Course syllabus

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KPO065 KPO065 Tissue engineering lp3 VT24 (7.5 hp)

The course starts on Tuesday, 16 January at 10:00 in FL51 and follows block schedule D.

Contact details

Examiner:

Lecturers:

Project coaches:

  1. Sviatlana Shashkova
  2. Julie Gold
  3. Caroline Beck Adiels

Course purpose

Although lives of thousands of people are saved by reconstructive surgery, many people are still waiting for organ donations. In the last decade Tissue engineering has emerged as a new discipline within reconstructive surgery, with focus on in vitro fabrication of living, human spare parts. Tissue engineering encompasses several different sciences such as biology, chemistry, material science, engineering, immunology and transplantation. The course in Tissue engineering provides a general understanding of tissue growth and development as well as the tools and theoretical information necessary to design tissues and organs.

Schedule

TimeEdit

Course literature

  • Principles of Tissue Engineering 1st Edition  Editors: Robert Lanza, Robert Langer, Joseph Vacanti, Anthony Atala, 2008, complemented by Principles of Tissue Engineering 4th Edition  Editors: Robert Lanza, Robert Langer, Joseph Vacanti, Anthony Atala, 2013  (Both available as e-books at Chalmers' library.)

  • Lecture slides

Course design

The course consists of lectures, seminars, laboratory tutorial and project work. The laboratory tutorial will include an introduction to sterile technique, cell seeding laboratory and tissue biofabrication. In the group projects, students will prepare grant proposals for tissue engineering of selected tissue/organs for unmet clinical needs. The written proposal will be submitted and presented orally. Further, there is a study visit organised at a local tissue engineering company.

Content

The following topics will be covered:

  • Introduction
  • Cell biology, the basis of growth and differentiation
  • Morphogenesis
  • Growth factors
  • In vitro control of tissue development
  • Tissue culture
  • Biomaterial scaffolds
  • Cell-biomaterial interactions
  • Bioreactors
  • Biofabrication incl. 3D Bioprinting of tissues and organs

Projects

The Tissue Engineering (TE) projects, focusing on cartilage, neural, and liver tissue, are set for presentation on January 16. Enter "Quizzes" to rank your top three preferences and provide information about your bachelor's education and master’s program. This will aid forming optimal groups. Please ensure you have completed the form before January 17 at 17:00. Each group will consist of 6-7 members collaborating throughout the course.

On January 19, detailed information regarding the general outline of the TE project will be provided and a collaboration agreement will be established. Coaches will meet with their respective groups to introduce their projects more comprehensively, explaining the goals and offering guidance for literature searches. Throughout the course, students will conduct literature searches and gather background information for their chosen projects. It's crucial to initiate literature studies immediately after the introduction. Both project work time and consultation time (1 hour/week) with coaches are scheduled weekly, usually on most Friday sessions during the course. However, each group will discuss and agree on a suitable meeting time with their respective project leader.

A brief presentation outlining the clinical problem and overarching purpose of each project is expected on January 24. The presentation should be limited to 5 minutes, with all group members present.

The TE project proposals should be uploaded on CANVAS by March 1 at 16:00 and on March 8, all projects will be orally presented.

Changes made since the last occasion

In 2023, the tissue engineering (TE) project groups were excessively large, prompting a reduction to five students per TE project this year. Coaching procedures have been streamlined, with planned joint activities to ensure each student group receives equivalent information and support. Additionally, the credit allocation for the TE project has been reduced to 40 points, down from the previous 60 points.

Learning objectives and syllabus

Learning objectives:

  • Describe the principles of tissue engineering
  • Describe clinical applications of tissue engineered products in regenerative medicine
  • Define the importance of scaffold materials in tissue engineering with focus on surface-, mechanical- and biological properties
  • Describe different scaffold materials and define in what applications these materials can be applied
  • Describe several scaffold fabrication techniques such as electrospinning and solvent casting/particulate leaching
  • Describe different biofabrication methods of tissue with focus on additive manufacturing, and particularly, the 3D Bioprinting technology
  • Describe the early events that occur in tissue development, from the first division in the egg to the migration of cells to form the different germ layers
  • Describe the formation of different organs due to gene regulations and cell signaling
  • Describe the equipment used in cell culturing laboratory
  • Describe the basic components of the Extracellular Matrix (ECM) and its importance in tissue engineering
  • Describe the signaling process between cells and cell-ECM and its potential outcomes on cellular fate
  • Define the importance of bioreactors in tissue engineering
  • In theory, design a bioreactor and put emphasis on its requirements for cultivation of tissue engineered products
  • Define the ethical and regulatory aspects of tissue engineering in clinical applications
  • Develop a project within the field of tissue engineering which seeks to solve unmet clinical needs

Link to the syllabus on Studieportalen.

Study plan

If the course is a joint course (Chalmers and Göteborgs Universitet) you should link to both syllabus (Chalmers and Göteborgs Universitet).

Examination form

Examination through written grant proposal submission, grant proposal presentations  and a written exam.

Individual active participation is required in all group work. Grading will reflect the level of achievement of the whole group, with individual adjustment of grades from the group grade applied when relevant.

Written exam will take place 12:00-18:00 on March 12, 2024 . (Don't forget to register!)

Accredited points from the TE project: 40 points (at max) Written final exam: 60 points

TOTAL (MAX) 100 POINTS

The total amount of points will be summarised and the final grade will be assigned according to the following scale:
5 = 86-1004 = 70-853 = 50-69U < 50 

Course summary:

Date Details Due