Photopolymerization of Polymeric Composites in Drug Delivery, Tissue Engineering, and Other Biomedical Applications

Abstract

Photopolymerization of polymeric composites has been widely used in several biomedical applications including, drug delivery, tissue engineering, and cell encapsulation as it combines the properties of both the photopolymerizable precursors and the photo-cross-linked polymeric networks. Nowadays, photopolymerization technology has expanded to show promising applications and uses in protein and gene delivery as well as other drug delivery designs and technologies. The present chapter aimed at providing an in-depth discussion on the latest advances in the utilization of photopolymerization technology in the drug delivery and tissue engineering fields with emphasis on the principles of photoirradiation and photopolymerization technology, common precursors, compatibility of photoinitiators, and their potential pharmaceutical and biomedical applications.