Woodhead Publishing Regenerative Medicine and Biomaterials for the Repair of Connective Tissues (Woodhead Publishing Series in Biomaterials)

Regenerative medicine for the repair of connective tissues is a fast moving field which generates a lot of interest. The biomaterials and biomechanics for soft tissue repair has been under-represented in the past. This book address this gap in the market by bringing together the natural association of cartilage, tendons and ligaments to provide a review of the different structures, biomechanics and, more importantly, provide a clear discussion of practical techniques and biomaterials which may be used to repair the connective tissues. Key Features: addresses the natural association between cartilage, tendons and ligaments which is often not made; provides a review of the different structures, biomechanics and practical techniques which are used in the repair of connective tissues; chapters focus on such areas as cartilage repair and regeneration, the repair of tendons and ligaments, investigating techniques including scaffolds and cell-based therapies. Contents: Structure and regenerative capacity of synovial joint tissues; The myofibroblast in connective tissue repair and regeneration. Part 1 Cartilage repair and regeneration: Structure of articular cartilage; Measuring the biomechanical properties of cartilage cells; Understanding tissue response to cartilage injury; Understanding osteoarthritis and other cartilage diseases; Using animal models of cartilage repair to screen new clinical techniques; Cartilage tissue repair: autologous osteochondral mosaicplasty; Cartilage tissue repair: autologous chondrocyte implantation; Cell sheet technologies for cartilage repair; Cell therapies for articular cartilage repair: chondrocytes and mesenchymal stem cells; Scaffolds for musculoskeletal tissue engineering; Outcome measures of articular cartilage repair. Part 2 Repair of tendons and ligaments: The structure of tendons and ligaments; Tendon biomechanics; Tendon injury and repair mechanisms; Tissue engineering for ligament and tendon repair; Cell-based therapies for the repair and regeneration of tendons and ligaments; Scaffolds for tendon and ligament tissue engineering.