Workshop on the Characterization of Hydrogel Medical Products

(In-person only event)

Date: May 6, 2025 

Event Location:  Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Organized by: ASTM Committee F04 on Medical and Surgical Materials and Devices

 

 

About the Event

The Workshop on the Characterization of Hydrogel Medical Products will be held May 6, 2025. The workshop is organized by ASTM Committee F04 on Medical and Surgical Materials and Devices, and will be held at the Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel, Toronto, Ontario, Canada in conjunction with the standards development meetings of the committee. The language of the workshop will be English.

 

Objective and Scope

This workshop will review current analytical techniques for characterizing hydrogel-based materials for medical applications. Characterization techniques can include material characterization to provide information on chemistry, morphology, mechanical properties, thermal properties, and other properties, as well as in-use characterization, such as degradation, erosion, swelling/deswelling, biocompatibility, drug release, and aging behavior. Currently, there are few ASTM hydrogel characterization procedures relevant to medical devices, and this workshop should identify test methods that are suitable for standardization with either implantable or non-implantable applications hydrogel materials.

Topics include, but are not limited to:

  • Definitions of hydrogels
  • Use of hydrogels in medical applications
  • Regulatory perspective on hydrogels in medical devices
  • Mechanical testing of hydrogels
  • Morphology
  • Degradation assessment
  • Swelling/deswelling behavior in variable environments
  • Chemical characterization for biocompatibility
  • Curing behavior
  • Accelerated aging
  • Surface Properties
  • Application specific testing
  • New Standards Needed

 

Who Should Attend

The workshop may be of interest to engineers, chemists, regulators, and scientists associated with medical device manufacturers, testing facilities, and regulators in the medical device space that are engaged with hydrogel-based medical products. Pharmaceutical manufacturers using hydrogel technology may also find the workshop interesting.

 

Abstract Submission

Those interested in presenting at this workshop should submit a 250 to 300-word abstract pertaining to the above topics to Workshop Chairs, Stephen Spiegelberg and Jon Moseley, by December 31, 2024.

 

Publication Information

Symposium authors are required to submit their papers for ASTM publication in Selected Technical Papers (STP), an online and printed, peer-reviewed publication for the international scientific and engineering community. STP papers should be full-length technical papers of approximately 10,000 words, significantly contribute to the technical literature, and must include a review of past work in the relevant area and present information of current interest or probe new fields. After the final selection of abstracts has been approved, the ASTM Editorial Office will send authors’ instructions via email, but also can be found by clicking here.

Manuscripts to be peer reviewed for the STP are due online no later than DATE at the ASTM Editorial Office. The corresponding author (the author who is the main contact with ASTM Headquarters) will receive a copy of his/her paper in portable document format (PDF). All published authors will have the opportunity to purchase reprints of their papers at a nominal cost. Only those papers submitted by the manuscript due date will be included in the STP. Please note that all submitted papers are subject to peer review by two independent reviewers.

The STP will be submitted to the Library of Congress with an ISBN number and will be reviewed for inclusion in the Web of Science Conference Proceedings Citation Index (CPCI) and Google Scholar.

 

Technical Program

A technical program (presentation times and titles, and presenters’ names) will be posted on the ASTM website by February 2025.

 

Registration

Registration opens approximately 10 weeks before the start of the workshop.

 

Registration

Registration is now open. The fees to attend this event are listed below.

 

Through

MONTH DAY, YEAR

 After MONTH DAY, YEAR
ASTM Member $100.00 $200.00
Non-member $200.00 $300.00
Presenter Waived Waived
Student Waived Waived

Not an ASTM Member?  An Individual Membership costs only $115.00. If you would like to become a member of ASTM International and Committee F04 to begin taking advantage of all the ASTM membership benefits, including attending this event at a reduced rate, please use the link below to join ASTM before registering for the event. After you have become a member, please return to this webpage to register for the event as an ASTM Member.

ASTM International Membership

All Attendees – All attendees are urged to register for this workshop before arriving onsite. All attendees must check in at the ASTM Registration Area to obtain their name badge before entering the event room.

Presenters– Workshop presenters do not need to register. All presenters will be automatically registered by ASTM.

Students – Students may be eligible for a reduced registration fee provided they meet certain requirements. To qualify for the reduced fee, you must be an active ASTM Student Member, full-time student, not employed full-time, and be able to provide a current valid university email address for registration. To register as a student, please email ASTM Symposia Operations at symposia@astm.org.

Cancellations – A refund of the workshop fee will be honored only if requested at least 10 business days prior to the start of the event. To cancel your registration, please click the "Modify My Registration" button found in your registration confirmation email and follow the prompts to cancel your registration. Please contact Symposia Operations at symposia@astm.org or 610-832-9522 if you need assistance.

If you have questions concerning online registration, please contact Symposia Operations at
symposia@astm.org Tel: 610-832-9522, or ASTM Technical Support at https://www.astm.org/contact.

 

Technical Chair Contact Information


Stephen Spiegelberg
Email: stephen.spiegelberg@campoly.com

Jon Moseley
Email: jonmoseley@mindspring.com
 

Continuing Education Units

SYMPOSIUM/WORKSHOP attendees interested in receiving 0.35 Continuing Education Units (CEUs) must complete the CEU application form in the back of the program booklet and email it to ASTM Symposia Operations at symposia@astm.org. You must be registered and have attended the entire event in order to receive the CEU’s. A certificate will be sent to you via email approximately 1 to 2 weeks after the SYMPOSIUM/WORKSHOP concludes.

 

Hotel Information

The event will be held at the Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel in Toronto, Ontario. More information on how to make your sleeping room reservation will be posted approximately 12 weeks prior to the start of the event.

 

Hotel Information

 

COPY AND PASTE HOTEL INFORMATION

 

Standards Development Meetings

Committee F04 invites you to attend their future standards development meetings. There is no fee to attend these meetings, and membership in ASTM International is not required to attend. For more information about the committee and their future meetings, please visit the Committee F04 Homepage.