Dear Colleagues,

In recent years, the quantity and quality of created polymers for the targeted delivery of drugs, regeneration, and reconstruction of tissues in the body have significantly increased, which indicates their versatility and the possibility of widespread use in medicine. Such biopolymers can be of biological, synthetic, or hybrid origin. Two important properties of biopolymers are their biocompatibility and biodegradability. Because of these properties, they are in demand in general and cardiovascular surgery, for the manufacture of scaffolds, prostheses of blood vessels, artificial heart valves, in cell and tissue engineering, traumatology and dentistry, while restoring the functions of damaged organs. Nanostructured, biodegradable, and biocompatible polymers are actively used to create a new generation of therapeutic forms. Controlling the molecular structure of polymers can adjust their physico-chemical properties and change the ability to interact with the living tissue of a patient. In addition, this controlling provides synthetic polymers with certain information capabilities to be used as bio-recognition elements or molecular barcodes. The development of structured carriers of stem and differentiated cells are also important areas of the physical chemistry of polymers, which are necessary for cell replacement therapy and regenerative cell therapy. In addition, injectable biomaterials have minimal invasiveness in contrast to traditional surgical operations, which significantly reduce both the cost of the procedure itself and the patient’s recovery time.

Thus, the progress achieved in the field of creating a new generation of biopolymers gives hope for a speedy breakthrough in many fields of science and experimental and practical medicine. Perhaps, in the near future, we will hear about the use of biopolymers for the restoration of the myelin sheath of neurons, repair of the optic nerves, and cells that conduct signals of heart rhythm drivers. However, with the abundance of information on the practical use of biopolymer molecules, practically no studies report, for example, on the interaction of these molecules with biological membranes, their possible toxic and/or mutagenic effects, as well as methodologies for its estimation. We hope that this Special Issue will attract researchers and fulfill the existing gaps.

Prof. Dr. Boris Krasnikov
Guest Editor

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• natural biomolecules
• biopolymers
• drug delivery
• regenerative medicine
• scaffolds
• tissue engineering
• injectable biomaterials
• smart materials
• thermo-responsive biopolymers
• pH-responsive biopolymers
• chemical-responsive biopolymers
• medical device design
• methodology development