Check out these four materials that are making waves within the medtech industry.
Top 4
1. Biocompatible inks
A group of ETH Zürich researchers have developed a biocompatible ink that makes it possible to 3D print living bacteria. This could make it possible to produce biological materials capable of breaking down toxic substances or producing high-purity cellulose for biomedical applications.
The ETH researchers’ new printing platform offers numerous potential combinations. In a single pass, the scientists say they can use up to four different inks containing different species of bacteria at different concentrations in order to produce objects exhibiting several properties.
The ink is composed of a biocompatible hydrogel that provides structure. The hydrogel itself is composed of hyaluronic acid, long-chain sugar molecules, and pyrogenic silica. The culture medium for the bacteria is mixed into the ink so that the bacteria have all the prerequisites for life. Using this hydrogel as a basis, the researchers say they can add bacteria with the desired range of properties and then print any three-dimensional structure they like.
2. Electronic paper
Printed electronics will likely become more and more applicable in healthcare packaging. The August Faller Group for example has a prototype of a ‘counting device’ – a folding carton for medicine which uses an e-paper display and electronic controls. The user just has to press a button on the display each time he/she takes a pill, and the packaging can track their dose. Another prototype from the firm, currently just called ‘Medical Prescription’ keeps track of the amount of pills and connects to a smartphone app via bluetooth, which in turn sends the signal to order a repeat prescription.
Smart packaging creates added value in the form of a closer bond with the patient – a rapidly emerging trend in the age of digital health. But smart packaging is not without a couple of significant drawbacks – cost being chief among those.
3. Silk
It may put you more in mind of luxury evening wear, but silk has been under the microscope in recent years for its potential as an engineering material across a broad range of applications – including medtech. German company Amsilk is using spider silk to create functional biopolymers. One application for these materials is as an implant coating for better biocompatibility and reduced inflammation. The company says its silk polymers can also be used in surgical meshes, wound dressings, and electrical, orthopaedic and dental implants.
Across the pond, a group of engineers at Tufts University in Maryland have also come up with a way to use silk to incorporate therapeutics into surgical devices such as screws and rods for healing bone fractures. According to The Engineer, the team experimented with coating the devices with an agent that suppresses the action of proteins that slow down bone growth.
4. Shrilk
That’s not the same as saying the word ‘silk’ after a few too many. But, like silk, it is derived from the natural world. Researchers from the Wyss Institute have developed what they claim is a ‘fully degradable bioplastic’ by combining chitosan with silk proteins. Chitosan is found in shrimp cells, and combined with the silk protein, the researchers say it could be used to create “implantable foams, films and scaffolds for surgical closure, wound healing, tissue engineering, and regenerative medicine applications”. It has the right mechanical properties for these applications because chitosan is a form of chitin, a touch polysaccharide which gives crustaceans their strong armour.
Aside from medical devices, its creators also say ‘shrilk’ could be used for mass commodity applications, since it is said to boast excellent green credentials versus synthetic plastics. It is claimed that the material rapidly biodegrades when placed in compost, and releases nitrogen-rich nutrient fertiliser.
