BIOTRIBOLOGY: The Tribology of Living Tissues

BIOTRIBOLOGY

The study of friction, lubrication and wear in biological systems, specifically articular joints.

As in man-made machines, excessive wear and tear of moving parts can cause grave breakdowns in the human body. When artificial materials such as polyethylene or titanium perform poorly in the real world of bone, muscle and blood, a special subset of tribologists are summoned. These specialists in biological friction and lubrication-called biotribologists-are helping medical researchers understand wear-related breakdowns and create treatments that get the body up and running again.

With 206 bones in the adult human body, powered by about 600 muscles, there is much to understand and much that can go wrong, tribologically speaking. In addition to bones and muscle, the body relies on many other moving parts: the beating heart, chewing teeth and blinking eyes. The body also produces its own unique lubricants-tears, saliva and synovial joint fluid-which biotribologists must understand as completely as their counterparts in machine labs grasp the properties of oil and synthetic lubricants.

"From a scientific viewpoint, there are many interesting questions about the tribology of moving tissues," says Myron Spector, professor of orthopedic surgery at Harvard Medical School. "In the human body many tissues move in relation to one another, and the body has to allow for that movement or the tissue will split and break down."

MAKING HIP REPLACEMENTS LAST

Artificial hips are widely considered the most successful advance in orthopedic surgery in the last 100 years. With its high success rate, hip replacement surgery offers people with diseased joints not only freedom from pain but also the chance to walk, run or even dance again. An estimated 300,000 people in the United States undergo hip-replacement procedure each year.

Still, the success is incomplete. Based on the wear characteristics of their component materials, artificial hips should last a patient's lifetime. But in reality these devices last only 12 to 15 years in the human body. Replacing them means another major surgery for the patient.

Biotribology on the microscale and nanoscale

20 January 2009

Prof Ille C. Gebeshuber Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Malaysia http://www.ille.com

Category:

Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology Biochemistry Engineering Engineering (miscellaneous), Mechanics of Materials Materials Science Biomaterials Physics and Astronomy Surfaces and Interfaces

Biotribologists gather information about biological surfaces inrelative motion, their friction, adhesion, lubrication, and wear, and apply this knowledge to technological innovation as well as to thedevelopment of environmentally sound products.

In micro- and nanotribology, at least one of the two interacting surfaces in relative motion has a relatively small mass, and the interaction occurs mainly under lightly loaded conditions. In this situation, negligible wear occurs and the surface properties dominate the tribological performance (Bhushan 2000). Biological systems also excel at this scale and might serve as templates for developing the next generation of tools based on nano- and micrometer scale technologies (Scherge and Gorb 2001).

A few examples of biological systems with amazing tribological properties at the micro- and nanoscale level are given below:

* Diatoms arealgae just a couple of micrometers in size (Round, Crawford and Mann 1990) that have rigid surfaces inrelative motion and have evolved self-healing adhesives, nanostructuredamorphous silica surfaces, and interconnected junctions (Gebeshuber 2007, Gebeshuber and Crawford 2006, Gebeshuber et al 2002).

* White blood cells serve as the police of the body's immune system. Theyflow in the blood stream and have to be stopped at the site of aninflammation. An exquisite arrangement of different, switchableadhesives enables controlled deployment of anti-inflammatory agents inour bodies (Orsello et al 2001).

* The Gecko can easily climb up walls and run on ceilings. The measurement of the adhesive force exerted by a single Gecko hair (Autumn et al 2000) has opened a new field of research: dry adhesives.

*Tough underwater adhesives produced by diatoms and the molecular mechanistic origin of the ‘glue’ responsible for the high fracture resistance of the abalone shell (Smith et al 1999) conclude the biological examples.

Current synthetic adhesives and lubricants are not perfect, and the low friction coefficients in many natural systems are yet to be achieved in artificial systems. Technological innovations, completely new ideas, and unconventional approaches can all be learned from nature. These approaches have been tested and improved upon for millions of years; they are continuously being optimized with respect to their function and environment. The perfect material is not pure, homogenous, and with constant parameters, but can be controlled over time, has the capacity to self-repair, and disintegrates after disposal. Living systems possess all these abilities.

Biomicro- and nanotribology, the investigation of micro- and nanoscale tribological principles in biological systems, may be a path to realizing simultaneously ‘smart’, dynamic, complex, environmentally friendly (nontoxic, biodegradable, able to be integrated in biogeochemical cycles without sinks), self-healing, and multifunctional lubricants and adhesives. A biomimetic and bioinspired approach to tribology should therefore be considered further (Gebeshuber and Drack 2008).

Biomedical Engineering journal on-line

http://www.biomedical-engineering-online.com/

2010 Biomaterials Meetings

January

January 25-27 Cell & Gene Therapy Forum 2010
The Grand Hyatt Hotel, Washington, DC
www.phacilitate.co.uk/cgtherapy

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March

March 7-10 14th annual Hilton Head Workshop: Regenerative Medicine: Advancing to Next Generation Therapies
Hilton Head Island, SC
Abstract deadline: November 13, 2009
www.hiltonhead.gatech.edu

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April

April 21-24: 2010 Society For Biomaterials Annual Meeting and Exposition Seattle, Washington

April 21–23 Bone Tissue: Hierarchical Simulations for Clinical Applications Workshop
UCLA campus, Los Angeles, California
http://ortho.ucla.edu/body.cfm?id=136
http://www.ipamucla.edu/programs/bone2010

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May

May 27–29 ASAIO's 56th Annual Conference
Hilton Baltimore
Abstract Deadline January 19, 2010
www.asaio.com

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September

September 1–4 BIOSPINE 3 – 3rd Congress of Biotechnologies for Spinal Surgery organized by Regenerate (European Network for Regenerative Medicine)
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
www.biospine.org

International PHD Programmes

Check the website given below


http://mobility.embo.org/index.php?option=com_weblinks&view=category&id=458%3Ainternational-phd-programmes&Itemid=164

Materials Innovations for Infection Prevention London, UK

Organization Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining

Preventing the spread of infection through the innovative use of materials and design. The spread of swine flu, MRSA, C. difficile and other infections in the healthcare environment is something that must be tackled on all fronts if we wish to contain the threat to patients, staff and employees working with infected people. In addition to the antiviral treatments available, the innovative use of materials and related technologies has an extremely important secondary role to play within hospitals, health centres, nursing homes, and even the home and office environments. This one day conference will explain the threat, and look at a number of ways of reducing the spread of infection including: the use of innovative design solutions to minimise the spread of infection and prevent the build up of bacteria on furnishings as well as medical equipment, and the use of patient isolation the use and application of functional materials for applications such as hard surfaces, textiles (bedding, clothing and soft furnishings), paints and medical devices the future alternatives to today's solutions and the use of nanotechnology detection systems to sense and monitor superbugs smart solutions and new equipment to kill harmful bacteria and deep clean infected areas. The conference will outline the work being done by the NHS, through the National Innovation Centre and the NHS Healthcare Acquired Infection (HCAI) Technology Innovation Programme, and it will identify the methods of getting new products and solutions into the NHS through the Design Bugs Out project and the Smart Solutions programme. Chair: Sue Dunkerton , HealthTech and Medicines Knowledge Transfer Network · Keynote 1: The Threat Explained, Professor Clive Beggs, Professor of Medical Technology at the University of Bradford · Keynote 2: The Healthcare Acquired Infection (HCAI) Technology Programme. Paul Cryer, Programme Manager, Department of Health, HCAI Technology Innovation Programme · Infection Prevention: the Journey to Market. Chris Dyke, Medilink West Midlands · Biofilm Models for the Testing of Antimicrobial-Releasing Materials . Dr Jonathan Pratten, UCL Eastman Dental Institute · Recent Developments in Copper Protection. Mark Tur, Copper Development Agency · Antimicrobial Fabrics – An Overview. Brian McCarthy, Technical Textiles, Materials KTN · Application and Evaluation of Durable, High Activity, Antimicrobial Coatings Based on Nano Ag by Chemical Vapour Deposition. Howard Foster, Parasitology and Disease Research Centre, School of Environment and Life Sciences, University of Salford · Inorganic Nanomaterials for Antimicrobial Protection. Selvaraj Subbiah, Intrinsiq Materials · Ultra Thin, Prophylactic Liquid Glass (SiO2) Coatings for Use in Healthcare and Associated Environments. Neil McClelland, Project Manager, Nanopool GmbH · Lenticular Posters as a Visual Stimulus for Infection Control. Robbie Rohan, P4YT · Nanosensors for Superbugs and Superdrugs, Dr Rachel McKendry, London Centre for Nanotechnology, University College London · Open Air Factor- A Cascade Reaction of Hydroxyl Radicals , Alan Mole, Tri-Air Developments Ltd. · The Use of UV Light in Infection Control. John Burrows, Pathogen Solutions Ltd · NHS Smart Ideas: Temporary Isolation Unit, Mike Phillips, Renfrew Group · Design Bugs Out Part 1: Hospital Equipment. Grace Davey, Helen Hamlyn Centre, RCA · Design Bugs Out Part 2: Design Principles of Hospital Furniture. Geoff Hollington, Design Consultant Who Should Attend The conference will appeal to researchers, producers, specifiers and manufacturers of healthcare related products and devices, and those responsible for infection control in the broadest sense, both within healthcare, but also within the home and office environments. Cost: £260+VAT . Concessions available for event partner and IOM3 members, students and unemployed. Event Partners: HealthTech and Medicines KTN , the Infection Prevention Society , the S ociety for Applied Microbiology , the Engineering in Medicine and Health Division of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers , Medilink West Midlands , the IET and biomat.net . Further information from www.iom3.org/events/infection or contact dawn.bonfield@iom3.org .

2nd Chinese-European Symposium on Biomaterials in Regenerative Medicine

2nd Chinese-European Symposium on Biomaterials in Regenerative Medicine

16-20 November 2009

Barcelona, Spain

Organization The European Society for Biomaterials (ESB), Chinese Committee for Biomaterials (CCBM) and the Institut de Bioenginyeria de Catalunya

Presentation The European Society for Biomaterials (ESB) and the Chinese Committee for Biomaterials (CCBM) are pleased to announce the 2nd joint symposium on Biomaterials in Regenerative Medicine, which will be held in Barcelona from 17 to 20th November 2009. After the successful first joint symposium held in Suzhou (China) on April 2006, this 2nd meeting will be the perfect opportunity for Chinese and European researchers to gather together again. Last highlights and achievements in biomaterials and tissue engineering will be presented and future trends and challenges will be discussed. The meeting will offer the most suitable platform for networking and partnering and will for sure foster EU-China collaborations. Deadlines Abstract submission period: 02/02/09 - 01/04/09 Acceptance notification: 15/05/09 Early registration deadline: 15/07/09 Registration deadline: 30/10/09 Topics include Biological response Biomaterials surfaces Biomechanics Ceramics Composites Drug/gene delivery (controlled release) Injectable biomaterials Material properties/characterization Metals Modeling Biological tissues Nanotechnology/nanostructured biomaterials Polymers Tissue engineering /Regenerative Medicine Translational and clinical research

Third International NanoBio Conference

NanoBio-Zurich 2010

Registration and abstract submission is now open

The Third International NanoBio Conference will take place at ETH Zurich, August 24-27, 2010. For this 4-day conference, we will have at least 38 invited, internationally renowned speakers for plenary and two parallel sessions, as well as poster sessions and an industrial exhibition. We expect around 500 participants, 250 - 300 posters and about 15-20 exhibitors.

This meeting gathers the leaders of this progressive field from all over the world helping scientists to get an update on the most recent achievements in the different topics of nanobiotechnology, to discuss, to network, to exchange stimulating new ideas, and to take responsibility in forming public opinion about nanobiotechnology.

Sessions topics include:

1. NanoBio Sensing
2. NanoBio Materials
3. NanoBio Interfaces
4. NanoBio Devices
5. Drug delivery & Nanomedicine
6. Nanomedical imaging
7. Nanotoxicology
8. Biomimetic and Bioinspired Nano-Structured Materials and Interfaces
9. Nano-scale Characterization Techniques and Single Molecule Analysis

Follow this link to see the flyer for the Third International NanoBio Conference 2010, Zurich

NanoBio-Zurich 2010_Flyer

Stem cells 'can treat diabetes'

An experimental stem cell treatment has enabled patients with type 1 diabetes to go for as long as four years without insulin injections, researchers say.

A US-Brazilian project with 23 patients found most were able to produce their own insulin after a transplant of stem cells from their own bone marrow.

Even those who relapsed needed less insulin than before.

But writing in the journal JAMA, the team warned the treatment may only work in those very recently diagnosed.

The treatment is designed to stop the immune systems of those with type 1 diabetes, a condition which usually develops in childhood, from mistakenly destroying the cells which create insulin.

To measure its effectiveness, team from Northwestern University in the US and the Regional Blood Centre in Brazil, looked at levels of C-peptides, which show how well the body is producing insulin.

Twenty of the 23 patients who received the treatment became insulin-free - one for as long as four years. Eight had to return to insulin injections, but at reduced levels.

The treatment did not work in three of the patients, and it was also unlikely to work in patients more than three months after diagnosis of diabetes, said Dr Richard Burt of Northwestern. This was because by this stage, the immune system had destroyed the body's islet cells.

It was also unlikely to be have any therapeutic benefits for those with type 2 diabetes, mainly associated with obesity, as these patients still make insulin.

Dr Iain Frame, director of research at Diabetes UK, said: "although this remains an interesting area of research, the importance of a limited extension to this study should not be overstated - this is not a cure for Type 1 diabetes."

He added: "we would like to see this experiment carried out with a control group for comparison of results and a longer-term follow up in a greater number of people.

"It is important that the researchers look at the causes of the apparent improvement in insulin production and C-peptide levels in some participants. In particular, it is crucial to find out whether this is associated with the timing of the treatment or possible side effects of it rather than the stem cell transplant itself.

"It would be wrong to unnecessarily raise the hopes of people living with diabetes about a new treatment for the condition on the back of the evidence provided in this study."

-BBC News

European Society of Biomaterials 2009, Lausanne