Living Medicine: Stem Cells & The Future of Repair

Data

Official data in SubjectManager for the following academic year: 2026-2027

Topic

hile traditional medicine uses chemicals to treat symptoms, the new era of biotechnology uses living cells to repair the body. This course explores the shift toward "Patient-in-a-Dish" models and regenerative therapies. We focus on how Stem Cells and 3D Organoids (miniature organs grown in the lab) are replacing animal testing in drug development and how these "Living Medicines" are manufactured to cure previously untreatable conditions. Join us to explore how we are moving from "treating" disease to "regrowing" health.

Lectures

• 1. The Time Machine: How the "Yamanaka Factors" allow us to turn adult skin cells back into "Day Zero" stem cells - Zand Afshin
• 2. The Universal Donor: Engineering "invisible" stem cells that any patient’s immune system can accept. - Zand Afshin
• 3. Mini-Organs (Organoids): Growing 3D "mini-brains" and "mini-livers" to test new drugs safely. - Zand Afshin
• 4. The Patient’s Twin: Modeling a specific patient’s tumor in the lab to find the perfect chemotherapy match. - Zand Afshin
• 5. Body-on-a-Chip: Using micro-tech to connect different "mini-organs" and simulate human metabolism. - Zand Afshin
• 6. Nature’s Emergency Responders: How Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSCs) hunt for inflammation and repair tissue. - Zand Afshin
• 7. 3D Bioprinting: Using "Bio-ink" and living cells to print functional tissue patches for the body. - Nancy Zeineddine
• 8. Cell-Free Therapy (Exosomes): Using the "messages" cells send to each other as a new type of medicine - Nancy Zeineddine
• 9. The Billion-Cell Challenge: How do we mass-produce high-quality living cells for thousands of patients? - Nancy Zeineddine
• 10. Patching the Heart: The latest biotech strategies for repairing the heart after an injury. - Nancy Zeineddine
• 11. Stem Cells in the Brain: Exploring clinical trials for Parkinson’s and spinal cord recovery. - Nancy Zeineddine
• 12. The Future of Design: Interactive Summary on the ethics of synthetic life and "embryoids." - Nancy Zeineddine

Practices

Seminars

Reading material

Obligatory literature

Literature developed by the Department

Course materials consist of weekly presentation slides covering the lecture topics. These are supplemented by curated "Fact Sheets".Additionally, a "Curriculum Question Bank" consisting of 25 comprehensive questions will be distributed at the start of the semester to guide self-study and provide the basis for both the "Group-Pulse" interactive activity and the final written assessment.

Notes

Recommended literature

Conditions for acceptance of the semester

One assignment at the end of the course

Mid-term exams

It's not required

Making up for missed classes

Not possible

Exam topics/questions

Logic: The Shift to Living Medicine
1.            Why are "Patient-derived" cells more accurate for drug testing than traditional animal models?

2.            What is the logical advantage of using a 3D Organoid over a flat 2D cell culture?

3.            Why do we consider Stem Cells "Living Medicines" rather than traditional drugs?

4.            How does the logic of "Personalized Medicine" apply when we grow a patient's own cells in a dish?

5.            Why is the discovery of "Cellular Reprogramming" considered a turning point in biotechnology?

II. Application: Real-World Healing

1.            How can a "Mini-Liver" grown in the lab help predict if a new drug will be toxic to humans?

2.            In what way does "3D Bioprinting" solve the problem of organ donor shortages?

3.            Describe a scenario where an "Exosome" (cell-free) treatment might be safer than injecting whole cells.

4.            How can "Body-on-a-Chip" technology reduce the time it takes to get a vaccine to market?

5.            Why are MSCs (Mesenchymal Stem Cells) being tested as a treatment for severe inflammatory lung conditions?

III. Mechanism: How the Tech Works

1.            Explain how "Yamanaka Factors" physically reset a cell's identity back to a pluripotent state.

2.            What is the mechanism of "Bio-ink" that allows cells to survive the 3D printing process?

3.            How do we "guide" a stem cell to become a specific type, such as a neuron or a heart cell?

4.            Describe how microfluidic channels in a "Body-on-a-Chip" mimic the human blood flow.

5.            How does the immune system "recognize" a foreign stem cell, and how can we engineer cells to avoid this?

IV. Diagnostics & Quality: Ensuring Success

1.            How can AI and machine learning help a scientist pick the "best" cells from a colony of millions?

2.            What are the signs of a "healthy" 3D organoid compared to one that isn't developing correctly?

3.            Why is "Sterility" much more difficult to maintain in cell manufacturing than in chemical pill making?

4.            How can we prove that a "Reprogrammed" cell has truly reached "Day Zero" status?

5.            Why is it important to track the "Purity" of a cell batch before it is injected into a patient?

V. Ethics & The Future: Being a Visionary

1.            Is it ethical to grow "Mini-Brains" that show signs of electrical activity?

2.            How do we balance the hope of "Stem Cell Cures" with the risks of unproven therapies sold online?

3.            Should there be a limit on how long we can grow "Synthetic Embryos" for research?

4.            Who should own the rights to a "Patient-in-a-Dish" model—the patient or the lab that grew it?

5.            How can we ensure that "Living Medicines" are affordable for everyone, not just the wealthy?

Examiners

Instructor / tutor of practices and seminars