influence these sophisticated, cutting-edge procedures.

Chapters one through three provide more detail about the molecular-level events that happen at the tissue-implant interface, while chapters four through ten explore selected material, biological, and physiological consequences of these events. The importance of the body’s wound-healing response is emphasized throughout. Specific topics covered include:

• Structure and properties of biomaterials
• Proteins
• Protein-surface interactions
• Blood-biomaterial interactions
• Inflammation and infection
• The immune system
• Biomaterial responses to implantation
• Biomaterial surface engineering
• Intimal hyperplasia and osseointegration as examples of tissue-biomaterial interactions

The text also provides extensive coverage of the three pertinent interfaces between the body and the biomaterial, between the body and the living cells, and between the cells and the biomaterial that are critical in the development of tissue-engineered products that incorporate living cells within a biomaterial matrix.

Ideal for a one-semester, biomedical engineering course, An Introduction to Tissue-Biomaterial Interactions provides a solid framework for understanding today’s and tomorrow’s implantable biomedical devices.