Surface modification of medical devices at nanoscale-recent development and translational perspectives

Medical devices can offer valuable healthcare solutions due to their advanced capability in both disease diagnosis and therapy. Together with recent developments in manufacturing techniques, medical devices can now be fabricated using a diverse range of materials including metals, polymers, hydrogels, carbons, and composites. However, it is often found that living tissues are capable of sensing mismatches when material surfaces having different physical, chemical, or structural properties are interfaced with the tissue. Following this initial recognition stage, native tissues can react to the foreign surfaces by imposing several complex responses, in which unwanted reactions (e.g., inflammation, rejection, and infection) may impact the biointegration and performance of medical devices or severely affect the body and tissue functions.