Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Polymers

This course provides the basics for understanding biomedical and pharmaceutical polymers, as well as polymers used in our daily life, and the foundation for the in-depth study of a variety of stimuli-responsive polymeric biomaterials. The course covers polymer types, structure, properties, morphology, rheology, characterization, processing, applications in drug delivery, degradation and release mechanisms, and the concepts of tailoring various polymeric material architecture for responding to stimuli, and their application in biomedical and pharmaceutical field.

• Understand the foundational aspects of polymers, including their historical development, material properties, and molecular structure.
• Analyse the behaviour of polymers by predicting their thermal and rheological properties under various conditions.
• Evaluate the effects of processing and design strategies on polymer properties, specifically within biomedical and biopharmaceutical applications.
• Predict the release behaviour of polymer-based drug delivery systems for specific therapeutic applications by integrating key concepts of biomaterial design, and material properties.

Instructor will provide relevant materials online.

• Osswald, T.A.A. & Menges, G., 2012. Material science of polymers for engineers: Third edition, Hanser.
• Callister, W.D. & Rethwisch, D.G., 2012. Fundamentals of materials science and engineering : an integrated approach 4th ed., Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
• Ch 4, Labarre, Denis, et al. Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Polymers, Pharmaceutical Press, 2010.

Pre-lecture reading:  This is a blended-learning encouraging the reading and / or watching lecture slides prior to coming to the class. Complete the relevant readings, and watch lectures for that week before coming to the class.

For class participation, answer the following:

• Minute Papers: Please respond to the following questions in less than 200 words: “What is an important thing you learned today? What questions remain unanswered?” We will use your responses to guide your next lesson, and/or discuss them at the beginning of the next class
• Final Reflection: A 1 page paper describing what you learned through this class, what surprised you, what bolstered your ideas, and what new information you gained. Additionally, think of answering the questions:  What was the most surprising part of the class? What was the most challenging part of the class? How did you address the challenges?

There will be 10 homeworks in the class that will be submitted by you on due or before due date. There will be plenty of opportunity to work on homework problem during the class time, so please come prepared by watching given videos and reading the provided materials.

Engaging case study presentations to happen in last week! By week 7 of the semester, each student will choose a topic of their choice for biomedical / biopharmaceutical polymer application presentation in a structured case study format. Each student will prepare a 40 minute in class presentation on it, followed by 30 mins of Q and A in class.

This course is bound by Plaksha’s policy for Academic Integrity and other policies by OAA.