Text written in Basque and translated automatically by Elia without any subsequent editing. SEE ORIGINAL

Maria Vallet: Biomaterials are not science fiction

Maria Vallet is an international reference in biomaterials. He holds a PhD in Chemical Sciences and a Professor of Inorganic Chemistry from the Complutense University of Madrid.

It was only a few weeks ago in San Sebastian, participating in the Science Forum initiative. The Science Forum is a meeting organized by Ikerbasque, Jakiund and the Basque Government that aims to disseminate scientific advances in a simple way. Her colleague Bego Zubia interviewed the researcher Maria Vallet. Working in Japan, France and Sweden, Maria Vallet has won the National Research Award for her work in controlled drug release.

The Bego Bridge: Maria, you're researching biomaterials, but can you explain what they are?

Assisted by Maria Vallet: They're spare parts for the human body. Those who enter the body and come into contact with living tissues: hip prostheses, knee prostheses, cements used to repair bones, polymers used to make eye lenses... It's a lot of things.

I'm talking about B. According to Z.: Biomaterials are therefore used in many fields of medicine.

M.V.: Biomaterials are used in all medical specialties.

I'm talking about B. Z.: In the gutzis?

M. V.: In the gutztis.

I'm talking about B. Z.: How do you know that a specific material can be used inside the human body?

Toxicity tests must first be carried out and approved by the body. The first requirement is that it is biocompatible and non-toxic. Otherwise, it will not be biomaterial and will not be usable.

I'm talking about B. According to Z.: But before the tests, will you think that I will be able to use this material and that I will not be able to use this other?

According to M.V.: Each part of the body to be repaired has certain characteristics, and the material must also be specific. In order to be able to repair the bones, it is thought how the bones can be made artificially. And our bones are made of calcium phosphate. But we will have to use metals for hip prostheses because they have to support the weight and allow movement: going up and down stairs, running, walking, that is, doing everyday life... To do this, the material must be hard and, as a result, metals are used. That will never turn into a bone.

I'm talking about B. According to Z.: In the use of biomaterials, three periods are distinguished. The first was to remove and modify something damaged, after which it was intended to be repaired and at this moment it is intended to be regenerated. Repair and replacement are not the same thing

According to M.V.: Instead of something broken, you put something that allows it to perform its function. For example, walking. That's a replacement. The human body will not take ownership of what it has set up. They will make a kind of pact to avoid attacking each other, and the body will be able to perform its function. That's a replacement. But the research wants to move towards regeneration. It is about creating something that has disappeared through tissue engineering and cell therapies

I'm talking about B. According to Z.: In the age of regeneration, through technology, will we be able to re-create something that has disappeared?

According to M.V.: Yes, it is intended to be regenerated, e.g., by cells. Stem cells, cell therapies... we're investigating all this and it's not on the market yet.

I'm talking about B. According to Z.: So that's science fiction right now?

According to M.V.: No, science fiction is something that doesn’t seem to be imagined and made into reality. In this one, there are results at the research level. These results indicate a direction. The road is long, but it will reach the developments. There is a lot of research and results. And they tell us that there is a reality that needs to be worked on.

We make porous ceramics that we use in the form of dies. We introduce metal nanoparticles inside them that we can guide, we introduce drugs inside them, and the intention is to take them to the tumors and release the drugs only there. We are investigating all this, but I already have some work published in prestigious scientific journals. That's not science fiction. We have done it and we can do it again. But... that the day I'm gonna have some cancer, I can use it... We'd like it to be sooner rather than later, we're on it.

I'm talking about B. According to Z.: At what stage of development are we?

According to M.V.: Well, we're just getting started. The tunnel is still very long. We see the light at the end, but there is still a long tunnel to go through.