Natural Engineering: Developmental Biology Paradigms for Regenerative Medicine

Catalog description

This course is in two modules. The first module (1 credit) identifies fundamental biophysical mechanisms and systems engineering of early embryonic development (cleavage, gastrulation) and axis patterning. The second module (2 credits) extends these fundamentals to fetal maturation of several major organ systems, including lung, heart, vascular, and bone from an engineer's perspective (evolutionary conservation, major signaling pathways involved, etc). We further identify relationships between developmental biology and postnatal diseases, as well as explore developmental biology-based approaches for regenerative medicine (directed stem cell differentiation, mechanical conditioning, matrix based differentiation, etc.). Material is drawn largely from primary literature. Students have regular manuscript reviews, two midterms, and a final project analyzing the natural engineering of a different organ system.