Regenerative medicine: a game changing technology

A Game Changing Technology. Regenerative Medicine is a truly multidisciplinary field aiming to harness the power of stem cells and biomaterials to model or replace diseased organs. During this minor the students acquire a framework of basic knowledge to think creatively about innovative strategies and technologies at the cutting edge of medicine and biology.

Regenerative Medicine (RM) aims to harness the power of stem cells and biomaterials in creating personalized tissue and organs to mimic and treat diseases. Regenerative medicine converges life sciences, engineering and medicine. Though being a relatively young discipline, the Dutch National Research Agenda highlights RM as a “game changing technology” getting close to broad clinical applications.

This deepening minor provides an inspiring program in which background and applications for regenerative medicine will be demonstrated from the perspective of different medical disciplines. For this, we will lead you through the human body and focus on regenerative applications in the field of gastroenterology, internal medicine and skeletal-, neuronal- and cardiovascular diseases. Each week will have a special theme focusing on different clinical problems and possible biotechnological solutions. These will be addressed in lectures, practical lab demonstrations and excursions to laboratories at the TU Delft and biotech companies.

In addition to stem cell biology and organ-on-chip technology also valorization and ethical issues of RM technology will be included. The minor will provide background and tools to address these ethical aspects and be put in practice during debates and assignments. Business developers from the Erasmus MC will introduce you to the field of commercialization and spin-off biotech companies that are vital for valorization and clinical implementation of RM.

This minor includes a two-week internship to a laboratory working in the field of RM, abroad or in The Netherlands, to get an impression of the work done and to have a sneak-peak behind the scenes of cutting-edge groups. We would like to invite to join us.

At the end of the minor, the students:

• will have obtained specific knowledge on the general principles of medical biology, stem cell technology and tissue engineering
• will have obtained specific knowledge on current therapies in regenerative medicine and explain the proposed mechanism of action as well as the specific challenges
• will have obtained specific knowledge on engineering aspects of RM like 3D printing, microfluidics and organ-on-a-chip technologies
• can apply knowledge to develop creative a strategies to overcome specific challenges in RM applications
• will have obtained general knowledge regarding the valorization of RM technology and requirements for starting a biotech company

This minor will have lectures, workshops , presentations (seminar) and debates (10-12 hours per week).
During the thematic weeks, several lab demonstrations and hands-on lab work will be organized.
In the first week of the minor, a topic for the research proposal (written report) will be chosen. The students can work on this during the whole period of time, guided by a team of experts in the field and hand in their final report at week 10.

Teaching materials
Teaching materials provided during this minor include a reader with detailed information about the week schedule, lectures and lecturers, topics and assignments.
The lectures will be provided on CANVAS after the lecture. One student will be made responsible for this per week.

Examination
The minor has several written assignments related to different subjects during the course. This will each account for max 20% of the total grading.
In addition, the students are asked to choose a topic provided by the organizers for writing a research proposal (max 15 A4) to be handed in at the end of the minor. This will account for 50% of the grading.
In the last week a plenary meeting will be organized in which the students will present their experiences they had in the lab abroad. This also includes a short (max 2A4) written report about their personal and scientific experience. The end presentation and short report will be graded (30% of the total grade).
The end grading will be an average of (weight of the grading in brackets):

• Written assignments during the course (ethics, graphical abstract 3D printing) (20%)
• Written research proposal (50%)
• Oral presentation and short report on personal and scientific experience of the lab visit (good/fair/insufficient)
• Oral presentation research proposal (30%)

Each of these elements needs to be passed with a grade of 5.5 or higher