TEXTILES.ORG
When I started as an editor for ATA, my focus was fabric graphics. When I started working on our flagship print, Specialty Fabrics Review, I got to know the full range of markets and applications in the industrial (or functional) fabrics industry. Increasingly, I was drawn to the high-tech end of the industry, especially (what was then) breakthroughs in smart materials, advanced protective technologies, and biomedical textile research.
There are a some “aha” moments for me related to medical textiles and medtex products. For example:
- A textile made into a glove (another wearable) that turns the body’s own energy onto itself to accelerate healing.
- A presentation at ATA’s Expo on biomedical textile implants with programmable and targeted drug delivery.
- A smart glove that can help restore hand usage to a patient who has lost this ability due to stroke, accident, or disease.
The last one’s personal, since it could have been so meaningful for my brother-in-law, had he lived long enough to try it out. But we all know someone who could benefit from the kind of technologies that are now available: advanced wound care delivered via fiber scaffolds; prosthetics that respond to an individual patient’s needs or preferences; remote, 24/7 vital sign monitoring via a wearable that is imperceptible under the patient’s regular clothing. These are just the ones off the top of my head.
Dr. Seshadri Ramkumar’s feature on this topic, “What’s next in medical textiles,” will give you a clearer picture of the larger impact—and future growth—of the medical textile industry. The research now underway is every bit as exciting as the research that so impressed me years ago, and that now has been commercialized.
So much more is possible. Dr. Ramkumar is right when he calls for government commitments and investments from industry to bolster support in our research facilities. I’m sure you realize that succeeding in the medical textile field is more challenging than many market areas. Regulations and industry standards are there for good reason, but navigating them requires time, and that means money, to stay the course.
The future of the functional fabrics industry, as Dr. Ramkumar has noted many times, is driven in large part by advanced textile technologies—especially for European and U.S. industry participants. At least this is what we’ve believed for some time. However, in order for this trend to continue long term, government support and other investments must be reliable or the talent will look elsewhere.
Technological advances start with people who have great ideas and the expertise to know how to pursue them successfully. But people will go where they can depend on a solid commitment to long-term support. Let’s hope our leadership in this area stays strong.
Janet Preus is senior editor of Textile Technology Source. She can be reached at janet.preus@textiles.org.