Cluster 8: BioEngineering and Characterizing Human Skin Organoids

           

Instructors:

Dr. Yoonjin Won, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, UCI

Dr. Scott Atwood, Department of Developmental and Cell Biology, UCI

Prerequisites: High School Biology

Course Description:

One of the most cutting-edge fields in medicine is focused on growing human tissues or organs to study human biology and aid in drug development. From lowering cholesterol to wiping out cancer, these human “organoids” mimic human tissues and partly drive a multi-billion-dollar pharmaceutical industry. In this interdisciplinary course, we will focus on bioengineering human skin organoids in a lab. You will learn how to bioengineer three-dimensional scaffolds to grow tissues and to formulate hypotheses on how spatial position or growth conditions can influence tissue growth. You will also learn the biology and engineering behind the organoid-making process, design and engineer your own tissue scaffold, and carry out assays to test how well your tissue grew. This hands-on course will explore the basics of tissue design and how simple cells weave complex webs to maintain the engine of the organ.