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Advances in Biomaterials - Technology Impact Assessment
Frost & Sullivan, Dec 2003
Continuous Research Widens the Scope of Biomaterials Applications
New designs of integrated and combined material systems that can solve specific problems - for instance, drug delivery to particular sites in the body - are broadening the horizons of biomaterials applications. The growing need for lubricious coatings and surfaces in medical devices - an outcome of the move from invasive to noninvasive medicines/procedures - is playing a major role in the advancement of biomaterials technology. Smooth coatings, enabled by the use of biomaterials, have allowed physicians to easily maneuver medical devices through small blood vessels and delicate tissues besides proving to be effective in fighting infections, controlling biodegradation, and promoting healing. This development has also enabled surgeons to perform procedures that were earlier considered to be impossible. One of the major breakthroughs in recent times is the Food and Drug Administrations (FDA) approval of the cardiac stent with a coating that releases chemicals. Orthopedic implants with bone growth enhancers, intensive wound care dressings, and scaffoldings for cell research and tissue engineering are also finding their way into the market. These pioneering technologies have reduced the divisions between drugs, materials, and medical devices while emphasizing the need for innovation/vision among regulatory agencies.
This research on biomaterials is segmented into three categories: synthetic polymers (plastics), natural polymers (biomolecular materials), and inorganic materials (metals, alloys, ceramic, glass). The study provides a discussion on the properties of biomaterials - particularly when they are used as coatings - and other surface characteristics.
Biotechnology provides Fresh Momentum to Research
Researchers increasingly prefer development of biomaterials using natural products obtained from plants, bacteria, and animals, though synthetic polymers made from petroleum are still the most common biomaterials. Growing polymers directly inside the plants - that are capable of producing more tailored chemistries than the existing processes - is likely to be the next biggest advancement in biomaterials research, says the analyst. However, development period is expected to be longer as plants require more time to grow than bacteria.
Modern biotechnology has given researchers the tools to probe and manipulate living systems. The new approach is not only more economical but also facilitates generation of high purity polymers as well as manipulation of biopolymer production systems to create new materials. It is now possible to genetically modify an organism so that it produces specific polymers in certain quantities. The implications of such genetic techniques are quite profound, although research in this field is still years away from showing anything practical, comments the analyst.
Intelligent Materials to Define Future Success
Biomaterials are currently being designed at the molecular level to match the functionalities of molecules while targeting specific applications. Polyrotaxanes is one such intelligent biomaterial that can be designed to effect dynamic molecular functions similar to those of natural tissues through the movement of cyclic compounds along the polymers linear chain.
Some of the other intelligent materials that are currently under development include hydrogels exhibiting critical behavior, anionic and cationic hydrogels, controlled porous structures, ultrapure biomaterials, tailored copolymers with desirable functional groups, biomimetic hydrogels, biodegradable polymers responding to specific biological conditions, and polymers precisely replicating selected properties. These vast arrays of biomaterials have set the stage for explosive growth in this segment.
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