MT 271

Topic 1

Course Introduction
 Course overview
Instructor: Kaushik Chatterjee
Email: kchatterjee@iisc.ac.in

TA: Pritiranjan Mondal

Email: pritiranjanm@iisc.ac.in

Class timings: T & Th starting 10 AM

Mandatory to attend all lectures live

Evaluations: Quizzes (50%), Final exam (50%) [to be adjusted as the

semester evolves in view of the uncertain situation]
 Books
• Biomaterials Science- An Introduction to Materials in Medicine: eds Ratner et al
• Biomaterials- An Introduction: ed J. Park and R.S. Lakes
• Introduction to Biomaterials: ed Donglu Shi
• Reading assignments (research and review papers)
 Course objective

Develop an appreciation for “issues” relevant to the

use of materials for biomedical applications

Biomaterials

Biology
Materials and
Medicine
 What is a Biomaterial?
Bone?
Wood?
Wool?
Drugs (Crocin tablet)?
Ti orthopedic implant?
Contact lens gels?
Walking stick?
Glasses (eyewear)?
Dental braces?
 A biomaterial is…

… any matter, surface, or construct that interacts

with biological systems (wikipedia.com)

…a synthetic material, usually a plastic, suitable for

implanting in a living body to repair damaged or
diseased parts (dictionary.com)
 Consensus Definition

A biomaterial is a nonviable material used in a

medical device, intended to interact with biological
systems

-David F. Williams, 1987

Proceedings of the “Consensus Conference of the European Society for

Biomaterials, Chester, England, March 3-5, 1986”
 Consensus Definition

A biomaterial is a nonviable material used in

a medical device, intended to interact with
biological systems

***MEMORIZE verbatim (“word by word, exactly”) FOR EXAM***

 Consensus Definition

A biomaterial is a nonviable material used in a medical device, intended

to interact with biological systems

nonviable : “Not capable of living or developing”- meaning

synthetic/man-made materials, not naturally derived

in a medical device: excludes materials for in vitro work

 In vitro vs. In vivo

In vitro: In Latin means “within glass”;

(of a biological process) made to occur in a laboratory vessel or other controlled
experimental environment rather than within a living organism or natural setting.

In vivo: In Latin means “within the living”;

(of a biological process) occurring or made to occur within a living organism or
natural setting.

Ex vivo: In Latin means “out of the living”

The term ex vivo is often differentiated from the term in vitro in that the tissue or
cells need not be in culture; these two terms are not synonymous. In cell
biology, ex vivo procedures often involve living cells or tissues taken from an
organism and cultured in a laboratory apparatus, usually under sterile
conditions with no alterations for up to 24 hours. Experiments lasting longer
than this using living cells or tissue are typically considered to be in vitro.
 Biomaterial- yes or no?
• Wood?
• Bone?
• Alumina in hip joint?
• Ti alloy in bone plate?
• Collagen (bovine) gel for cell culture?
• Collagen for wound dressing?
• Silicone breast implant?
• Polyethylene in knee joints?
• Au alloy in dental implant?
• Cellulose for tissue scaffolds?
• Polycarbonate contact lens?
• Polystyrene for cell culture?
 Broader scope for applying
principles of biomaterials science

A biomaterial is a nonviable material used in a medical device, intended to

interact with biological systems

Delete “nonviable”: now includes naturally-derived materials or hybrids of

natural and synthetic origins

Delete “in a medical device”: now includes in vitro applications such as

containers, diagnostics, etc.
 Updated definition of a biomaterial

A biomaterial is now defined as a substance that has been engineered

to take a form which, alone or as part of a complex system, is used to
direct, by control of interactions with components of living systems, the
course of any therapeutic or diagnostic procedure.
 “Biological Material”

Bone, skin, sea shells, wood, husk, virus,

etc. are biological materials, not to be
confused with biomaterials
 Consensus Definition

Biocompatibility is the ability of a material to

perform with an appropriate host response in a
specific application

-David F. Williams, 1987

Proceedings of the “Consensus Conference of the European Society for

Biomaterials, Chester, England, March 3-5, 1986”

***MEMORIZE verbatim (“word by word, exactly”) FOR EXAM***

 Consensus Definition

Biocompatibility is the ability of a material to perform with

an appropriate host response in a specific application

appropriate response: what response do you want the

material to elicit

specific application: application/ use needs to be defined

 Consensus Definition

Biocompatibility is the ability of a material to perform with

an appropriate host response in a specific application
(Williams,1987)

appropriate response: what response do you want the

material to elicit

Specific application: application/ use needs to be defined

Important implication- There is NO universally

“biocompatible” material; biocompatibility depends on the
context of the application
 Updated definition of biocompatibility

The ability of a biomaterial to perform its desired function with respect to

a medical therapy, without eliciting any undesirable local or systemic
effects in the recipient or beneficiary of that therapy, but generating the
most appropriate beneficial cellular or tissue response to that specific
situation, and optimizing the clinically relevant performance of that
therapy

-David F. Williams, 2008

Biomedical Implants and Devices
 Biomedical Implants:
Transient vs. Permanent
Biomaterials used in
Medical Devices
Medical Device
Market in the US
 Dental implants

Biomaterials used: Ti alloys

 Heart valve prosthesis

Caged-ball valve Tilting-plate valve Bileaflet valve

Biomaterials used:
Carbon, metals, polymers, animal tissues

Porcine valve
Heart valve prosthesis
 Hip and knee joints

Biomaterials used: Ti, stainless steel, ceramic

 Hip and knee joints

Biomaterials used: Ti, stainless steel, ceramic

 Hip and knee joints

Biomaterials used: Ti, stainless steel, ceramic

 Intraocular lens

Biomaterials used: poly(methyl methacrylate), silicone elastomer,

soft acrylic polymers, hydrogels
 Intraocular lens

Biomaterials used: poly(methyl methacrylate), silicone elastomer,

soft acrylic polymers, hydrogels
 Stents

Biomaterials used: metals and polymers

 Artificial Heart
Ventricular Assist Device (VAD)
 Engineering biomaterials
“Biomaterials” were never designed to be a biomaterial.

Dacron: polyester for used clothing, personal arts and crafts, textiles

Teflon: used for non-stick cookware, automotive, aerospace

Ti-6Al-4V: for military, space craft, sports equipment

PMMA: aircraft windshield

Need for a new generation of engineered biomaterials