2012 SHORT COURSE ANNOUNCEMENT
Cells on Polymeric Biomaterials
A short course offered by RESBIO,
National Biomedical Technology Resource for Polymeric Biomaterials
Nov. 7 - 9, 2012

Prof. Pallassana Narayanan (far left) with attendees of 2011 Cells on
Polymeric Biomaterials short course, October 26-28, 2011.

Prof. Pallassana Narayanan (front/middle) with attendees of the
Cells on Polymeric Biomaterials short course, October 26, 2010.

Profs. Prabhas Moghe (left) and Pallassana Narayanan (front) with attendees of the
Cells on Polymeric Biomaterials short course, October 29, 2009.
The Course Overview
Cells on Polymeric Biomaterials is an in-depth, three-day short course designed for scientists and engineers to gain an understanding of how cells and proteins interact with materials. Scientific personnel and managers of interdisciplinary teams involved in tissue engineering or regenerative medicine, and anyone whose research touches on cell-material interactions, can benefit from instruction in novel approaches to accelerate the pace of discovery. The anticipated outcomes are better design of new medical implants and improved performance of existing devices. Significant emphasis will be placed on hands-on training so that participants can evaluate the available RESBIO resources and continue to use these resources for their needs even after the course.
This is the fourth time this course is being offered. Based on feedback from the attendees of prior years, we are emphasizing the hands-on part of scaffold fabrication on Day 1 when participants will have the opportunity to familiarize themselves with three of the most commonly used scaffold fabrication methods: electrospinning, hydrogel preparation and porous scaffold fabrication by salt leaching. Thus the attendees will spend the major part of the day in the laboratory. On Day 2, attendees will learn several biological tools for screening of biomaterials to elucidate the effect of biomaterials on gene expression by cells and they will also participate in a hands-on session on multiphoton confocal microscopy for the study of cell-material interactions by learning imaging and image analysis methodologies at the microscopy center. On Day 3, there will be a modeling session featuring the Biomaterials StoreTM, a molecular modeling tool that enables researchers to predict bioresponses of materials, such as protein adsorption, cell attachment and cell proliferation. The modeling session will include hands-on time when the attendees will work through a tutorial on the Biomaterials StoreTM software. The course attendance will be limited to 25 attendees.
Tentative Course Outline
Day 1 3D Substrate Fabrication and Biological Characterization
(8:30AM – 5PM)
Morning: Electrospun porous mesh
Soft gel substrates and cell encapsulation
Afternoon: Salt-leached porous substrates
Biological characterization of biomaterials (Protein Adsorption)
Day 2 Characterization Methods to Study Cell-Materials Interactions
(9AM – 5PM)
Morning: Biological Assays to study modulation of gene expression by biomaterials
Hands-on session on qPCR and other methods
Afternoon: Imaging of the interactions of cells on biomaterials - confocal/multiphoton microscopy
Hands-on session in imaging and image processing
Day 3 Semi-empirical Modeling of Bioresponse using Biomaterials StoreTM
(9AM – 4PM)
Morning: Overview
Theory of semi-empirical modeling
Biomaterials StoreTM Part I: MySQL
Biomaterials StoreTM Part II: WEKA
Afternoon: Computer Lab – Hands-on training in modeling
Registration Form, Fees and Cancellation Policy
(Course limited to 25 Attendees)
Download registration form or Register On-Line Here
Industrial Participants: $600 for the entire course
$200, daily rate
Academic Participants: $400 for the entire course
$150, daily rate
Cancellation Policy: The full amount paid minus a $50 processing fee will be refunded for cancellations received prior to October 31, 2012. No refund will be issued for cancellations received after October 31, 2012. Late requests for refunds due to an emergency only will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
All cancellations and requests for refunds MUST be submitted in writing
via e-mail, fax, or mail by October 31, 2012. Telephone requests will not be honored.
Workshop Location
NJ Center for Biomaterials
145 Bevier Road
Piscataway, NJ 08854
Accommodation
Please click here to review your accommodation options in the New Brunswick / Piscataway area.
Website Link
http://www.njbiomaterials.org/RESBIO
For more information, please contact
Murty Vyakarnam, PhD
NJ Center for Biomaterials, Rutgers University,
Chief Operating Officer, RESBIO
145 Bevier Road
Piscataway, NJ 08854
Ph: 732-445-0488 ext 40021
Fax: 732-445-5006
Email: vyakarnamm@dls.rutgers.edu