Polymers in medicine

Abstract A wide variety of polymers have found a range of applications as biomaterials in clinical medicine, due to their versatile structure and properties. Polymeric biomaterials can be derived from natural or synthetic polymers, and can be biodegradable or non-biodegradable, depending on their applications which can include biomedical implants, either as bulk materials or as implant coatings, as well as nanocarriers for drug and gene delivery. This chapter provides an overview of the history and development of polymeric biomaterials in specific fields of medicine. Some current researches into novel approaches toward polymeric medicine are also discussed.