About this Research Topic
Natural polymers have been employed for a wide range of biomedical applications, with diverse advances in material design. As for polysaccharides, their derivatives, and their blends have overcome the limitations in poor mechanical properties and difficult fabrication. Graft modification and cross-linking method also have promoted bioactivity and reinforcement of natural polymer.
Some sulfated natural polymers provided strong negative charges of material, for anticoagulation, and other inherent positive charges in natural polymers contributed to DNA or nano particle carriers. Thus, diverse approaches to improve the functions and properties of natural biopolymers advance the biomaterials to meet the special demands in tissue engineering fields.
We welcome the submission of Original Research, Review, Mini Review, Perspective articles on themes including, but not limited to:
• Natural polymers (protein, polysaccharides, DNAs, etc.)
• Chitin/chitosan, hyaluronic acid, carrageenan, alginate, cellulose, chondroitin sulfate, starch, pectin, latex, xyloglucan, and other polysaccharide derivatives, etc.
• Silk, gelatin, collagen, elastic, etc.
• Natural/synthetic polymer blends
• Mass production or extraction of natural polymer
• Diverse fabrication techniques
• Tissue and regenerative engineering applications
Keywords: Natural Biopolymer, Degradation, Tissue engineering, Scaffold, Mass-production
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