Materials/​Biomaterials

Active Implants: How Gold Binds to Silicone Rubber

Flexible electronic parts could significantly improve medical implants. However, electroconductive gold atoms usually hardly bind to silicones. Researchers from the University of Basel have now...

Intelligent Materials Enable In-Situ Heart Valve Tissue Engineering

About 300,000 patients each year receive a heart valve replacement that is either a mechanical device or produced from animal tissue. Although these valves generally improve...

Sugar-Coated Nanomaterial Excels at Promoting Bone Growth

There hasn’t been a gold standard for how orthopedic spine surgeons promote new bone growth in patients, but now Northwestern University scientists have designed a bioactive...

Hydrogel Material Improves Success of Transplanting Islet Cells

Combining a new hydrogel material with a protein that boosts blood vessel growth could improve the success rate for transplanting insulin-producing islet cells into persons with...

Using Spider Silk, Surgeon Hits a Nerve

Christine Radtke, a Professor for Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at Austria’s MedUni Vienna/Vienna General Hospital, has 21 spiders. The silk obtained from the Tanzanian golden orb-weavers offers...

New 3D Printing Method Promises New Era for Medical Implants

For the millions of people every year who have or need medical devices implanted, a new advancement in 3D printing technology developed at the University of Florida promises...

Disposables

The potential for environmental stress cracking is a common concern when plastics are used in medical devices. According to materials expert Jeffrey Jansen of The Madison Group, environmental stress cracking (ESC) is considered a...

New Chemical Method Could Revolutionize Graphene

Scientists have discovered a new chemical method that enables graphene to be incorporated into a wide range of applications while maintaining its ultrafast electronics. Graphene, a...

Bringing Bioprinting to Life

A team from Northwestern University created bioprosthetic ovaries that ultimately led to the restoration of hormone production and fertility in mice.

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.