Biomedical Materials
The study of biomedical materials is essential for students who are undertaking a PhD in any aspect of nanomedicine or nanotechnology as applied to biomedical systems. This assignment-based module introduces students to biomaterial surfaces, biomaterial-cell interaction, biocompatibility, biomaterial characterisation, biomaterials for biosensors and diagnostic devices, biomaterials for drug delivery and biomaterials for tissue engineering. Emphasis will be placed on biomaterials at the nano-scale as the application of materials to biological systems shows interesting characteristics at this level.
General information:
- Biomedical Materials module will be available in second semester 2012/2013 academic year.
- Host Institution: Athlone Institute of Technology, Polymer Engineering Department
- Delivery mode:
- for Athlone located students: on-site in AIT, 1 hour lectures per week, 6 hours laboratory
- for students from other locations: Mixed mode via remote delivery: online lectures every week plus 2-day on-site laboratory activities in AIT (date & time of the lab workshop to be set up on first online meeting with students)
Course content:
- Introduction to biomaterials,
- Biomaterials surfaces,
- Protein-surface interactions,
- Cell-surface interactions,
- Surface modification,
- Surface characterisation,
- Biomaterials for biosensors and diagnostic devices,
- Biomaterials for drug delivery,
- Biomaterials for organ replacement,
- Biomaterials for tissue engineering,
- Nano-biomaterials.
Lecturer: Dr. Clement L. Higginbotham
Director of Materials Research Institute,
Athlone Institute of Technology
Dr Clement Higginbotham has been an active researcher in the fields of controlled drug delivery, bio nanotechnology, tissue engineering and biomedical materials for the past eleven years and has in excess of 130 publications in peer reviewed journals and conference presentations in these fields. He is also an inventor on a patent on lubricious hydrophilic coatings for medical devices. He is currently Director of the Centre for Nanotechnology and Materials Research at Athlone Institute of Technology which currently boasts in excess of 30 researchers, carrying out research on polymer-based formulations and compounds used in invasive and non-invasive medical devices. Dr. Higginbotham has been awarded in excess of €4.1M in research funding and has graduated 27 PhD students and 2 MSc students. He is currently supervising 5 postdoctoral researchers, 4 PhD students and 6 MSc students.
List of Journal Publications & Patents
