2^nd Annual Conference and Expo on Biomaterials March 27-28, 2017 Madrid, Spain

Polymers are the macromolecules obtained from various repeated subunits. Polymers used for biomaterials , can be of following types, i.e., Natural Polymers: Chitosan, Collagen, Alginate. These are used for drug delivery, wound dressing, tissue engineering of organs. Synthetic Polymers: Polyvinylchloride (PVC),Polypropylene, Polymethyl methacrylate.Used in implants, medical disposable supplies, dressings, etc. Biodegradable Biomaterials: Polyactide, Polyglycolide, etc.It is advantageous as it regenerates tissue and does not leave residual traces on implantation. Used for tissue screws, cartilage repair and drug delivery systems.Biopolymers are those polymers which are developed from the living organisms. Examples are DNA, RNA, proteins, carbohydrates, etc. It can also be used as packaging material.Polymer composites are used for preparing medical implants.

Dental biomaterials includes both the natural dental tissues like enamel, cementum, dentin and the synthetic dental materials such as polymers, composites, ceramics, etc. used to repair damaged, decayed teeth. These biomaterials are of different types i.e. orthodontics, braces, implants, etc. Orthodontics is a part of dentistry that leads to the alignment of teeth and jaws to improve oral health. Braces are mainly used in orthodontics to straighten teeth and to treat irregularities in teeth. Dental implants are the cylindrical forms made up of titanium, which is used as substitute for any missing teeth. Prosthesis means a device designed to replace a missing part of the body Diseased or missing eyes, arms, hands, legs, or joints are replaced by  using prosthetic devices. False teeth are known as dental prostheses. It is expected that the market for dental implants and dental biomaterials will grow at an overall CAGR of 6% and 10.5% respectively from 2010 – 2015.

As biomaterials are mainly used for tissue growth and delivery of drugs, similarly, their properties are also having a great impact on cell growth and proliferation of tissues. Physical properties are like size, shape, surface, compartmentalization, etc. Mechanical properties includes elastic modulus, hardness, fatigue, fracture toughness, etc. Biosensors are the analytical devices which can convert biological responses into electrical signals. Nanotopography means the surface characters that are formed at nanoscopic scale. It is having applications in  the field of medicine and cell engineering.It can be produced by using various techniques such as etching, plasma functionalization, etc. Surface properties includes surface tension, surface characterization, charge - charge interaction, etc. Biohybrid materials  or Bioconjugates are those substances which are produced by linking of biogenic and non- biogenic compounds through chemical bond. Bioinspired materials are the synthetic ones which looks similar to that of the natural materials or living matter in case of structure, function, and properties.

Biomaterials are those substances which are introduced into the body as a part of medical devices for medical purposes. These are having many medical applications such as cancer therapy, artificial ligaments and tendons, orthopaedic for joint replacements, bone plates, and ophthalmic applications in contact lenses, for wound healing in the form of surgical sutures, clips, nerve regeneration, in reproductive therapy as breast implants, etc. It is also having some non-medical applications such as to grow cells in culture, assay of blood proteins in laboratories, etc. 

The biomaterials market includes all types of biomaterials such as ceramics, composites, biodegradable, orthopaedic, etc. The market is expected to reach $130.57 billion by 2020, at a growth of CGAR of 16% from 2015-2020 forecast. Biomaterials have applications in the field of oncology i.e, the study of prevention, treatment of cancer. Some biomaterials companies which are included in the global biomaterials market are like Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Inc. (U.S.), Bayer AG (Germany), Carpenter Technology Corporation (U.S.), Covalon Technologies Ltd. (Canada), Evonik Industries AG (Germany), BASF SE (Germany), Invibio Ltd. (U.K.), Berkeley Advanced Biomaterials, Inc. (U.S.), CAM Bioceramics BV (Netherlands), and Collagen Matrix, Inc. (U.S.). The global orthopaedic biomaterials market is poised to reach $38,100.2 million by 2020 from $22,074.0 million in 2015 at a CAGR of 11.5% from 2015 to 2020. 

Bionanomaterials are molecular materials composed partially or completely of biological molecules and resulting in molecular structures having a Nano-scale-dimension. Magnetic nanomaterials are the magnetic particles of nm size which are having unique magnetic properties. They are available in various forms such as dry powders, as surface functionalized powders or as stable dispersions in a variety of solvents, both aqueous and organic. Such Bionanomaterials may have potential applications as novel fibers , sensors, adhesives etc. Nanobiomaterials accounts for 28.3% of the market share. Nanobiomaterials are used for cancer treatment, regeneration, and polymeric ones act as gene delivery systems. Nanofiber scaffolds are those fibres which are having diameters less than 100 nms. Nano scaffolding is a process to regrow tissue and bone, also used in stem cell expansion.

Biomaterials Engineering deals with the study of how materials interact with living organisms. It involves synthesis, processing, and characterisation of novel materials, like polymers, proteins, composites and hybrids. Biomedical engineering  helps to combine the materials, models involved in engineering with the biological sciences to improve the individual’s health. Biomaterial scaffolds are investigated to enhance the proliferation and differentiation of cell potential for tissue regeneration.  Biomaterials show a vital role in tissue engineering as well as in biomedical engineering.

Biomaterials are the natural or synthetic materials that are used to introduce in  the body mainly as a part of medical device for medical purposes. Synthetically, biomaterials can be prepared in laboratories using various chemical approaches Characterization of Biomaterials is a detailed information of the physical, chemical, in-vitro, in-vivo, mechanical, surface characteristics for researchers. Bioactive glasses are the surface reactive glass-ceramic biomaterials having bioglass, which is mainly used as implants to repair the damaged bone and for bone regeneration. Biomaterials can be characterized as polymers, ceramics, metallic, protein based ,etc. Metallic biomaterials are used for orthopaedic implants, metals like tantalum, titanium, iron, cobalt are mainly used. Protein based biomaterials means the modification of surface of biomaterials with proteins to  enhance the biocompatibility of material and act as bioactive materials. They even being used for cardiovascular tissue, bone tissue, etc.

Tissue Engineering deals with the study of combining cells, scaffolds or biologically active molecules to form functional tissues or organs, which can be implanted back into the donor host with the use of many engineering an materials methods along with some physicochemical factors. Biomaterial supports the engineered tissues physically, and also guide cells by topographical and chemical signals. Regenerative medicine is a branch of tissue engineering that deals with the process of replacing or regenerating human cells, tissues or organs to restore the normal biological function by using cells, stem cells and biomaterials. Scaffolds are the materials designed to cause cellular interactions that ultimately helps in formation of new tissues. Biomaterials helps in creating new materials for tissue engineering and stem cell delivery. Bone and cartilage tissue engineering is a rapidly advancing field. Bone engineering based on bone graft substitutes and biodegradable scaffolds. Novel approach of this engineering includes periodontal tissue regeneration with mesenchymal stem cells and platelet rich plasma.

Biomaterials play a vital role in delivery systems mainly in drug delivery. The design of various drug delivery systems, surgical implants, wound closure devices, artificial organs are mostly depends on the biomaterials. Biomaterials help in gene delivery that ultimately induce transgene expression and tissue growth along with regeneration of tissues. By Immunomodulation i.e, modulating or changing the various aspects of immune system, the potency and efficiency of regenerative medicine therapies can be increased. Nowadays, hydrogels are termed as the smart  drug delivery system, they are mostly used as sustained drug release systems, which has importance in treatment of cancer. Extracellular media or vesicles are used for the macromolecular drug delivery. Biomaterials can also be used for islet delivery, for imaging, etc.

Stem cells are termed as the attractive biomedical cell due to their replication ability and also playing an important role in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. Biomaterials used in mesenchymal and hematopoietic stem cell biology as the stem cells are responsible for cell replacement therapy by replication in inherited genetic disordsers and also can lead to programmed cell death i.e, apoptosis. So biomaterials are used to control the growth of stem cells in any culture. Cellular migration means development process of multicellular organisms. It is having role in various processes such as tissue regeneration, embryonic development, blood vessel formation, etc. Programming of cells provides a viable and alternate route to control cell response in a physiological or pathological condition without eliciting an adverse response. Cellular Signalling is a part of communication that governs basic cell activities and coordinates its actions.

Biodegradable metals are those which are intended to get degraded in the body safely. The metals are either magnesium based or iron based alloys. They are mainly applied for cardiovascular implants as stents and orthopaedics. Hydrogels are the polymeric materials containing water, which are the first biomaterials for human use. They help in tissue engineering, implantable devices, biosensors, materials controlling the activity of enzymes, etc. Degradation of Biomaterials is a serious problem for any medical device whether it is precluding degradation of implantable devices or forecasting the amount of degradation of tissue engineering scaffolds or drug releasing elements. Nanofiber scaffolds are used for orthopaedic tissue repair and regeneration. Biomimetic materials are those which can show cellular responses mediated by scaffold and peptide interactions from extracellular matrix. There are approximately 300 universities, 400 companies and 50 societies working in the field of Bio-degradable materials.

3D printing means formation of a 3 dimensional structure of biomaterials. According to the number of dimensions in nano-scale, the Biomaterials are of three types- 3D (nano-particle), 2D (i.e. nano-fiber), and 1D (nano-sheet). 3D bioprinting is the creation of various cell patterns by using printing techniques along with the layer-by-layer method to form tissue mimetic structures without any loss in cell function that can be further used in tissue engineering. Electrospinning  technology means deposition of polymer nanofibres on an object by using high voltage to a liquid polymer solution. Bioprinting helps in the research of drugs and pills by printing tissues and organs.  It is also used for micro devices and microarrays. The 3D printing materials market is expected to reach USD 1,409.5 Million by 2021 from USD 530.1 Million in 2016, at a CAGR of 21.60%.