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Biomaterials

NIST's research examines the interactions among lab-made materials and biological systems, advancing the development of diagnostics and therapeutics, and improving the performance of biomaterials used in dentistry and regenerative medicine. 

NIST's measurement methods and reference materials accelerate the development of lab-made materials that can help heal wounds or replace missing tissues, or be used to mimic human tissues for diagnostics or research. Our long partnership with the American Dental Association boasts advances such as the tooth-colored composites used to fill cavities and repair chipped teeth and the panoramic dental X-ray. The NIST Tissue Engineering project characterizes scaffolds, the supports used to "grow" replacement tissues, and the interactions between scaffolds and cells. Other work develops sensors that measure biological properties and the interactions of cells and materials. 

NIST also participates in the Multi-Agency Tissue Engineering Science coordination group.

The Research

Projects & Programs

DNA Origami for Precise Manufacturing of Nanoscale Structures

Completed
The base pairing of adenine to thymine and guanine to cytosine to form DNA provides a robust molecular recognition scheme that can be used to create a wide variety of well-ordered nanostructures. DNA origami, which uses a long scaffold strand folded together by specific sets of short staple strands

Tissue Engineering

Ongoing
Tissue Engineering Measurands: Tissue engineering measurands are confusing to discuss and a charting method to improve communication is demonstrated. Measurement Assurance Strategies for Regenerative Medicine: Reliable methods for assessing product consistency and quality. Regenerative Medicine

Metrology of Magnetic Materials

Ongoing
Currently, the bulk of this project is focused on three main pieces: Thermal MagIC: An SI-Traceable Method for 3D Thermal Magnetic Imaging and Control Magnetic Refrigeration Magnetic Standard Reference Materials (SRMs) Thermal MagIC (MAGnetic Imaging and Control) is focused on developing new

Additional Resources Links

News

Now Live: Living Cells Can Be Seen With Infrared Light

With Some Bumps, NIST Scientists Devise a Novel Way to Extend the Wavelength Range of Microcombs

Spotlight: Shape-Shifting Probes Will Help Improve MRI Imaging