About the conference

Biomaterials are materials which are designed for interfacing and/or interacting with a living system, ideally inducing no adverse reaction at the site of implantation in vivo/ ex vivo and systemically. New concepts and frontiers in the area of biomaterials, medical devices and artificial organs are already being recognized as the core of medical healthcare. This will certainly require incorporation of biological knowledge with materials science and engineering principles and techniques. It is becoming increasingly important to understand, appreciate and create advanced knowledge related to the structure, conformation and integration of cells from molecular to organ level and molecular mechanics to physiology. The unification of such innovative and systematic information will help in developing diagnostics and various prostheses for the prevention and treatment of diseases and further moving towards the goal of improved healthcare and rehabilitation of patients.

The emerging technologies of tissue engineering, where a living assembly based on the patients own cells and a delivery scaffold is used to specifically repair diseased or damaged tissue, is the key area for progress in modern health care. Regenerative medicine is likely to involve the implantation of new tissue in patients with damaged or diseased organs. A substantial obstacle to the success of transplantation of the cells, including stem cells is the immune-mediated rejection of foreign tissue by the recipient’s body. In current stem cell transplantation procedures with bone marrow and blood, success can hinge on obtaining a close match between donor and recipient tissues and on the use of immunosuppressive drugs, which often have severe and life-threatening side effects. Regenerative medicine will result in extended healthy life-span, as we will be able to repair some of the damage caused by aging, organ by organ. Aging damages every part of our body, including our stem cells! Until we can address the root cause of age-related degeneration, we must learn how to regenerate every part of the human organ. We must also become capable of reliably preventing and defeating cancer in all its forms and repairing age-related damage to the brain in situ.

It is anticipated that the conference will develop a strategy to enable enhanced interactions through sharing of knowledge, exchange of staff, and through providing opportunities for young scientists. The conference will enable Indian and Australian scientists to broaden their knowledge of the range of scientific progress in this vital field of health science.

The conference is strongly aligned to the national priorities, and will cover key elements of these priorities. Biomaterials Science and Tissue Engineering play a key role in providing the essential materials for development of new strategies for the treatment, repair and regeneration of various diseased and damaged tissues. Many technologies, particularly regenerative medicine, seek to control and prevent further deterioration of diseased tissues. The conference will have a significant content of ‘Frontier Technologies’, including nanotechnology and biotechnology. The focus of the conference will be within ‘Advanced Materials’ for medical applications. Attendance at the conference will be consistent with the regional priorities, and will strongly encourage mutual benefits that can be attained in relation to both the countries within the Biomaterials Science and Engineering context.

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