Current and future directions of biomedical materials research

Biomedical materials and implants are not synonymous. Materials per se are not implanted--after configuring, processing, and finishing operations, they constitute parts of implants and other devices. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration currently does not "approve" biomaterials; rather, it approves medical devices, biologicals, and drugs. There have been important advances during the past 40 years in the clinical uses of medical implants and other devices, especially in ophthalmology, cardiology, orthopaedics, surgery and dialysis. In the 21st Century, there will be increased emphasis on curing and preventing major genetic diseases. There will be many nontraditional clinical applications of biomaterials, such as viral- and nonviral-mediated delivery agents in gene therapy, synthetic biomaterials with pharmacologic effects, and biomaterials that can integrate with the biological system to form a long-term, living, renewable interface with prosthetic implants. Therefore, those working in the field of biomaterials must become familiar with new molecular biological techniques and be able to collaborate effectively with molecular biologists.