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Fundamentals of biomaterials
Course teacher(s)
Armin SHAVANDI (Coordinator)ECTS credits
5
Language(s) of instruction
english
Course content
This course introduces the engineering principles used to design, select, characterize, process and evaluate biomaterials for biomedical applications and biofabrication.
The course focuses on the links between material structure, processing, physicochemical properties, mechanics, transport, biological response and functional performance. Applications include tissue engineering, regenerative medicine, implantable devices, soft biomaterials and biofabrication.
Main topics include biomaterial classes and selection, polymer structure and degradation, biointerfaces and biological response, hydrogel design and rheology, extrusion and light based biofabrication, mechanics and transport, quantitative characterization, sterilization, quality control, regulation, scale up and sustainability.
The course is organized into five modules.
Module 1: Foundations and Polymeric Biomaterials
Biomaterial classes, selection principles, structure property relationships, polymer molecular weight, chain architecture, crystallinity, thermal behaviour, degradation and biomedical polymer families.
Module 2: Biointerfaces and Biological Performance
Surface chemistry, wettability, roughness, protein adsorption, cell and blood interactions, inflammation, foreign body response, infection and surface engineering.
Module 3: Hydrogels, Rheology and Biofabrication
Hydrogel networks, crosslinking, swelling, degradation, rheology, bioink design, extrusion biofabrication, photopolymerization, digital light processing and volumetric printing.
Module 4: Mechanics, Transport and Quantitative Characterization
Stress and strain, modulus, strength, viscoelasticity, diffusion, oxygen limitation, permeability, porosity, tortuosity, perfusion, SEM, microCT, FTIR, contact angle, swelling, degradation, mechanical testing and rheology.
Module 5: Translation, Quality, Regulation and Sustainability
Sterilization, packaging, reproducibility, quality control, critical quality attributes, regulation, verification and validation, scale up, commercialization and sustainability.
Students are expected to justify biomaterial design decisions using engineering reasoning, experimental evidence and quantitative analysis.
Objectives (and/or specific learning outcomes)
At the end of the course, students should be able to:
- Explain how material structure, processing and properties influence biological response and function.
- Compare the main classes of biomaterials and justify material selection for a given application.
- Relate polymer structure, molecular weight, crystallinity, thermal behaviour and degradation to material performance.
- Explain how biomaterial surfaces interact with proteins, cells, blood, the immune system and bacteria.
- Analyse how hydrogel composition, crosslinking, swelling and rheology affect performance and processability.
- Select suitable biofabrication approaches based on material, processing and biological requirements.
- Apply basic quantitative concepts in mechanics, rheology and transport to biomaterial problems.
- Select appropriate characterization methods and interpret experimental data critically.
- Identify key engineering trade-offs in biomaterial design.
- Critically assess scientific literature, experimental evidence and reproducibility.
- Recognize the main challenges in sterilization, quality control, regulation, scale up and translation.
Prerequisites and Corequisites
Required and Corequired knowledge and skills
Students should have basic knowledge of chemistry, materials science, biology and engineering mathematics. Familiarity with polymers, mechanics, transport phenomena and basic laboratory characterization is helpful but not essential.
Teaching methods and learning activities
The course is delivered through lectures, worked examples, case studies, scientific literature discussions, short videos, and group-based learning activities. Teaching is designed to encourage active participation and critical reasoning rather than passive memorization.
Lectures introduce core concepts and engineering frameworks. Case studies connect material design choices to biomedical function, failure and translational constraints. Selected scientific papers are discussed to train students to evaluate experimental design, characterization methods, controls, data interpretation and limitations in biomaterials research.
selected demonstrations may include rheology, mechanical testing, extrusion or light-based additive manufacturing, microscopy, contact-angle measurement, image analysis or permeability testing.
References, bibliography, and recommended reading
Course notes, lecture slides, selected scientific papers and additional reading materials will be provided during the course.
Recommended general reference:
• Comprehensive Biomaterials II, Elsevier, ISBN 978-0-08-100692-4.
Additional scientific articles and review papers will be assigned for selected topics, including polymeric biomaterials, biointerfaces, hydrogels and rheology, biofabrication, mechanics and transport, biomaterials characterization, sterilization, quality, regulation and translational biomaterials engineering.
Course notes
- Université virtuelle
Contribution to the teaching profile
This teaching unit contributes to developing advanced engineering competences in biomaterials and biomedical technologies. It supports students in developing:
• In-depth knowledge of biomaterial classes, polymeric biomaterials, properties, processing methods and biomedical applications.
• The ability to connect molecular structure, material processing, physicochemical properties, mechanics, transport, biological response and functional performance.
• Critical and quantitative reasoning in the analysis of biomaterials data and scientific literature.
• The ability to define requirements, identify failure modes, compare alternatives and defend engineering trade-offs.
• Awareness of ethical, environmental, regulatory, manufacturing and economic aspects of biomaterials development.
• The ability to work in interdisciplinary and international contexts involving materials science, chemistry, biology, engineering and medicine.
• Scientific communication skills through written reports, oral presentations, group work and critical discussion.
• A lifelong-learning attitude required to follow future developments in biomaterials, biofabrication and medical-device technologies.
Other information
Evaluation
Method(s) of evaluation
- Personal work
- Oral presentation
- Group work
- Other
- Written report
Personal work
Oral presentation
Group work
Other
Written report
• Short individual tests assessing understanding, data interpretation and engineering reasoning.
• A group engineering case-study report analysing a biomaterial system, technology or biomedical application.
• A group oral presentation based on the selected case study followed by discussion and Q&A.
The evaluation emphasizes understanding, critical thinking, clarity of communication and the ability to justify engineering decisions. Detailed guidelines, deadlines, grading criteria and formatting instructions will be provided through the Université Virtuelle and/or the course Teams folder.
Mark calculation method (including weighting of intermediary marks)
Assessment is based on three components:
- Individual tests: 3 short tests, 25 marks each. Total: 75 marks
- Group case study report: written analysis of a biomaterials engineering problem. Total: 75 marks
- Group presentation and Q&A: 15 minute presentation followed by discussion. Total: 50 marks
Total: 200 marks
The assessment focuses on understanding, engineering reasoning, critical use of scientific evidence, data interpretation and clear communication.
Language(s) of evaluation
- english