Biomaterials-Tissue Interactions
MIT OpenCourseWare offers this advanced course on the materials science and cell biology principles behind medical implants, artificial organs, and tissue engineering scaffolds. Topics include methods for characterizing biomaterial surfaces, analyzing protein adsorption, and studying molecular and cellular interactions with biomaterials through unit cell processes such as matrix synthesis, degradation, and contraction. The course examines wound healing and tissue remodeling after implantation in different organs, mechanisms of tissue and organ regeneration, and design criteria for implants and prostheses based on controlling biomaterial-tissue interactions. Case studies compare intact, biodegradable, and bioreplaceable implants, and the course addresses criteria for restoring physiological function to damaged tissues and organs. Materials come from MIT's Biological Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, and Health Sciences and Technology curriculum and are freely available to audit under MIT's OpenCourseWare license, with lecture notes and readings supporting self-study of implant and tissue engineering design.