Submission Categories | Society For Biomaterials 2027 Annual Meeting and Exposition

2027 Abstract Categories

Explore the abstract categories for the SFB 2027 Annual Meeting & Exposition and find the area that best aligns with your research and innovation. These categories are designed to showcase the diverse and evolving fields of biomaterials and delivery science while helping attendees connect with the latest discoveries, technologies, and applications.

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Addressing Critical Gaps: Biomaterials for Understudied and Underserved Patient Populations: Many of the greatest unmet clinical needs exist in areas that have historically received limited research attention, including pediatric health, women's health, and global health applications. This session will showcase innovations developed for these populations and explore opportunities to advance equitable access to biomedical technologies through targeted research and engineering solutions.

Advances in Dynamic Crosslinking of Hydrogels: This session will highlight recent progress in dynamic crosslinking strategies for hydrogels that enable tunable mechanics, adaptive remodeling, and improved cell–matrix interactions. Presentations will cover reversible chemistries, stimuli-responsive networks, and their applications in tissue engineering and drug delivery. The goal is to showcase how dynamic bonding enhances functional performance and biological integration of hydrogels.

Advances in Magnetic Biomaterials and Biointerfaces: Magnetic biomaterials offer unique capabilities for remote, stimuli-responsive control of therapeutic, diagnostic, and regenerative functions across diverse physiological environments. This session highlights innovations in magnetic nanoparticles (including but not limited to SPIONs), nanocomposites, and hydrogel systems with applications spanning tissue engineering, drug delivery, MR and magnetic particle imaging, theranostics, and clinically translatable magnetic stimulation and retrieval devices across tissues and organs (e.g. reproductive tract, gastrointestinal system, cardiovascular system, and central and peripheral nervous systems). Contributions integrating theoretical frameworks, mechanobiology, and biointerface design principles are strongly encouraged, with an emphasis on bridging fundamental materials science and engineering with translational impact.

AI in Translational Biomaterials: Practical Tools for Tissue Engineering & Smart Material Design: Artificial intelligence is rapidly reshaping biomedical engineering by enabling faster discovery, more precise design, and more reproducible translation of biomaterials, engineered tissues, and therapeutic technologies. This session will highlight how AI tools can accelerate the full bioengineering pipeline from materials design to advanced manufacturing, leading to potential clinical translation. Topics may include AI-guided smart biomaterials, drug delivery systems, optimization of biomanufacturing conditions, digital twins for engineered tissues, and multimodal prediction of biological function. By bringing together perspectives from tissue engineering, biomaterials, drug delivery, and computational modeling, this session will showcase practical AI-driven tools that help researchers design better experiments, improve reproducibility, predict outcomes, and move engineered biological systems toward real-world translational applications in regenerative medicine, disease modeling, and personalized therapy.

Biofunctionalized Biomaterial Surfaces for Advanced Regenerative Therapies: This symposium aims to cover cutting-edge research on new, localized, sustained and effective bioactive biomaterial surfaces. Those systems may aim to instruct, direct or mediate cell and tissue integration, healing or regeneration. The topics covered in the symposium will include diverse platforms spanning from micro- and nano-particles developed as injectable systems for controlled and sustainable release of drugs and bioactive molecules, hydrogels for drug and cell delivery, to nanofibre-based biomaterials, hydrogels with specific biofunctionalization, scaffolds and other surface biofunctionalized substrates and devices, surface patterning to generate and explore specific functionalities or self-assembling systems following bottom-up strategies as analogues of the biological processes.

Bioinspired Materials for Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine: Drawing inspiration from natural systems, researchers have developed biomaterials from cell membrane-coated particles and cell-mediated delivery systems to responsive hydrogels using natural resources like silk, plant-derived matrices, and marine-organism-based materials. This session showcases how these bioinspired materials mimic cellular function and biological structure and drive breakthroughs in targeted drug delivery, tissue regeneration, and wound healing, while leveraging globally accessible and sustainable materials to expand functionality and reach. Emphasis is placed on interdisciplinary collaboration across biology, materials science, and engineering to translate bioinspired design principles into solutions for today's pressing clinical challenges.

BioInterfaces SIG: The junction between materials and biological systems is a critical and complex interface with the potential to control the function of macromolecules and dictate cell and tissue responses. Increasingly, cells and biomacromolecules are designable components of biomaterials, creating additional opportunities for innovative research at the interface of materials science and fundamental biology. This session serves as a forum for advances in approaches to modulate interfacial properties, investigations of structure-function and self-assembly at biointerfaces, and applications of interface-driven biomedicine. Specific areas of interest include fundamental research related to dynamic interactions at the material-biomolecular interface from nano to bulk scales and applied research focused on providing hemocompatible and non-fouling biomaterial surfaces. We also encourage contributions that advance a biomaterials lens to cutting-edge research in protein and cell biology, and research that translates progress in molecular and cell biology into innovative biomaterials.

Biomaterial Strategies for Musculoskeletal Injuries and Repair: This symposium will highlight innovative biomaterial strategies that are advancing the treatment of musculoskeletal injuries and diseases through targeted therapeutic delivery, immune modulation, and tissue regeneration. Presentations will feature emerging approaches including localized drug delivery, nanotechnology-enabled therapeutics, bioengineered lubricants, cell- and extracellular vesicle-based therapies, injectable and scaffold-based regenerative platforms, and biomaterials designed to modulate the immune response. The session will also explore biomaterial-enabled in vitro and ex vivo models that provide mechanistic insights into disease progression, tissue repair, and therapeutic efficacy. Together, these talks will showcase how advances in biomaterials and bioengineering are driving the development of next-generation therapies to restore musculoskeletal function.

Biomaterial-Based Cancer Models: Biomaterial-based cancer models offer a close mimic of the complex tumor microenvironment, providing versatile platforms for screening molecular and cellular therapeutics. Such platforms enable integration of multiple cell populations and matrix compositions, treatment with patient-relevant modalities (e.g. radiation therapies), and detailed mechanistic analysis through high-resolution imaging. This symposium will highlight recent advances in leveraging biomaterial-based cancer models in vitro or in vivo, to accelerate therapeutic delivery with high efficacy and low associated toxicity.

Biomaterial-Tissue Interaction SIG: Events that follow binding of the first host ion to an implant’s surface are dictated by reactions not well understood for any biomaterial or device. Understanding these events is the purpose of the Biomaterial-Tissue Interaction Special Interest Group. Only through such understanding can one definitively answer such questions as: “Why did it fail?” and “What led to its success that we can apply to future devices?” These answers will come from such fields as physiology, immunology, pathology, biomechanics and material science. They will apply to the subjects of every other SIG in the Society. All those interested in the mechanisms of host-implant interaction are welcome to join BTI's quest.

Biomaterials and Medical Products Commercialization SIG: BMPC SIG members exchange ideas and experiences about the commercialization of medical products dependent upon biomaterials for utility, efficacy, safety, and reimbursement capability. Society for Biomaterials members, ranging from students to veterans in the field, will find an open forum to explore issues facing commercial biomaterials, such as regulations, patents, litigation, reimbursement for the resultant medical device, manufacturing, and distribution with reference to hospital value analysis committees, purchasing & supply chain management system. Translation from the development to marketing of safe and innovative medical products can be improved by the proper commercial valuation of Biomaterials through current scientific inputs to assist in a better Medical Billing System. Accordingly, our mission through this SIG would be to take part in the efforts to explain the scientific, biological, and biochemical features of biomaterials to the clinical community. This process would assist any clinical value analysis team to recommend the government payers (CMS & Private Insurance) to adopt an appropriate commercial valuation for each biomaterial-based medical device in the market. Join the Biomaterials and Medical Products Commercialization SIG to enhance your knowledge and decision-making skills in the dynamic healthcare community.

Biomaterials Education SIG: The Biomaterials Education SIG members' mission is to affect quality of teaching and learning through the discussion, generation and implementation of innovative ideas. Through this, they seek to advance the interests and goals of the biomaterials community by attempting to bridge the gap between classroom theory and clinical application. As the field of biomaterials rapidly evolves, so must biomaterials education. The Biomaterials Education Special Interest Group is dedicated to the belief that all members of the biomaterials community should be provided with high quality educational opportunities in a stimulating environment.

Biomaterials for Immune Modulation and Tolerance: Breakdown or misdirection of immune tolerance contributes to a broad range of diseases and clinical challenges, including autoimmune diseases, allergies, transplantation, chronic inflammation, and immune responses to biologics and implanted biomaterials. A broad spectrum of biomaterials has been developed to treat these conditions by regulating immune function, either through controlled, responsive drug release, targeted antigen delivery, or through active regulation of immune decision-making. This session will showcase recent studies leveraging biomaterial design to induce immune tolerance across autoimmunity, transplantation, regenerative medicine, and biologic therapy, defining emerging design rules and practical barriers for clinical translation.

Biomaterials for Regenerative Engineering: Regenerative engineering aims to develop functional, bioactive, and instructive biomaterials and approaches for tissue regeneration through the convergence of engineering, medicine, developmental biology, and stem cell science. This symposium will highlight recent advances in the development of functional biomaterials that play an active role in controlling cellular behavior and tissue regeneration. The symposium will feature advances in proteins, polysaccharides, synthetic polymers, fibers, metals, ceramics, and hydrogels designed to promote tissue regeneration through precise control of cellular behavior, cell fate, drug delivery, and immune responses. Biomaterials capable of directing cell fate and promote differentiation will also be highlighted by this session. Moreover, biomaterials that facilitate drug delivery and immunomodulation will be covered through oral and poster presentations. Translational strategies for taking these biomaterials from bench to bedside will also be discussed during the symposium. We expect that our interdisciplinary session, spanning material science, chemistry, biology, engineering, and medicine, will be of great significance to clinicians, industry professionals, and academic researchers.

Biosensing & Drug Delivery in the Gastrointestinal Tract: The gastrointestinal (GI) tract is a highly dynamic organ system that poses mechanical, chemical, and spatial challenges for the delivery of biosensors and drugs. Moreover, the GI tract houses the gut microbiome, which is metabolically active and has important implications for human health and disease. This session will focus on emerging technologies designed to be orally delivered: biosensors developed to study or diagnose GI pathologies and novel biomaterials for the delivery of therapeutic payloads (e.g., small molecules, proteins, nucleic acids, or pre- and pro-biotics). The latter may include immunomodulatory payloads or payloads to control the composition or metabolic activity of the gut microbiome.

Cardiovascular Biomaterials SIG: The Cardiovascular Biomaterials Special Interest Group has the mission to foster the professional interaction and address the common concerns of academic and industrial scientists and engineers, clinicians, and regulatory professionals concerned with the discovery, research, development, and use of biomaterials for cardiovascular devices and implants. Extensive biomaterials research is being performed for targeting different cardiovascular tissues, including cardiac patches, injectable cardiovascular implants, heart valves, stents, and vascular grafts. This includes a broad range of cardiovascular biomaterial strategies including, but not limited to, guiding stem cell differentiation, altering terminally-differentiated vascular cell phenotype, providing antibacterial properties, and modifying inflammation and remodeling in vivo, The goal of this session is to highlight progress in biomaterials-based devices, either with and without a drug delivery component, for these challenging applications.

Dental/Craniofacial Biomaterials SIG: The Dental/Craniofacial Biomaterials Special Interest Group focuses on basic, applied, and clinical biomaterials research using approaches ranging from synthetic materials to biological mechanisms of therapy, and including materials/biological constructs and tissue structure-function analyses as biomimetic/design bases. Each of these approaches converge into the larger objective of restoring oral tissue structure and function. Issues related to materials used or having potential for use intra-orally or extra-orally for the restoration, fixation, replacement, or regeneration of hard and soft tissues in and about the oral cavity and craniofacial region are included. New dental biomaterials technologies include advanced inorganic and organic materials, biomimetics, smart materials, tissue engineering, drug delivery strategies and surface modified materials.

Dermatologic Biomaterials: Biomaterials have emerged as versatile platforms for treating skin disease, enabling controlled and targeted delivery of therapeutics, including small molecules, biologics, and nucleic acids, directly to relevant skin compartments while minimizing systemic side effects. Strategies such as nanoparticle formulations, hydrogels, and microneedle arrays allow tunable release kinetics and improved penetration through the skin barrier, with applications spanning inflammatory dermatoses, skin cancer, infectious disease, and genetic conditions. Beyond drug delivery, biomaterial scaffolds incorporating bioactive signals and structural proteins are being leveraged to engineer skin constructs that recapitulate native tissue architecture, with promise for modeling skin disease and restoring skin function in conditions such as scarring and skin atrophy.

Designing Collagen-Based Biomaterial Devices: This symposium will explore the regulatory and safety considerations critical to translating collagen-based biomaterials into clinically approved medical devices. Invited speakers will address key aspects of collagen raw material qualification, including sourcing, characterization, and compliance with applicable regulatory standards. The session will also provide an overview of the current regulatory landscape, highlighting essential requirements for safety, quality, and performance. To illustrate successful translation, case studies of commercially available collagen-based devices will be presented, with emphasis on demonstrated clinical outcomes and lessons learned.

Drug Carriers in Immunoengineering: Engineering precision drug carriers is revolutionizing immunotherapy by enabling targeted, controlled delivery to immune cells. Advanced biomaterial-based carriers unlock new strategies for modulating immune responses against cancer, autoimmunity, and infectious disease. This session bridges cutting-edge carrier design with immunoengineering, accelerating the translation of transformative therapies into clinical reality.

Drug Delivery SIG: This session will highlight emerging biomaterials and delivery technologies designed to improve the spatial, temporal, and cellular control of therapeutic agents. Topics will include polymeric and lipid nanoparticles, hydrogels, microparticles, nanofibers, implantable systems, bioresponsive materials, extracellular vesicles, cell-based delivery platforms, and devices for controlled release. Therapeutic payloads may include small molecules, proteins, peptides, antibodies, nucleic acids, vaccines, gene-editing components, and living therapeutics. Contributions addressing oral, injectable, pulmonary, transdermal, mucosal, ocular, and central nervous system delivery are encouraged, along with approaches for cancer, infectious disease, immune disorders, regenerative medicine, and other clinical applications. The session will emphasize relationships among material design, biological barriers, pharmacokinetics, targeting, safety, manufacturability, and therapeutic performance. Abstracts spanning fundamental mechanisms, computational or experimental design, preclinical validation, scale-up, regulatory science, and clinical translation are welcome. The goal is to connect investigators across disciplines and accelerate the development of effective, practical, and patient-centered drug-delivery systems.

Dynamic Biomaterials for Tissue Regeneration Strategies: Dynamic biomaterial platforms incorporate stimuli-responsive bonds and adaptive material responses to guide, probe, and actively modulate cell–material interactions while mimicking the dynamic nature of native tissues. This session will highlight recent advances in the design and application of dynamic biomaterials featuring dynamic crosslinking, reversible interactions, or responsive behaviors for advanced regenerative therapies.

This session invites contributions addressing the design and characterization of innovative dynamic biomaterials, structure–property–function relationships, microphysiological systems development in dynamic platforms, and achieved/ongoing/future visions of technology translation pathways that leverage dynamic material behavior to improve therapeutic outcomes. Presentations focused on the application of dynamic biomaterials, whether in vitro, ex vivo, or in vivo are strongly encouraged.

Engineered Protein Biomaterials for Responsive and Therapeutic Systems: Engineered protein biomaterials provide genetically encoded, sequence-defined, and modular building blocks for designing next-generation biomedical materials. Advances in protein engineering, computational protein design, synthetic biology, single-molecule and molecular-scale characterization, and self-assembly are expanding the ability to control protein-based materials with programmable mechanics, bioactivity, responsiveness, transport properties, and therapeutic function.

This session will highlight strategies for designing and applying engineered protein materials across biomaterials research. Topics may include engineered protein polymers, protein-based hydrogels and networks, self-assembled protein materials, bioinspired and mechanically responsive protein systems, drug delivery carriers, immune-facing materials, cell-material interfaces, tissue repair, and regenerative medicine. The goal is to bring together researchers advancing the design and engineering of genetically encoded protein materials for biomedical and therapeutic applications.

Engineering Cells and Their Microenvironments SIG: The Engineering Cells & Their Microenvironments Special Interest Group focuses on technologies and approaches at the single-cell level and the engineering of cellular microenvironments. This includes designing dynamic cues within biomaterials to regulate cell signaling and stem cell fate, as well as advancing stem cell manufacturing and differentiation, immunoengineering, and biomaterials for cell-based detection and diagnosis.

Engineering Safe & Effective Nanobiomaterials for Orthopaedic Applications: Nanobiomaterials are revolutionizing orthopaedic medicine by enabling new approaches to fracture repair, implant integration, infection prevention, drug delivery, and musculoskeletal tissue regeneration. As these technologies advance toward clinical use, ensuring safety, biocompatibility, and translational success has become as important as achieving therapeutic efficacy. This symposium will bring together leading experts from academia, industry, regulatory agencies, and clinical practice to discuss recent advances in engineering nanobiomaterials for orthopaedic applications. Topics will include innovative material design, biological performance, nanotoxicology, biodegradation, biodistribution, host responses, regulatory considerations, and translational and commercialization strategies. By integrating perspectives across materials science, bioengineering, biology, toxicology, and clinical translation, the symposium will highlight current challenges, emerging opportunities, and best practices for developing safe, effective, and clinically translatable nanobiomaterials that can improve patient outcomes in orthopaedic care.

Engineering the Lung: Biomaterials for Disease Modeling, Regeneration, and Therapeutic Delivery: Advances in biomaterials, tissue engineering, and microphysiological models are transforming pulmonary research by enabling sophisticated platforms that recapitulate the structural, mechanical, and biochemical complexity of the lung microenvironment. These engineered systems provide powerful tools to investigate disease mechanisms, engineer predictive in vitro models, and develop regenerative and therapeutic strategies for acute and chronic lung diseases. This session will highlight biomaterials-based approaches for pulmonary applications, including engineered lung tissues, organ-on-chip technologies, extracellular matrix-inspired materials, drug and cell delivery systems, regenerative strategies, and in vitro models for studying diseases such as pulmonary fibrosis, acute respiratory distress syndrome, viral infections, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and other pulmonary disorders.

Fibrous Biomaterials for Tissue Engineering: Fibrous biomaterials represent a dynamic and rapidly evolving field at the intersection of materials science, biology, and engineering, dedicated to developing innovative solutions for complex medical challenges. From traditional bandages and gauzes to advanced vascular grafts, tendon patches, drug delivery systems, and tissue engineering scaffolds, fibrous biomaterials have revolutionized various aspects of medical treatment and procedures. This session will highlight the design, fabrication, characterization and use of fibrous biomaterials for use in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine applications.

Frontiers in Biomaterials for In Vitro Models of Disease: This session is dedicated to biomaterials used in the fabrication of in vitro disease models and will highlight cutting-edge strategies for replicating pathological conditions outside the human body, and improving model reproducibility, standardization, and consistency. Topics will include the use of biomaterials in the development of organoids, microphysiological systems, and hydrogels for 3D cell culture, encompassing experimental and computational approaches. The session will explore their applications in studying disease mechanisms, drug testing, and recent advancements in leveraging these platforms for personalized medicine and therapeutic development.

Granular Hydrogel Biomaterials: This session will represent the fourth consecutive offering on granular hydrogels at the Society for Biomaterials Annual Meeting, reflecting sustained and growing interest in this rapidly expanding area. Last year, the topic supported two sessions, highlighting the breadth of current work across the field. This session will focus on the design, application, and biological findings of granular biomaterials, spanning ex vivo culture systems, in vivo therapeutics, fundamental material design, and emerging computational approaches for scaffold characterization and analysis.

Health Equity SIG: The Health Equity SIG is a newly established initiative the Society For Biomaterials dedicated to advancing research and innovation that prioritize equity in healthcare and research practices.The Health Equity SIG brings together researchers, educators, and innovators from diverse disciplines to address health disparities and ensure that the needs of all patient demographics remain at the forefront of scientific progress. We welcome all SFB members who are passionate about creating a more inclusive and equitable future in healthcare and science. Whether you are an established researcher, a student, or an emerging innovator, your contributions are vital to our mission. Together, we can build a collaborative platform that prioritizes equity, transforms research practices, and ensures no patient population is overlooked.

High-Performance Biomaterials for Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine: Biologically derived polymers and composites offer excellent opportunities in the biomaterials field. This versatile class of materials includes biopolymers (polyhydroxy alkanoates, hyaluronic acid), polysaccharides (starch, chitin/chitosan, alginate) or proteins (collagen, fibrin, silk fibroin) enabling developing engineered systems with outstanding biological performance. The innovative use of its characteristics, taking advantage of the similar structure or composition with respect to biological tissues, enables designing high performance solutions for biocompatibility, biodegradability and bioactivity of biomaterials. Also the advanced areas of tissue engineering, drug delivery and smart/active/adaptative systems may benefit from the wealth of natural polymers existing in nature.

Immune Engineering SIG: Over the past decade the focus of many bioengineers and clinicians has been shifting towards "immune engineering" approaches that include but are not limited to engineered biomaterials for vaccines, immunotherapy (immune-modulation), cell and gene therapy, immune microenvironment engineering, and systems immunology. These research areas embrace a comprehensive list of translational immunology-associated problems including chronic infections, autoimmune diseases, aggressive cancers, allergies, etc. The purpose of the Immune Engineering SIG is to bring together emerging ideas and provide a venue for professional interaction to a large number of academic and industrial research groups and scientists working in these areas.

Material-Microbe Interactions: This session will focus on understanding how biomaterials can be designed to optimally interact with microbial environments both in the context of managing or treating infections and working synergistically with commensal microbial communities. The session will include an emphasis on how material design, both composition and function, can directly influence the interaction with beneficial or detrimental microbes. This session is particularly relevant for those developing antimicrobial coatings/materials and/or those developing materials to engineer the microbiome. Topics may include: controlled delivery of antimicrobial compounds, controlled delivery of probiotics to modify microbiome communities, and novel modalities to combat biofilms. The session will include a focus on microbiology concepts in the context of material science.

Multisystem and Multiscale Bioactive Materials: This session will highlight emerging biomaterials strategies that integrate across biological systems and/or length scales to achieve coordinated therapeutic and regenerative outcomes. We invite contributions that couple nano-, micro-, and/or macro-scale design with modulation of multiple biological systems (i.e., immune, nervous, musculoskeletal, vascular, lymphatic, etc.) to enable dynamic, multifunctional bioactivity. Emphasis will be placed on platforms that demonstrate synergistic interactions, translational potential, and novel insights into cross-system and cross-scale integration.

Nanomaterials SIG: The goal of this session is to exchange ideas involving the unique science and technology present in biomaterials at the nanoscale. Abstracts collectively focused on nanoscale discovery, design, and application are welcome. More specifically, 1) discoveries at the nanoscale and their connection to macroscale properties and behaviors of biomaterials; 2) design and synthesis of nanobiomaterials as relevant for improved devices, diagnostics and therapeutics; and 3) application of nanomaterials to achieve intended biological significance and medical impact. Of particular interest is translational research on nanomaterials effects in the body, including tracking, biodistribution, toxicity, and theranostics. Additional interest lies in the use of multiscale modeling in connecting nanoscale structures and phenomena with macroscale systems in biology and medicine.

Neural Engineering I: Diagnostic and Therapeutic Innovation: This session will highlight emerging biomaterial-enabled strategies that advance both the diagnosis and treatment of neurological injuries and disorders through innovative neural engineering. Topics will include smart biomaterials, bioelectronic interfaces, regenerative therapies, drug delivery systems, and advanced diagnostic platforms that improve the precision, functionality, and clinical translation of neural technologies. By bringing together researchers across materials science, bioengineering, neuroscience, and medicine, the session will showcase interdisciplinary approaches that are accelerating next-generation solutions for monitoring, repairing, and restoring nervous system function.

Neural Engineering II: Engineering Cells, Tissues, and their Microenvironments: This session will highlight emerging biomaterial-enabled strategies for engineering and understanding neural cells, tissues, and their microenvironments. Topics will include materials that direct neural cell fate and function, regulate cell–cell and cell–matrix interactions, guide tissue organization and connectivity, and enable advanced in vitro models of neural development, injury, and disease. Emphasis will be placed on engineered microenvironments, organoids and other tissue models, new approach methodologies (NAMs), and biomaterials that reveal or control interactions among neural and glial cell populations, uncover disease mechanisms, or permit discover of new therapies. By bringing together researchers across biomaterials, tissue engineering, neuroscience, and cell biology across all neural fates (including neural stem cells, lineage-restricted progenitor cells, neurons, astrocytes, Schwann cells, oligodendrocytes and microglia), the session will showcase approaches that advance fundamental understanding of the peripheral and central nervous systems and enable more physiologically relevant models of neurological function and dysfunction.

Next-Generation Infection-Responsive Biomaterials and Nanobiomaterials: Implant-associated infections, chronic wounds, biofilms, and antimicrobial resistance remain major challenges that limit the success of medical devices and regenerative therapies. Advances in biomaterials, nanotechnology, microbiology, immunology, and artificial intelligence are enabling the development of next-generation infection-responsive biomaterials that can sense infection, deliver targeted therapeutics, modulate host immune responses, prevent biofilm formation, and promote tissue regeneration. This symposium will bring together experts from academia, industry, clinical practice, and, when possible, federal funding and regulatory agencies to highlight innovative antimicrobial surfaces, smart coatings, nanobiomaterials, and infection-responsive medical devices spanning mechanistic discovery through clinical translation. The session will also explore emerging research priorities, funding opportunities, manufacturability, safety, regulatory considerations, standards development, and commercialization, fostering multidisciplinary collaboration and accelerating the translation of advanced biomaterials into clinically effective solutions for combating infection and antimicrobial resistance.

Ophthalmic Biomaterials SIG Session: This session will highlight emerging biomaterial strategies that address major challenges in preserving, restoring, and augmenting vision. Topics will include engineered materials for corneal and retinal repair; tissue-engineered ocular models and regenerative medicine; nanoparticles, hydrogels, contact lenses, and implants for localized and sustained drug or gene delivery; bioadhesives and wound-healing materials; intraocular lenses and glaucoma devices; and antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory material interfaces.

The session will bring together biomaterials scientists, engineers, pharmaceutical scientists, vision researchers, and clinician-investigators to connect fundamental material design with translational and clinical needs. Particular emphasis will be placed on material-tissue interactions, strategies for overcoming ocular delivery barriers, biocompatibility and performance testing, manufacturing and regulatory considerations, and technologies with a clear pathway toward clinical application. Abstracts addressing basic science, preclinical evaluation, translational development, and clinical experience involving both the anterior and posterior segments of the eye will be encouraged.

Orthopaedic Biomaterials SIG session: Orthopaedic biomaterials play a critical role in the repair, regeneration, and replacement of musculoskeletal tissues, addressing the growing clinical demand associated with trauma, degenerative diseases, congenital defects, and an aging population. This session welcomes contributions covering the design, development, characterization, and clinical translation of metallic, ceramic, polymeric, and composite biomaterials for orthopedic applications. Topics of interest include advanced material processing, additive manufacturing and biofabrication, surface modification and functionalization, bioactive and multifunctional biomaterials, biodegradable and resorbable systems, and smart biomaterials that respond to biological stimuli. Studies focusing on implant integration, osteointegration, infection prevention, immunomodulation, controlled therapeutic delivery, degradation behavior, mechanical performance, wear resistance, and long-term functionality are particularly encouraged. Contributions spanning fundamental materials science, in vitro and in vivo evaluation, computational modeling, preclinical validation, and clinical studies are invited to foster interdisciplinary advances in next-generation orthopaedic biomaterials.

Patient-Compliant Biomaterials and Emerging Technologies for Women’s Health: This session will highlight advances in patient-compliant biomaterials and emerging technologies addressing significant unmet needs in women’s health. Featured platform technologies may include long-acting injectables, minimally invasive depots, self-administered delivery systems, hydrogels, microneedle arrays, nanomedicines, films, implants, and 3D-printed technologies. Applications will span contraception, hormonal therapies, infectious diseases, reproductive health, and maternal and fetal health, alongside broader drug delivery approaches designed to reduce dosing frequency, clinic dependence, invasiveness, treatment burden, and improve therapeutic outcomes. Presentations will focus on fundamental and translational research while considering patient needs, access, and barriers to clinical implementation. The session will demonstrate how innovative biomaterials can improve therapeutic performance, patient experience, equitable access, and clinical implementation.

Peptide Design, Modification, and Delivery Strategies: Peptide drugs have revolutionized the treatment for a number of diseases and ongoing clinical trials show promise for treating many others. Nevertheless, peptides are not without their limitations. Their half-life is typically short, requiring modifications (e.g., with an Fc domain or PEG) to achieve clinically relevant dosing schedules and they are subject to degradation by endogenous proteases. Biomaterial-based strategies, aided by emerging computational tools, offer ways to address these shortcomings, potentially enabling the full promise of peptide therapeutics to be realized.

Rapid Fire Undergraduate Session: This rapid-fire session will showcase innovative biomaterials research conducted by undergraduate students across the breadth of the biomaterials field. The session provides a dedicated platform for undergraduate researchers to present their work to the Society For Biomaterials community through concise, high-impact presentations designed to communicate the motivation, approach, key findings, and significance of their research. Abstracts are encouraged from all areas of biomaterials science and engineering, including biomaterial design and characterization, tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, drug and gene delivery, biointerfaces, computational and data-driven approaches, medical devices, and translational applications. Selected presenters will deliver brief rapid-fire presentations followed by opportunities for discussion and engagement with attendees. The session is intended to highlight emerging undergraduate scholarship, strengthen scientific communication skills, and connect undergraduate researchers with students, trainees, faculty, and professionals across the biomaterials community. Undergraduate researchers at all stages of their research experience are encouraged to submit.

Self-Assembled Biomaterials for Therapeutics: Self-assembled biomaterials encompass a diverse class of chemically defined building blocks, including peptides, proteins, and lipids, whose intrinsic properties such as ligand binding, stimuli-responsiveness, and programmable self-assembly enable precise control over structure and function. These features allow such biomaterials to encapsulate therapeutic payloads, engage specific cellular receptors, respond dynamically to physiological or external cues, and modulate immune and cellular functions as drug carriers or antigens. This symposium will highlight recent advances in self-assembled biomaterials spanning roles as bioactive components, targeting ligands, and structural scaffolds, with an emphasis on their translational potential for therapeutic and immunomodulatory applications.

Self-Driving Lab for Soft Biomaterials R&D: Hydrogels and similar soft biomaterials are often challenging to formulate and characterize due to their highly dynamic viscoelasticity, swelling and degradation properties. This session will explore both physical and computational approaches incorporating AI, machine learning and robotics to introduce automation into the field of soft biomaterials.

Sex, Age, and Equity as Biological Variables in Biomaterials Research: This session will cover recent advances in biomaterials research and engineering innovations aimed at improving women’s health, including maternal health, reproductive technologies, gynecologic conditions, and cancers such as breast, cervical, and ovarian cancer. Speakers will present biomaterials-based approaches in drug delivery, implantable devices, diagnostics, and tissue engineering that address clinical needs unique to women. We will also emphasize sex and age as important biological variables in biomaterials research, and include emerging technologies to understand immune responses, disease mechanisms, and therapeutic outcomes. In addition, this session will incorporate principles of health equity and biomaterials-based solutions to address health disparities.

Stimuli-Responsive Biomaterials: Materials that respond to environmental stimuli, such as heat, light, pH, or biological signals, provide unique tools for environmentally-responsive biomaterials with temporal changes in properties over time. These materials have broad potential applications in drug delivery, cell-responsive materials, wound healing, tissue engineering, and medical device implantation. This session will highlight recent advances in biomaterials that dynamically interact with environmental stimuli. Topics will include the design, characterization, and fabrication of stimuli-responsive biomaterials that respond to physical, chemical, or biological cues.

Surface Characterization & Modification SIG: The Surface Characterization and Modification Special Interest Group emphasizes two major research topics: 1) improving understanding of biomaterial surface structure and its relationship to biological performance, and 2) developing surface modification strategies for biomaterials. Some research areas that fall under these topics include spectroscopic, microscopic, and biochemical surface characterization, thin film deposition; chemical and ion surface modification; lubrication, passivation/corrosion, and biological films; and quality assurance of device surfaces. This Special Interest Group will be active in arranging workshops, symposia, and annual meeting sessions for the Society. Through these venues the Special Interest Group will provide a forum for exchange of ideas, methods, and expertise in surface characterization and modification.

Tissue Engineering SIG: Tissue Engineering SIG is a forum to exchange information, further knowledge, and promote greater awareness regarding all aspects of the use of biomaterials to engineering tissue substitutes or to promote tissue regeneration. Of primary interest and relevance to TE SIG is the use of appropriate materials (synthetic and natural) with cells (either native or from a donor source) and/or biological response modifiers (e.g., growth factors, cytokines and other recombinant products) to replace tissue and organ functions. Particular emphasis is placed on the development of materials to better incorporate, protect, and deliver both the cells and biological response modifiers to help promote the healing and regenerative processes. This year’s session will also highlight the latest advancements in bioadhesives and biomaterial membranes for tissue repair and wound healing. The group is committed to forging interactions among basic scientists, applied scientists, engineers, clinicians, industrial members, professional societies in related fields, and regulatory groups in its efforts to expand and effectively utilize the shared knowledge base in this multidisciplinary field.

Tissue Engineering Technologies for Advancing Women's Health: In this session, we will cover recent advances in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine for improving women's health. Topics will include biomaterial scaffolds, biofabrication technologies, vascularization strategies, reproductive tissue engineering, maternal health, fertility preservation, and regenerative approaches for gynecologic disorders. Speakers will share findings in areas including 3D bioprinting, organ-on-a-chip systems, microfluidics, stem cell engineering, and tissue-engineered models that address clinical needs unique to women. Presentations will also highlight tissue engineering strategies for breast, cervical, ovarian, uterine, and pelvic floor tissue repair and regeneration, with an emphasis on clinically translatable biomaterials, engineered tissue models, and regenerative therapies.

Ultra-Short Pulse Lasers (USPL) Applications for Biomedical Devices and Applications: Ultrashort pulse laser technology, a rapidly advancing microfabrication method, is increasingly utilized for the micro manufacture and nanofabrication of devices and systems applicable to diverse applications. Although these lasers are extensively employed in mechanical manufacturing industries, their application in medical devices remains relatively unexplored. By optimizing the laser system parameters, the session will explore the feasibility of manufacturing polymeric, metallic and ceramic biomaterials. By tailoring the surface properties of biomaterials, it is possible to achieve multifunctional solutions that not only activate surfaces but also promote positive cellular responses and healing outcomes.

Vascular Grafts: The Next Generation: A new generation of vascular grafts is making their way to clinical adoption. These grafts heal, regenerate and integrate into tissue, in contrast to the majority of today's vascular grafts (e-PTFE or Dacron) that trigger the classic foreign body reaction leading to avascular, fibrotic scar. This symposium will highlight vascular grafts that heal in a pro-regenerative manner and discuss technical concerns, outlook, regulation, commercialization and physician acceptance.