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EDITORIAL. BIOINTERACTIONS 93.

This Conference, the fourth in the series, dealt with ‘Molecular Aspects of Biomaterials’. The study of biomedical materials has moved progressively from its origins with bulk materials properties and the ‘massive replacement or support of the body’s structures by so-called inert implanted materials, to a more subtle use of the molecular structure to complement or reinforce the molecular processes of the tissues. The themes of the conference reflected these changes. Moving from Implants and Devices, the Sessions considered Molecular Micro- engineering, Ageing/Time Dependence Effects, and Biomaterials Applications. The progres- sion in the philosophy was pointed by the keynote speakers who emphasised the new wave of thought which has permitted a more interactive and integrated role for materials.

What will this mean for the science of biomaterials? A new definition of some of the basic concepts may be required and Williams has already hinted at the uncertainty in some of our present understanding by referring to the capricious nature of biocompatibilityr. The reasons for this may well become more apparent as methods of study are refined, but unless there is a concurrent development in definition of tissue processes, we may find the search for the ‘ideal’ implantable material is still unsatisfied. Prospective studies in human patients will need to be a more regular feature of development protocols, including objective assessment of biological performance by means of immuno-pathological studies including quantitative histological evaluation, rather than by the pseudo science of awarding arbitrary numbers to indefinable quantities.

The molecular approach to materials development may mean a pressure for surgical tech- nology to become materials led, but this alone will be insufficient unless new design concepts are introduced to give consideration to the new materials-tissue construct produced, which will have its own local and systemic sequelae. It is at the molecular level that these issues will be adequately addressed. We may then increasingly turn to the study of natural materials and structures, the nature and function of membranes and possibly an increasing introduction of materials of biological origin into biomedical use. One of the current ‘hot topics’ is that of smart or intelligent materials and structures. At the molecular level this should give us a greater possibility to design specific materials and systems or devices which have long-term cooperative interaction in viva. This Biointeractions conference was one of the steps in this direction.

G.W. Hastings

1 Williams, DF. The capricious nature of biocompatibility. Medical Device Technology 1994; 5: 8-11.

( 1994 Butterworth-Heinemann Ltd

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Biomaterials 1994, Vol. 15 No. 10