Introduction

We are entering a new era in medicine marked by the convergence of diverse technologies from many the life sciences, engineering and information science. Against this backdrop of rapid change, clinicans practicing in the healthcare environment of today must find practical solutions to the unmet needs that exist today. ECM-derived implants are an important bridge between tansplantation science and tissue engineering. They represent a diverse class of materials and products that are being applied to a wide range of clinical specialties. Our objective in this text is to provide R&D scientists and engineers, regulatory scientists, and manufacturing engineers and clinicians with information relevant to their work.