General Prerequisites
The elective course of regenerative medicine is offered to students of the 5th year of study, after they have been exposed to multiple courses of medical/dental specialties in which regenerative medicine offers its services. Having already a good background in the basic sciences, referred to as prerequisite courses above, they will be able to understand and assimilate the knowledge of stem cell physiology and their uses in cellular therapies, therapeutic approaches of gene therapy and the methods and practices of tissue engineering, all comprising therapeutic approaches of regenerative medicine. The course will help students to understand the role of regenerative medicine in restoring different pathological modalities in the fields already taught and will cover the need to acquire knowledge in a rapidly growing field of science.
Learning Outcomes
The student at the end of the clinical practice should:
• Know what regenerative medicine/dentistry is dealing with
• Understand the different approaches to the development of specialized / personalized therapies.
• Link the theory to practice by exposiure to a stem cell culture lab.
• Be familiarized with the use of stem cells as a therapeutic agent.
• Appriciate the contribution of other disciplines to the development of regenerative medicine/dentistry therapies.
Course Content (Syllabus)
The aim of the course is the introduction of the undergraduate student of the 5th year of studies to the latest developments in the field of regenerative medicine and cutting-edge technologies that create new therapeutic approaches for many pathological entities in both medicine.
1. Historical review of regenerative medicine
2. Introduction to stem cells (Embryonic, Adult stem cells, induced pluripotent stem cells, basic biological mechanisms)
3. Tissue and organ development Histological identification of regenerated tissue
4. Methods in regenerative medicine
5. Applied mechanics in tissue regeneration
6. Regeneration of cartilage and bone, applications in orthopedics/stomatology
7. Cell therapy for heart disease
8. Stem cells of the oral cavity: from bench to bed side
9. Stem cells in neurology, neurosurgery, ophthalmology
10. Applications of cellular gene therapy in Hematology
11. Cancer Stem Cells in Oral Cancer/Oral Pharynx
12. Cell Therapies Clinical Studies
13. Advanced therapeutic medical products, Greek and Community legislation.
Keywords
Regenerative Medicine, stem cells, cell therapies, gene therapies