Materials/​Biomaterials

Adhesive Film Offers Pain-Free Drug Delivery

A team of researchers has recently developed easy-to-use oral films that enable painless, efficient, and discreet drug administration. The novel oral film releases drugs into the bloodstream...

3D Printed Hydrogel Dressings Speed and Improve Healing

New 3D printed hydrogel dressings can speed up and improve the healing process for patients with second-degree burns. The dressings have bioactive formulations to better address...

Soft, Ultrathin Photonic Material Cools Wearable Electronic Devices

A photonic material-based “soft, ultrathin, radiative-cooling interface” that greatly enhances heat dissipation in devices, with temperature drops more than 56 °C,...

Hydrogels as a Drug-Delivery Medium

Hydrogels are a proven material used within the wound care industry. They are valued for their cooling, soothing, healing properties, and absorptive characteristics. Outside of the field of wound care, the applications of hydrogels have been expanded into the drug-delivery space.

Customizable Spun-Fiber Heart Valve Grows with Children

Heart valves can be surgically replaced, but children whose bodies are still growing may need multiple, highly invasive surgeries to replace their valves with larger ones, putting them at risk. Kevin Kit Parker’s team vowed to fix this problem.

Biodegradable Polymer for Treating Rheumatoid Arthritis

Engineers have developed a biodegradable polymer system to treat rheumatoid arthritis, an autoimmune and inflammatory disease, by working in concert with the power of the human immune system.

Wood-Derived Electronic-Skin Substrates

Researchers have designed wood-derived electronic-skin substrates for electrophysiological monitoring that are functional, sustainable, and comfortable.

Programmable 3D Printed Wound Dressing Improves Treatment for Burn, Cancer Patients

One of the challenges in treating burn victims is the frequency of dressing changes, which can be extremely painful. To bring relief to this pain and related problems, researchers have created a new type of wound dressing material using advanced polymers.

Here's an Idea: A Plant-Based Gel That Saves Lives

A hemostatic gel technology that rapidly controls bleeding could transform wound care.

Manufacturing Considerations for Implantable Drug-Delivery Systems

With all the benefits implantable systems offer therapy developers, clinicians, and patients, it is easy to see why market projections for this segment are on the rise.

Bioactive Glass Delivers Antimicrobial Wound Protection

When impregnated into bioactive glass, silver retains antimicrobial activity longer. Researchers have shown for the first time how this promising combination delivers more...

Polymer Patch Warns of Danger

To ensure that wounds remain tightly sealed in the abdomen after surgery, researchers have developed a patch with a sensor function. The polymer patch warns before the occurrence of dangerous leaks on...

Stretchable Knee Wearable Offers Insight into Improving e-Textiles for Healthcare

Researchers have developed a fully knitted, circuit-embedded knee wearable for wireless sensing of joint motion in real time. Compared to other knitted electronics, this model has fewer externally integrated components and a more sensitive sensor, making it less error prone.

Bending Implantables Enables Infectious Organisms to Take Hold

A study from University of Toronto Engineering researchers shows that mechanical deformation of medically implantable materials — such as bending or twisting — can...

Soft Ionotronics Improves Wearable, Implantable Biomedical Devices

Using 3D printing and hydrogel technology, researchers are moving closer to being able to create devices that better match the human body than the electronic devices...

Summer 2023 Resource Guide

In our summer edition of the MDB Resource Guide, learn about new cleaning requirements and find the right company to match your medical-design needs.

Videos of the Month

See the videos of the month, including one about a materials science approach to revealing clues of breast cancer, one on Rice University technology that would give patients one shot and they’d be set for the next couple of months, and more.

Programmable Smart Fabric Responds to Temperature and Electricity

A new smart material developed by researchers at the University of Waterloo is activated by both heat and electricity, making it the first ever to respond to two different stimuli.

Graphene ‘Tattoo’ Treats Cardiac Arrhythmia with Light

Researchers have developed the first cardiac implant made from graphene, a two-dimensional super material with ultra-strong, lightweight and conductive properties.

Evaluating Ultrasonic Welding of Medical Plastics: Part 2

A previous article described the theoretical framework for USW of thermoplastics. This article presents the key parameters and materials influencing an ultrasonic welding process, so that USW can be accomplished successfully.

3D Printing with Bacteria-Loaded Ink Produces Bone-Like Composites

Researchers have pioneered a 3D printable ink that contains Sporosarcina pasteurii: a bacterium that, when exposed to a urea-containing solution, triggers a...

Silk Confirmed as Promising Material for Repair of Injured Nerves

A research team has used silk as a promising material for repairing severed nerves. In their experiments with silk from silkworms and spiders, the scientists also gained...

New Products & Services

See the New Products and Services, including medical optics, healthcare polymers, a ventilator pressure sensor, and more.

3D Printed Insoles Measure Sole Pressure Directly in Shoe

Researchers are developing a 3D-printed insole with integrated sensors that allows the pressure of the sole to be measured in the shoe and thus during any activity. This helps athletes or patients to determine performance and therapy progress.

Product of The Month

See the product of the month: A line of thin cold-rolled titanium in a variety of commercially pure grades and alloys for medical devices, available from Arnold Magnetic Technologies.