Biomedical Composites for Human Body Tissue Replacement and Regeneration

Abstract

<p>The performance of a biomedical composite is affected by many factors, including those in composite design and composite manufacture. Understanding the roles of major influencing factors is very important for successfully developing a biomedical composite from design to clinical applications. This chapter provides concise coverage of biomedical composites, from the rationale, fundamentals, templates from nature, design, and manufacture to their clinical applications. New technologies, such as 3D printing, have been increasingly used in making high-performance and customized biomedical composite products. Clinical applications of biomedical composites have also been expanding, from using non-porous non-biodegradable or biodegradable composites for human tissue replacement to employing porous biodegradable composites for human tissue regeneration. Beyond human body tissue repair, biomedical composites can be found in areas such as oncology where composite nanoparticles, the so-called theranostics, are very useful for early detection and effective treatment of cancer. Biomedical composites are fascinating biomaterials and more and more biomedical products will be made out of these materials.</p>