Biodegradable polymer blends for tissue engineering

Tissue engineering is an emerging technology in developing a three-dimensional biological alternative for functional human tissue or organs from mammalian cells. However, these cells are anchorage-dependent and distinct environment-dependent, which requires proper culture medium such as scaffolds to support the cell proliferation and act as a prototype for the growth. Biomaterial scaffold is an ideal substrate with its comparable properties with natural extracellular matrix for tissue engineering. The key characteristic of biomaterials is to interact and coexist in the presence of physiological systems such as blood, immune cells, and interstitial fluids with the minimum amount of immune reaction from the recipient. Natural polymers, synthetic biodegradable, and nonbiodegradable polymers are the main types of biomaterials for scaffolding applications. This chapter explains the property evaluation and application of biodegradable polymer blends for tissue engineering.