BioMat@MSE 2010

Biomaterials and related areas are steadily gaining importance in both fundamental and applied science. This growth has also been visible at the Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) conference organized by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Materialkunde (DGM). In August 2010 in Darmstadt, Germany, “BioMat” was a major topic at the MSE with more than one hundred submitted contributions to the symposia: “bio-inspiration”, “interfaces” and “biomaterial applications”. One reason for the overwhelming interest in the topic “BioMat” is the increasing need to achieve desired structure-function relationships of biomaterials in biological systems. At the same time advanced engineering strategies at the molecular, micro- and macro-scale have become available. A key area of interest is the biomaterials' surface, which is crucial for the biological response. The MSE topic “Biomat” showed that a more profound understanding of the mechanisms on a materials surface in contact with a biological system is necessary. These mechanisms include the reaction of a biological system to a materials surface at different time and length scales, and also surface modifications induced by the biological environment, such as degradation. Recent advances in optimizing the biological response by several strategies have been demonstrated within the symposium “interfaces”. Examples were lectures on a more detailed picture of how cellular behavior is affected by the surface-chemistry and -topography on tailored nano- and micro-structured surfaces. The vital role of surface-biomolecule interactions and electrochemical signaling in biological reactions was stressed. Further strategies presented at the MSE 2010 included the application of functional coatings with drug release capability, and also biomimetic concepts to create bioactive implant surfaces. Peptide-based biohybrids may ideally fill the gap between engineered synthetic material surfaces and the biological environment. A challenge for future developments is the integration of biomimetic design principles into biohybrid materials and their application as coatings of implants or advanced scaffolds for tissue engineering. This Special Issue of Advanced Biomaterials contains seven peer reviewed articles based on selected lectures presented at the MSE conference in Darmstadt in August 2010. For instance, M. Müller reports advances in biopolymer polyelectrolyte multilayers to create protein active or protein inert biomedical surfaces. A. Boccaccini demonstrates in his article that the addition of TiO2 nanoparticles to thermoplastic elastomers can enhance the adhesion and spreading of embryonic stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes without affecting the functional activity of spontaneous beating. R. Dringen discusses the successful cellular uptake of citrate-coated, magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles into astrocyte brain cells. As one immediate result of the success of the “BioMat” topic, the DGM is organizing the international symposium “EURO BioMat” which will take place in Jena, Germany, on the 13.-14. April 2011. This symposium will be an ideal opportunity for engineers, materials scientists, physicists, chemists and biologists as well as medical professionals to discuss newest developments in this exciting interdisciplinary field. Detailed information is available from the symposium website http://www.dgm.de/dgm/biomat/. The DGM organizers and the EURO BioMat program committee are looking forward to welcoming you in April 2011 in Jena.