For some people, the term biomaterials conjures up science-fiction-like images of artificial organs and implanted medical devices, but this field enjoys both a long past and a promising future. In a Technology Review article, Ideas Are Like Children, Robert Langer of MIT points out that dental fillings - an ancient example of biomaterials - existed over 2,000 years ago. According to Langer, fillings remain the most common biomaterials, in terms of sheer poundage, in use today. As this article will show, however, many other examples of biomaterials lie ahead.

For the modern era, Langer defines a biomaterial as "any substance other than food or drugs contained in a therapeutic system that's in contact with biological tissues or fluids." Currently, the term biomaterials encompasses a vast array of technologies, including artificial organs, bioceramics, implantable drug-delivery systems, medical devices, and tissue engineering. These modern applications of biomaterials could revolutionize how we receive medical treatment and therapy.

For current information about biomaterials, the Biomaterials Network provides the most comprehensive collection of online resources. This site started as a collection of links in 1998 and recently added several interactive features. The Biomaterials Network aims to become a hub where scientists can share information with each other. The bulk of the Biomaterials Network site still consists of an extensive, well-organized collection of links, which includes links to biomaterials sites, educational programs, professional societies, research centers, and scientific journals. In addition, the site lists links to general information on biology, biomedical engineering, and medicine.

The Biomaterials Network also features current news and information in the field of biomaterials. An articles section contains full-text articles from both scientific publications, including Biomaterials, and news magazines, including Time and Business Week. The Biomaterials Network also publishes a monthly newsletter with current research news, industry news, conference updates, and new links. Users can receive the newsletter via email or peruse it at the site.

To fully access the network portion of the site, users must register as members of the Biomaterials Network, which is free of charge. Registered users can post information to a directory of researchers or search it for scientists with a particular expertise. Registered users can also post a job search, browse job offers, and receive updated site information via email.

Another useful general resource is Biomaterials Links, developed by the Biomedical Engineering program at Texas A&M University. This site is divided into different topic areas, including blood vessels, polymers, and tissue engineering. This site introduces each topic area with a background summary, followed by links to pertinent Web resources. The links include resources for general information, industrial research, academic research, companies and manufacturers, regulatory resources, and non-Web references on the topic. Short descriptions of each link help users find the resources that are most relevant to their interests.

Several of the biomaterials professional societies host Web sites. For example, the Society for Biomaterials maintains one of the more extensive sites. It includes a calendar and sections that covers jobs, meetings, and more. Bulletin boards in specific topic areas are available to society members, but the general biomaterials bulletin board at the site is not very active. Users seeking information about biomaterials in industry can explore the resource guide, which lists more than 50 companies that are involved in biomaterials.

Some sites give an international look at biomaterials. For instance, The European Society for Biomaterials provides minutes from society meetings, job listings, and links to member organizations and institutions. This site also posts the minutes from the Young Scientists Forum at last year's European Conference on Biomaterials. The Web site of The Australian Society for Biomaterials also supplies a variety of resources, including automated access to BIOMAT-L, which is a biomaterials mailing list that has been active since 1993. Finally, the Canadian Biomaterials Society presents information about society events and a nice collection of links to Canadian biomaterials Web sites and funding sources.

Some of the more interesting and educational online material about biomaterials focuses on specific topic areas, especially tissue engineering. For instance, Time's Visions of the 21st Century issue listed tissue engineers as the number-one job of the future in What Will Be the 10 Hottest Jobs? For more background on the history of tissue engineering, go to A Compelling Need, which was published in The Scientist. This article includes comments by prominent tissue-engineering scientists and short descriptions of specific projects.

Pittsburgh Tissue Engineering Initiative - this site focuses on sponsored research labs and programs, including summer internships and programs designed to generate exposure to biotechnology. The site also provides a general description of the field in What is Tissue Engineering? Another useful resource for current news and information about tissue engineering research is the Tissue Engineering Pages. This site includes research articles, a conference calendar, and links to research labs and institutions worldwide.

Some fun educational sites also feature presentations about modern biomaterials and artificial organs. For example, NOVA Online's Electric Heart presents animated graphics of the heart, an interview with a heart-transplant surgeon, an animation of a heart-transplant procedure, and more. The Artificial Human section lets users click on more than 20 different body parts - including skin, liver, heart valves, and bone - to discover what progress is being made toward reproducing these parts artificially. References are provided to access further information about research on the subjects and companies that are developing this technology.