Number: 2004-043-1-400
Title: Terminology for biomedical
(therapeutic) polymers
Task Group
Chairman: Michel Vert
Members: Yoshiharu
Doi, Avi Domb,
Karl-Heinz Hellwich,
Michael Hess, Kaz
Horie, Ramani Narayan,
Stanilav Penczek,
Marguerite Rinaudo,
François Schué,
and W.J. Work
Objective:
Like most of the materials used by humans, polymers and polymeric
materials have been tested and occasionally exploited by surgeons
and pharmacists to treat trauma and diseases. This project is aimed
at proposing a list of terms and definitions to be accepted and
respected by academic, industrial and normative people active in
the biomedical and pharmacological fields (in harmony with the environmental
field).
Description:
More and more therapeutic problems are relevant to the use of polymer-based
therapeutic aids for a limited period of time, namely the healing
time related to the outstanding capacity of living systems to self-repair,
e.g. bone fracture fixation with screws and plates, of wound closure
by sutures and also of drug delivery from implants or similar systems
based on polymeric matrices, or on aqueous dispersions or solutions
of polymers. After healing the remaining prosthetic materials or
devices become foreign residues or wastes that have to be eliminated
from the body. Nowadays, biocompatible polymers that can degrade
in the body are developed. The degradation and the elimination of
degradation by-products depend on rather complex phenomena that
are presently reflected inconsistently by terms issued from the
tradition because each domain has developed its own terminology
almost independently. This is a source of misunderstandings, confusions
and misperceptions among scientists, surgeons, pharmacists, journalists
and politicians, the situation being increased by the introduction
of degradable polymers in plastic waste management and environmental
protection. Therefore, it is urgent to reflect the various phenomena
by specific terms, harmonize and enforce their use by the people
active in the biomedical, pharmacological and environmental fields,
and, last but not least by the publishing media and journalists.
The released document will consist in a list of different situations
or phenomena facing the terms selected to reflect these situations
with formal definitions harmonized to be accepted by the various
relevant areas of polymer applications in contact with living systems.
ASTM, ECS, (European Committee for Standardization) and normalization
bodies of different countries will be consulted to make the definitions
accepted worldwide at last.