Repair and regeneration of tissue and organs

Summary

Due to the ageing of our population, there is an increasing need for materials and techniques, which can be used for the repair or even regeneration of lost or damaged tissues and organs. Recently, this has led to the advent of a new branch of biomedical research; called "tissue engineering" (TE). TE aims to develop means to repair, uphold, or improve diseased tissues. A large number of technological and biological aspects is considered, like the development of matrices, the retrieval of stem/precursor cell types, and the use of growth factors. The expanding area of TE also accounts for an ever growing number of research institutes and companies actively involved in the field (job opportunities), and an increasing number of scientific magazines and conferences addressing to these developments. In this course, the main aspects and methods of TE will be considered, in theory as well as in practice.

Keywords

In the course, tissue regeneration will be discussed from many different angles. Lectures and workgroups will be organized from departments like Biomaterials, Biochemistry, Pathology, Orthopeadics, Rheumatology, Immunology, and Ethics. Besides the theoretical background, attention will be given to practical applications of tissue regeneration. The student will gain experience with a large number of different techniques in the area of biomaterials, matrix biology and growth factor research.

Study pathway

It is aimed to provide a weekly schedule of lectures, group assignments, and self-study assignments to provide the student with a solid base knowledge to address to tissue engineering challenges. This background will be used in several laboratory approaches for practical work, of which reports are prepared and discussed amongst the group.