Needs, problems, and opportunities in biomaterials and biocompatibility

There are four topics related to biomaterials and biocompatibility which I feel are key problems, are often unrecognized, and are therefore rich opportunities for work in the near future: (i) the covalent instability of proteins, (ii) the concept of statistical specificity and statistical heterogeneity, (iii) the issue of solid surface dynamics and surface relaxation, and (iv) the growing concern with the costs of health care and of medical research. Each is briefly discussed in this paper.