Graduate Training for Rationally Designed, Integrative Biomaterials: GTauBioMAT

描述（由申请人提供）：生物材料领域显著影响着成千上万人的生活质量。生物材料传统上用于医疗器械，如髋关节植入物、血管移植物和支架，在组织工程和再生医学的支架/药物输送装置中有新的应用。然而，生物材料与人体无缝整合的能力，以及在体内随时间的反应和重塑的能力仍然存在重大挑战。生物材料的全部潜力尚未实现，部分原因是目前使用的大多数材料都是其他过程的副产品，没有考虑到具体的医疗要求而合理设计。生物医学工程作为一门学科提供了一个独特的机会来解决这个缺点。佐治亚理工学院在生物工程方面有一个优秀的跨学科研究生项目，已有15年的历史，培养了高质量的博士生。GTBioMAT（合理设计综合生物材料研究生培训）的目标是利用现有的跨部门和大学之间的联系，为下一代仿生综合材料的合理设计和应用提供结构化的、重点突出的综合培训。GTBioMAT培训计划将集中于整合四项重要技能，这些技能对于培养生物材料科学与工程领域的未来领导者至关重要：1)通过强大的临床互动阐明生物材料设计标准的能力；2)合成和表征新材料的能力，其设计是由对潜在临床和基础科学问题的理解驱动的；3)功能化和应用这些材料的能力，使它们适当地整合到生命系统中；4)培养学员的领导能力，使他们通过创新和研究引领下一代生物材料科学与工程研究。GTBioMAT培训计划提出引入新颖的基于问题的学习方法，促进自主探究和协作解决复杂但真实的生物材料相关问题。它充分利用了乔治亚理工学院和埃默里大学教师的强大研究实力，将对生物材料领域未来领导者的培养产生重大影响。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The field of Biomaterials significantly impacts the quality of life of thousands of people. Biomaterials have traditionally been used in medical devices such as hip implants, vascular grafts, and stents with new evolving applications in scaffolds/drug delivery devices for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. However, significant challenges remain with the ability of Biomaterials to integrate seamlessly with the body, to respond and remodel with time in vivo. The full potential of Biomaterials has not yet been realized, in part, because most materials that are used today are by-products of other processes, not rationally designed with the specific medical requirements in mind. Biomedical engineering as a discipline offers a unique opportunity to address this shortcoming. Georgia Institute of Technology has had an excellent, interdisciplinary graduate program in Bioengineering for 15 years with a high quality of pre-doctoral students. The goal of GTBioMAT (Graduate Training for Rationally Designed, Integrative Biomaterials) is to leverage the existing inter-departmental and inter-university ties and provide a structured, focused, integrative training for the rational design and application of the next generation of biomimetic, integrative materials. The GTBioMAT training program will focus on integrating four important skill sets that are critical to training the future leaders in Biomaterials science and engineering: 1) the ability to elucidate Biomaterials design criteria through strong clinical interactions; 2) the ability to synthesize and characterize new materials whose design is driven by an understanding of the underlying clinical and basic science issues; 3) the ability to functionalize and apply these materials such that they integrate appropriately into living systems; and 4) develop leadership skills in the trainees such that they lead the next generation of Biomaterials Science and Engineering research through their innovation and research. The GTBioMAT training program proposes to introduce novel problem based learning approaches that promote self-directed inquiry and collaborative problem solving of complex but authentic biomaterials related problems. It leverages the strong research strength of the faculty at Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University and will significantly impact the training of the future leaders in Biomaterials.