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About This Simulation
Help out a desperate soccer player who has been badly injured. Will you able to help the sports physician in using the tissue engineering technique to restore damaged articular cartilage?
Learning Objectives
- Explain the basic principle of tissue engineering
- Describe the articular cartilage injuries and its treatment
- Define the types of crosslinking to synthesize hydrogels:
- Ionic crosslinking
- Michael addition crosslinking
- Enzymatic crosslinking
- Radical crosslinking
- Identify natural and synthetic polymers
- Analyze the synthesized hydrogels’ mechanical properties using rheology.
About This Simulation
Lab Techniques
- Rheology
- Ionic crosslinking
- Michael addition crosslinking
Related Standards
- No direct alignment
- No direct alignment
- No direct alignment
Learn More About This Simulation
Despite the notorious diving and fake foul in a soccer game, players are prone to serious injuries. One of the most common injuries is damaged articular cartilage in the knee. Cartilages cannot self-repair, and thus need replacement. In the Tissue Engineering simulation, you will learn the required elements of synthesizing a tissue for cartilage replacement. Will you able to produce hydrogels for repairing the articular cartilage?
Finding the essential elements in tissue engineering
You will be introduced to a sports physician who needs your help in treating an injured soccer player. In this simulation, you will learn three principle elements of tissue engineering and apply them to produce the scaffold of articular cartilage replacement. You will also explore the characteristics of two polymers that you will be using in creating the hydrogel scaffold throughout the experiment.
Synthesizing hydrogels scaffold
You will perform two crosslinking experiment, ionic and Michael addition method, to create the hydrogels scaffold. You will have to choose the polymers you want to use in the experiment based on what you’ve learned in the previous mission. At the end of each experiment, you will watch the chemical or physical reaction between the polymers that take place inside the hardening hydrogels.
Analyzing the mechanical properties of hydrogels
Finally, you will have obtained several hydrogels scaffolds that have been created using different crosslinking methods. Using a rheology approach, you will analyze the mechanical properties of each hydrogel. This virtual lab is equipped with a rheology simulator which will enable you to experiment with a various combination of parameters such as crosslinking method, polymer concentration, and temperature. In the end, you will have to decide which combination of polymer and crosslinking method is most suitable for the articular cartilage replacement. Will you able to ease the soccer player’s suffering?
Experience Labster for Yourself
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For Science Programs Providing a Learning Advantage
North Dakota State College of Science
“They did the simulation at home, then completed the in-person lab within 30 minutes, no questions asked, and passed the quiz with flying colors.”
Lecturer in Human Physiology
University of Westminster
"I saw some of the students who clearly didn’t necessarily like sitting there reading a book discover they could turn on Labster and keep up with the rest of the class because it spoke to them.
Modesto City Schools
"Having something that's engaging for the students gives teachers that opportunity to breathe and get excited again. Because they're seeing the kids light up, they're seeing the kids engage with content."
Wenatchee Valley College
"The question always is, ‘Can we demonstrate that the students are meeting course outcomes?’ Check! We can do that.”
San José State University
"We surveyed over 400 students. More than 90% thought Labster was easy to navigate, and that it was fun, but more importantly, most of them felt confident that they could execute the labs in person. And that confidence is a big deal."
FAQs
Find answers to frequently asked questions.
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Labster supports a wide range of courses at the high school and university level across fields in biology, chemistry and physics. Some simulations mimic lab procedures with high fidelity to train foundational skills, while others are meant to bring theory to life through interactive scenarios.