OVERVIEW

The teaching aims to provide the student with the necessary tools to understand the issues related to the fabrication and engineering of structures suitable for mimicking/replacement/regeneration of human body tissues. In particular, basic knowledge related to cell biology, stem cells, biocompatibility, cell culture techniques, and fabrication and engineering of advanced in vitro models will be provided. The main objective is to emphasize the importance of understanding biological phenomena at the cellular and tissue level to develop therapeutic strategies that can overcome the limitations of conventional therapies. The application examples that will be proposed will thus aim to stimulate and develop the student's skills in applying theoretical knowledge to the field of tissue engineering.

AIMS AND CONTENT

LEARNING OUTCOMES

L'insegnamento si propone di fornire conoscenze sugli aspetti fondamentali e tecnologici legati all'ingegneria dei tessuti e alla medicina rigenerativa con particolare riferimento alla biologia cellulare, cellule staminali, biocompatibilità, sistemi di colture cellulari, substrati innovativi per colture cellulari e modelli avanzati in vitro. L'obiettivo principale è sottolineare l'importanza di comprendere i fenomeni biologici a livello cellulare e tissutale al fine di sviluppare strategie terapeutiche in grado di superare i limiti delle terapie convenzionali. Gli esempi applicativi che verranno proposti avranno quindi lo scopo di stimolare e sviluppare le capacità dello studente nell'applicazione delle conoscenze teoriche al campo dell'ingegneria dei tessuti.

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

Attendance, active participation and individual study will enable the student to:

-know and be able to describe in depth the principles underlying tissue engineering and regenerative medicine;

-be able to describe the principles of cell biology applied to bioengineering;

-know the different chemical and physical properties of human tissues;

-know the main mechanisms underlying tissue repair and regeneration;

-apply the physicochemical properties of the extracellular matrix to the design and engineering of in vitro tissue models and cell substitutes.

-know how to describe technologies for the fabrication and characterization of scaffolds.

-identify the most suitable scaffolds for a specific application;

-give examples of engineering applications in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.

-Capability to communicate effectively in written and oral form, adaptation of one's communication to the context, use of various sources and aids, critical thinking, ability to use, process and evaluate information, argumentative skills.

-Ability to manage one's social interactions, cooperative attitude, constructive communication in different environments, ability to respect others and their needs, willingness to overcome prejudices, express and understand different points of view, conflict management, ability to build trust, empathy.

-Ability to develop one's imagination and creativity, critical reflection, thinking strategy, problem solving with particular reference to contexts of innovation and processes evolving creativity, ability to transform ideas into action, self-awareness

PREREQUISITES

Organic chemistry

TEACHING METHODS

The teaching consists of lectures and a theoretical-practical laboratory part. The laboratory will be taught by the lecturers in charge of the teaching. At the beginning of each laboratory activity there will be a brief theoretical introduction with the aim of providing the basic principles on which the techniques that will be used are based.

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

• Eukaryotic animal cell
• The extracellular matrix
• Cell adhesion
• Stem cells
• Tissue types
• In vitro cell culture techniques and equipment
• Biomimetic surfaces
• Biomimetic biomaterials
• Biocompatibility definition and evaluation
• Bioreactors for tissue engineering

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

Slide and other teaching materials will be provided

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

LESSONS

LESSONS START

https://corsi.unige.it/11159/p/studenti-orario

Class schedule

The timetable for this course is available here: Portale EasyAcademy

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

The examination consists of an oral test consisting of three main topics, one of which is the student's choice.

ASSESSMENT METHODS

The oral examination will cover the topics covered during the lectures and will aim to assess not only whether the student has achieved an adequate level of knowledge, but whether he or she has acquired the ability to critically analyze the engineering problems that will be posed during the examination.