Introductory Chapter: bioMimetics for HealthCare – Innovations Inspired by Nature

1. Introduction

This chapter collectively aims to imitate the biological processes or systems in which nature solves problems or tackles tasks, using our world as a source of inspiration and as a guide in the design and development of new biomaterials and solutions—innovations.

Therefore, biomimicry is a fusion of approaches requiring the detection, perception, observance, identification, and detailed study of systems and organisms within nature, in order to use as bio-inspired models (basis) for novel scientific, technical, and technological solutions, suitable for interventional application in dentistry and medicine, including tissue bio-engineering. Such a journey also invites elucidating the underlying mechanisms and relationships between the structure and function of the stimulating natural system(s) for applied and/or translational biomimesis, biomimicry or biomimetics, to us humans, whether as sole individuals or in groups and when healthy end-users/-consumers or patients needing therapies [1].

Since Janine Benyus published her dominant book in 1997 [2], it can be stated that biomimicry has experienced the swift rise in the attention we have been witnessing. She outlined three essential or fundamental components for sustainable biomimicry—active study of natural systems as source (unlimited supply) of inspiration for new bio-solutions: (1) nature as model; (2) nature as measure; and (3) nature as mentor. Biomimicry can thus be depicted as an art form based on science, accord, and purpose.

It can also be stated, today, that in R&D&I (research, development, and innovation), the biomimicry or bio-inspired approach (mindset or point-of-view) has thus far contributed to how an investigation is conducted by pointing (directing or guiding) the way towards a more sustainable practice and future. It is noteworthy perhaps herein that biomimetics is not sufficient by itself to translate its inspiration and lessons from nature to operational devices, solutions, or technologies. Hence, does not replace disciplines and specialties such as medicine and dentistry. Rather, biomimetics and biomedical engineering, for instance, need to interplay alongside chemistry, biology, and physics, among other scientific fields, to lead to real applications that impact and benefit human-kind and our patients: a symbiotic relationship similar to the co-existence and harmony of/between humans and nature. If, and when realized, biomimesis and its products can manipulate the WORLD [3, 4, 5].

2. Medical bioMimicry market: market size, present trends and forecasts

According to the most recent 130-page study by Global Market Insights Inc. (August of 2021 [6]), a global market research and consultancy service headquartered in Selbyville Delaware-USA, the medical biomimetics market size is anticipated to record a valuation of USD$ 53 billion by 2027, driven by the boost in adoption of new techniques by the industry players for the provision of advanced devices to end-users. This increase or expansion is despite the losses incurred by the COVID-19 pandemic. The report provides penetrative insights presented to aid in strategic decision-making, highlighting the major trends that are likely to transform the medical biomimetics market landscape in the coming years, mainly attributed to the increasing burden of numerous healthcare challenges requiring novel solutions. Amongst those, Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine (as a segment) is anticipated to grow at a startling CAGR of 7.5% between the period 2021 and 2027. Furthermore, the medical biomimetics industry is anticipated to continue its growth worldwide, also due to longevity and the increasing senior or geriatric population, and the surging prevalence of neurological, cardiovascular, and orthopedic diseases.

Another is the Drug Delivery segment, exceeding USD$ 6.5 billion in 2020, of the medical biomimetics market, mainly attributed to the increased demand and growing adoption of 3-dimensional biomimicry-based models and nano-Carriers (including nanotechnology-scaled/enabled vaccine release) in controlled drug delivery systems.

In Dentistry, particularly, biomimetic products that aid in (a) battling against oro-dental biofilm formation and (b) treating tooth/teeth disorders (conservative and ultra-conservative dentistry for the prevention and treatment/restoration of intact natural dentition) from decays/caries, gingival and periodontal diseases, pulp conditions and trauma/fractures, to list a few, is, also projected to considerably grow from the accounted > USD$ 3.5 million (segment) of the medical biomimetics market, in 2020. Interestingly, the market study [6] reported on the significance and impact of the recent advancements in the field of nanotechnology, expanding in the healthcare sector, as the demonstrated dynamic biomimetic behavior rendered feasible for exemplifying single cells at high output, concluding that such scientific, technical, and technological developments will open the door wider for nano-biomimetics (novel material composites and pharmaceutics) boosting the Medical Market, in the future.

Prominent major players and competitors operating in the medical biomimetics market include Abbott, BioHorizons, Biomimetics Laboratories Inc., BioTomo Pty. Ltd., Avinent Implant System, Hstar Technologies corporation, and Veryan medical among others. Herein, collaborations, partnerships, and acquisitions are among the various business strategies recently visibly adopted to enhance the co-market share [6]. Finally, the clinical and regulatory requirements for approving the translation of biomimetic products continue to present a stringent hurdle and challenge to them.

3. Nature as R&D&I laboratory: examples of biomimetic HealthCare

Nature retains an unlimited imagination. Japan’s famous high-speed 240–320 km/h Shinkansen bullet train [7] was inspired by the shape of the Kingfisher’s beak (Alcedinidae), a small to medium-sized brightly colored bird with long, narrow-pointed, and dagger-like beak allowing to dive into the water without splashing to catch prey. Not only did this bio-inspiration help to reduce noise and eliminate tunnel booms, yet also allowed the train to travel 10% faster using 15% less electricity. A US-Canadian team (finalists for the European Inventor Award in 2018) innovated turbine blades with three-dimensional bumps [8] on their leading edges based on viewing the "bumpy" flippers (tubercles) of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae). They discovered that this helped the 14–18 m long and ~40 metric ton fish reduce unwanted whirling masses of air (vortices), thereby reducing drag while simultaneously increasing lift. The team’s improved turbine aerodynamic performance can help wind farms generate up to 20% more power and increase airflow by up to 25% in industrial fans and blowers, whilst producing less noise by at least 2 decibels and requiring less maintenance (life-time of wind turbine increased by 25%). Henceforth, and given such competitive benefits (~20% better) to market leaders, their first licensed product is forecasted to be worth ~USD 10 billion in 2022.

In HealthCare, studies in biomedical technology, bioengineering, and dental biomaterials, for example, have already shown that our science and engineering cannot currently out-perform many of nature’s capabilities. The COVID-19 pandemic reminded us that we are constantly vulnerable to life-threatening invasions from bacterial species, many of which have existed on the planet billions of years before us. Biomimicry [9, 10], the study of the formation, structure, and function of biologically produced substances and materials, mechanisms, and processes, as stated earlier, can help design, develop, formulate, fabricate and translate new biosolutions.

For example, Biomatrica [11], a subsidiary of Exact Sciences Corporation (following acquisition in 2018 for USD$ 20 million), a Wisconsin-based molecular diagnostics and cancer screening company, to overcome the problem that many vaccines are lost due to breaks in refrigeration during shipping and treatment (a hurdle we all witnessed during the Coronavirus infectious disease or COVID-19 caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus pandemic), adapted and incorporated into their product a process (ambient temperature storage reagents for DNA and RNA) inspired from the Tardigrade, a millimeter-long cousin of the arthropods. Briefly, these creatures employ a protective process called anhydrobiosis, which safeguards their DNA, RNA, and proteins until water revives them, even though they can dry out for up to 120 years. Basically, the tardigrade releases trehalose, a simple sugar molecule and as the water leaves their cells, the trehalose replaces where the water once was, and the cell membrane releases the water and bonds to the sugar instead, hence, by doing this, the proteins stay in the same place that they would be when fully hydrated. The company used this bioinspiration to protect live vaccines so that they no longer need to be refrigerated. Such can be helpful for vaccinating vulnerable populations in tropical areas. SB 3000 [12] or Swedish Biomimetics 3000, a ground-breaking life science and pharmaceutical company headquartered in Copenhagen-Denmark, found inspiration in the defense mechanism of ground carnivorous Bombardier beetles (Carabidae) to develop a micro-mist spray technology with potential application in nebulizers (a type of breathing machine that lets you inhale medicated vapors), called μMIST, that has a lower carbon print/impact than aerosol sprays, as it does not require a propellant to work (spray highly-viscous formulations). Those beetles, when disturbed, repel attacking insects by ejecting a hot (near-boiling temperature) noxious chemical spray produced (via a chemical reaction between hydroquinone and hydrogen peroxide) in their abdomen (alongside a popping sound). At Kansai University in Osaka-Japan [13], a team of engineers found inspiration in mosquito bites, replicating their proboscis, to develop pain-free needles and injections, to replace the conventional hypodermic steel needles, that despite being smooth, do penetrate deep and leave ample metal contact with skin tissue hence causing us pain. Studies revealed that mosquitos inject us by vibrating their proboscis to help the serrated sections of their maxillae ease down, with least sensation possible, through our skin. We do not feel the bite itself because this small-/close-contact mechanism reduces friction and in consequence, nerve stimulation, but feel discomfort afterward because the mosquitos inject bacteria that cause irritation and pain [13].

For bioprinting, a novel bio-ink incorporating Hyaluronic Acid (HA), a natural linear polysaccharide found in many tissues throughout the human body, was recently developed by Rutgers University in New Jersey and one of America's leading public research universities [14]. Herein, the HA bio-polymer, whose main function is to retain water to keep tissues well lubricated and moist, is also well known to play an important role in regulating cell differentiation, migration, angiogenesis, and inflammation/immunological responses. Briefly, the bio-ink material is made of modified HA and polyethylene glycol to serve as the basic “ink cartridge” for the 3-D printing of different scaffolds (in a range of physico-chemico-mechanical/rheological and biological properties; personalized/customized design and manufacturing) that can be employed for growing, restoring and replacing the lost and/or defective human tissues, overcoming few of the main challenges in the field of 3-D bio-printing.

Inspired by squid [15], a mollusc cephalopod with an elongated soft body, large eyes, eight arms, tentacles, and more particularly the teeth present in ring formations inside suction cups on those tentacles, researchers Penn State University in Pennsylvania-USA, developed a self-assembled composite material with tunable electric properties for bio-engineering use. Herein, they noticed that the squid ring teeth are made up of proteins that can combine (or assemble) in different ways to help the squid grip onto a surface or grasp prey. Also, if the teeth break, they can self-heal. The structure of the squid ring teeth proteins (tandem repeat proteins) helped inspire a solution to problems in creating mixtures (matrix-to-filler ratios, in tiny or small areas) with highly-tunable properties, suitable for improving electronic devices, such as diodes or regulators, as well as topologically-networked biomaterials to isotropically and anisotropically modulate the “electronic transport” in composites.

Biomimetic Dentistry (including regenerative dentistry) [16], on the other hand, is the art and science of clinically restoring damaged teeth and using materials that mimic the properties of natural teeth—in terms of strength, appearance, and function (main reference to adhesive materials in restorative dentistry). Indeed, according to the Academy of Biomimetic Dentistry [17], the biomimetic dentistry approach (and currently-available materials) can help dentists conserve as much of the tooth structure as possible, preserve tooth vitality and prevent unnecessary damage to root canals, restore teeth that would otherwise (traditionally) need an extraction, increase the bond strength of dental restorations by 400%, minimize shrinkage stress on the teeth, eliminate sensitivity/pain, and create long-lasting restorations that prevent complications often experienced with conventional approaches. 3-D printing might also be helpful for the next generation of bone grafts to clinically-create on-demand patient-specific scaffolds [18, 19]. Indeed, in the developing area of regenerative dentistry, the “bio-tooth” [20], perhaps is a fine biomimesis or biomimicry example, in pursuit. Herein, for a bio-engineered and fully-functional tooth, the synergistic employment of the accruing understanding of the underlying cellular and molecular biology into the creative (and patient-specific) design of oral, dental (and cranio-maxillo-facial therapies) that ultimately aim to restore, repair, rejuvenate, replace and/or regenerate defected, damaged/injured or lost tissues is key. Collectively, alongside incorporating tissue engineering and regenerative nano-biomaterials would boost and expedite high-quality research to eventually realize it.

4. Conclusions

The examples illustrating biomimicry for health and in novel healthcare applications are plenty, and some will be explored within the chapters of this book, to further demonstrate the innovative form of biomimetic technology that imitates (or mimics) nature to improve human lives via creating desirable solutions. To re-emphasize, such a process requires the study of nature and natural phenomena, principles, and underlying mechanisms, to obtain bio-inspiration that may benefit various applied scientific and technological disciplines. Smart/Intelligent nano-biomaterials for Tissue Engineering, Regenerative Medicine and Regenerative Dentistry is a fine example. It is also perhaps worth mentioning in this introductory chapter that biomimicry can go above and beyond the simplistic bio-inspiration and use of natural properties as the basis for innovation and translation of new products to the demanding market of end-users and patients. It can bridge the gap between the lab and the industry via the intra-disciplinary design and formulation of functional solutions combining knowledge, methods, techniques, and advances in the fields of chemistry, biology, architecture, engineering, medicine, pharmaceutics, and dentistry, alongside contributions from artificial intelligence, robotics, bio-informatics, and omics. Indeed, biomimesis, today, can be considered the leading scientifically-relevant paradigm for innovative design and the guide for advancing new methods and devices, for a higher scientific, technological, technical, medical, and socio-economic impact. There is still much to learn from nature and the world around us, including ourselves since we are one of the most successful end-products and -users.

Acknowledgments

This work was supported by operating grants provided to BioMAT’X I+D+I (HAIDAR LAB: Laboratorio de Biomateriales, Farmacéuticos y Bioingeniería de Tejidos Cráneo Máxilo-Facial), a member of CiiB, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad de los Andes, through the awarded project funds: (1) NAM-USA/ANID-Chile # NAM 21I0022 (2021-2023) and (2) CORFO Crea y Valida # 21CVC2-183649 (2022-2024).

Conflict of interest

The author declares no conflict of interest.

Notes/thanks/other declarations

I would like to thank Mr. Josip Knapić, Author Service Manager at IntechOpen for his constant support, communication, feedback and in the timely-preparation of our project “Biomimetics—Bridging the Gap”, with content, to the best of abilities, different from what has been previously published. Thank you and hope for the next.