Principles and Practice of Tissue Engineering
MIT OpenCourseWare presents this graduate-level course from the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology, taught jointly with Tsinghua University in Beijing. The curriculum covers strategies for regenerating tissues and organs using selected cells, biomaterial scaffolds, soluble regulators or their genes, and controlled mechanical loading conditions. Lectures compare differentiated cell types against stem cells and weigh natural versus synthetic scaffold materials. Students learn methodology for preparing cells and scaffolds, techniques for incorporating growth factor genes into scaffolds, and methods for fabricating implantable tissue-engineered devices. Case studies analyze tissue engineering procedures already used clinically. Archived webcast lecture videos from the Fall 2008 offering (HST.535) are included alongside course materials. As with other MIT OCW offerings, materials are free to access under a Creative Commons license, with no certificate offered.