Biomaterials in cardiovascular research: models, methods, and therapies

The discipline of biomaterials is working tirelessly to deepen our understanding of cell & tissue interaction and revolutionize novel therapeutics. In the cardiovascular system, the application of biomaterials is often challenging but holds great promise. Heart and blood vessels are structurally complex tissues that are blood-contacting in nature and consistently under dynamic mechanical loading conditions. These biological and engineering challenges create unique opportunities for advanced biomaterial-based approaches to 1) elucidate the cardiovascular disease pathology at molecular/cellular/tissue levels; 2) understand cardiovascular tissue regeneration process; 3) innovate cardiovascular therapies incorporating small molecules, biologics, cells, and scaffolds.

This Research Topic aims to collect and disseminate state-of-the-art advances in biomaterials science and engineering research in the broad area of cardiovascular research. It generally includes the investigation of novel and existing biomaterials as tissue repair strategies, drug delivery platforms, diagnostic or theranostic agents, tissue engineering scaffolds, bioengineered disease models, novel biofabrication techniques, and implantable medical devices, providing novel insights for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases. Our dedicated guest editorial team hopes to facilitate the interdisciplinary efforts in biomaterial-directed cardiovascular therapies via this Research Topic.

This Research Topic focuses on recent advances and novel discoveries from the use of biomaterials in the cardiovascular field. Multidisciplinary works and translational works are welcome. Submission from the underrepresented minority (URM) community in scientific research is highly encouraged. Original Research Articles, Reviews, Methods, Brief Research reports, and Mini-Reviews are accepted. Areas to be covered in this Research Topic may include, but are not limited to:

• Biomaterials used in cardiovascular tissue repair
• Drug delivery in cardiovascular systems
• Cardiovascular tissue engineering
• Bioengineered cardiovascular disease modeling
• Advanced biofabrication for cardiovascular biomaterials
• Medical devices in treating cardiovascular diseases
• Imaging and diagnostic approaches in cardiovascular diseases