1st Annual Biomaterials Workshop

Delegates were welcomed to the workshop by the Head of the Department of Materials and Medical Sciences at Cranfield, Professor Cliff Friend, and by the founder and President of the ABW Council, Susan Essien Etok. The morning session began with a comprehensive description of conventional and new systems for dental restorative materials by Professor Peter Marquis (University of Birmingham). He argued convincingly that finding alternatives to metallic amalgams is a high technology challenge and described the potential benefits of newly developed nanoparticulates in providing the material quality and aesthetics required. Professor Andrew Lloyd (Universit y of Brighton) then presented an intriguing method for enhancing osseointegration through exploitation of part of the natural mineralisation process. In particular the role of calcium-binding phospholipids within matrix vesicles was described and Professor Lloyd showed how such lipids can, in vitro, selfassemble into three-dimensional gels that may provide a suitable environment for rapid calcification. Fabrication routes to produce apatite coatings were expertly discussed by Dr David Grant (Universit y of Nottingham). In particular, coatings formed by plasma spraying and laser ablation were compared with respect to their chemistry, surface topography and cell interaction. Dr Grant emphasised the need to apply absorption corrections in diffraction measurements of crystallinit y and pointed out the lack of any ASTM methodology in this respect. Subsequently, Dr Jonathon Knowles provided a persuasive description of the use of phosphate based glasses as biomaterials, and explained how the solubility of such materials can be significantly modified Hosted by Cranfield University (Shrivenham campus, UK) on 17 March 2003, this workshop was the inaugural event in what is intended to become a series of such meetings. The workshop, designed particularly to introduce new researchers to more established workers in the field and to present research in new and emerging areas, attracted more than 80 delegates from as far away as Spain and Belgium. 1st Annual Biomaterials Workshop