On September 14 - 21, 2008, Piran, Slovenia

The Summer School is organized by National Institute of Biology, Slovenia,  Blood Transfusion Centre of Slovenia, Faculty of Technology and Metallurgy, University of Belgrade, Serbia and Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine International Society as a PhD level course intended for graduate students in engineering and life sciences, with the focus on advanced approaches to the treatment of osteochondral defects.

The aim is to introduce the students to different aspects of developing new strategies for clinical applications, starting with the clinical problem and laboratory scale systems, and ending with engineering, ethical and legislative issues in translation to clinics. The course will begin with the physiology of cartilage and bone, and the clinical problem of injury of these tissues. Next, the tissue engineering approaches to regeneration of injured tissues will be presented, with focus on the design and selection of appropriate biomaterials, and the design and operation of bioreactor systems. Finally, the methods for evaluation of engineered tissues will be reviewed followed by ethycal issues and legislation in clinical applications.

The course will include lectures and laboratory demonstrations of synthesis and production of various biomaterials as well as set up and operation of several tissue engineering bioreactors.