This book is not a "proceedings" volume. Rather the chapters are essays by experts in the field of blood substitutes, invited by the editors to con tribute to the 1996 "Current Issues in Blood Substitutes Research and Development" course given in San Diego, March 18-21. The contributors were selected because of their expertise in areas deemed by the editors to be critical to the advancement of the field. The course, as in past years, is heavily influenced by feedback from par ticipants, and by research in this and related fields. In addition to the didactic lectures (for which these chapters are the foundation), the course also offers the opportunity for presentation of research reports, progress reports from the various companies currently commercializing products, and round table discussions of selected subjects. Thus, we are grateful to past participants for their helpful comments. Production of a book, especially on a short timeline, is not an easy feat.

This book contains the selected papers presented at the seventh International Symposium on Blood Substitutes (7th ISBS) held at the International Conference Center of Waseda University in Tokyo on 7-10 September 1997. In keeping with the scientific design of the 7th ISBS Symposium, chapters have been carefully selected and organized to showcase the advancements in recent research. This book includes up-to-date clinical results of leading companies which are manufacturing hemoglobin-based or fluorocarbon-based blood substitutes, and covers issues of hemoglobin toxicity and side effects such as vasoconstriction in more detail using carefully designed in vivo and ex vivo techniques. This book is also a collection of various new types of red cell substitutes such as recombinant Hbs, recombinant albumine-lipidheme complex, modified red blood cells, and perfluorochemicals using material science and molecular engineering.

This book functions as a comprehensive and authoritative reference book in blood transfusion and blood substitutes. It is a collection of the latest developments and the newest investigations, and individual chapters are written by world experts in the arena. The book begins with a historical review on the practice of transfusions as well as the components and physiology of blood. The following chapters cover various topics, including platelet substitutes, hemoglobin-based oxygen carriers, perfluorocarbon based oxygen carriers, and safety issues related to artificial hemoglobin. All chapters provide a bulleted highlights list to facilitate readers in mastering the main points of each individual chapter. Blood Substitutes and Oxygen Biotherapeutics is an invaluable reference book for perioperative care providers, hematologists, anesthesiologists, surgeons, obstetricians and gynecologists.

This is the first book that provides a comprehensive review of the entire area of artificial cells. The author, a pioneer of the field, invented the first artificial cells some 50 years ago and has continued to carry out active research in this field. Since then, there have been explosive research activities around the world on artificial cells, especially in fields related to biotechnology, nanomedicine, cell therapy, blood substitutes, drug delivery and others. However, instead of the term “artificial cells,” many authors use other terminologies such as blood substitutes, bioencapsulation, liposomes, nanoparticles and so on. Furthermore, papers in this highly interdisciplinary area are published in numerous journals specializing in chemistry, medicine, surgery, bioengineering and others, while books in this area are mostly multi-authored, describing very specific and narrow areas. As a result, any meaningful literature search for a complete idea of the present status of the whole field of artificial cells is impossible.This monograph is written to fill this gap by including all those areas in artificial cells that are disguised under different terminologies. Each chapter begins with a detailed overview, followed by detailed examples of the author's own research and a full description of his methods and procedures. Readers interested in a detailed overview of the whole area can read from cover to cover, omitting the methods section at the end of each chapter; while those entering this area of research will find the detailed methods and procedures very useful.

Each chapter of this volume is a contribution from an expert in the field, chosen by the editors to contribute to the 1997 "Current Issues in Blood Substitute Research and Development" course given in San Diego, March 17-19. The contributors were selected because of their expertise in areas which the editors believe to be critical to the advancement of the field, and which reflect activity in "hot" areas of relevant research. While there is a continuity in style for the annual course, each year brings changes in emphasis and content. In previous years, we were often not able to provide time for participants to present their views and opinions. Consequently, this year we encouraged discussion after each presentation. These sessions were recorded, transcribed, and are printed with the chapters herein. We believe that the product is very close to the capturing this year's course in print, and trust readers will enjoy reading the always candid and often provocative remarks from the audience. The price paid for inclusion of the discussion transcriptions was a delay in publication. Each author was allowed to edit his/her discussion section as well as the final version of the chapters prior to publication. The changes are mainly for grammar, and we tried, when possible, not to alter the conversational style of these interchanges.

This definitive volume will provide the reader with up to date information and the most recent science of the fast-evolving area of nanobiotherapeutic-based blood substitutes. Long studied, there are recent updates that make their use in patients more promising, and with one product approved for human use, many more in the pipeline. These include 2nd generations and even third generation ones, the later with enhancement of red blood cell functions. In addition, there are carefully written and referenced updates on the recent history and products in the field, complete with pathophysiologic and pharmacologic studies to validate and verify the efficacy and safety of many of these new products.

This second edition of Biomaterials Science leads the field by providing a balanced, insightful view of biomaterials. Contributions from pre-eminent researchers and practitioners from diverse academic and professional backgrounds have been integrated into a cohesive curriculum which includes pertinent principles of cell biology, immunology and pathology focusing on the clinical uses of biomaterials as components of implants, devices, and artificial organs, and their uses in biotechnology. The materials science and engineering of synthetic and natural biomaterials and the characterization of their physical, chemical, biochemical and surface properties, and mechanisms and evaluation of interactions with tissue, are also addressed in detail. Book jacket.