Syllabus

Course Meeting Times

Lectures: 2 sessions / week, 1.5 hours / session

Course Objective

The goal of this subject is to teach the physical and biological principles that serve as the scientific basis for understanding the interactions of biological molecules and cells with biomaterials employed for the fabrication of permanent implantable prostheses and as matrices for tissue engineering.

• "Unit cell processes" are used to describe wound healing and tissue remodeling in the absence and presence of implants.
• Emphasis on the molecular and cellular interactions between standardized biomaterials surfaces and model biological environments.
• Principles of tissue engineering.
• Critical characteristics of biomaterials surfaces and methods of analysis.
• Comparative analysis of permanent and biodegradable implants by reference to case studies.

Prerequisites

Chemistry GIR (3.091, 5.111, or 5.112)
Thermal-Fluids Engineering I (2.005) or Thermodynamics and Kinetics (5.60)
Biology GIR (7.012, 7.013, or 7.014)

Textbook and Readings

Readings from the literature will be assigned for many classes. Selected readings will also be assigned from the course textbook:

Yannas, I. V. Tissue and Organ Regeneration in Adults. New York, NY: Springer, 2001. ISBN: 9780387952147. [Preview in Google Books]

Homework Sets

Most of the homework questions are quiz questions from prior years. Homework sets will be graded on a scale of 0-3.

Grading

The final grade will be based principally on 3 quizzes. Performance on the homework sets and class participation may also be taken into consideration, particularly for borderline grades.

Calendar