Emerging science, devices that aid in human health

More than 3,000 scholars, government officials and company executives from nearly 60 countries and regions around the world are expected for the ninth World Biomaterials Congress that opens today in Chengdu, the capital city of Sichuan province.

A family of high-tech new materials developed over the last four decades, biomaterials are used to replace or augment human tissue, bones or organs.

Delegates to the congress are involved in biomaterials research, production, testing and education. The five-day event includes more than 100 lectures, forums and seminars. The congress also has received more than 2,900 academic abstracts.

With the theme "innovative biomaterials and crossing frontiers in biomaterials and regenerative medicine", this year's WBC will focus on medical applications, artificial organs, testing, evaluation methods, management and ethics in biomaterials.

The congress will serve as a forum for delegates to share the latest concepts and achievements in the field over the past four years as well as future developments.

It will provide booths for more than 100 companies and research institutes to display their products and research.

Participants include Instron, Zimmer and Bose from the United States, Invibio from the United Kingdom, Purac Biomaterials from the Netherlands, Evonik from Germany, Taihei Chemical Industrial from Japan and Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization from Australia.

Some globally leading companies in the field will also organize technical forums to promote their products during the congress.

A number of lectures and forums designed to encourage commercialization of biomaterials research will include moderators from the Chinese Academy of Engineering and the US National Academy of Engineering and talks by government officials and executives of international companies.

New economic force

With low energy consumption and pollution combined with high value, the biomaterials industry is rapidly emerging as an economic force.

The Chinese government said it views biomaterials as a key industry that they can make a great contribution to an affordable national healthcare system that covers the nation's entire population.

China's biomaterials science and engineering technologies have advanced from following other countries' research to proprietary innovation over the past 10 years. It now leads the world in tissue engineering and nano-materials research.

Growing at an average annual rate of more than 20 percent over the last decade, China is the third-largest market for medical appliances. It is expected to become the second in the next 10 years.

World-class center

Starting biomaterials studies in the 1970s, the city of Chengdu is a national center of the bio-industry and biomaterials R&D.

The National Engineering Research Center for Biomaterials at Sichuan University in Chengdu is China's first national R&D organization in the emerging field and one of the most important institutes for biomaterials testing, education and commercialization.

The center also serves as a hub of international technology exchange with cooperative programs with universities and research institutes in many countries.

In the recent years, the center has focused on biomaterials and medical implants for tissue engineering and regeneration, a cutting-edge area in the world's biomaterials research, and has made some major breakthroughs.

In addition to Sichuan University a number of other universities, research organizations and hospitals in Chengdu also have specialized research centers or groups for the study of biomaterials.

Contact the writers at zhangzhao@chinadaily.com.cn and liyu@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 06/01/2012 page15)