The course brings a theoretical and practical multidisciplinary view of currently studied materials for their medical, biological, or environmental applications. In addition to an overview of state-of-the-art materials and their design, the topic will cover materials' correct application to cells, possible interactions with cells, tissues and the whole organism, including suitable methodologies for studying these interactions based on molecular biological, biochemical, and biophysical methods. The aim of the course is to provide students with the latest knowledge of biomaterials for predominantly medical uses. The course will cover a description of different types of materials, their physico-chemical properties related to their applications. The course will include a theoretical part comprised of a definition and overview of materials, their interaction with living systems and methods used for their study and application, and their current and emerging applications. In the practical part, the course will focus on advanced characteristics of materials from the medical and biological point of view, for example, viability and cytotoxicity assays, uptake to the cells, stability and storage studies, and aggregation of materials in various physiological solutions will be shown. Students will acquire knowledge about cells and molecular biology, progressing in biochemistry and biophysical methods. Additionally, macromolecular or polymer chemistry will be covered which relates to biomaterials used. Students will also practise advanced methods of working with cell cultures and perform analysis methods to evaluate the interaction of cells with various materials. The content of the course will continuously be updated to reflect the latest scientific progress in the field. The suggested structure of the course is as follows. The theoretical part of the course will cover: 1. overview of biomaterials, their definition progressing with an advanced description of different types of materials being used, i.e., metals, biopolymers, bioceramics, composites, natural biomaterials and biomimetic materials, materials for tissue engineering, materials for drug delivery, and materials for medical devices 2. the chemical, physical and biological factors contributing to specific biomaterial choices will be described and correlated with the on-demand applications of materials 3. parameters important in the further development of new biomaterials will be introduced. Those include studies of toxicity, biocompatibility, and manufacturing of materials (including the latest developments in modern manufacturing processes, such as additive manufacturing of biomaterials) etc. 4. selected applications of biomaterials in tissue engineering and regeneration, medical applications, and materials for medical devices will be discussed 5. the course will also cover description and development methods for the evaluation of interactions between biomaterials and cells. The practical part of the course will cover: 1. preparation of materials for "biological evaluation" 2. evaluation of the influence of storage conditions on materials' biocompatibility and other relevant properties 3. biocompatibility/viability/cytotoxicity assays 4. labelling materials and their uptake to the cells 5. cultivation of cells to the materials for tissue engineering. Literature: 1. M. Mozafari, J. Rajadas, D. Kaplan, Nanoengineered Biomaterials for Regenerative Medicine, 1st Ed., Academic Press, (2018). 2. B. H. A. Rehm, M.F. Moradali, Biopolymers for Biomedical and Biotechnological Applications, Wiley, (2021). 3. J. Li, Biomaterials and Materials for Medicine: Innovations in Research, Devices, and Applications (Illustrated Edition), Taylor & Francis Group, (2021). 4. M. C. Tanzi, S. Far?, Characterization of Polymeric Biomaterials, Elsevier Science, (2017). 5. H. Hosseinkhani, Biomedical Engineering: Materials, Technology, and Applications, Wiley, (2022).
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