Summary

Tissue engineering and regenerative medicine will ultimately have a more profound impact than most of us can fully appreciate. The combination of the principles of engineering with advances in the material sciences, and an increased understanding of developmental biology has the potential to influence developments in medicine and biotechnology more than any single advance in these fields during the last several decades. I would first like to applaud the volume editor, Dr. Pietrzak, and the authors for their efforts in bringing together a group of interrelated topics to create a textbook emphasizing the Tissue Engineered generation of musculoskeletal tissue. The authors of this book are all established experts in their respective fields. The publication of a separate volume dedicated to musculoskeletal tissue regeneration as part of a series focusing on orthopedic biology and medicine is a reflection of the tremendous growth of knowledge and ongoing developments that have occurred in this field over the last decade. Musculoskeletal Tissue Regeneration: Biological Materials and Methods is intended to cover the basic fundamentals and early treatment of musculoskeletal disease, tissue loss and wound healing, as well as provide a comprehensive summary of recent advances in regenerative medicine and tissue engineering as they relate to the musculoskeletal system, and should serve as a reference for researchers and graduate students in this discipline.