What Are Biomaterials?

Abstract

A biomaterial is any matter, surface, or construct that interacts with biological systems. Biomaterials can be found/derived in nature and they can be also synthesized for different purposes in bioengineering and especially Tissue Engineering in Regenerative Medicine. The application is very wide. Regardless of the origin, they have to be biocompatible, since they will be used in replacing living tissues such as heart valves, hips (replacement), heart electrical impulse generator (pace makers), prostheses, etc. Minimal or absent immune response is to be expected. However, in many cases biomaterial is also requested to be biodegradable or bioresorbable in order to disappear from organism after fulfilling their function. Biomaterials are extensively developed and used in drug delivery systems as capsules or nanoshells, or microbasket for carrying drugs toward the target, and in scaffold biofabrication for supportive growth of particular tissues used in regenerative therapy.