Immunomodulatory Biomaterials: Design, Synthesis, and Applications
3.0
creditsAverage Course Rating
The objective of this course is to teach students the chemistry, immunology, and materials engineering fundamentals necessary to develop novel materials that modulate immune responses for the treatment and prevention of diseases. This course will present many of the small molecule and polymer chemistry strategies used to synthesize state-of-the-art biomaterials. The concepts of spatio-temporal delivery of therapeutics, biomaterials degradation, biocompatibility, and various structure-function relationships between biomaterials and the immune system will be introduced. The role played by adaptive and innate immunity in the development and persistence of cancer, infectious diseases, and autoimmunity will be explored. Emphasis will be placed on the design elements that have been, and could be, engineered into immunomodulatory materials to improve human health outcomes. Recommended background: Organic Chemistry I