PMSE 453 |
| Ever since the invention of stainless steel facilitated the development of artificial joints, advances in biomaterials have been recognized as an engine for the design of innovative medical implants and devices. Today, the development of combination devices and tissue engineering scaffolds requires a new generation of degradable biomaterials. Combinatorial and computational approaches, adopted from the drug discovery process developed by the pharmaceutical industry, can be used for the rapid discovery of new biomaterials. Two new medical devices, using optimized polymers identified through a combinatorial discovery process illustrate the utility and potential benefits of this approach. Using a combinatorially designed library of degradable polyarylates, an optimized polymer for use in a new hernia repair device was identified. The hernia repair device was recently cleared by the FDA for marketing. Using a combinatorial library of degradable polycarbonates, new polymer formulations for use in fully degradable cardiovascular stents were discovered. Based on these examples, combinatorial materials design can be regarded as a "highway" to innovative medical devices and implants. |
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Polymers for Biomedical Applications
8:30 AM-12:00 PM, Wednesday, 13 September 2006 San Francisco Marriott -- Salon B1, Oral
Division of Polymeric Materials: Science & Engineering |