Biomedical Materials
Full course description
This course aims at introducing the students to the field of biomedical materials. Biobased materials have not been applied widely in a medical context, but there is example like poly(lactic acid) (PLA). The currently used biomedical materials include: metals (skeletal implants), ceramic materials (dental/orthopaedic), hydrogels (coatings, drug delivery), fibers (surgical patches, wound dressings), and high-grade polymers (tubings, catheters, etc.). The introduction of novel materials in biomedical applications has proven to be complicated and slow. The requirements for the materials and their synthesis are very strict to reduce the risk for the patient. Furthermore, the materials have to possess specific properties that ensure the biocompatibility of the material. This does not mean a lack of toxicity, but also prolonged functionality over the intended period of use. The course also aims to teach the students the basic principles of effective communication between materials scientists and medical doctors. The translation of material development into a usable implant in the clinic is the ultimate goal of biomedical material development. With this course, we will set the first step in that direction by teaching the required “biomedical” language for a (biobased) materials specialist.
Course objectives
The main objective is to get a deep and funded feel for how biomedical materials should be synthesized, analyzed, processed and applied in order to be functional in a medical application. For this, the major “problems” that a biomedical material can encounter will be studied in this course.
The course specific intended learning outcomes (ILOs) are:
1. The students will be able to improve their knowledge and comprehension on the nature and prerequisites of biomedical materials.
2. The students will gather the skills to analyze research literature describing biomedical materials and the possibilities of biobased materials in biomedical applications.
3. The students will demonstrate the ability to plan and perform an individual high-level scientific research project in the biomedical field, specifically, to make a new biobased material with antibacterial properties.
4. Students will practice the scientific method by writing hypotheses, collecting and analyzing data and troubleshooting when needed.
5. Students effectively communicate both in writing through a written report describing the results, conclusions and the relevance of the conducted research, and orally in a final presentation.
Recommended reading
Mandatory Literature:
- Biomaterials Science by B. Rattner, AS Hoffman, FJ Schoen, JE Lemons. 3rd ed. (2013) Academic Press (Elsevier) Waltham, MA, USA
A copy of this book will be available in the master lab. Please do not take the book home, so that all of you can look at it. Copies of important parts will be made available (Electronically)
Additional Literature:
tbd
- K. Saralidze