ABSTRACT
I. Introduction .................................................................................................................... 301
II. Alginate Modification ..................................................................................................... 303
A. Control of Mechanical Properties .......................................................................... 303
B. Controlling Degradability ....................................................................................... 304
C. Control of Cell Interactions ................................................................................... 305
III. Application of Modified Alginates in Tissue Engineering ............................................ 306
A. Regulation of Skeletal Muscle Cell Phenotype ..................................................... 306
B. Regeneration of Cartilage and Bone ...................................................................... 306
C. Growth Factor Delivery ......................................................................................... 309
IV. Conclusion and Future Perspectives .............................................................................. 311
References ................................................................................................................................... 312
The tremendous need to replace lost or injured tissues and organs has driven the development of the
tissue engineering field. Successful tissue engineering strategies generally require the combination
of physical scaffolds, bioactive signaling molecules, and cells to mimic the in vivo environment of
the developing or regenerating tissues.
