Biopolymers for Medical Applications: From Drug Delivery to Tissue Engineering

Dear Colleagues,

The use of biopolymers in medical applications is currently proliferating due to their advantageous, unique, and tuneable physicochemical and biological properties. Novel natural biopolymer sources (including circular economy and biorefinery approaches), alternative and innovative semisynthetic approaches using green technologies, and sustainable extraction methods are constantly being explored to make their use more profitable from application performance, environmental, and economic points of view. Different design strategies for biopolymers allow the creation of materials in virtually any shape and morphology (beads, particles, monoliths, and 3D-printed structures) with precise nano-, micro-, and macroscopic control. The availability of biopolymers with opposite properties (such as electrical, mechanical, solubility, pH and thermal responsiveness, and smart/passive behavior) and the possibility of obtaining multi-material structures enable the generation of products adapted to different biomedical demands, ranging from drug delivery to tissue engineering, for personalized medicine.

The main aim of this Special Issue is to compile original and cutting-edge research as well as reviews that highlight the recent advances in biopolymers for drug delivery and tissue engineering. Contributions may cover topics such as biopolymer derivative synthesis and characterization, sustainable production of biopolymers, engineering novel biopolymer processing strategies, and innovative biomedical uses of biopolymers.  Particular emphasis is placed on biopolymer applications in personalized regenerative medicine, wound healing, smart and transdermal drug delivery, nanotherapy, and cancer.

Prof. Dr. Carlos A. García-González
Dr. Ricardo Starbird
Dr. Clara López-Iglesias
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Polymers is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• biopolymer
• tissue engineering
• wound healing
• mechanical response
• aerogels
• 3D printing
• conductive polymers
• nanocarriers
• nanotechnology
• smart drug delivery
• green technology