tailieunhanh - Synthetic Polymers for Biotechnology and Medicine

Synthetic polymers fulfill many functions in biotechnology and medicine. In cell culture technology and tissue engineering they provide the surfaces to which cells may attach. Cross-linked polymer networks are used for drug delivery and cell encapsulation. Polymer-based porous membranes can be used to shield implanted cells from the immune system of the host, while allowing for the exchange of nutrients and metabolic waste products thus keeping the cells alive and functioning. In genetic engineering, polymers often play a very important role during the transfer of the foreign genetic material into the recipient cell. In this context polymers present interesting and perhaps safer alternatives to gene delivery by viruses. Last. | INTf I I IGFNCE UNIT 4 Ruth Irciug Synthetic Polymers for Biotechnology and Medicine LANDES MOM IF M ĩ Biotechnology Intelligence Unit 4 Synthetic Polymers for Biotechnology and Medicine Ruth Freitag . Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne Switzerland Landes Bioscience Georgetown Texas . Austin Texas . Synthetic Polymers for Biotechnology AND Medicine Biotechnology Intelligence Unit 4 Landes Bioscience Designed by Jesse Kelly-Landes Copyright 2003 All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic or mechanical including photocopy recording or any information storage and retrieval system without permission in writing from the publisher. Printed in the . Please address all inquiries to the Publishers Landes Bioscience 810 South Church Street Georgetown Texas . 78626 Phone 512 863 7762 FAX 512 863 0081 ISBN 1-58706-027-2 hard cover version ISBN 1-58706-081-7 soft cover version Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Synthetic polymers for biotechnology and medicine edited by Ruth Freitag. p. cm. -- Biotechnology intelligence unit Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 1-58706-027-2 alk. paper 1. Polymers in medicine. I. Freitag Ruth 1961 - . DNLM 1. Polymers. 2. Biomedical Engineering. 3. Biotechnology. 4. Equipment Design. QT S993 2001 S975 2001 610W .28--dc21 .