This module describes current and future perspectives of biomaterials from an interdisciplinary viewpoint and explains key concepts that are important for those wishing to apply chemical engineering expertise to biomaterials and tissue engineering applications. A focus is placed on the latest research and technological advances in the field, explaining how technological advances are driven from both a clinical need and industrial development perspectives. Effective medical device design will be discussed in terms of essential materials science aspects, with an emphasis on structure-function relationships and how these can be applied in various regenerative treatments and tissue engineering scenarios, illustrated using key examples from contemporary scientific literature. Suitable introductory material is covered to enable students new to the topic to understand the course material and equip the student with the necessary knowledge and language to understand key concepts within biomaterials and tissue engineering. The overarching aim of this module is to explain and demonstrate how engineers have and will continue to contribute a central role to the exciting and flourishing fields of biomaterials and tissue engineering.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the module students should be able to:
Describe the clinical need for innovative biomaterials in wide variety of medical disciplines.
Understand the current landscape of the biomaterials and tissue engineering research fields and industrial sector.
Define the classes of biomaterials and key structure-function relationships required for effective application in tissue engineering
Demonstrate an awareness of key biomaterial interactions with the body and how these may be manipulated through materials design.
Describe how advances in human biology are important for the engineer as well as the biologist;
Apply the technologies and tools developed in this area to enhance progress in engineering;
