Vascularized Tissue Engineering

• Period (from – till): 3 February - 07 April 2025

• Note: this is an online course stretching over 10 weeks with a study load of approximately 9-10 hours per week. Please take into account that the studyload is divided over the week so you will need to be able to login on various moments (taking into account vacation days).

• The e-moderator will keep track of your progression. He/she will score the quality of the content and your responses on all required activities. This results in ‘insufficient, ‘sufficient’ or ‘good’. You need at least a 5.5 for all three individual components to pass the course.

• Course coordinator: Dr. Merle Maas-Krebber

• Lecturer: Dr. Joost Fledderus

• Course description:

• Tissue engineering (TE) is an ever-growing multidisciplinary scientific field aiming at replacing injured, missing or damaged tissue. Current researchers in the field use different principles, knowledge and techniques from (stem) cell biology, vascular biology, medicine, biomaterials and bioengineering. Vascular and vascularized tissue engineering take prominent places within this field. The construction of blood vessels is both an independent target for replacement therapy as well as an integral part of larger constructs. A crucial challenge in obtaining large sized functional TE scaffolds (>1 milimeter in any dimensional space) is how to introduce a complex vascular tree that supplies a steady medium and blood stream for the expanding tissue to meet oxygen en nutrient demands. This course teaches Master students’ in-depth and hands-on knowledge on developmental and adult blood vessel formation in health and disease and the current clinical treatments for which vascular(ized) TE is thought to be eligible. Moreover, we will address state of the art techniques of vascular(ized) TE, including the use of biomaterials and cell sources for bioreactor-cultured and in situ applications.

• This course teaches fundamental knowledge on vascular and vascularized tissue engineering, adding significantly to the currently available curriculum concerning angiogenesis, vascular repair and remodeling, regenerative medicine and cardiovascular disease. Participants in this e-course will benefit from the flexible work hours, enabling participation parallel to writing a thesis or doing an internship abroad. This course was developed using collaborative partners leading in regenerative medicine and cardiovascular disease. Grading of this course will be based on handing in a graphical abstract (group assignment), an individual assignment and on individual participation during the course and in discussion forums.

• Required Materials:

N.A.

• Mandatory for students in Master’s programme:

N.A.

• Optional for students in other GSLS Master’s programme :

Open as an elective to all GSLS students with priority for students from the programmes RM&T, BFAB & BOD.

• Registration:

• You can register for this course via here on the Students' site. Maximum number of participants is 32 students.

• Students from outside Utrecht University can register for this course by sending an email to m.m.krebber-2@umcutrecht.nl. Please include your name, student number, Master’s programme and the course code.

• This course participates in the EduXchange programme. For this purpose, when registering for the course please indicate if you are a UU student (group 1) or are registering via the EduXchange platform (group 2)

• For EduXchange students , in contradiction to what EduXchange says, the course may NOT be full. You can register via an email to the course coordinator.

• Prerequisite knowledge:

Master student RMT, BOD, Biofab

The subjects being addressed:

• Basic principles of angiogenesis and vasculogenesis
• Molecular pathways of capillary sprouting, natural repair and remodeling
• Cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions
• Shear stress and pressure
• Influence of cardiovascular disease on angiogenesis and vasculogenesis (by e.g. circulating and in situ endothelial progenitor cells)
• Applications for vascular(ized) tissue engineering
• In vitro and in vivo models, techniques, cell types and biomaterials for vascular tissue engineering
• In vitro and in vivo models, techniques, cell types and biomaterials for vascularized tissue engineering
• Current clinical standards for vascular surgery and limitations
• Monitoring of vascular(ized) TE functionality
• State of the art techniques of vascular(ized) tissue engineering research

You will be enrolled for this course by administration of the programme of this course.