2. Introduction: The virtual lab
• Welcome to the online interactive teaching aid. This
site has been developed to help you learn topics in
tissue engineering.
• The interactives will help you to understand difficult
topics and improve information retention.
• More importantly, you will have fun whilst learning
more about the course.
3. Things you need to do first…
• Make sure you read the notes in cartilage biology
(week 4 lectures).
• You need to read the handout called “virtual tissue
engineering practical”.
• You should read the following slides carefully – this
presentation will give you an overview of what you
need to do.
4. Background: Tissue engineering
• The development of sophisticated techniques in tissue engineering, have
evolved in the last thirty years.
• The process primarily involves removal of cartilage from the healthy knee
joint, tissue digestion with enzymes to remove extracellular matrix and cell
seeding into a 3D biodegradable scaffold.
• Cell expansion and stimulation of matrix synthesis can be enhanced when
the cell seeded scaffold is cultured within a bioreactor device. Indeed,
several studies have shown that stimulation of chondrocyte / agarose
constructs with mechanical loading upregulates cell proliferation and
proteoglycan synthesis. These include molecules such as sulphated
glycosaminoglycans (sGAGs) which form new cartilage tissue.
• However, the effect of mechanical loading on matrix turnover is dependent
on the bioreactor conditions since this will influence the rate at which the
cells produce GAGs.
• This in turn will affect the mechanical properties of the cell seeded
construct.
5. Introduction to the experiment
• In this study, bovine chondrocytes will be seeded into agarose gel
and cultured within a bioreactor device for 48 hr.
• The study will measure:
– The amount of GAG released by cells cultured in unstrained
and strained constructs.
– The amount of GAG released by cells into the culture medium
• The aim of the study is to determine how mechanical loading
influences GAG synthesis.
• This metabolic parameter will be influenced by:
– the type of compressive mechanical loading regime
– duration of culture in the bioreactor device
6. Overview of the virtual process
• You will carry out a series of simulations in a virtual lab with the
aim of producing chondrocyte / agarose constructs.
• At the end of the virtual experiment, you will measure the
amount of GAG produced by the cells by biochemical assay.
• You will analyse the data and discuss the methods and results
during the self-assessment exercise.
• You will compare your data with others during the peer-review
process.
• You will be asked to evaluate your own work and compare it
with others.
• At the end of the evaluation process, you will receive
personalised feedback for your work and you will be given a
mark.
7. Overview of the virtual process
Introduction
Cell isolation and culture
Bioreactor experiment
sGAG assay
Self-assessment
Raw data analysis
and results
Peer-review Evaluation
Videos
Audio slideshows
Presentations
3D interactive lab procedures
Rich media content management
Media streaming
3D virtual lab
…through Learnexx
Stage1
Stage 3
Stage2
Stage 4 Stage 5
8. Table 1: Task description for the
five stages and deadlines
Stage Deadline Task description (timeline)
1 11/11 Task 1: Cell counting, construct preparation and
bioreactor experiment
2 15/11 Task 2: GAG assay
3 20/11 Task 3: Data analysis and self-assessment
4 25/11 Task 4: Peer-review
5 30/11 Task 5: Evaluation process
9. Do you need help? The hint
button
• If you are struggling with certain aspects of the material, feel free to click
on the hint button.
• The hint button will help you to answer the question by providing you
with prompts on what to do next.
• However, each hint carries a very small penalty which might affect your
final score.
• Please do not feel hesitant to click on the hint button – its purpose is to
help you
• Remember, Stages 1 and 2 in the virtual lab will NOT be assessed. You
can make as many mistakes as you like in the virtual lab. Just make sure
you learn from them.
10. Marks
• Throughout the process, you are encouraged to complete the exercises
in a timely manner, in particular before the deadlines detailed in Table 1.
• If you fail to meet the deadlines, you will not be able to progress to the
next stage.
• Failure to meet all deadlines will result in a penalty of 5 % applied to
coursework 1 for MAT311 and MTRM064. This means you will loose 5 %
(out of 15 %) for coursework 1.
• Completion of all deadlines (stages 1 to 5) with a final score of 40 or
above contributes to 5 % of the mark.
• If you complete all deadlines with a final score less than 39, then this
contributes to 1 % of the mark for coursework 1.
11. What do I do next?
• Re-read the handout called “virtual tissue engineering” practical.
• Watch the video in the cell isolation page.
• Start Stage 1: cell counting, construct preparation and bioreactor
experiment.
• If you are having trouble on-line, make sure you read the trouble-
shooting handout. All IT related issues will be covered in the
troubleshooting handout.
• If you have questions about the technical/research aspects, use the
forum and the hint button.
