Universitat Internacional de Catalunya - Barcelona

Tissue Engineering

• code 13564
• course 3
• term Semester 1
• type OB
• credits 6

Module: ADVANCED TRAINING

Matter: MEDICINE III

Main language of instruction: English

Other languages of instruction: Catalan, Spanish

Head instructor

Dr. Miguel Angel MATEOS - mamateos@uic.es

Office hours

Appointments must be made by email.

Tissue Engineering (TE) is an interdisciplinary field that applies the principles of engineering and life sciences to develop biological substitutes that restore, maintain or improve tissue function.

Students should have completed the following subjects: Biomaterials and Anatomy (year 1) and Cell Biology I and II.

• • To learn the basic concepts of TE 
  • To understand the different processes of cellular signalling and cell-material interactions
  • To learn the different methods for fabricating TE scaffolds
  • To understand and apply the principles of TE to develop new devices for different target tissues

• CB1 - Students must demonstrate that they have and understand knowledge in an area of study based on general secondary education. This knowledge should be of a level that, although based on advanced textbooks, also includes some of the cutting-edge elements from their field of study.
• CB2 - Students must know how to apply their knowledge to their work or vocation in a professional way and have the competences that are demonstrated through the creation and defence of arguments and the resolution of problems within their field of study.
• CB4 - Students can transmit information, ideas, problems and solutions to specialist and non-specialist audiences.
• CB5 - Students have developed the necessary learning skills to undertake subsequent studies with a high degree of autonomy.
• CE16 - To apply specific Bioengineering terminology both verbally and in writing in a foreign language.
• CG10 - To know how to work in a multilingual and multidisciplinary environment.
• CG3 - To be able to learn new methods and theories and be versatile so as to adapt to new situations.
• CG4 - To resolve problems based on initiative, be good at decision-making, creativity, critical reasoning and communication, as well as the transmission of knowledge, skills and prowess in the field of Bioengineering

• To become familiar with the principles of TE
• To become familiar with and apply the different cellular signalling mechanisms to develop new TE therapies
• To become familiar with the methods for fabricating scaffolds, paying particular attention to  both biological and physical-chemical biomaterial properties
• To become familiar with the main limitations of TE, in terms of the vascularisation of the engineered constructs, and understand how to improve these limitations
• To gain a global understanding of TE in order to develop new TE strategies for different target tissues
• To be able to interpret and reason the scientific literature
• To be able to work as a team
• To be able to work in a scientific environment 

1. Tissue Engineering: An introduction
2. Stem Cells
3. Tissue Formation during Embryogenesis
4. Cellular Signaling
5. Extracellular Matrix as a Bioscaffold for Tissue Engineering
6. Degradation of Biomaterials
7. Cell–Material Interactions
8. Microfabrication Technology in Tissue Engineering
9. Scaffold Design and Fabrication
10. Controlled Release Strategies in Tissue Engineering
11. Bioreactors: Enabling Technologies for Research and Manufacturing
12. Vascularization, Survival, and Functionality of Tissue-Engineered Constructs
13. Skin Engineering and Keratinocyte Stem Cell Therapy
14. Cartilage and Bone Regeneration
15. Tissue Engineering of the Nervous System
16. Principles of Cardiovascular Tissue Engineering
17. Tissue Engineering of Organ Systems
18. Organs-on-a-Chip
19. Product and Process Design: Toward Industrial TE Manufacturing

The subject is divided into lessons and introduces everything from the basic concepts (L1-12) to the application of these concepts in the development of TE therapies for different tissues (L13-18). It also includes a lesson on the transfer of TE to industry (L19).

The subject will be divided into theory lessons and student presentations on the TE literature (2-3 presentations), as well as written assignments on the content of the theory lessons. 

The lessons will be taught in English, although the students’ questions will be answered in the language of their choice (Spanish, Catalan or English). All coursework, presentations and exams, however, must be done in English. Most of the class material (presentations, literature…) will be in English, with some exceptions (graphs, tables...). 

1st-sitting exam:

1. Class presentations: 10%
2. Coursework: 10%
3. Midterm exam: 20%
4. Final Exam: 60%

2nd-sitting exam: same criteria as the first, but without the opportunity to earn a distinction.

Important considerations

1. Plagiarism, copying or any other action that may be considered cheating will earn the student a mark of zero on that part of the assessment. Students who do so on an exam will immediately fail the subject.

2. Students must earn a mark of at least 4.5 on the final exam to pass the subject.

3. No changes to the calendar, exam dates or assessment system will be accepted.

Exchange students (Erasmus or others) and repeaters will be subject to the same

conditions as the rest of the students.

• Clemens A. Van Blitterswijk and Jan De Boer, Tissue Engineering 2015, Elsevier, Amsterdam.
• Buddy D. Ratner, Allan S. Hoffman, Frederick J. Schoen, Jack E. Lemons, Biomaterials
• Science An Introduction to Materials in Medicine (2nd Edition), Elsevier, Amsterdam.
• Scientific papers (to be determined)

E: exam date | R: revision date | 1: first session | 2: second session:

• E1 11/01/2021 14:00h P2A03
• E2 29/06/2021 14:00h P2A02