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Related glossaries include Cell & tissue technologies, Labels, signaling & detection   Metabolic profiling  Microscopy,  Nanoscience & Miniaturization.
Biology Cell biology

actuators: Labels, signaling & detection

BIOML Biopolymer Markup Language:  Designed by the BIOML core team at Proteometrics, LLC and Proteometrics Canada Ltd. It is to be used "for the annotation of biopolymer sequence information. BIOML allows the full specification of all experimental information known about molecular entities composed of biopolymers, for example, proteins and genes."  BIOML, XML Cover Pages, 2002 http://xml.coverpages.org/bioml.html

biocompatible coated materials: Biocompatible materials usually used in dental and bone implants that enhance biologic fixation, thereby increasing the bond strength between the coated material and bone, and minimize possible biological effects that may result from the implant itself. MeSH, 1999 

biocompatible materials:  Synthetic or natural materials, other than drugs, that are used to replace or repair any body tissue or bodily function. MeSH, 1973 Related term: biomaterials Narrower term: biocompatible coated materials

biodecontamination: See Vaporized Hydrogen Peroxide VHP:

biodynotics Biologically Inspired Multifunctional Dynamic Robotics:  The Biologically Inspired Multifunctional Dynamic Robotics (BIODYNOTICS) is a thrust area of the Defense Sciences Office. It aims to explore the following areas:1. Dynamic Mobility - Biologically inspired appendages to demonstrate multifunctional, dynamic, energy efficient and autonomous locomotion to enable revolutionary mobility capabilities such as running over multiple terrains, climbing (trees, cliffs, cave walls), jumping and leaping, and manipulating the world with an appendage in tasks such as grasping and digging. The successful exploitation of biological appendages will also enable transitions between environments, e.g., a leg on land used to swim.2. Behavior - Biological inspirations in animal behavior that will enable the ability to autonomously recognize and navigate in operational environments to perform critical simple and complex capabilities (navigation, terrain following, grazing incidence landings, target location and tracking, plume tracing, and cooperative tasks such as hive and swarm behavior). This activity may incorporate principles derived from biological behaviors of both single and social groups.  3. Integration - The integration of locomotion and behavior to achieve specific bio-inspired objectives, culminating in platform demonstrations that can navigate steep, loose terrain; scale vertical obstacles; and conformally manipulate variably shaped objects. http://www.brianlaks.com/biodynotics.htm  Broader term: robotics

bioengineering: Is rooted in physics, mathematics, chemistry, biology, and the life sciences. It is the application of a systematic, quantitative, and integrative way of thinking about and approaching the solutions of problems important to biology, medical research, clinical proactive, and population studies. The NIH Bioengineering Consortium agreed on the following definition for bioengineering research on biology, medicine, behavior, or health recognizing that no definition could completely eliminate overlap with other research disciplines or preclude variations in interpretation by different individuals and organizations. Integrates physical, chemical, or mathematical sciences and engineering principles for the study of biology, medicine, behavior, or health. It advances fundamental concepts, creates knowledge for the molecular to the organ systems levels, and develops innovative biologics, materials, processes, implants, devices, and informatics approaches for the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, for patient rehabilitation, and for improving health. NIH, Bioengineering Consortium, July 24, 1997  http://www.bionewsonline.com/k/what_is_bioengineering.htm 

After many years of service to the NIH Bioengineering community, the NIH Bioengineering Consortium (BECON) has completed its mission. Bioengineering has now become an important activity supported at nearly every NIH institute and center, and much of what BECON had done has now been well integrated across the NIH. Many of the bioengineering funding announcements and technical reports at the BECON website have migrated to the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering - http://www.nibib.nih.gov/ .  

biofabrication: using cells, proteins, biomaterials and/or other bioactive elements as building blocks to fabricate advanced biological models, medical therapeutic products and non-medical biological systems. Scope note BIofabrication, IOP Press  http://iopscience.iop.org/1758-5090/ 

Using biological processes to synthesize and manufacture chemicals and materials of high value to the Department of Defense. Biological processes are characterized by: low energy barriers (~10Kcal, high temperatures/pressures not required); high reaction-, regio- and stereo- specificity (protection/ deprotection wastes and catalyst poisoning avoided); spatio-temporal control of materials synthesis of defined composition and size with angstrom- level precision; and local control of the dielectric environment (largely eliminating the need for toxic solvents). Potential target materials and chemicals include composites with enhanced mechanical properties, ultra-low k dielectrics and thermoelectrics, optoelectronic materials, photonic devices (waveguides and logic elements), electronic materials (e.g., GaN, InGaN, AlGaN), elastomers, energetic materials, and adhesives. Biofabrication, DARPA  http://www.darpa.mil/dso/future/biofab.htm 

biomaterials: In this context, biomaterials are defined as all those materials used in medical devices in which contact with the tissues of the patient is an important and guiding feature of their use and performance. They include a range of metals and alloys, glasses and ceramics, natural synthetics, polymers, biomimetics, composites and natural or tissue-derived materials, including combinations of synthetic materials and living tissue components. The journal is relevant to all applications of biomaterials including implantable medical devices, tissue engineering and drug delivery systems. Scope note: Biomaterials, Elsevier  http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/30392/description 

Synthetic or natural materials that can replace or augment tissues, organs or body functions. Related terms: biocompatible materials, biopolymers, smart materials:

biomechanics: Mechanical structures of  living organisms (especially muscles and bones).

biomedical engineering: Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biological_engineering 

biomedical polymers: 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 … 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. IUPAC, Terminology for biomedical (therapeutic) polymers, Project Number: 2004-043-1-400, 2004 http://www.iupac.org/projects/2004/2004-043-1-400.html

biomimetic materials: Materials fabricated by BIOMIMETICS techniques, i.e., based on natural processes found in biological systems. MeSH 2003

biomimetics:   An interdisciplinary field in materials science, ENGINEERING, and BIOLOGY, studying the use of biological principles for synthesis or fabrication of BIOMIMETIC MATERIALS. MeSH 2003

There is a need to develop the next generation of restorative materials and medical implants. New avenues of scientific inquiry may enable the development of biomaterials that are safe, reliable, "smart", long- lasting, and perform ideally in their respective biological environments. ... Over the last few years biomimetics and tissue engineering have emerged as a new vision in the field of tissue and organ repair and restoration. Biomimetics and tissue engineering are interdisciplinary fields that combine information from the study of biological structures and their functions with physics, mathematics, chemistry and engineering for the generation of new materials, tissues and organs. These approaches can offer new ways of: (a) developing biological solutions for future design and synthesis of composite materials such as bone, cartilage, tendon, ligament, skin, dentin, enamel, cementum and periodontal ligament; (b) replacing and assembling functional tissues and organs; and (c) evaluating medical and dental implants. In the area of craniofacial, oral and dental principles from biomimetics and tissue engineering are applied to developing dental and facial implants, new polymers for guided tissue regeneration used in treating periodontal disease and bone and connective tissue defects, coral- based hydroxyapatite replicas for reconstruction of alveolar ridges and other osseous defects, temporomandibular joint (TMJ) and other joint prostheses, formation of bone matrix substitutes, and artificial replicas of bone, skin, and mucosa.  [National Institute of Dental Research, NIH, US, Biomimetics and Tissue Engineering in the Restoration of Orofacial Tissues, RFA: DE-98-009, June 19, 1998] http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-DE-98-009.html

The term biomimetics was coined in 1972 in the context of artificial enzymes; it might be defined broadly as "the abstraction of good design from nature". It is a fact of everyday life that nature has managed to built materials and 'devices' with breathtaking functionality, heterogeneity and stability by using a comparatively limited number of building blocks (the whole range of synthetic materials is restricted to man- made engineering). The basic concepts of nature are often simple; it is the way in which building blocks and materials are arranged that results in functionality. Among the most simple and abundant themes of nature is self- assembly: lipids assemble in sheets to form cell membranes, proteins assemble into functional enzymes, cellular 'sensors', fibers, or virus coats, and DNA assembles in double strands to provide the very basis for live: replication. [George M. Whitesides, Harvard Univ. Research: "Biomimetics"]  http://gmwgroup.harvard.edu/domino/html/webpage/homepage2.nsf     Related terms:  biopolymers, molecularly imprinted polymers; Drug discovery & development molecular mimicry, peptidomimetic, Gene amplification & PCR PCR, PNA; Glycosciences  glycomimetic 

biomolecular engineering: A subset of chemical engineering known as biomolecular engineering has emerged that reflects the interface between biology and chemical engineering. Biomolecular engineering focuses on the molecular length scale, and seeks to convert molecular-level knowledge of biological phenomena into potentially useful biochemical and chemical products and processes that are derived from living cells or their components. Further, biomolecular engineers are adept at integrating descriptions of molecular-level events into a systems-level understanding of complex biological systems and at creating the next generation of tools necessary for rapid, accurate and cost-effective analysis of biomolecules. Cornell University, School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering 2011 http://www.cheme.cornell.edu/cheme/graduate/Biomolecular.cfm 

biomolecular materials: An emerging discipline, materials whose properties are abstracted from biology. They share many of the characteristics of biological materials but are not necessarily of biological origin. For example, they may be inorganic materials that are organized or processed in a biomimetic fashion. A key feature of biological and biomolecular materials is their ability to undergo self- assembly. Biomolecular self- assembling materials, National Academy of Sciences 1996  http://www.nas.edu/bpa/reports/bmm/bmm.html#PBMM

biomotors: Driven by energy sources such as adenosine triphosphate (ATP) for chemical transduction and other processes. These biomotors are considered to be biomolecular and are discussed in the body of this report, but strictly speaking they do not conform to the panel's definition of self- assembly. Biomolecular self- assembling materials, National Academy of Sciences 1996  http://www.nas.edu/bpa/reports/bmm/bmm.html#PBMM 

biopolymers: Macromolecules (including proteins, nucleic acids and polysaccharides) formed by living organisms. [IUPAC Compendium] 

The addition of a biopolymer to a product may improve the function of that product and, therefore, improve its value. Improving or adding functions to a product will be the major role of most biopolymers. The ability to develop novel biopolymers may provide a company with the opportunity to improve a product's competitive position by improving its functionality.⁽⁶⁴⁾  Biopolymers, Background economic study of the Canadian Biotechnology Industry, Industry Canada http://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/ippd-dppi.nsf/vwapj/HELLEREF.PDF/$FILE/HELLEREF.PDF 

biorobotics:  Our research focuses on the role of sensing and mechanical design in motor control, in both robots and humans. This work draws upon diverse disciplines, including biomechanics, systems analysis, and neurophysiology. The main approach is experimental, although analysis and simulation play important parts.  In conjunction with industrial partners, we are developing applications of this research in biomedical instrumentation, teleoperated robots, and intelligent sensors. Harvard Biorobotics Laboratory, 2004.  http://biorobotics.harvard.edu/ 

bone substitutes: Synthetic or natural materials for the replacement of bones or bone tissue. They include hard tissue replacement polymers, natural coral, hydroxyapatite, beta- tricalcium phosphate, and various other biomaterials. The bone substitutes as inert materials can be incorporated into surrounding tissue or gradually replaced by original tissue. MeSH, 1995

combinatorial materials design: Uses computing power (sometimes together with massive parallel experimentation) to screen many different materials possibilities to optimize properties for specific applications (e.g., catalysts, drugs, optical materials). Central Intelligence Agency, US The Global Technology Revolution, Chapter Two Technology Trends, Genomics, 2001 http://www.cia.gov/nic/pubs/research_supported_by_nic/rand/mr1307.ch2.html

composites: Combinations of metals, ceramics, polymers, and biological materials that allow multi- functional behavior. One common practice is reinforcing polymers or ceramics with ceramic fibers to increase strength while retaining light weight and avoiding the brittleness of the monolithic ceramic. Materials used in the body often combine biological and structural functions (e.g., the encapsulation of drugs). [Central Intelligence Agency, US The Global Technology Revolution, Chapter Two Technology Trends, Genomics, 2001]  http://www.cia.gov/nic/pubs/research_supported_by_nic/rand/mr1307.ch2.html

MatML Materials Markup Language: An extensible markup language (XML) developed especially for the interchange of materials information. http://www.matml.org/  

materials science: Science of  ceramics, glass, metals, plastics, semiconductors.

microfabrication, molecular motors: Nanoscience & Miniaturization

molecular self-assembly: The spontaneous formation of molecules into covalently bonded, well- defined, stable structures - is a very important concept in biological systems and has increasingly become a focus of non- biological research. Thomson ISI, Special Topics "Molecular Self- Assembly" http://www.esi-topics.com/msa/  Related terms: Nanoscience & miniaturization

molecularly imprinted polymers MIPs: A new class of materials that have artificially created receptor structures. Since their discovery in 1972, MIPs have attracted considerable interest from scientists and 3engineers involved with the development of chromatographic absorbents, membranes, sensors and enzyme and receptor mimics. [S. Piletsky et. al. "Molecular imprinting: at the edge of the third millennium" Trends in Biotechnology 19 (1): 9- 12, Jan. 2001]

nastic structures:  The Nastic Materials Program is exploring the development of a new class of active materials that can mimic the ability of plants to generate large strains while still performing a structural function. The impetus for this work is the desire to develop a highly controllable and reversible material system that can generate 10 Megapascals and 20 percent in blocked stress and free strain, respectively. The ultimate goal is the development of plant- inspired actuation systems that possess the power density of conventional hydraulic systems for application in military adaptive or morphing structures.  http://www.brianlaks.com/nastic_materials.htm 

National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering: Molecular  Imaging 

polymers - biomedical:  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. IUPAC, Terminology for biomedical (therapeutic) polymers, current project, 2005 http://www.iupac.org/projects/2004/2004-043-1-400.html   Related terms;  Biomolecules macromolecule (polymer molecule), polymers, regenerative medicine

positional control:  Ralph Merkle, Adding positional control to molecular manufacturing, Xerox PARC, 1993 http://www.zyvex.com/nanotech/CDAarticle.html

protein engineering: Protein technologies
regenerative medicine: Molecular Medicine

self-assembly: <biology>  A process in which supramolecular hierarchical organization is established without external intervention.... The approaches used can be expected to fall into two general categories. The first involves directly mimicking biological systems or processes to produce materials with enhanced properties. An example of this approach is the use of molecular genetic techniques to produce polymers with unprecedentedly uniform molecular length. The second category involves studying how nature accomplishes a task or creates a structure with unusual properties, and then applying similar techniques in a completely different context or using completely different materials. [Biomolecular self- assembling materials, National Academy of Sciences 1996]  http://www.nas.edu/bpa/reports/bmm/bmm.html#PBMM  Narrower terms: self- assembling biomolecular materials, self-assembling peptides
Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-assembly  

smart materials: Several different types of materials exhibit sensing and actuation capabilities, including ferroelectrics (exhibiting strain in response to a electric field), shape- memory alloys (exhibiting phase transition- driven shape change in response to temperature change), and magnetostrictive materials (exhibiting strain in response to a magnetic field). These effects also work in reverse, so that these materials, separately or together, can be used to combine sensing and actuation in response to environmental conditions. They are currently in widespread use in applications from ink- jet printers to magnetic disk drives to anti- coagulant devices. An important class of smart materials is composites based upon lead zirconate titanate (PZT) and related ferroelectric materials that allow increased sensitivity, multiple frequency response, and variable frequency (Newnham, 1997  [Central Intelligence Agency, US The Global Technology Revolution, Chapter Two Technology Trends, Genomics, 2001]  http://www.cia.gov/nic/pubs/research_supported_by_nic/rand/mr1307.ch2.html

smart polymers: Ionic gels that deform in response to electric fields. Such electro- active polymers have already been used to make "artificial muscles" (Shahinpoor et al., 1998 [147]). Currently available materials have limited mechanical power, but this is an active research area with potential applications to robots for space exploration, hazardous duty of various types, and surveillance. Hydrogels that swell and shrink in response to changes in pH or temperature are another possibility; these hydrogels could be used to deliver encapsulated drugs in response to changes in body chemistry.  [Central Intelligence Agency, US The Global Technology Revolution, Chapter Two Technology Trends, Genomics, 2001]  http://www.cia.gov/nic/pubs/research_supported_by_nic/rand/mr1307.ch2.html

stem cells: Stem cell
therapeutic engineering: Molecular Medicine

Bibliography
INSPEC thesaurus, 2004, 9,000 terms http://www.iee.org/Publish/Support/INSPEC/Document/Thes/index.cfm 
ISPE International Society for Pharmaceutical Engineering Glossary, Michelle Gonzalez, 4600 terms, 2003  http://www.ispe.org/glossary/definitionbylanguage.cfm?Language=English 
IUPAC, Terminology for biomedical (therapeutic) polymers, current project, 2005 http://www.iupac.org/projects/2004/2004-043-1-400.html 

Alpha glossary index

How to look for other unfamiliar  terms

IUPAC definitions are reprinted with the permission of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry.