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BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING
Biomedical engineering is application
of traditional engineering principles and design procedures to analyze
and solve problems in biology and medicine. Biomedical engineers
may be called upon in a wide range of capacities, including designing
instruments, devices and software; bringing together knowledge from
many technical sources to develop new procedures; and conducting
research needed to solve clinical problems.
Subdisciplines of Biomedical Engineering
Although a number of subspecialty
areas of biomedical engineering exist, they rarely “work in a vacuum.” Often,
the biomedical engineer who works in one area will use knowledge
gathered by biomedical engineers working in other areas. For example,
the design of an artificial hip is aided greatly by studies on anatomy,
bone biomechanics, gait analysis and biomaterial compatibility. The
forces applied to the hip can be considered in the design and material
selection for the prosthesis. Similarly, the design of systems to
electrically stimulate paralyzed muscle to move in a controlled way
uses knowledge of the behavior of the human musculoskeletal system.
The selection of appropriate materials used in these devices falls
within the realm of the biomaterials engineer.
Bioinformatics: This
involves developing and using computer tools to collect and analyze
data related to medicine and biology. Work in bioinformatics could
involve using sophisticated techniques to manage and search databases
of gene sequences that contain millions of entries.
Bioinstrumentation: This is
the application of electronics and measurement techniques to develop
devices used in diagnosis and treatment of disease. Computers are
an essential part of bioinstrumentation, from the microprocessor
in a single-purpose instrument used to do a variety of small tasks
to the microcomputer needed to process the large amount of information
in a medical imaging system.
Biomaterials: These include both living
tissue and artificial materials used for implantation. Understanding
the properties and behavior of living material is vital in the design
of implant materials. The selection of an appropriate material to
place in the human body may be one of the most difficult tasks faced
by the biomedical engineer. Biomaterials must be nontoxic, noncarcinogenic
(not cancer-causing), chemically inert, stable and mechanically strong
enough to withstand the repeated forces of a lifetime. Newer biomaterials
even incorporate living cells to provide a true biological and mechanical
match for the living tissue.
Biomechanics: This applies classical
mechanical engineering to biological or medical problems. It includes
the study of motion, material deformation, flow within the body and
in devices and transport of chemical constituents across biological
and synthetic media and membranes. Progress in biomechanics has led
to the development of the artificial heart, heart valves and artificial
joint replacements, as well as to a better understanding of the function
of the heart, the lungs, blood vessels, capillaries and the bone,
cartilage, ligaments and tendons of the musculoskeletal systems.
BioMEMS: Microelectromechanical
systems (MEMS) are the integration of mechanical elements, sensors,
actuators and electronics on a silicon chip. BioMEMS are the development
and application of MEMS in medicine and biology. Examples of BioMEMS
include the development of microrobots that one day might perform
surgery inside the body and the manufacture of tiny devices that
could be implanted inside the body to deliver drugs on demand.
Biosignal
processing: This involves extracting useful information from
biological signals for diagnostics and therapeutics purposes. This
could mean studying cardiac signals to determine whether a patient
will be susceptible to sudden cardiac death, developing speech recognition
systems that can cope with background noise or detecting features
of brain signals that can be used to control a computer.
Biotechnology: This is a set
of powerful tools that employs living organisms (or parts of organisms)
to make or modify products, improve plants or animals or develop
microorganisms for specific uses. Some of the earliest efforts in
biotechnology involved traditional animal and plant breeding techniques
and the use of yeast in making bread, beer, wine and cheese. Modern
biotechnology involves the industrial use of recombinant DNA and
cell fusion, novel bioprocessing techniques that can be used to help
correct genetic defects in humans. It also involves bioremediation,
the degradation of hazardous contaminants with the help of living
organisms.
Cellular, tissue and genetic engineering: This
involves more recent attempts to attack biomedical problems at the
microscopic level. These areas utilize the anatomy, biochemistry
and mechanics of cellular and subcellular structures to understand
disease processes and to be able to intervene at very specific sites.
With these capabilities, miniature devices deliver compounds that
can stimulate or inhibit cellular processes at precise target locations
to promote healing or inhibit disease formation and progression.
Clinical
engineering: This is the application of technology to health
care in hospitals. The clinical engineer is a member of the health
care team along with physicians, nurses and other hospital staff.
Clinical engineers are responsible for developing and maintaining
computer databases of medical instrumentation and equipment records
as well as for the purchase and use of sophisticated medical instruments.
They also might work with physicians to adapt instrumentation to
the specific needs of the physician and the hospital, which often
involves the interface of instruments with computer systems and customized
software for instrument control and data acquisition and analysis.
Clinical engineers are involved with the application of the latest
technology to health care.
Medical imaging: This combines knowledge
of a unique physical phenomenon (such as sound, radiation or magnetism)
with high-speed electronic data processing, analysis and display
to generate an image. These images often can be obtained with minimal
or completely noninvasive procedures, making them less painful and
more easily repeatable than invasive techniques. In addition, radiology
refers to the use of radioactive substances such as X-rays, magnetic
fields and ultrasound to create images of the body, its organs and
its structures. These images can be used in the diagnosis and treatment
of disease, as well as to guide doctors in image-guided surgery.
Microtechnology
and nanotechnology: Microtechnology involves the development
and use of devices on the scale of a micrometer (one thousandth of
a millimeter, or about 1/50 of the diameter of a human hair), while
nanotechnology involves devices on the order of a nanometer (about
1/50,000 of the diameter of a human hair, or 10 times the diameter
of a hydrogen atom). These fields include the development of microscopic
force sensors that can identify changing tissue properties as a way
to help surgeons remove only unhealthy tissue and nanometer-length
cantilever beams that bend with cardiac protein levels in ways that
can help doctors in the early and rapid diagnosis of heart attacks.
Neural
systems and engineering: This emerging interdisciplinary field
involves study of the brain and nervous system and encompasses areas
such as the replacement or restoration of lost sensory and motor
abilities (for example, retinal implants to partially restore sight
or electrical stimulation of paralyzed muscles to assist a person
in standing), the study of the complexities of neural systems in
nature, the development of neurorobots (robot arms that are controlled
by signals from the motor cortex in the brain) and neuroelectronics
(developing brain-implantable microelectronics with high computing
power, for example).
Orthopedic bioengineering: This is the
specialty where methods of engineering and computational mechanics
have been applied for the understanding of the function of bones,
joints and muscles and for the design of artificial joint replacements.
Orthopedic bioengineers analyze the friction, lubrication and wear
characteristics of natural and artificial joints, perform stress
analysis of the musculoskeletal system and develop artificial biomaterials
(biologic and synthetic) for the replacement of bones, cartilages,
ligaments, tendons, meniscus and intervertebral discs. They often
perform gait and motion analyses for sports performance and patient
outcome following surgical procedures.
Rehabilitation engineering: This
is a growing specialty area of biomedical engineering. Rehabilitation
engineers enhance the capabilities and improve the quality of life
for individuals with physical and cognitive impairments. They are
involved in prosthetics, the development of home, workplace and transportation
modifications and the design of assistive technology that enhance
seating and positioning, mobility and communication. Rehabilitation
engineers also are developing hardware and software computer adaptations
and cognitive aids to assist people with cognitive difficulties.
Robotics
in surgery: This includes the use of robotic and image processing
systems to interactively assist a medical team both in planning and
executing a surgery. These new techniques can minimize the side effects
of surgery by providing smaller incisions, less trauma and more precision,
while also decreasing costs.
Systems physiology: This is the term
used to describe the aspect of biomedical engineering in which engineering
strategies, techniques and tools are used to gain a comprehensive
and integrated understanding of the function of living organisms,
ranging from bacteria to humans. Computer modeling is used in the
analysis of experimental data and in formulating mathematical descriptions
of physiological events. In research, predictor models are used in
designing new experiments to refine our knowledge. Living systems
have highly regulated feedback control systems that can be examined
with state-of-the-art techniques. Examples are the biochemistry of
metabolism and the control of limb movements.
A biomedical engineering
degree typically requires a minimum of four years of university education.
Following this, the biomedical engineer may assume an entry level
engineering position in a medical device or pharmaceutical company,
a clinical engineering position in a hospital or even a sales position
for a biomaterials or biotechnology company. Many biomedical engineers
will seek graduate-level training in biomedical engineering or a
related engineering field, pursue a graduate degree in business or
apply to medical or dental school. A fraction of biomedical engineers
even choose to enter law school, planning to work with patent law
and intellectual property related to biomedical inventions.
Related Links
http://www.becon.nih.gov/becon.htm
Bioengineering Consortium, National Institutes of Health
http://www.bmenet.org/BMEnet/db?action=list_by_keyword&keyword=resource&ncolumns=1
Resources,
Biomedical Engineering Network
http://embs.gsbme.unsw.edu.au
Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society, Institute of Electrical
and Electronics Engineers
http://embs.gsbme.unsw.edu.au/docs/careerguide.pdf
Designing a Career in Biomedical Engineering, Engineering in Medicine
and Biology Society, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
http://www.nibib.nih.gov
National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering
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