About this Research Topic
Medical implants are devices fabricated to replace, aid, or enhance some missing biological structure. Due to the aging of the population around the world, their use grows more than 5% every year. These devices include catheters, stents, hip joints, intraocular lens, and others. Surfaces of implants are made of biomaterials because they are in contact with body and fluid tissues, such as, titanium, silicone, and bioactive glass, depending on the application. Surgery is the most common way to incorporate medical implants into the body, which involves inherent risks: infections, local swelling and induration, inadequate healing, and other possible complications. The eventuality and intensity of these postoperative risks are higher in cases of immunosuppression caused by certain diseases or conditions, such as AIDS, cancer, diabetes, malnutrition, and certain genetic disorders. Biomacromolecules are versatile to be configurated as release systems of therapeutic agents such as proteins, nucleic acids, genes and anti-bacterial substances to health or significantly reduce these postoperative risks.
The aim of this Research Topic collection covers the use of biomacromolecule systems applied to biomedical implants for the release of therapeutic agents (proteins, nucleic acids, genes, anti-bacterial substances and others). In general terms, biomacromolecules are large-sized biomolecules weighing more than 800 Da, which usually include lipids, proteins, nucleic acids, and polysaccharides. Biomacromolecules are excellent biomaterials given their biocompatibility, biodegradability and bioresorbability.
We welcome contributions (original research articles, short communications, reviews, mini-reviews, perspectives, and opinions) reporting on recent leading-edge research findings in areas that include, but are not necessarily limited to, the topics listed below:
- Drug delivery systems based on biomacromolecules.
- Medical implants coated with biomacromolecules.
- Surface modifications of medical implants with biomacromolecules.
- In vitro and in vivo analysis of coated implants with biomacromolecules.
- Tissue reaction to biomacromolecule systems.
- Study of biointerfaces.
- Modeling and simulations of biomacromolecules at interfaces.
Keywords: Biomacromolecules, medical implants, controlled release, therapeutic agents, drug release
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.