Talking ‘bout my (re)generation: engineering human tissues on chip

General description

How cool would be having human spare parts readily available off the shelf. Tissue Engineering, the science of culturing cells in scaffold to produce tissues and organs, has led to tremendous advancements towards this ambitious goal. However, the possibility to go to a “human grocery store” and get a brand-new leg and a pair of fully working kidneys is still far to come. Yet, Tissue Engineering can have a tremendous impact in everyday life, by enabling the production of more than a brain-tissue or a muscle-tissue model, but YOUR OWN brain-tissue or muscle-tissue model. In fact, the technology is sufficiently solid and consistent to allow growing representative pieces of human tissues and organs from small biopsies. Integrating viable tissues in sensing devices and controlled microenvironments (Tissue-on-Chip) is of central importance for studying patient-specific pathologies or to develop personalized therapies, which is he heart and soul of personalized medicine. Encoding biological ‘intelligence’ within synthetic devices and processes represent the new frontier of design and engineering of modern multifunctional systems that hold the promise to revolutionize biology and medicine.

These concepts will be elaborated in the beautiful framework of Naples, a city that has given the world the very first “chemical drugs” in the 16th century and the mesmerizing Anatomical Machines. A city in which centuries of history, tons of monuments, art, culture and creativity fuse together creating the perfect environment to unleash your potential. Join us!

Academic information

Fields of activity:
Biological/Biotechnical/Gene Engineering , Biomedical Engineering , Chemical Engineering , Chemistry/Chemical Technology , Computational Sciences , Industrial Engineering , Machine & Instrument engineering/Design , Materials Engineering
Content and topics:
Elements of cell-materials and cell-signal interactions; Design and fabrications of microfluidic devices for tissue-on-chip or lab-on-chip applications.
Learning goals and objectives:
The participants will gain basic knowledge on in vitro cell conditioning within engineered devices. Additionally, they will achieve competences on the design criteria and fabrication technologies to produce tissue engineered devices and chips.
Examination type:
Presentations and questions.
ECTS credits issued:
Not known yet

Information for applicants

Selection criteria:
Motivation Letter + questions

Practical arrangements

All of the following are covered by the event fee:

Lodging:
Hostel
Meals:
Provided by organizers and restaurant. At least one hot meal per day.
Transportation:
Public trasportation or organizer's cars.