ENGINEERING TRIPOS PART IIA – 2012/2013

Module 3G5 - Biomaterials

Leader: Dr M.L. Oyen (mlo29@eng)

Timing: Michaelmas term
Prerequisites: None
Structure: 16L
Assessment: Material / Format / Timing / Marks
Lecture Syllabus / Written exam (1.5 hours) / Start of Easter Term / 100 %

To develop an understanding of the materials issues associated with implanting man-made materials in the human body for medical purposes. Specific case studies will be considered in addition to the general framework.

Further details and online resources

Introductory Concepts (2L, M. Oyen)

• Classes of materials used in medicine;
• Legal framework for implanted materials (ethics, clinical trials, regulation);
• Sterilization; biocompatiibility.

• Total joint replacement;
• Cardiovascular stents.

• Pacemakers;
• Galvanic corrosion and bio-affected corrosion.

• Primer on polymer materials and hydrogels;
• Hydrolysis and resorbable materials;
• Drug delivery systems (diffusion-driven, osmotically-controlled, microencapsulation);
• Tissue engineering basics (scaffolds, cell seeding, bioreactors).

• Effects of implant on the body: Inflammation and wound healing;
• Innate and adaptive immunity; immune disorders;
• Aseptic loosening of total joint replacements;
• Introduction to immune disease addressed by chemical implants: Diabetes.

• Glucose sensing and insulin pumps;
• Environmentally-stimulated hydrogels for insulin delivery;
• Cell encapsulation for islet transplantation

LABORATORY: Coursework essay on Tissue Engineering

OBJECTIVES:

By the end of the course students should be able to:

• Identify the mechanism by which medical devices and implants come to market;
• Know about the classes of and materials used in medicine;
• Understand the requirements for materials used in the body and assess potential for implant-body interactions;
• Perform quantitative evaluations of drug delivery;
• Identify appropriate tissue engineering approaches for different tissues and organs.

REFERENCES

Please see the Booklist for Group G Courses for references to this module.

Recommended Reading:
Biomaterials Science: An Introduction to Materials in Medicine, edited by BD Ratner et al. Elsevier, 2004
Biomaterials: An Introduction. By J. Park and R. Lakes, Springer, 2007.
Biomaterials, artificial organs and tissue engineering, by L Hench, J Jones. Woodhead Publishing, 2005.
Shape Memory Materials, K. Otsuka and C.M. Wayman, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1998.
Fung YC, Biomechanics: Mechanical Properties of Living Tissues, 2nd edition. New York: Springer-Verlag, 1993.
Basic Orthopaedic Biomechanics and Mechanobiology, third edition, Mow VC and Huiskes R. Philadelphia: Lippincott, Williams and Wilkins, 2005.