Biomedical Applications of Marine Biomaterials

Dear Colleagues,

Marine organisms can produce various novel chemical molecules, having high potential for drug discovery, and for this reason, they are considered a gold mine for biotechnological purposes. In addition to secondary metabolites, in the last decade, a lot of biomaterials such as various types of polymers and biominerals of marine origin have been identified, isolated, and characterized, and a vast range of applications in the medical sector, including controlled drug delivery, tissue engineering, and diagnostic devices, have been described. Chitosan derived from chitin, collagens and gelatins, and chondroitin sulfate and polysaccharides of algal origin such as alginate and fucoidan are widely used in the production of two- and three-dimensional scaffolds for tissue engineering in the creation of simple and composite biomaterials. In addition, marine biomineralized structures such as biosilica derived from diatoms and sponges, calcium carbonate from coral and mollusks, and hydroxyapatite from fish bones can be used as additives in the tissue regeneration field, while complex 3D chitin or spongin structures of porifera such as the calcium carbonate structures of corals can be a source of inspiration as bone mimicking biomaterial. Marine biopolymers and biominerals combined with new technologies such as 3D printing and electrospinning allow always obtaining new, innovative, and smart custom-designed biomaterials.

This Special Issue of Marine Drugs aims to provide an overview on the most recent advances in the use of marine-derived biomaterials to produce biomedical devices used as 2D or 3D scaffolds for tissue engineering, for drug delivery, or as biosensors for medical diagnostics. As the guest editor, I kindly invite colleagues to contribute with innovative research on biomedical and therapeutic applications of marine-derived biomaterials.

Dr. Marina Pozzolini
Guest Editor

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