Education and Courses

At the Tissue Engineering Laboratories, we are dedicated to educating and training the next generation of scientists and engineers. Professor Myron Spector is the instructor for the following classes at MIT and Harvard Medical School.The courses can be accessed by clicking in the links below.  Many of the course materials can be found at MIT OpenCourseWare (http://ocw.mit.edu/OcwWeb/web/courses/courses/index.htm).

Principles and Practice of Tissue Engineering, HST.535 - Fall Terms
(Dr. Spector developed this subject.  The classes are Webcast to the World.)
The principles and practice of tissue engineering (and regenerative medicine) are taught by faculty of HST/MIT-Harvard and other invited lecturers. The principles underlying strategies for employing selected exogenous cells, biomaterial scaffolds, soluble regulators or their genes, and mechanical loading, for the regeneration of tissues and organs in vitro and in vivo are addressed. Differentiated cell types and stem cells are compared and contrasted for this application, as are natural and synthetic scaffolds. The rationale for employing selected growth factors is covered and the methods for incorporating their genes into the scaffolds are examined. Discussion addresses the influence of environmental factors including mechanical loading and culture conditions. Methods for fabricating tissue-engineered products and devices for implantation are taught. Examples of procedures currently employed clinically are analyzed as case studies.

Biomaterial-Tissue Interactions, 2.79J/3.96J/20.441J/HST 522J, MIT (Fall Terms)
(Dr. Spector developed this course with Prof. I. Yannas of MIT.)
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.

Cell-Matrix Mechanics 2.785J/3.97J/HST523J, MIT Spring Terms (alternate years)
(Dr. Spector developed this course with Prof. I. Yannas of MIT.)
The topics include:
• Response of cells and tissues to exogenous mechanical loading.
• Endogenous mechanical forces generated by cells (viz., contractile forces generated by connective tissue cells).
• Molecular structure-mechanical properties relationships for selected connective tissues.
- Chemical composition of the extracellular matrix of tissues.
- Structure of tissues (viz., connective tissues) at the nanometer, micrometer, and millimeter length scales (including the hierarchical structure of tissues).
- Load-deformation behavior of tissues at the micrometer and millimeter scales.
• Interrelationships among the above.
The unique aspects of the Subject are:
• Assessment of the response of cells and tissues to mechanical forces; discussion of mechano-transduction mechanisms.
• Discussion of contraction of connective tissue cells.

Design of Medical Devices/Implants 2.782J/HST524J, MIT Spring Terms
(Dr. Spector developed this course with Prof. I. Yannas of MIT.)
A design subject that teaches rational approaches to the development of implantable medical devices. Students work in groups to develop the design for a medical device. The topics include:
• Paradigm for design of medical devices/implants
- Functional requirements
- Effects of the device on the body
- Effects of the body on the device
- Benefit/risk ratio
• Principles related to the permanent replacement and regeneration (tissue engineering) of tissues and organs; selected issues addressed through case studies
• Considerations of anatomy, histology, physiology, and pathology
• US Food and Drug Administration regulations

PRE-COLLEGE VISITS

If you are a high school instructor and would like your class to come and visit our laboratories, please contact Professor Myron Spector.

Courses at MIT and Harvard Learn more about the classes we teach at MIT and Harvard in tissue engineering, biomaterials and biomedical device design. more [...]

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