Biomaterials and Bioengineering Handbook

Citation

Wise, D.L. (2001), "Biomaterials and Bioengineering Handbook", Sensor Review, Vol. 21 No. 4, pp. 323-324. https://doi.org/10.1108/sr.2001.21.4.323.2

The Biomaterials and Bioengineering Handbook is a comprehensive reference text that presents the latest developments of materials used in or on the human body. The book covers a wide range of biomaterial, from biopolymers used in controlled‐release drug delivery systems, to metals used in bone repair. Contributions are written by engineers, material scientists and physicians, and help provide an interdisciplinary overview of this broad subject. The book comprises 41 chapters divided into nine parts. Part I, biomaterials and biocompatibility issues, contains five chapters including “Tissue response to implants: molecular interactions and historical correlation” and “Biomaterial related infection: role of neutrophil peptides”. The following four chapters form Part II and give an evaluation of biomaterials. Topics addressed include “Animal models for preclinical testing of medical devices” and a “New optical characterisation technique for synthetic biomaterials”.

Part III; bioactive materials and delivery vehicles are discussed in chapters 10 to 15. Topics covered include “Polymeric drug delivery to the brain” and “Polysaccharide biomaterials as drug carriers”. Parts IV and V address “Ceramic and metallic materials in orthopaedics”, and “Absorbable orthopaedic fixation devices” respectively. Chapters included discuss “Pyrolytic carbon as an implant material for small joint replacement”, “New insights in the biological effects of wear debris from total joint replacements” and “Biodegradable fracture fixation devices”.

Part VI addresses biomaterials for reconstruction of bony defects, while callogen‐based biomaterials are discussed in Part VII. Topics covered include “Engineering of resorbable grafts for craniofacial reconstruction” and “Callogen scaffolds for tissue regeneration”. “Biomaterial‐enhanced regeneration for skin wounds” and “Ultrasound for modulation of skin transport properties” are among the three chapters comprising Part VIII, considerations for biomaterials in skin applications.

Part IX, the final section of the book, discussed biomaterials past and future. Chapters address the “Properties and clinical applications of shape memory alleys”, “Chitin and its derivatives” and the “Development of a modified fibrin adhesive: what can we learn from biological adhesion mechanisms”.

Overall, this is a very good reference text that is suitable for researchers in a range of disciplines from physics and biochemistry, to engineering and medicine.