Welcome to the June issue of Materials World
There is always much talk about healthcare services and any shortfall is quite rightly ruminated over. But what of innovation, development and delivery of materials and medical devices that are fundamental to patient care?
Our authors in this issue raise some critical points that might impact supply, innovation and treatment, as well as national economies.
Professor Paul Hatton FIMMM, Chair of the IOM3 Biomedical Applications Group, talks about the components of a healthy innovation ecosystem in biomedical engineering - Health is wealth. He notes, 'Nations and regions that succeed in sustaining – and connecting – all of these components have a competitive advantage.' He urges the UK Government, funders and wider stakeholders “to continuously consider how best to strengthen all aspects of biomedical materials research and our innovation ecosystem if we are to remain a global leader”.
Meanwhile, IOM3 Strategic Advisor for Health, Dr Marcus Caine MIMMM, and his co-author, discuss the regulations governing medical devices, and the balance between safety, operational margins and the subsequent risk of supply chain shortages in First, do no harm. The potential for computational modelling and simulation to streamline material safety testing is explored.
The use of digital tools in biomedical engineering is also considered by Dr Sophie Cox in From the sky to the skeleton, as she calls for a shift in biomedical alloy design. This traditionally makes use of alloys developed for the aerospace industry, but might not consider all the biological events that occur after implantation – particularly in light of increasing life expectancy. This needs to change, Cox says.
Finally, with plastic reduction a focus in many sectors, it is heartening to have several articles pointing to the properties of different polymers and their benefits to healthcare. We hope you enjoy this issue.
Rupal Mehta, Editor
