At the end of the course, students will have acquired: 1) basic knowledge of stem cell biology and the most advanced techniques currently available for 3D modeling of organs and tissues in normal and pathological conditions. 2) basic knowledge of regenerative medicine and tissue engineering to understand how both are fundamental technologies today for intervening in the repair, regeneration, and replacement of tissues or organs damaged by disease, trauma, or due to defects present at birth or aging. 3) basic knowledge of the use of nanotechnologies applied to biomedicine and cell and gene therapy
Course Prerequisites
A basic knowledge of biology is recommended
Teaching Methods
The lectures will be facilitated by using PowerPoint presentations full of images, videos, and diagrams, which will help students remember, in the best possible way, the concepts learned in the classroom. The material presented during the lessons is made available online on the teacher's website. At the end of the course, the student will have achieved those skills that will allow him to transfer the knowledge acquired to the reality that surrounds him, applying it, particularly to the biomedical field.
Assessment Methods
The final exam will be an oral presentation on one of the topics covered during the course.
Texts
As teaching and study material, students will be provided with scientific articles and/or compendiums on tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, which may be helpful for preparing for the final exam.
Contents
The medicine of the next few years will be based on the advancement of knowledge thanks to miniature replicas of organs and tissues (organoids) and their use in regenerative medicine. The possibility of replacing and/or regenerating (thanks to the use of stem cells), modeling, and printing in 3D damaged organs or tissues will allow the acquisition of precise information to improve patients' quality of life and offer alternatives until now impossible, with conventional techniques. The objective of the course will be to provide students in the second year of the master's degree program with a general overview of the importance of new technologies at the service of medicine from a transdisciplinarity perspective. The first part of the course will be dedicated to defining the different types of stem cells (embryonic, adult, and induced pluripotent stem cells, iPS) and their use in medicine. The second part will be dedicated to current advances in tissue engineering and how cells and artificial materials (scaffolds, biomaterials) can be used to produce implantable tissues in the laboratory, such as, for example, artificial skin or the regeneration of cardiac tissue. The third part will concern regenerative medicine and the new technologies connected to it, such as 3D printing, the use of nanoparticles, and the latest technologies currently used to repair damaged tissues and organs for translation from the laboratory to the patient's bed.
Course Language
English
More information
For students needing support, summary sheets will be provided. They will be prepared using images and diagrams to help students focus on the main characteristics of the techniques used in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.
