3. Man-made materials meet Biology – Taking a closer look at biomaterials and implants

What makes an implant integrate into the surrounding tissue in our bodies, and how come some biomaterials stick while other materials can smoothly be removed from the body even after a longer period of contact or insertion?

In this episode of Science on surfaces - a bigger perspective on the small we take a closer look at the interfacial boundary between a physical body and synthetic materials. We talk to two experts in the field; Prof. Bengt Kasemo, Chalmers University of Technology, who has long experience in the area of biomaterials, including working in the project which resulted in the Brånemark concept for titanium implants, and Dr. Åsa Westling, Senior R&D Scientist at Wellspect Health Care, a company that develops and produces medical devices.

We talk about what happens at the interface between a biomaterial and the body when they meet, the concept of biocompatibility, and what complications that can arise if the intended surface interactions do not take place. We also talk about how an understanding of the interfacial processes can be used to design products with certain functionality and what we can expect to see in the area of biomaterials in the future.

Thanks for listening! If you are interested in surface and interface science and related topics, you should check out our blog - the Surface Science blog