Minilecture - Shifting from ‘Smart’ to ‘Intelligent’ Biomaterials

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Lecturer

Dr Michal Goldenberg

Time and location

Thursday 2/09/2021, 9:00-10:00, General auditorium

Abstract

“When we arrive on this earth we are endowed with the most perfect, the most efficient, and the best constructed machine ever devised – our body. A machine beautifully engineered and constructed with the best materials with no planned obsolescence” (1). –Yet as one ages, even the most efficient and well-constructed body is in need of repair.

Over the last few decades, innovations in the field of biomaterials have significantly broadened the boundaries of modern medicine, and have had major impacts on fields such as tissue engineering, drug delivery, and medical devices (2, 3). One major goal in the design of smart biomaterials is the development of materials which are both biocompatible and able to respond to external signals or to their surrounding environment. Yet the design of materials that combine these properties is still challenging. Efforts are also being made to better understand interactions of biomaterials with the immune system. As technology and knowledge advances, ‘smarter’ and more ‘intelligent’ materials are gaining more attention (4. 5). Computational and machine learning technologies are being used as well, and are expected to improve the predictability of interactions with the host, the human body. Lastly, to assure that preclinical studies involving smart materials can eventually be translated into clinical practice, factors such as regulatory and manufacturing constraints must always be considered.

In this talk, recent developments and applications using smart biomaterials will be presented with an emphasis on tissue engineering, drug delivery and medical devices. The newly emerging field of smart constructs and intelligent biomaterials will be briefly discussed.

Skills you will aquire

  • Students will be able to define basic concepts regarding biomaterials
  • Students will be able to describe developments and innovations in the field of smart biomaterials
  • Students will be able to distinguish between different classes of biomaterials
  • Students will be able to review the recent advances of biomaterials in the fields of tissue engineering, drug delivery and medical devices

Biography

Michal received her B.Sc in chemical engineering and M.Sc and Ph.D in Biotechnology Engineering from the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. Her M.Sc and Ph.D studies at Prof. Smadar Cohen's lab, focused on cardiac tissue engineering, exploiting and designing both biomaterials and bioreactors for the task. Currently, Michal is working on the development of in vitro tools and strategies to grow and mature ovarian primordial follicles for preserving women fertility, such as "smart" biomaterials and stimulating bioreactors.

Further Readings

1. Ochsner, A. (2010). Thoughts on the Human Body. The Ochsner Journal, 10, 44–47.

2. Khan, F., & Tanaka, M. (2018). Designing Smart Biomaterials for Tissue Engineering. International Journal of Molecular Science, 19, 17-31.

3. Kowalski, P.S., Bhattacharya, C., Afewerki, S., & Langer, R. (2018) . Smart Biomaterials: Recent Advances and Future Directions. Biomaterials, Science & Engineering, 4, 3809-3817.

4. Amukarim, S., Ramakrishna, S., & Mozafari, M. (2021). Smart biomaterials—A proposed definition and overview of the field. Current Opinion in Biomedical Engineering, 19, 100311.

5. Zhang, X., Chen, L., Lim, KH., Gonuguntla, S., Lim, KW., Pranantyo, D., Yong, WP., Yam, WJT., Low, Z., Teo, WJ., Nien, HP., Loh, QW., & Soh, S. (2019). The Pathway to Intelligence: Using Stimuli-Responsive Materials as Building Blocks for Constructing Smart and Functional Systems. Advanced Materials, 31, 1804540.