Himed and Alfred University’s New York State College of Ceramics (NYSCC) recently announced a multi-year collaborative research agreement that aims to advance and optimize techniques used in the production of calcium phosphate biomaterials. 

Such materials play a critical role in the repair of hard tissues in applications ranging from dental implants to bone grafting and bone replacement. The global market for dental implants alone, already a $4.6 billion industry, is expected to continue to grow by 9% annually through 2027. Improvements in bioactive healing through better biomaterials will benefit patients from all walks of life, including an aging global population who will come to rely on such materials for an improved quality of life. 

“This is a terrific opportunity for academia and industry research collaboration, while supporting the growth of New York State’s biomaterials sector,” says project lead and Himed engineer Craig Rosenblum. 

Himed itself was founded in 1991 as a joint venture with the Laboratory for Calcium Phosphate Research at New York University. The Alfred University collaboration comes as Himed celebrates 30 years of leadership in the development of biomaterial and coating technologies used in the medical, dental, and laboratory fields. 

Himed will work with a team of professors and students at NYSCC’s Center for High Temperature Characterization (CHTC), utilizing facilities established with a $4 million investment from New York as part of a state-supported research system. The unique equipment and state-of-the-art facilities will allow Himed researchers and Alfred students to explore heat treatments and materials characterization that can optimize the chemical and physical configurations of biomaterials, improving their ability to integrate with the body and ultimately help patients heal. 

“A successful partnership makes all parties stronger,” says Himed CEO Dana Barnard, “a business can learn more about cutting-edge science, the universities get feedback on what is driving the marketplace, and consumers gain access to new, practical technologies.”

A second phase of the collaborative research, likely to begin sometime in 2022, will focus on the development of innovative biomaterial applications. 

Says Rosenblum, “I am excited to work with the students of Alfred University to share my experiences, learn from their techniques, and work together to solve real-world biomaterials challenges.”