Use of Polymeric Biomaterials in Clinical Applications
The linked article presents an overview of the use of polymeric biomaterials in implantable objects, and brings to light their currently underused potential. While most implantable polymers will eventually partially or completely degrade in the conditions found in the human body, the article deals specifically with polymeric materials that are designed and intended to degrade to facilitate their overall purpose.
Degradable biomaterials have many potential uses, including but certainly not limited to drug release and delivery, temporary structural support as a substitute for extracellular matrices, degradable stents, ocular and orthopedic implants and etc. While degradable biomaterials have potentially unlimited uses, designing them has proven difficult due to the rates at which most polymers degrade. Most implantable polymers experience a state of rigidity and compliance up to a point, after which they become more brittle and degradation proceeds quickly, making degradation rates difficult to measure and clinical trials hard to set up. Materials must be designed which degrade at a more steady or tailored state if they are to be effective.
The portion of the article which I found most interesting involved shape-memory polymers. These special polymers can be compressed to a small size, ideal for surgical insertion, and upon coming in prolonged contact with body temperatures exceeding their switching temperature they will expand to their more bulky, application-relevant shape. The article discusses multi-functional materials that incorporate the shape-memory effect, biodegradability, and drug release, the combination of which I find extremely interesting and useful, could it be optimized and put to clinical application.
John Gruetzner
Section 502
The article is available for free download as a PDF here:
http://www.artificial-organs.com/public/IJAO/Article/Article.aspx?UidArticle=C847E581-9DBF-4933-805C-A65F9E27E1CF
Degradable biomaterials have many potential uses, including but certainly not limited to drug release and delivery, temporary structural support as a substitute for extracellular matrices, degradable stents, ocular and orthopedic implants and etc. While degradable biomaterials have potentially unlimited uses, designing them has proven difficult due to the rates at which most polymers degrade. Most implantable polymers experience a state of rigidity and compliance up to a point, after which they become more brittle and degradation proceeds quickly, making degradation rates difficult to measure and clinical trials hard to set up. Materials must be designed which degrade at a more steady or tailored state if they are to be effective.
The portion of the article which I found most interesting involved shape-memory polymers. These special polymers can be compressed to a small size, ideal for surgical insertion, and upon coming in prolonged contact with body temperatures exceeding their switching temperature they will expand to their more bulky, application-relevant shape. The article discusses multi-functional materials that incorporate the shape-memory effect, biodegradability, and drug release, the combination of which I find extremely interesting and useful, could it be optimized and put to clinical application.
John Gruetzner
Section 502
The article is available for free download as a PDF here:
http://www.artificial-organs.com/public/IJAO/Article/Article.aspx?UidArticle=C847E581-9DBF-4933-805C-A65F9E27E1CF
posted by John Gruetzner at 8:13 PM
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