Handbook of the Extracellular Matrix

This book comprises 6 sections covering the fundamentals of the extracellular matrix, as well as the development and challenges of using biologically-derived materials, and its advanced biomedical applications. The first section is dedicated to the extracellular matrix, while the other 5 sections are each dedicated to a particular type of material. This book reports the fundamentals of the extracellular matrix and its impact on the development of innovative materials; provides an overview of the advanced methodologies used to develop biologically-derived materials; and describes the challenges of the synthesis and processing of the different materials. Furthermore, it presents the biological activities, structural and physicochemical properties of such materials, and the modification methods pursued to improve their inherent properties. The wide range of advanced applications are covered as well, including the combination with emerging technologies, underlying tissue-engineered scaffolding, drug delivery systems, 3D in vitro tissue and cancer models, 3D bioprinted models, bioinks, and more. This reference work serves as a core reference for multidisciplinary students (undergraduates and Ph.D. students) and a wide range of established researchers and professionals working in the medical field, e.g., orthopaedics, radiology, dentistry, and cancer.