|
1. The student can name and explain the origin and function of the basic Tissue Engineering elements and
form interdisciplinaire connections between these basic function and reason how they can be applied to
improve tissue engineering.
2. The student can explain, in his/her own words, the distinct forms and strategies of Tissue Engineering
and can independently form substantiated comparative opinions on the relevance of these strategies for
specific applications.
3. The student can name and explain, in his/her own words, the origin, characteristics and function of the
distinct cell types that can be used for tissue formation and can explain how (stem) cells can be used for
tissue regeneration and identify current limitations and form substantiated arguments on which type of
progress is most desired.
4. The student can explain, in his/her own words, the basic principles of organ formation during embryonic
development, recognize limitations of te current state of the art as well as the relevance of overcoming
these limitations for tissue engineering.
5. The student can explain, in his/her own words, the current possibilities and limitations of the engineering of
new tissues and form realistic and testable hypotheses that could potentially improve tissue regeneration.
6. The student can name and explain, in his/her own words, the distinct additive manufacturing technologies
and their theoretical background, identify their limitation, as well as their benefits and drawbacks for tissue
engineering, and independently interdisciplinary connections to improve these technologies and their
application.
7. The student can write a report of the experiments at an advanced level (journal style).
8. The student can accurately and safely perform laboratorial experiments at an advanced level.
9. The student can design, perform, analyze and reflect on a scientific experiment at an advanced level.
|
 |
|
The course ‘Tissue Engineering’ provides students with both basic knowledge as well as state-of-the-art examples of the field of regenerative medicine and tissue engineering in particular. The course will rely on the text book: Tissue Engineering 2nd edition (ISBN13: 9780124201453), which will be available as a downloadable e-book.
The course will be composed of multiple lectures that will cover all essential Tissue Engineering topics, which will be followed by a practical assignment. At the start of the course students will have the opportunity to an non-committal entrance exam, which reveal the presence and gaps in the students’ knowledge. The depth and extent of the following lectures will be adjusted based on this preliminary test. Lectures will detail on cells source (stem cell vs mature cell), extracellular matrix (natural and engineered), Growth factors (tissue formation and controlled release), construct vascularization (methods and approaches), types of tissue engineering (Top-down vs Bottom-up), and advanced enabling technologies (microtechnology and 3D bioprinting). Internationally leading scientist will perform guest lectures on specific topics. For each lecture a set of questions will be provided via which the students can test their grasp of the topic’s content. Lectures will take place over a period of 4 weeks. Every other week there is a dedicated opportunity for discussion on the content and questions of the past lectures. The lectures will be followed by an individual written exam that will count for 40% of the final grade. During these first 4 weeks the student will also work on an assignment, which will be presented by the student. This assignment will count for 10% of the final grade, which will be based on a presentation. This assignment revolves around the formation of a well-argued opinion on the relevance and translatability of a recently published solution that aims to solve an key challenge within the field.
Students will subsequently gain practical experience via lab work that will be performed in a subgroup format. Students will be able to choose between two practical assignments, which are either mostly biological or mostly engineering. Assignment one focusses on the decellularization of a tissue, which will be recellularized to form an engineering tissue. Assignment two focusses on the 3D printing of a designer construct that will be seeded with cells to generate an engineered tissue. For both assignments students will have the choice to engineer liver, skeletal, or heart tissue. The students will be allowed to design their own experiments within the boundaries of the practically feasible. Experts researchers will act as mentors for the experimental design. Students will present their design, which will provide the basis for a go or no-go (revision) decision to proceed with the experimental lab work. Lab work will count for 50% of the final grade, which will be based on an oral presentation, which will be assessed on design, scientific accuracy, data interpretation, originality, contextualization, and future perspective.
|
|
|