BM101: BIOLOGY FOR ENGINEERS
Introduction to Biomedical Engineering
Instructor: Yashveer Singh, PhD
Slides courtesy: Dr. Durba Pal
5 August 2019 1
Biomedical Engineering
▪ Biomedical engineering aims at applying engineering, computational, and/or
mathematical skills/knowledge to addressing healthcare challenges (humans
and animals)
Enderle and Bronzino, Introduction to Biomedical Engineering, III Ed, 2012 2
Biomedical Engineering
▪ Examples range from
developing an
instrumentation to
diagnose a
condition/disease to
developing an artificial
organ
Enderle and Bronzino, Introduction to Biomedical Engineering, III Ed, 2012 3
Biomedical Engineering
▪ Examples range from
developing an
instrumentation to
diagnose a
condition/disease to
developing an
artificial organ
Enderle and Bronzino, Introduction to Biomedical Engineering, III Ed, 2012 4
Biomedical Engineering
▪ Interdisciplinary
Chemistry
skill sets are
Biology
required
Biomedical Medicine ▪ More importantly,
exposure to
Materials engineering biology is
Science
necessary
Engineering
Computation
Enderle and Bronzino, Introduction to Biomedical Engineering, III Ed, 2012 5
Biomedical Engineering
▪ Key areas of
biomedical
engineering are shown
in the figure
▪ Biomedical engineer is
mainly an engineer
with exposure to
biology and not a
biologist with
exposure to
engineering
Enderle and Bronzino, Introduction to Biomedical Engineering, III Ed, 2012 6
Biomedical Engineering
• Lab on a chip ▪ Look at some of the
• Tissue scaffolds biomedical
• Artificial limbs engineering products
• Imaging
▪ Each requires a
different set of
interdisciplinary skill
sets
Enderle and Bronzino, Introduction to Biomedical Engineering, III Ed, 2012 7
Biomechanics
▪ It includes the study of motion,
material deformation, flow within
the body, as well as devices, and
transport phenomena in the body,
such as transport of chemical
constituents across biological and
synthetic media and membranes.
▪ Efforts in biomechanics have led
to the development of artificial
heart, replacement heart valves,
Biomechatronics Group Knee by Elliott and the hip replacement
Rouse, MIT
Enderle and Bronzino, Introduction to Biomedical Engineering, III Ed, 2012 8
Bioinstrumentation
▪ Bioinstrumentation is the application of electronics and
measurement techniques to develop devices to detect a
condition or diagnose a disease in body
▪ X-ray and CT scan are shown in the accompanying figure
▪ Computers are an important and increasingly essential
part of medical instrumentation now
▪ Examples of bioinstrumentation include, heart monitors,
microelectrodes, defibrillators, glucose monitoring
machines, etc.
Enderle and Bronzino, Introduction to Biomedical Engineering, III Ed, 2012 9
Bioinstrumentation
▪ Basic schematics
of a bio
instrument
Enderle and Bronzino, Introduction to Biomedical Engineering, III Ed, 2012 10
Bioinstrumentation
▪ Examples of
commonly used
bioinstruments
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Medical Imaging
▪ Medical imaging combines the knowledge of a unique
physical phenomenon (sound, radiation, magnetism, etc.)
with high-speed electronic data processing, analysis, and
display to generate an image
▪ Examples include MRI, Ultrasound, and CT
▪ Imaging allows to you to see inside the body without
resorting to surgery (non-invasive or minimally invasive)
Enderle and Bronzino, Introduction to Biomedical Engineering, III Ed, 2012 13
Medical Imaging
▪ Ultrasound technique detects an object based on how well it echoes sound
waves
▪ Used to detect heart defects, age of fetus, position in uterus, twins
▪ Can determine sex of baby by 18-20 weeks of pregnancy
▪ Also used to thermally apply medications to injuries
Enderle and Bronzino, Introduction to Biomedical Engineering, III Ed, 2012 14
Bio-signal Processing
▪ Bio-signal processing involves collection and analysis of data (signal) from
patients
▪ The manipulation and dissection of the data or signal provides the physician
the vital information on the condition of the patient.
▪ Biomedical engineers apply signal-processing methods to the design of
medical devices that monitor and diagnose certain conditions in the human
body
▪ Examples include heart arrhythmia detection software and brain activity
Enderle and Bronzino, Introduction to Biomedical Engineering, III Ed, 2012 15
Biomaterials
▪ A biomaterial is a non-viable
material intended to interact
with biological systems
▪ Used to replace a body part or
enhance a bodily function or
support a damaged structure
▪ Heart replacement valves
▪ Artificial lungs
▪ Artificial kidneys
▪ Dental adhesives
▪ Bone cement
▪ Replacement bones/joints
▪ Heart prosthetics
Enderle and Bronzino, Introduction to Biomedical Engineering, III Ed, 2012 16
Biomaterials
▪ Examples of a biomaterial
include metals, ceramics,
polymers, fabric, and
composites
Glass/acrylic
Metal
Pyrolytic carbon
Metal and ceramic High grade plastic polymer
Enderle and Bronzino, Introduction to Biomedical Engineering, III Ed, 2012 17
Biomaterials
Medical implants are devices that are
placed inside or on the surface of the
body. Implants are manufactured to
replace a missing biological structure,
support a damaged biological structure, or
enhance an existing biological structure
Prosthetics or prostheses are intended to
replace missing body parts, which may
have been lost through trauma, disease, or
congenital conditions
Implant: Bone implant;
Picture fromhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Implant_%28medicine%29
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Prosthetic: Jaipur limb; Picture from http://jaipurfoot.org/
Biomaterials
▪ Presence of implants in body
often generates inflammation
and infection, wound healing and
fibrous encapsulation,
Body breaks calcification, and blood clots
implant down Calcification
Blood clots on
the surface
(bone forms on valve) (inappropriate host responses)
▪ If these host responses are
severe, it may lead to removal of
implants from body (device
failure/rejection)
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Biomaterials
▪ Therefore, biomaterials/medical devices must function with minimal
inappropriate host responses (biocompatible devices). A biocompatible
biomaterial/medical device must exhibit following characteristics:
▪ It must not be toxic
▪ It must not be carcinogenic
▪ It must not irritate the surrounding structure
▪ It must not provoke abnormal inflammatory responses
▪ It must not incite allergic or immunological reactions
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Biomaterials
▪ Bionics means the replacement or
enhancement of organs or other body parts
by mechanical versions
▪ What biomaterials can you see?
▪ What problem do you think they are solving?
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Bioengineering
▪ Bioengineering applies engineering principles of design and analysis to
biological systems and biomedical technologies
▪ Examples of bioengineering research include bacteria engineered to
produce chemicals or tissue engineered organs
https://bioeng.berkeley.edu/about-us/what-is-bioengineering 22
Assignment
▪ Identify the three early medical
devices shown in the
accompanying figure and their
purpose?
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