Exciting new developments at the 5th International Symposium on Surface and Interface of Biomaterials.

Materials intended for use as implantable or diagnostic devices are required not only to display the required functional bulk properties but also have surface properties that elicit a desired biological response, and do so with high selectivity. The area of surface functionalization approaches and bioactive coatings for biomaterials and biomedical devices has been the subject of much research over several decades; yet, many challenges still remain to be solved. The 5th International Symposium on Surface and Interface of Biomaterials (ISSIB) held in Sydney (Australia) in April 2015 was an ideal forum to discuss the most recent developments in biomaterial surface modification, characterization, and evaluation of biological responses. The conference covered a range of topics including antimicrobial coatings, analysis of biomaterial surfaces and interfaces, biomolecules and cells at surfaces and interfaces, nanoparticles, functional coatings, patterned biomaterials, nanofabrication, bioreactors, and biosensors. In this special conference issue, the authors include papers that detail some of the highlights from the meeting.

[1]  B. R. Coad,et al.  Antifungal coatings by caspofungin immobilization onto biomaterials surfaces via a plasma polymer interlayer. , 2015, Biointerphases.

[2]  B. R. Coad,et al.  ToF-SIMS multivariate analysis of surface-grafted small bioactive molecules. , 2015, Biointerphases.

[3]  Helmut Thissen,et al.  Response of MG63 osteoblast-like cells to ordered nanotopographies fabricated using colloidal self-assembly and glancing angle deposition. , 2015, Biointerphases.

[4]  Ping Yang,et al.  Effect of micropatterned TiO2 nanotubes thin film on the deposition of endothelial extracellular matrix: For the purpose of enhancing surface biocompatibility. , 2015, Biointerphases.

[5]  J. Cooper-White,et al.  Mode of heparin attachment to nanocrystalline hydroxyapatite affects its interaction with bone morphogenetic protein-2. , 2015, Biointerphases.

[6]  P. Kingshott,et al.  Bacterial response to different surface chemistries fabricated by plasma polymerization on electrospun nanofibers. , 2015, Biointerphases.

[7]  Yao Wu,et al.  Modulation of cationicity of chitosan for tuning mesenchymal stem cell adhesion, proliferation, and differentiation. , 2015, Biointerphases.

[8]  P. Kingshott,et al.  Colloidal crystal based plasma polymer patterning to control Pseudomonas aeruginosa attachment to surfaces. , 2015, Biointerphases.

[9]  L. Grøndahl,et al.  Comparison between polyethylene glycol and zwitterionic polymers as antifouling coatings on wearable devices for selective antigen capture from biological tissue. , 2015, Biointerphases.

[10]  Qiufen Tu,et al.  Development of nitric oxide catalytic coatings by conjugating 3,3-disulfodipropionic acid and 3,3-diselenodipropionic acid for improving hemocompatibility. , 2015, Biointerphases.