Since its formal establishment in 1991, the New Jersey Center for Biomaterials has been collaborating with researchers who span disciplines ranging from surgery, to genetics, to chemical engineering, to computational sciences. The Center’s cross-disciplinary approach to developing new biomaterials is central to addressing the complex challenges of tissue engineering, regenerative medicine, and drug delivery.
New biodegradable polymers and the possibilities they open for design and function of implanted devices are especially exciting developments in the biomaterials field. Whether they are used to facilitate a controlled drug delivery function within the body or to regenerate lost tissue, these materials are crucial to the development of a wide range of new medical applications.
Biomaterials are the backbone of the medical device industry, and thus a critical element of health care. In order to advance new biomaterials toward a product or therapy thatpatients will benefit from, the new science needs to be translated into prototype devices or systems.
Many of the early steps in biomaterials discovery take place in the NJCBM’s state-of-the-art laboratories on Rutgers Busch Campus, while other steps – especially complex pre-clinical studies and clinical trials – take place in collaborating institutions. Through its large interlocking academic, industrial and military networks, NJCBM assembles the partners who can advance new biomaterials science toward healthcare practice.
