Fundamentals of Biomedical

Engineering
Course Objectives
To understand the terminology and basic
concepts in biomedical engineering.
To develop an appreciation for biomedical
engineering and awareness of the social
issues involved in the profession.
To develop specific knowledge in different
aspects of biomedical engineering such as
biomechanics, prostheses, biomaterials,
diagnostics and therapy, biomedical signals,
bioelectronics, biomedical instrumentation,
biomedical imaging and equipment.
 Fundamentals of Biomedical
Engineering
Course Outline Transport processes: mass,
Introduction to Biomedical fluid, energy, heat, oxygen
Engineering Neural Engineering and
Bioelectricity, bio-potentials, prostheses
electrophysiology Biomedical signals and
Biomaterials and tissue images, biosensors, bio-
engineering optics
Biomechanics Biomedical
Instrumentation,
Physiological systems
Bioelectronics
Cardiovascular Biomedical imaging and
Neuromuscular Biomedical equipment
Respiratory Social Issues in Biomedical
Mathematical Modeling Engineering
 Biomedical engineering
the application of engineering
principles and design concepts to
medicine and biology.

This field seeks to close the gap

between engineering and medicine. It
combines the design and problem
solving skills of engineering with
medical and biological sciences to
improve healthcare diagnosis,
monitoring and therapy.
Subdisciplines within biomedical engineering

Biomedical Clinical
Electronics Engineering
Medical Imaging
Biomechatronics
Orthopaedic
Bioinstrumentation Bioengineering
Biomaterials Rehabilitatin
engineering
Bimechanics
Systems
Bionics Physiology
Cellular, Tissue, Bionanotechnology
and Genetic Neural Engineering
Engineering
 Disciplines within BME
Chemical engineering - often associated with
biochemical, cellular, molecular and tissue engineering,
biomaterials, and bio-transport.

Electrical engineering - often associated with

bioelectrical and neural engineering, bioinstrumentation,
biomedical imaging, and medical devices. This also
tends to encompass Optics and Optical engineering -
biomedical optics, imaging and related medical devices.

Mechanical engineering - often associated with

biomechanics, bio-transport, medical devices, and
modeling of biological systems, like soft tissue
mechanics.
 Biotechnology and pharmaceuticals
Biotechnology denotes specific products
which use "biological systems, living
organisms, or derivatives thereof."

Even some complex "medical devices"

can reasonably be deemed
"biotechnology" depending on the
degree to which such elements are
central to their principle of operation.
Biologics/Biopharmaceuticals (e.g.,
vaccines, stored blood product), genetic
engineering, and various agricultural
applications are some major classes of
 Biotechnology and pharmaceuticals
Pharmaceuticals are related to
biotechnology in two indirect ways:

1) certain major types (e.g. biologics)

fall under both categories, and

2) together they essentially comprise

the "non-medical-device" set of
BME applications. (The "Device -
Bio/Chemical" spectrum is an
imperfect dichotomy, but one
 Tissue engineering
Tissue engineering is a major segment of Biotechnology.

One of the goals of tissue engineering is to create

artificial organs (via biological material) for patients
that need organ transplants. Biomedical engineers are
currently researching methods of creating such organs.
Researchers have grown solid jawbones and tracheas
from human stem cells towards this end. Several
artificial urinary bladders actually have been grown in
laboratories and transplanted successfully into human
patients. Bio-artificial organs, which use both synthetic
and biological components, are also a focus area in
research, such as with hepatic assist devices that use
liver cells within an artificial bioreactor construct.