Biomedical Engineering
The biomedical engineer uses quantitative approaches to integrate various components to gain knowledge regarding living systems. They can then create innovative solutions and make commercial products. Hence the biomedical engineer leverages research in biology and medical fields to improve quality of life and improve health care delivery.
According to reliable sources, several new technologies are being developed nowadays, which will be commercialized within a few years. These depend on research in new areas such as functional genomics, imaging at the molecular and cellular levels, new imaging at the organ level, computational applications in bioinformatics and medical informatics, functional biomaterials, bionanotechnology, new instruments and devices for clinical medicine, and rehabilitation and assistive technologies. There are clear indications that the requirement for biomedical engineers is poised for huge growth in the next 10 years.
Medical technology companies rely on fundamental biological discoveries. The health care sector opens huge opportunities for medical technology innovations in Asia, as tremendous growth in medical and health awareness can be witnessed with an increase in income levels and education. Also there is an urgent need for biomedical engineering studies, which is an interdisciplinary field comprising of engineering, biology and medicine.
The applications in bio-medical engineering are many. There can be new ways of doing blood tests, screening of infectious diseases and in genetics. Information technology applications in healthcare provide knowledge about how materials behave inside the body. This is changing the approach towards implantable devices.
Biomedical Engineering applies modern methodologies along with theoretical and computational methods. Research programs in biomedical engineering covers related topics like molecule and cell research, human anatomy, immunology, physiology and neuroscience. This gives biomedical engineers in-depth knowledge of life sciences.
Specific areas of specialization in biomedical engineering include artificial organs, automated patient monitoring, blood chemistry sensors, advanced therapeutic and surgical devices, applications of systems and artificial intelligence and clinical decision making for computer-based systems for diagnosing diseases. Biomedical techniques are also used in the design of clinical labs for catheterization, blood analysis and medical imaging systems; biomaterials design as in implantable artificial materials; biomechanics for injury and wound healing and also in sports medicine for external support devices.
Who is a Biomedical Engineer?
According to specialists in the field, a biomedical engineer understands medical problems, the chemistry, the biochemistry involved in doing the sensing besides understanding the engineering that goes into developing the devices. Biomedical engineers will bring together all of the specialties in the field.
Biomedical engineers require quantitative skills and should be able to analyze a problem in detail. They need to have a solid foundation in engineering even if students are working in a medical environment. Besides, biomedical engineers should have math skills and teamwork skills also. They should know about biomaterials, rehab engineering, computer-assisted surgery and medical imaging that leverage engineering, science and medical applications.
Biomedical engineers analyze and solve problems in biology and medicine for enhancing health care. They work with physicians, nurses, therapists and technicians besides using their technical knowledge to design instruments, devices and software for developing new procedures and products and do research to solve clinical problems.
Biomedical Education
In many countries of Asia, universities have incorporated Biomedical Engineering and Bioengineering as major educational studies. Singapore gives great importance to the new field of biomedical engineering. Singapore Manufacturing Output has risen significantly, especially in the biomedical sector in recent years. Nanyang University of Singapore and National University of Singapore offer post-graduate studies in biomedical engineering, besides other courses.
Stanford University in California in partnership with the Indian government established a new training program, The Stanford-India Biodesign. This initiative is expected to create biomedical technology innovators in India.
Harry Greenberg, senior associate dean for research at Stanford University School of Medicine said, “India is on the move. India represents a huge part of the population of the globe that is likely to benefit from medical innovation and technology over the next 20 years.”
The Stanford program will teach innovation in Indian engineering, to business and medical students through a two-year fellowship project. The training will start at Stanford and will continue in health clinics and hospitals in India where students can locate unserved medical needs, which will meet the needs of the Indian health-care environment. The fellows at the end of the program will help develop and test the solutions further.
“The purpose is to eventually help meet the medical needs of the people at the bottom of the economic pyramid in India,” said Balram Bhargava, the India-based executive director of Stanford-India Biodesign and a professor of cardiology at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi.
In India, the use of artificial legs or lower leg prosthesis commonly called “Jaipur Limb” is a well known remedy for loss of limbs especially for the underserved population. At Aravind Eye Institute custom-designed intra-ocular lenses are implanted into thousands of patients free of cost.
The Biomedical Engineering Society of India is a not-for-profit professional body which has its headquarters located in the Manipal Institute of Technology, Karnataka. The society was formed with the intention to en-courage, promote and advance interdisciplinary cooperation amongst scientists, engineers and medical doctors for teaching and doing research in the filed of biomedical engineering. The society will also oversee improvements of standards, terminology, equipment, methods and safety practices.
In China, biomedical engineering has grown remarkably in the past ten years. Funding for research and development has been highly encouraging in the biomedical field as an aging population and change in lifestyles have resulted in new diseases. Malnutrition and traditional infectious diseases have been replaced by chronic and non-communicable diseases. This has made biomedicine important. After focusing on pharmaceuticals field for so long China now focuses on biotechnology. ChinaBio deals with investment opportunities in the biotech industry.
Biofield in China has made a new device, considered an alternative for biopsies and mammograms in the treatment of breast cancer. Biofield’s device combines a measurement machine with single-use sensors which can measure electrical changes associated with the development of epithelial cancers in breast cancer, according to reliable sources.
Chindex International announced two medical devices: the daVinci SSurgical System and the AlexLaser. The former is a robotic surgical assistance tool that uses minimal invasive techniques. The latter is used for removing tattoos and pigmentation. The Institute of Biomedical Engineering was developed in 1995 to offer many programs in the under graduate, post graduate and doctoral levels.
The institute maintains good relations with many hospitals including the First People’s Hospital of Hangzhou, Zhejiang Hospital, the 117th Hospital of Army etc. to offer research support in the biomedical discipline.
The 4th International Conference on Bioinformatics and Biomedical Engineering (iCBBE2010) was held from June 18th to 20th in Chengdu, China. The top researchers from Asia Pacific, North America, Europe and other regions exchanged research findings and discussed all issues of bioinformatics and biomedical engineering.
Hong-Kong based Tianjin Biomedical Engineering Company is engaged in making compound fertilizer products besides healthcare products. Besides making special foods for diabetic patients in the form of noodles, flour and biscuits the company also makes biological, combined and mixed fertilizer, which is made after thorough plant research for augmenting crop production.
Apart from Hong-Kong, even Malaysia has started investing in biomedical research and education to meet the need for experienced and qualified biomedical engineers. University of Malaya offers an engineering program that encompasses biology and medicine, and adds a combination of mechanical and electrical engineering and applied mechanics and electronics.
Students will learn to design, monitor, install, maintain and service medical and laboratory equipment; carry out analysis and research to give advice and provide consulting services pertaining to engineering-related medical problems and work hand-in-hand with medical experts on specific patient treatments. Other institutes which offer similar programs in Malaysia are Universiti Teknologi Malaysia and Universiti Tun Hussien On.
Need for Biomedical Engineers
With growing healthcare awareness, increase in population in Asian countries and greater affordability for optimized healthcare, the need for qualified biomedical professionals in on the rise.
They are employed in universities, industry, hospitals, research centers for education and medical institutions, teaching and government regulatory agencies. Biomedical engineers are required in government positions for product testing and safety, besides establishing safety standards for devices. In hospitals, biomedical engineers provide advice and guidance in the selection of medical equipment and they also supervise the performance of the equipments on a continuous basis.
Brain Computer Interface or BCIsystem helps severely disabled people to communicate or control devices. Bluetooth wireless technology is incorporated into existing systems to enable wireless serial communication be-tween the data acquisition system and the computer. The computer can send control commands to two remote Bluetooth devices like prosthetic hand and LEDs. This helps control an artificial hand to do some simple actions. This is an example of how biomedical engineering is aiding medical doctors to optimize health care.
Reference
Blesson Raj
