Course: SAT 170 Introductory Biotechnology

Unit 12 Learning Module

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Page 3 of 3
Biomaterials and Bionics

Nanoparticles, such as the ones shown here, can be made of a variety of materials and can be used to deliver materials to specific cells within the body.

Another example of a biomaterial commonly used today is those which are used for joint replacement such as the use of metal alloys for hip replacements as shown in the x-ray here.
Biomaterials are natural or synthetic materials that are biocompatible, which means that they are able to interact with living things. The most widespread use of biomaterials is in the medical field as transplant devices and drug delivery systems.

We previously described the role of nanotechnology in creating controlled drug delivery systems in our last unit. You may recall that nanoparticles can be made to carry drugs into the cells of the body and thus deliver those drugs to those cells. These nanoparticles are composed of a variety of materials including metals, plastics and organic materials. The production of nanoparticles is an example of industrial biotechnology.

Hydrogels are an important industrial contribution to regenerative medicine. Hydrogels are natural or synthetic polymers which are very absorbent. The uses of hydrogels include: creating scaffolds for tissue engineering, serving as adhesives or barriers between tissues and material surfaces, and functioning as drug delivery systems. A similar product known as VETI-GEL contains plant-derived polymers which replicate the properties of the extracellular matrix (ECM). This product has the potential to interact with body tissues and in the instance of an injury will initiate the clotting process. VETI-Gel can greatly assist in the healing process and quickly prevent excessive bleeding.

Biomaterials can also be used as transplant material. For example, heart valves, joint replacements, artificial tendons and ligaments, and cochlear implants. One of the major advantages to such implants is the reduced risk of rejection by the patient.  Biomaterial science is a very diverse and rapidly expanding science that will likely continue to make significant therapeutic contributions.

Bionics is another important component of industrial biotechnology. Bionics uses biological systems and processes as a template for the design and engineering of new technology.

Bioelectronic devices represent a convergence of biology and electronics. Such bioelectronic devices include things like neural prostethics which have the capacity to treat ailments such as paralysis and blindness. While bioelectronic devices are currently used for curative purposes, there is concern regarding the potential of these tools for augmenting natural characteristics.

Biosensors are another example of the efforts of bionics. Using biosensors, we are able to detect the presence of particular substances or activities with our cells. One such example of this is the glucose monitor often used by diabetic patients. This device combines a chemical reaction that breaks down the blood sugar known as glucose, with an electrode that can measure the product of that reaction.

Biodegradable products also represent a rapidly expanding field in industrial biotechnology. Biodegradation is the breakdown of materials via biological means. Plant based biodegradable plastics are an example of common biodegradable products. Biodegradable material is primarily organic, which is why living things are able to break them down using their natural enzymes. Biofiba is a great example of this as it is a biodegradable packaging material. Many of these biodegradable materials are known as biopolymers. Biopolymers are polymers which are made by living things. A polymer is a large chemical compound which is comprised of many smaller chemical structures or subunits. Such polymers are important in the manufacture of a lot of materials including things like plastics. Polymers such as polystyrene (which is the main component of Styrofoam) are commonly used for the production of plastics. However, the degradation of polystyrene is very slow and this creates a large source of pollution for the environment. Alternative biopolymers such as polylactic acid (PLA) are naturally derived from plant materials and are easily biodegraded. Some of the problems with the marketing of biodegradable materials are that the consumer may not be aware of the time needed for a particular product to biodegrade (e.g. some plastic materials can take several hundred years to biodegrade). Furthermore, materials can be marketed as biodegradable when they contain non-biodegradable material. Finally, for materials to be effectively biodegraded certain conditions must be met. Because the organisms capable of the degradation must be present in large enough quantities to decompose the material, biodegradation in landfills is unlikely. Thus if you purchase biodegradable materials and discard them with the rest of your waste, it is unlikely that they will actually biodegrade. This is because the organisms need certain nutrients, often including oxygen. Since garbage piles in landfills are not aerated, these organisms could never survive there.

Many believe that industrial biotechnology is a key component to developing a strong bioeconomy. A bioeconomy, or bio-based economy is an economy that is driven by research in the biosciences such as biotechnology. The goal of establishing a bioeconomy is to create a more sustainable economy that will also help industries become more environmentally sustainable. In April of 2012, the Obama administration released the National Bioeconomy Blueprint which outlined the current U.S. Bioeconomy and the impacts that it has both nationally and globally. This document also detailed some of the technologies used in developing a strong bioeconomy and outlined some of the strategies of the federal government to help foster this development.  Thus, we may expect that industrial biotechnology becomes more prominent in manufacturing in our near future.
There are many applications of hydrogel materials including their use in the construction of contact lenses as shown here.

A cochlear implant such as the one shown here is an example of a bioelectronics device.

Many products are now made from plant based materials, such as the Tater Cups shown here which are made from potato derived materials. The advantage of plant based products is their biodegradability.