Extending the Service Life of Joint Prostheses with PEEK Biomaterials

Learn about a polymer material being explored for complex joint prosthesis systems.

Studying Shellfish Helps Develop New Adhesives

Chemists are studying shellfish to develop new, safer, and more sustainable adhesives for a variety of uses, including bandages and other medical applications.

Impact-Modified Acrylic Copolymers: Evaluating Chemical Resistance

Learn the key parameters for evaluating the chemical resistance of your materials.

Conductive Cellulose Thread Shows Promise for Healthcare Applications

The thermoelectric textile produces a small amount of electricity when heated on one side.

Impact Modified Acrylic Copolymers: Understanding Chemical Resistance

An objective screening matrix to enable medical device manufacturers in identifying the appropriate material for device assemblies.

Molding: Comparing Liquid Silicone Rubber and High Consistency Rubber for Medical Applications

Medical device OEMs often face a tough decision: Use HCR or LSR for medical device component manufacturing?

New Regulations, New Timelines: How Chemistry Changed in Response to ISO 10993-18:2020

Understand what part 18 of the 1099318 standard means for your product’s overall life cycle.

Adhesive Film Turns Smartwatch into Biochemical Health Monitoring System

The system looks for chemical indicators found in sweat.

Smart Fabrics Monitor Body by Changing Color

Researchers have developed biomaterial-based inks that respond to and quantify chemicals released from the body.

Preparing for MDR? Don’t Overlook the Analytical Evaluation Threshold

Medical device manufacturers have a big challenge in preparing for their regulatory device submissions for 2020. In addition to the European Union’s new Medical Device...

Options for Reducing Friction When Using Silicone Elastomers

Silicone has a long and proven history of use with medical devices and can provide many benefits, from flexibility to cushioning. When working with some medical devices, however,...

Innovations in Orthopedic Elastomers Enhance Durability and Appearance

The history of silicone rubber is synonymous with advancements in medical materials. Silicones, a family of biocompatible elastomers, provide an attractive balance of...

A Fast, Simple Sampling Method for Characterizing Volatile Organic Compounds Emitted from Medical Devices

In 2018, an update on regulations for respiratory medical devices meant that volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted from the devices...

Implant Tracks Rogue Brain Chemicals

Engineers have built a tiny, flexible sensor that is faster and more precise than past attempts at tracking this chemical, called glutamate. The sensor, an implantable device on the spinal cord, is...

Fast, Flexible Ionic Transistors for Bioelectronic Devices

Many major advances in medicine, especially in neurology, have been sparked by recent advances in electronic systems that can acquire, process, and interact with biological...

New Device Widens Light Beams by 400 Times

By using light waves instead of electric current to transmit data, photonic chips — circuits for light — have advanced fundamental research in many areas from timekeeping to telecommunications....

New Laser Pulses Faster Than Usual Ultrafast Light

A new electro-optic laser imposes microwave electronic vibrations on a continuous-wave laser operating at optical frequencies, effectively carving pulses into the light. Probing...

Four-Step Plastic Testing Protocol: Making Informed Design and Material Decisions

Medical devices across the United States must not only keep pace with advances in technology but also with the increased use of harsh solvents and...

Advances in Nano-Therapeutics: Spotlight on Cerium Oxide

For decades, the pharmaceutical industry has focused its drug-development strategies around the use of organic or biologically derived compounds. Among numerous successes are also a...

Implantable Islet Cells Come with Their Own Oxygen Supply

Since the 1960s, researchers have been interested in the possibility of treating type 1 diabetes by transplanting islet cells — the pancreatic cells that are responsible for...

Therapeutic Gel Shows Promise Against Cancerous Tumors

Scientists at the UNC School of Medicine and NC State have created an injectable gel-like scaffold that can hold combination chemo-immunotherapeutic drugs and deliver them locally to...

‘Candy Cane’ Polymer Weave Could Power Future Functional Fabrics and Devices

If scientists are ever going to deliver on the promise of implantable artificial organs or clothing that dries itself, they’ll first need to solve the problem...

Bringing Glucose Monitoring to New Levels through Integrated Sensor Design

Close metabolic control through glucose monitoring is a well-known way for persons with diabetes to maintain good health and avoid medical complications. The current...

Squirtable Surgical Glue Could Transform Surgeries and Save Lives

Sutures and staples are the traditional methods for closing surgical incisions and wounds in emergency situations. However, these methods can be inadequate in complex...

New Patch Aims to Turn Energy-Storing Fats into Energy-Burning Fats

A new system combines a new way to deliver drugs, via a micro-needle patch, with drugs that are known to turn energy-storing white fat into energy-burning brown fat. This...

Nanotexturing Creates Bacteria-Killing Spikes on Stainless Steel Surfaces

By using an electrochemical etching process on a common stainless-steel alloy, researchers have created a nanotextured surface that kills bacteria while not harming...

Considerations for Specifying Ultra-Engineering Polymers for Extruded Medical Applications – Part 2

With the shift in the medical industry to more minimally invasive, quicker, and more effective procedures, the goal is to minimize patient...

Biocompatibility Evaluation of Breathing Medical Devices: Understanding ISO 18652

Traditionally, toxicologists and biocompatibility experts considered the materials in breathing gas pathways as external communicating devices and evaluated...