POLYMERS EXPLOITED FOR DRUG DELIVERY

Abstract

POLYMERIC MATERIALS ARE PLAYing increasingly important roles in the development of novel medical devices and drug delivery systems. Polymer science and engineering have enabled the explosive growth in the medical device industry particularly in therapeutic-device combination products, noted Shrirang V Ranade, a senior research scientist at the medical device company Boston Scientific, in Natick, Mass. Ranade co-organized a symposium on the topic sponsored by the Division of Polymeric Materials: Science & Engineering at last month's national meeting of the American Chemical Society in San Diego. The other co-organizer was Signe E. Varner, director of ocular drug delivery for Doheny Retina Institute and Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California, Los Angeles. Biocompatibility is a key functional requirement of the next generation of medical devices and drug delivery systems, according to Michael N. Helmus, vice president for advanced biomaterials at Boston Scientific. Biocompatibili...