One of the most exciting fields of the modern era, bioengineering involves the application of engineering principles toward advancements in biology, medicine, behavior, health and societal standards. The bioengineering department at Rice University, ranked among the top 10 programs of its kind in the nation, has made great strides in the field. Several Rice bioengineering faculty, as well as other leading local bioengineers, will examine state-of-the-art research being done in Houston.
Course Schedule:
February 21. Bioengineering to Mend the Arthritic Human. Articular cartilage covers the ends of our long bones and is pivotal for motion, yet its relative lack of cells and blood supply impair its ability to repair adequately. Efforts to help joint cartilage repair itself via tissue engineering. Kyriacos A. Athanasiou, PhD, Karl F. Hasselman Professor of Bioengineering, Rice University, and adjunct professor of orthopedics and oral and maxillofacial surgery, The University of Texas Medical School at Houston.
February 28. Tissue Engineering of Heart Valves. Early research, clinical experience and related research at Rice in the effort to develop a tissue-engineered heart valve that will heal, stretch and function like a normal heart valve. Jane Grande-Allen, PhD, assistant professor of bioengineering, Rice University.
March 6. Genetic Engineering. Manipulation of genetic material, the applications of genetic engineering in pharmacology, forensics, agriculture, industry and the military, and a look at cloning and transgenics. Dan Graur, PhD, John and Rebecca Moores Professor of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Houston, adjunct professor of ecology and evolutionary biology, Rice University, and adjunct professor of computational biology, Baylor College of Medicine.
March 13. Bone Tissue Engineering. A promising strategy to heal severe bone injuries by utilizing the body’s natural biological response to tissue damage in conjunction with engineering principles. Antonios G. Mikos, PhD, J.W. Cox Professor of Bioengineering and professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering, Rice University.
March 20. Ethical and Legal Challenges in Bioengineering. Outdated regulations are delaying commercialization of bioengineering discoveries. Options for making discoveries available to patients more swiftly, safely and economically. Barbara J. Evans, PhD, JD, LLM, associate professor of law, co-director of Health Law and Policy Institute and director of the Center on Biotechnology and Law, University of Houston.
March 27. Bioengineering in World Health. Bioengineering plays a significant role in addressing world health disparities. An overview of global issues and the products being developed to effectively deliver healthcare to the world. Z. Maria Oden, PhD, lecturer and laboratory coordinator in bioengineering, Rice University.
April 3. Self-Assembly and Nanostructure in Tissue Engineering. Efforts to design scaffolds for tissue engineering structured at the atomic and nanoscale that will mimic the natural extracellular level to deliver drugs and genes and to direct stem cell differentiation. Jeffrey D. Hartgerink, PhD, assistant professor of chemistry and bioengineering, Rice University.
April 10. Clinical Translation of Nanoscale Engineering for Reconstructive and Regenerative Therapy in Cancer Patients. The application of nanotechnology to cell and tissue engineering is at the forefront of clinically translatable nanomedicine to improve quality of life in patients suffering from diseases such as cancer by developing novel ways of treating disability and disfigurement due to tissue defects. Anshu Mathur, MD, director of research in biomedical engineering and plastic surgery, The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center.
