New Trends and Challenges in Polysaccharide Biomaterials

Dear Colleagues,

Polysaccharide-based materials exhibit excellent natural biocompatibility and biodegradability, and they have received increased research attention due to their unique structural diversity. Due to their ability to form cross-linked multidimensional structures, they are widely used as components in pharmaceutical, biomedical, biotechnological products, and as materials for environmental purposes. The field of application of polysaccharides is very wide, ranging from their use in medicine, through food products, to cosmetics and biomedical usage, and still meets new targets. The presence of numerous hydroxyl and optionally carboxyl or amino groups along the polymer chains enables their chemical functionalization, thus extending their exploitation opportunities. Polysaccharides and their conjugates are used in the formation of micelles, micro- and nanoparticles, fibers, scaffolds, films, and hydrogels to meet various application needs. Therefore, such generations of biomaterials, in addition to their traditional uses, are widely studied for implementation in new applications, i.e., in broadly understood drug delivery and tissue engineering, as materials supporting wound healing, the immobilization of microorganisms, and even providing a favorable microenvironment for cell growth in tissue engineering.

This Special Issue aims to highlight the basic as well as applied aspects of advanced polysaccharide research in various research areas and present new trends and challenges related to the use of polysaccharide biomaterials, including, but not limited to, medicine, biochemistry, food chemistry, drug delivery, and environmental science, in the paper industry and biorefinery.

Dr. Izabela Pawlaczyk-Graja
Dr. Marta Tsirigotis-Maniecka
Guest Editors

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• polysaccharides
• glucoconjugates
• functional materials
• hydrogels
• nanoparticles and nanofibers
• microparticles
• cellulose derivatives
• biocompatibility and biological functions
• biomedical applications
• tissue engineering
• drug delivery
• food chemistry