Description. Artificial Organs 3 is the third of a three-course sequence that explores design, development, and clinical use of artificial organ technology. Each course in the series is stand-alone and, as such, is not a prerequisite for any other course in the series. Students may take one, two, or all three courses.

Artificial Organs 3 is focused upon artificial kidney and artificial liver. The basic physiology of each system (kidney and liver) is reviewed with emphasis on identifying the bioengineering design requirements for appropriate organ replacement systems. Commercially available systems are analyzed from the point of view (where applicable) of mass transfer efficiency; biomechanic and hemodynamic similarity to the host; long-term performance, and size and efficiency of the device. New advances in tissue engineering and biofabrication of kidney and liver organ systems for regenerative medicine such as 3D bioprinting will be included when applicable. Xenotransplant and the use of patient specific stem cells to boost organ function will be highlighted as up-and-coming technologies. As a final project, students will be required to design an artificial or bioengineered organ consistent with the above-mentioned considerations addressing potential challenges along the path towards clinical translation. Course material will be derived from a combination of textbook and primary research articles with guest lectures from clinical experts in their relevant field when applicable.

• Upon completing the course, the student should be able to describe the fundamental engineering principles related to kidney and liver physiology and apply the fundamental principles to design improvements and/or new designs for artificial or bioengineered kidney and liver tissue. Specific attention will be given to understanding the current state of the art in bioengineered within the kidney and liver fields to identify new opportunities to improve the current treatment strategies.

COURSE DESCRIPTION & OBJECTIVES:

This course will provide extensive information of developmental, cellular, molecular biology and signaling mechanisms of angiogenesis and most recent advancements in clinical applications.

This course will provide the necessary background for any student whose research concentrations involve the study of vascular biology, tissue biology, cancer, drug development and engineering organs.

The course is broken into 3 distinct blocks each culminating in an in-class written exam.

• I. Introduction:  Angiogenesis, Vasculogenesis, and Lymphangiogenesis. This block provides students with the necessary background in vascular biology.
• II. Molecular pathways regulating angiogenesis. This block provides an overview of the important signaling pathways that regulate angiogenesis.
• III. Angiogenesis in vascular disease and in cancers. This block focuses on various vascular diseases and disease states that are currently important problems in biomedicine today.

In most cases and in all blocks, recent outstanding research publications will also be discussed.

Extracellular matrix (ECM) is an important structural and signaling component of all tissues. It plays a defining role in how differentiated cells and tissues respond to homeostatic signals, tissue regeneration, response to inflammation and wound healing. Indeed, one can generalize and state that there is no aspect of the biology or function of any given tissue in which ECM does not play an important role.

The objective of the course is to bring to students the knowledge of fundamental aspects of ECM, its importance for tissue function and its potential use in bioengineering applications.

The course will cover a variety of related topics including:

• Biochemistry of common proteins
• Integrins and ECM signaling
• Regulation of ECM expression
• Visualization techniques for matrix proteins
• Matrix biology of specific tissues (liver, cardiovascular, bone, cartilage, neural)
• Role of ECM in biologic/pathologic processes (development, wound healing, cancer, fibrosis)
• ECM as a biologic scaffold for regenerative medicine
• Engineering of ECM analogues

Continuation of BIOENG 1071. Principles of cell biology in higher organisms: structure, function, biosynthesis, and macromolecular organization with a focus on macromolecular organization and function from a quantitative systems perspective.

Upon completing the two course sequence, BIOENG 1070 and BIOENG 1071, students should be able to (1) demonstrate understanding of the principles of cell structure and function, (2) describe the experimental tools used to understand cellular function such as molecular genetic techniques, biochemical analysis, and microscopy, and (3) use systems approaches to understand how cellular processes are integrated.

Topics Covered in this Section:

• Microscopy
• Cell Communication
• Cell Junctions, Adhesion, and Extracellular Matrix
• Cell Cycle
• Mitosis and Cytokinesis
• Meiosis, Germ Cells
• Egg, Sperm, and Fertilization
• Development
• Cancer Biology
• Neovascularization
• Morphogenesis
• Mouse Development
• Neural Development
• Evolution
• Quantitative Cell Biology
• Stem Cells
• Immunology

The Vascular Educational Summer Session for Emerging Laboratory Scientists (VESSELS) is a 2-week workshop focused on vascular tissue engineering hosted by the Vascular Medicine Institute at the University of Pittsburgh. Students gain hands on experience implementing 3D bioprinting and tissue engineering approaches to solve translational needs in vascular medicine. Students are encouraged but not required to have prior experience in basic computer aided drawling and electronics.

Week 1:

• Students build a 3D bioprinter from a commercial plastic 3D printer platform using open-source hardware and software. They will receive introductory training in 3D CAD, plastic 3D printing, and FRESH 3D bioprinting.

Week 2

• Students design and 3D print vascular scaffolds from hydrogel-based biomaterials. Time permitting, engineered blood vessels will be evaluated for mechanical strength and quality.

Build a 3D Bioprinter and Join Our Growing Network

Co-hosted by University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University

This 3-day hands-on workshop will introduce individuals and teams to 3D printing of soft and biological materials; facilitate the assembly, operation and validation of an open source 3D bioprinting platform; and connect participants to a growing network of researchers working to advance 3D printing of soft and biological materials.

Program and Schedule

The program includes keynote presentations, tutorials related to the assembly and use of the 3D bioprinter, guided construction and testing of the 3D printers, as well as networking opportunities.

In this workshop attendees will have the opportunity to build a high-performance 3D bioprinter based on the open-source syringe-pump extruder developed by the Regenerative Biomaterials & Therapeutics Group in the Departments of Biomedical Engineering and Materials Science & Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University.

To do this, we will adapt an affordable desktop 3D printer used for printing plastic and replace the motion control board and plastic extruder with our custom syringe pump extruder, termed a Replistruder. Our team has extensive experience making these modifications, releasing these designs as open-source, and publishing detailed instructions.