The relevance of interdisciplinary teaching and research for the development of biomaterials

Replacement of damaged tissues by biomaterials after a disease or injury is one of the most interesting challenge in medical science. The proper approach in developing a new biomaterial for a specific application must include the evaluation of all aspects and available knowledge in the different fields of science necessary for a comprehensive understanding of the behavior of the new component (e.g. a prosthetic implant) in a special environment (the human body). Starting from chemistry to know how to synthesize our material passing to physics and mechanics to understand how our material will act when stressed, going to biology to discover the reaction of the human body against this material and using mathematics to model and optimize our complex systems. In this concern, this paper reported an interdisciplinary approach used in developing a new material for biomedical application. The importance of the development of innovative teaching methods was also deeply discussed.