Summary of the National Conference on Challenges in Biomaterials Research jointly organized by VIT and CSIR-CECRI.

Abstract

Health care has become one of the highest priority research fields of this century owing to the dramatic increase in the number of people affected by various diseases. Health care costs and the high demand for biomaterials have placed tremendous pressure on government funding agencies and researchers to develop cost-effective, appropriate biomaterials to treat various diseases and to regenerate diseased and fractured organs. The field of biomaterials is projected to generate approximately $80 billion by the end of this decade. Thus, various funding organizations have allocated considerable funding for the development of the next generation of biomaterials. Despite the fact that certain global regions and countries (such as the US, Europe, Australia, Brazil, and the People’s Republic of China) have considerable expertise in the manufacturing of various biomaterials, India has developed considerable expertise in specifically manufacturing cardiovascular and orthopedic implants over the past 3 decades. There are several research and development institutes, universities, and colleges in India working toward developing novel biomaterials and unique characterization methods. Extensive research in the field of nanobiomaterials is being pursued all over India, with considerable effort toward generating new biomaterials with enhanced service and lifetime and superior biocompatibility. In order to provide young researchers a platform to interact with clinicians, industrialists, and researchers from and in India, and to showcase their talent to understand the current challenges in this field, a 2-day national conference on “Challenges in Biomaterials Research” was held at VIT University, Vellore, India from December 23–24, 2013. Challenges from the clinical, industrial, and academic researcher point of view were presented by speakers from numerous international and national universities. Clinicians were present from various medical hospitals, and scientists working in research labs also contributed toward the discussion. Topics such as problems encountered in surgical procedures, the design of biomaterials, toxicity of materials, development of orthopedic implants, surface engineering, corrosion and wear, and biocompatibility were presented by both researchers and students. This supplement issue of the International Journal of Nanomedicine comprehensively presents the peer-reviewed research presented at this unique conference. As various topics were covered, the papers are categorized under categories: “Novel materials for bone tissue engineering”, “Novel materials for wound healing and nerve applications”, “Novel nanomaterials for antibacterial applications”, “Novel calcium phosphate-based biomaterials”, “Novel non-calcium phosphate-based biomaterials”, “Silver-based and calcium-based anti-toxicity studies”, and “Mechanical properties and surface engineering of orthopedic implants”. We hope you enjoy reading this issue and learning about all of the wonderful research presented at this conference as we continue to forge a path forward developing improved biomaterials to meet health care challenges in the decades ahead.