The principles and practice of tissue engineering (and regenerative medicine) are taught by faculty of the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology (HST) and Tsinghua University, Beijing, China. The principles underlying strategies for employing selected cells, biomaterial scaffolds, soluble regulators or their genes, and mechanical loading and culture conditions, for the regeneration of tissues and organs in vitro and in vivo are addressed. Differentiated cell types and stem cells are compared and contrasted for this application, as are natural and synthetic scaffolds. Methodology for the preparation of cells and scaffolds in practice is described. The rationale for employing selected growth factors is covered and the techniques for incorporating their genes into the scaffolds are examined. Discussion also addresses the influence of environmental factors including mechanical loading and culture conditions (e.g., static versus dynamic). Methods for fabricating tissue-engineered products and devices for implantation are taught. Examples of tissue engineering-based procedures currently employed clinically are analyzed as case studies.
Archived webcast lecture videos for the Fall 2008 version of this class can be found at the HST.535 Fall 2008 website.

In this activity, learners explore how different deodorants work. Learners treat agar plates with different types of deodorants and compare the bacteria growth on the plates to the control sample.

The epidermis is a stratified squamous epithelium and is composed of 4 cell layers anchored to a basal lamina of connective tissue. Keratinocytes migrate through the epidermis from the basal layer. This migration begins in the stratum basale, then moves up through the stratum spinosum, stratum granulosum and the stratum corneum.

Hormones have a large effect on the skin, details of which can be found at endocrine and nutritional influences on the skin. As a result, endocrine associated skin pathology is relatively common.

Towards finding a solution to the unit's Grand Challenge Question about using nanoparticles to detect, treat and protect against skin cancer, students continue the research phase in order to answer the next research questions: What is the structure and function of skin? How does UV radiation affect the chemical reactions that go on within the skin? After seeing an ultraviolet-sensitive bead change color and learning how they work, students learn about skin anatomy and the effects of ultraviolet radiation on human skin, pollution's damaging effect on the ozone layer that can lead to increases in skin cancer, the UV index, types of skin cancer, ABCDEs of mole and lesion evaluation, and the sun protection factor (SPF) rating system for sunscreens. This prepares students to conduct the associated activity, in which they design quality-control experiments to test SPF substances.

This resource is a video abstract of a research paper created by Research Square on behalf of its authors. It provides a synopsis that's easy to understand, and can be used to introduce the topics it covers to students, researchers, and the general public. The video's transcript is also provided in full, with a portion provided below for preview:

"In the age of antibiotic-resistant microbes, developing new anti-infective alternatives is crucial. A new study takes a novel approach – turning our gaze back on the microbes that colonize us. Commensal skin bacteria are fundamental to maintaining the skin barrier and protecting us from pathogenic microbes. While dysbiosis of the skin microbiome is associated with diseases such as psoriasis and atopic dermatitis, in healthy skin, skin commensals protect the host by supporting the immune system and impairing the growth or virulence of competitors. Researchers screened of over 3000 human skin isolates to evaluate bacterial competition. Their results revealed a strain of Staphylococcus hominis with activity against Gram-positive pathogens, mediated by a molecule called MP1. Using either a “probiotic” approach or nanoparticles could replicate the effect of MP1, reducing infection by the pathogenic bacteria Staphylococcus aureus in mice. While future studies will determine whether S..."

The rest of the transcript, along with a link to the research itself, is available on the resource itself.

This resource is a video abstract of a research paper created by Research Square on behalf of its authors. It provides a synopsis that's easy to understand, and can be used to introduce the topics it covers to students, researchers, and the general public. The video's transcript is also provided in full, with a portion provided below for preview:

"Skin wound healing is a complex process involving three phases: inflammation, cell proliferation, and tissue remodeling. The healing process is regulated by various cytokines, chemokines, and growth factors. Recently, a new polyamine has gained attention for its effects on wound healing. Spermidine is a naturally occurring compound that is present in cheese, corn, mushrooms, legumes, soya products, and whole grains. Following up on a previous study that reported that SPD may promote wound healing, researchers investigated its effects on skin wound repair. Using a mouse model, they found that both oral and topical administration of SPD significantly accelerated skin wound healing. SPD boosted signaling through the urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) signaling pathway and enhanced the expression of the pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-6 and TNF-α in wound sites. In vitro scratch and cell proliferation assays also indicated that SPD administration accelerated wound closure and cell proliferation..."

The rest of the transcript, along with a link to the research itself, is available on the resource itself.

This resource is a video abstract of a research paper created by Research Square on behalf of its authors. It provides a synopsis that's easy to understand, and can be used to introduce the topics it covers to students, researchers, and the general public. The video's transcript is also provided in full, with a portion provided below for preview:

"Nerves, and the signals that modulate them, play critical roles during wound healing. CGRP (calcitonin gene-related peptide) is one such modulator and is a potential treatment target for chronic wounds, like ulcers. But CGRP doesn’t last long in blood samples, so researchers recently focused on RAMP1 (receptor activity-modifying protein 1), which is part of the CGRP receptor. First, in mouse experiments, they determined that RAMP1 expression was altered during skin wound healing. Then, they used mouse skin fibroblasts (MSFs) to determine the mechanisms at play. Overexpressing RAMP1 in MSFs promoted proliferation by increasing expression of YAP (Yes-associated protein). Subsequent experiments showed that overexpressed RAMP1 increased expression of Gαi3 (inhibitory G protein α subunit 3). While Gαi3 is typically inhibitory, here Gαi3 activated PKA (protein kinase A) through a non-classical pathway..."

The rest of the transcript, along with a link to the research itself, is available on the resource itself.