Materials/​Biomaterials

3D Printable Implants May Ease Damaged Knees

A cartilage-mimicking material created by researchers at Duke University may one day allow surgeons to 3D print replacement knee parts that are custom-shaped to each patient's anatomy.

Flexible Glass Opens Door for Tiny Medical Devices

Brigham Young University researchers have developed glass technology that could add a new level of flexibility to the microscopic world of medical devices.

Black Silicon Prevents Eye Implant from Gumming Up

A team of researchers led by Caltech's Hyuck Choo has developed an eye implant for glaucoma patients that could one day lead to more timely and effective treatment.

Orthopedic Implant Could Provide Superior Support to Damaged Bones

Purdue University researchers are developing a nontoxic, biodegradable orthopedic implant that could be safely absorbed by the body after providing adequate support to damaged...

INSIDE STORY: Zeus Industrial Products, Inc.

To find out more about how the use of LCP monofilament in catheter braiding is expected to support the development of advanced surgical procedures — in cardiology and beyond — MDB recently spoke with Zeus researchers Bruce Anneaux, PhD, corporate director of research and development, and Zahidul Wahab, PhD, senior research engineer.

New Material Regrows Bone

A team of researchers repaired a hole in a mouse’s skull by regrowing “quality bone,” a breakthrough that could drastically improve the care of people who suffer severe trauma to the skull or face. The work...

Top 10 Tips for Developing Implantable Medical Textiles

Medical device engineers are increasingly gravitating toward biomedical textiles to aid in implant performance, including cardiovascular applications such as structural heart implants or...

Portable Nanofiber Device Offers Precise Control for Fabricating 3D Tissue

There are many ways to make nanofibers. These versatile materials — whose target applications include everything from tissue engineering to bulletproof vests — have...

Moldable Scaffold Shows Promise for Replacing Lost Skull Bone

A team of researchers is developing a new material that can be used to replace skull bone lost to injury, surgery, or birth defect. The bioactive foam is malleable when exposed...

Silicone Maker CEO Expresses Concern Over 'Abandonment' of Free Trade

“Free trade is being abandoned, which is very worrying, said Rudolf Staudigl, CEO of silicone giant Wacker Chemical. Staudigl made the assertion at the silicone giant’s...

Implantable Fibers Could Treat Spinal Cord Injuries

Researchers have developed a rubber-like fiber that can flex and stretch while simultaneously delivering both optical impulses, for optoelectronic stimulation, and electrical connections, for...

Adhesives with Additives: Dressings Designed to Deliver Added Value

Multipurpose functionality has become an expectation in the modern lifestyle. A washing machine is no longer just a washing machine but rather a computerized appliance that can...

Living Polymerization Enables Adaptable 3D Printing

Three-dimensional printing technology makes it possible to rapidly manufacture objects by depositing layer upon layer of polymers in a precisely determined pattern. Once these objects are...

Engineers Create Artificial Skin That ‘Feels’ Temperature Changes

A team of engineers and scientists have developed an artificial skin capable of detecting temperature changes using a mechanism similar to the one used by the organ that...

Wearable Sensors Created from Biocompatible Hydrogel

Engineers and biologists at MIT have teamed up to design a new “living material” — a tough, stretchy, biocompatible sheet of hydrogel injected with live cells that are genetically...

Knitted Stent Unravels for Complete Removal from Patient

Stents are cylindrical mesh tubes that can be placed in arteries or in the lungs to open blockages or areas that are narrow or weak. Traditional stents work well, but one disadvantage is...

Microgel Composite Could Overcome Fibrin Blockade to Accelerate Healing

In regenerative medicine, the ideal repair material would offer properties that seem impossibly contradictory. It must be rigid and robust enough to be manipulated...

Metamaterial Could Reduce Weight of Prosthetics

Scientists are working on the development of a new material that could one day be used in the construction of prosthetic limbs. The new metamaterial — a lightweight, solid foam known as...

Nanomodified Polymer Improves Biocompatibility for Implants, Wound Care

Scientists have developed nanomodified polymer implants that are compatible with the human organism, dissolve within several years, and even have antibacterial...

Blood-Repellent Materials: A New Approach to Medical Implants

Medical implants like stents, catheters and tubing introduce risk for blood clotting and infection — a perpetual problem for many patients.

Researchers Use Nature's Weaving Formula to Engineer Advanced Functional Materials

For the first time, biomedical engineers have woven a “smart” fabric that mimics the sophisticated and complex properties of one of nature's ingenious...

Hydrogel Dressing Could Eliminate Traditional Bandages for Burns

For patients with second-degree burns, it’s not always the initial injury that hurts most. The daily, sometimes hours-long bandage changes can be the most excruciating ordeal.

New Graphene-Based System Could Help ‘See’ Electrical Signaling in Heart and Nerve Cells

Scientists have enlisted the exotic properties of graphene, a one-atom-thick layer of carbon, to function like the film of an incredibly sensitive...

AniCell: Stem Cell Therapy Offers Life-Saving Alternative for Animals

On a recent tour of bioscience companies in the East Valley area of Phoenix, AZ, I visited AniCell Biotech, a company dedicated to extending the lives of animals through...

Silk-Based Materials Can Be Programmed with Embedded Functions

Engineers have created a new format of solids made from silk protein that can be preprogrammed with biological, chemical, or optical functions, such as mechanical components...

3D printing Stretchable Electronics for Medical Devices

Electronic components that can be elongated or twisted — known as “stretchable” electronics — could soon be used to power medical devices and other products. And a 3D...

Creating a Slippery Slope on the Surface of Medical Implants

Implanted medical devices such as left ventricular-assist devices for patients with heart failure or other support systems for patients with respiratory, liver, or other end organ...

New ‘Bottlebrush’ Electroactive Polymers Make Dielectric Elastomers Increasingly Viable for Use in Devices

Material can change shape and size when exposed to a relatively small electric field. A multi-institutional research team has...

Glass Fibers with Potential Far Beyond Transmitting Light

Glass fibers do everything from connecting us to the Internet to enabling keyhole surgery by delivering light through an endoscope. But as versatile as today’s fiber optics are,...