This prescribed elective course, built on the core MS4013 Biomaterials course, aims to deepen your understanding of the functional performance of biomaterials. The course will equip you with key knowledge on structure and p roperties of several advanced biomaterials (biodegradable polymers, medical ceramics and composites) and their applications in medicine. It also introduces various techniques to modify the surface of biomaterials to improve their biocompatibility with host tissues. All of this knowledge is essential for students who wish to specialize in medical materials or pursue a career in the biomedical industry.

By the end of this course, you (as a student) would be able to:

1. Explain the chemical and physical degrad ation mechanisms of various synthetic polymers
2. Classify any given biodegradable polymers into bulk-degrading or surface-eroding groups
3. Calculate the hydrolysis rate of polymers that degrade by random scission or by chain-end scission
4. Predict how various polymer-intrinsic factors and external/environmental factors affect the biodegradation rate of polymers
5. Describe the limitations of conventional drug delivery via oral tablets/capsules
6. Illustrate the critical roles of polymers in controlled drug delivery
7. Explain the working principles behind different types of drug delivery systems
8. Demonstrate that bone matrix is a natural composite biomaterials
9. Explain bone remodelling process and stress shielding effect on bone caused by implants
10. Distinguish the host tissues’ responses to three different classes of medical ceramics, namely bioinert, bioactive and biodeg radable ceramics
11. Relate the structure and properties of commonly used bioinert, bioactive and biodegradable ceramics to their applications in medicine, particularly as artificial joints, dental implants, bone cements and coatings on orthopaedic implants.
12. Select an appropriate in-vitro test to measure the index of bioactivity and interfacial bond strength of a given bioactive ceramic
13. Use the ternary phase dia gram of bioglass to estimate the index of bioactivity of any bioglasses with varying compositions
14. Explain the importance of surface modification of biomaterials and its essential role on biocompatibility
15. Select appropria te techniques to modify the surfac e of various classes of biomaterials without altering their underlying bulk properties

• Biodegradable polymers

• Advanced medical ceramics

• Composites bio materials

• Applications of biomaterials in medicine

• Surface modification of biomaterials

-Temenoff, Biomaterials: The intersection of biology and materials science, Pearson, 1st Edition

-L.L.Hench, J. Wilson, An Introduction to Bioceramics, World Scientific, 1993

-B.D. Ratner, A.S. Hoffman, F.J. Schoen, J.E. Lemons, Biomaterials Science: An Introduction to Materials in Medicine, 3rd Edition, Academic Press, 2013