Available online at www.sciencedirect.com Journal of Membrane Science 308 (2008) 1–34 Review Medical applications of membranes: Drug delivery, artificial organs and tissue engineering Dimitrios F. Stamatialis a,∗ , Bernke J. Papenburg a , Miriam Giron´ es a , Saiful Saiful a , Srivatsa N.M. Bettahalli a , Stephanie Schmitmeier b , Matthias Wessling a a Institute for Biomedical Technology (BMTI), University of Twente, Faculty of Science and Technology, Membrane Technology Group, PO Box 217, 7500 AE Enschede, The Netherlands b Department of Biochemistry of Micronutrients, German Institute of Human Nutrients, Arthur-Scheunert-Allee 114-116, 14558 Nuthetal, Germany Received 29 April 2007; received in revised form 20 September 2007; accepted 27 September 2007 Available online 3 October 2007 Abstract This paper covers the main medical applications of artificial membranes. Specific attention is given to drug delivery systems, artificial organs and tissue engineering which seem to dominate the interest of the membrane community this period. In all cases, the materials, methods and the current state of the art are evaluated and future prospects are discussed. Concerning drug delivery systems, attention is paid to diffusion controlled systems. For the transdermal delivery systems, passive as well as iontophoretic systems are described in more detail. Concerning artificial organs, we cover in detail: artificial kidney, membrane oxygenation, artificial liver, artificial pancreas as well as the application of membranes for tissue engineering scaffolds and bioreactors. This review shows the important role of membrane science and technology in medical applications but also highlights the importance of collaboration of membrane scientists with others (biologists, bioengineers, medical doctors, etc.) in order to address the complicated challenges in this field. © 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. Keywords: Membranes; Medical applications; Drug delivery; Artificial organs; Tissue engineering Contents 1. Introduction ............................................................................................................... 2 1.1. Biomaterials: biocompatibility–biodegradability ........................................................................ 3 2. Drug delivery ............................................................................................................. 4 2.1. General ............................................................................................................ 4 2.2. Osmotic membrane systems .......................................................................................... 4 2.3. Diffusion controlled membrane systems ............................................................................... 4 2.3.1. Pills ....................................................................................................... 5 2.3.2. Implants .................................................................................................... 5 2.3.3. Patches ..................................................................................................... 5 2.3.4. Other systems ............................................................................................... 5 2.4. Transdermal drug delivery ........................................................................................... 5 2.4.1. Passive diffusion ............................................................................................ 6 2.4.2. Iontophoresis ............................................................................................... 7 ∗ Corresponding author. Tel.: +31 53 4894675; fax: +31 53 4894611. E-mail address: d.stamatialis@utwente.nl (D.F. Stamatialis). 0376-7388/$ – see front matter © 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.memsci.2007.09.059