| Scope |
Biomedical devices span a broad range today from surgical tools such as wound closing staplers, artificial joints, implantable cardiac pacemakers, drug delivery products, to neuromodulation implants, helping hundreds of millions of patients a year to alleviate pain, restore health, and extend life. The materials that are used to manufacture those biomedical products are generally called biomaterials. It may be thought the biomaterials have some biological signatures so they are very different from the commercial materials. In reality, most of the biomaterials used today were originally borrowed from commercial materials, such as Dacron, stainless steel, polyurethane, etc. They are essentially the same materials as those used for making other products such as space shuttles, paints, toys, etc. However, there are some differences in chemical compositions, manufacturing, quality control, and evaluation for biological applications. Those differences and the technologies to manage the differences make commercial materials biomaterials. This symposium will include experts from industry and government organizations to introduce biomaterials to the audience. The topics would include biocompatibility of products, materials used in today’s industry, supply, and quality control. Material solutions that the industry needs to manage today’s challenges and to fulfill future needs are to be discussed. The purpose is to communicate what is needed and what is available, and plant seeds for collaborations. |