Developing novel biomaterials for new challenges

Abstract

The use in the medical field of materials such as stainless steel, alumina and polyethylene that were originally developed for general engineering applications rather than for tissue replacement in human bodies has obviously been successful and it is certain that most of these proven materials will be continuously used in the healthcare industry. However, there are also shortcomings of these materials for their intended medical applications. With the advances in materials science and engineering, some currently available implant materials are being modified with regard to their surface and bulk properties so that their performance in the biological environment can be enhanced. Using natural tissues as templates, novel, “designer” biomaterials are being developed for tissue replacement and regeneration. Furthermore, with the emergence of tissue engineering, new scaffolding materials are under active development. In this paper, some of our efforts in developing new biomaterials as well as in modifying existing biomaterials are briefly reviewed.