Industry careers for the biomedical engineer.

PubMed

Munzner, Robert F

2004-01-01

This year's conference theme is "linkages for innovation in biomedicine." Biomedical engineers, especially those transitioning their career from academic study into medical device industry, will play a critical role in converting the fruits of scientific research into the reality of modern medical devices. This special session is organized to help biomedical engineers to achieve their career goals more effectively. Participants will have opportunities to hear from and interact with leading industrial experts on many issues. These may include but not limited to 1) career paths for biomedical engineers (industrial, academic, or federal; technical vs. managerial track; small start-up or large established companies); 2) unique design challenges and regulatory requirements in medical device development; 3) aspects of a successful biomedical engineering job candidate (such as resume, interview, follow-up). Suggestions for other topics are welcome and should be directed to xkong@ieee.org The distinguished panelists include: Xuan Kong, Ph.D., VP of Research, NEUROMetrix Inc, Waltham, MA Robert F. Munzner, Ph.D., Medical Device Consultant, Doctor Device, Herndon, VA Glen McLaughlin, Ph.D., VP of Engineering and CTO, Zonare Medical System Inc., Mountain View, CA Grace Bartoo, Ph.D., RAC, General Manager, Decus Biomedical LLC San Carlos, CA.

From biomedical-engineering research to clinical application and industrialization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Taguchi, Tetsushi; Aoyagi, Takao

2012-12-01

The rising costs and aging of the population due to a low birth rate negatively affect the healthcare system in Japan. In 2011, the Council for Science and Technology Policy released the 4th Japan's Science and Technology Basic Policy Report from 2011 to 2015. This report includes two major innovations, 'Life Innovation' and 'Green Innovation', to promote economic growth. Biomedical engineering research is part of 'Life Innovation' and its outcomes are required to maintain people's mental and physical health. It has already resulted in numerous biomedical products, and new ones should be developed using nanotechnology-based concepts. The combination of accumulated knowledge and experience, and 'nanoarchitechtonics' will result in novel, well-designed functional biomaterials. This focus issue contains three reviews and 19 original papers on various biomedical topics, including biomaterials, drug-delivery systems, tissue engineering and diagnostics. We hope that it demonstrates the importance of collaboration among scientists, engineers and clinicians, and will contribute to the further development of biomedical engineering.

Biomedical applications engineering tasks

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Laenger, C. J., Sr.

1976-01-01

The engineering tasks performed in response to needs articulated by clinicians are described. Initial contacts were made with these clinician-technology requestors by the Southwest Research Institute NASA Biomedical Applications Team. The basic purpose of the program was to effectively transfer aerospace technology into functional hardware to solve real biomedical problems.

ChE Undergraduate Research Projects in Biomedical Engineering.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stroeve, Pieter

1981-01-01

Describes an undergraduate research program in biomedical engineering at the State University of New York at Buffalo. Includes goals and faculty comments on the program. Indicates that 58 percent of projects conducted between 1976 and 1980 have been presented at meetings or published. (SK)

A Program on Biochemical and Biomedical Engineering.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

San, Ka-Yiu; McIntire, Larry V.

1989-01-01

Presents an introduction to the Biochemical and Biomedical Engineering program at Rice University. Describes the development of the academic and enhancement programs, including organizational structure and research project titles. (YP)

Biomedical engineering and society: policy and ethics.

PubMed

Flexman, J A; Lazareck, L

2007-01-01

Biomedical engineering impacts health care and contributes to fundamental knowledge in medicine and biology. Policy, such as through regulation and research funding, has the potential to dramatically affect biomedical engineering research and commercialization. New developments, in turn, may affect society in new ways. The intersection of biomedical engineering and society and related policy issues must be discussed between scientists and engineers, policy-makers and the public. As a student, there are many ways to become engaged in the issues surrounding science and technology policy. At the University of Washington in Seattle, the Forum on Science Ethics and Policy (FOSEP, www.fosep.org) was started by graduate students and post-doctoral fellows interested in improving the dialogue between scientists, policymakers and the public and has received support from upper-level administration. This is just one example of how students can start thinking about science policy and ethics early in their careers.

The development of biomedical engineering as experienced by one biomedical engineer

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

This personal essay described the development of the field of Biomedical Engineering from its early days, from the perspective of one who lived through that development. It describes the making of a major invention using data that had been rejected by other scientists, the re-discovery of an obscure fact of physiology and its use in developing a major medical instrument, the development of a new medical imaging modality, and the near-death rescue of a research project. The essay concludes with comments about the development and present status of impedance imaging, and recent changes in the evolution of biomedical engineering as a field. PMID:23234267

The development of biomedical engineering as experienced by one biomedical engineer.

PubMed

Newell, Jonathan C

2012-12-12

This personal essay described the development of the field of Biomedical Engineering from its early days, from the perspective of one who lived through that development. It describes the making of a major invention using data that had been rejected by other scientists, the re-discovery of an obscure fact of physiology and its use in developing a major medical instrument, the development of a new medical imaging modality, and the near-death rescue of a research project. The essay concludes with comments about the development and present status of impedance imaging, and recent changes in the evolution of biomedical engineering as a field.

Ethical considerations for biomedical scientists and engineers: issues for the rank and file.

PubMed

Kwarteng, K B

2000-01-01

Biomedical science and engineering is inextricably linked with the fields of medicine and surgery. Yet, while physicians and surgeons, nurses, and other medical professionals receive instruction in ethics during their training and must abide by certain codes of ethics during their practice, those engaged in biomedical science and engineering typically receive no formal training in ethics. In fact, the little contact that many biomedical science and engineering professionals have with ethics occurs either when they participate in government-funded research or submit articles for publication in certain journals. Thus, there is a need for biomedical scientists and engineers as a group to become more aware of ethics. Moreover, recent advances in biomedical technology and the ever-increasing use of new devices virtually guarantee that biomedical science and engineering will become even more important in the future. Although they are rarely in direct contact with patients, biomedical scientists and engineers must become aware of ethics in order to be able to deal with the complex ethical issues that arise from our society's increasing reliance on biomedical technology. In this brief communication, the need for ethical awareness among workers in biomedical science and engineering is discussed in terms of certain conflicts that arise in the workaday world of the biomedical scientist in a complex, modern society. It is also recognized that inasmuch as workers in the many branches of bioengineering are not regulated like their counterparts in medicine and surgery, perhaps academic institutions and professional societies are best equipped to heighten ethical awareness among workers in this important field.

The natural history of the sleep and respiratory engineering track at EMBC 1988 to 2010.

PubMed

Leder, Ron S; Schlotthauer, Gaston; Penzel, Thomas; Jane, Raimon

2010-01-01

Sleep science and respiratory engineering as medical subspecialties and research areas grew up side-by-side with biomedical engineering. The formation of EMBS in the 1950's and the discovery of REM sleep in the 1950's led to parallel development and interaction of sleep and biomedical engineering in diagnostics and therapeutics.

BIOMedical Search Engine Framework: Lightweight and customized implementation of domain-specific biomedical search engines.

PubMed

Jácome, Alberto G; Fdez-Riverola, Florentino; Lourenço, Anália

2016-07-01

Text mining and semantic analysis approaches can be applied to the construction of biomedical domain-specific search engines and provide an attractive alternative to create personalized and enhanced search experiences. Therefore, this work introduces the new open-source BIOMedical Search Engine Framework for the fast and lightweight development of domain-specific search engines. The rationale behind this framework is to incorporate core features typically available in search engine frameworks with flexible and extensible technologies to retrieve biomedical documents, annotate meaningful domain concepts, and develop highly customized Web search interfaces. The BIOMedical Search Engine Framework integrates taggers for major biomedical concepts, such as diseases, drugs, genes, proteins, compounds and organisms, and enables the use of domain-specific controlled vocabulary. Technologies from the Typesafe Reactive Platform, the AngularJS JavaScript framework and the Bootstrap HTML/CSS framework support the customization of the domain-oriented search application. Moreover, the RESTful API of the BIOMedical Search Engine Framework allows the integration of the search engine into existing systems or a complete web interface personalization. The construction of the Smart Drug Search is described as proof-of-concept of the BIOMedical Search Engine Framework. This public search engine catalogs scientific literature about antimicrobial resistance, microbial virulence and topics alike. The keyword-based queries of the users are transformed into concepts and search results are presented and ranked accordingly. The semantic graph view portraits all the concepts found in the results, and the researcher may look into the relevance of different concepts, the strength of direct relations, and non-trivial, indirect relations. The number of occurrences of the concept shows its importance to the query, and the frequency of concept co-occurrence is indicative of biological relations meaningful to that particular scope of research. Conversely, indirect concept associations, i.e. concepts related by other intermediary concepts, can be useful to integrate information from different studies and look into non-trivial relations. The BIOMedical Search Engine Framework supports the development of domain-specific search engines. The key strengths of the framework are modularity and extensibilityin terms of software design, the use of open-source consolidated Web technologies, and the ability to integrate any number of biomedical text mining tools and information resources. Currently, the Smart Drug Search keeps over 1,186,000 documents, containing more than 11,854,000 annotations for 77,200 different concepts. The Smart Drug Search is publicly accessible at http://sing.ei.uvigo.es/sds/. The BIOMedical Search Engine Framework is freely available for non-commercial use at https://github.com/agjacome/biomsef. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

An Undergraduate Two-Course Sequence in Biomedical Engineering Design: A Simulation of an Industrial Environment with Group and Individual Project Participation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jendrucko, Richard J.

The first half of a Biomedical Engineering course at Texas A&M University is devoted to group projects that require design planning and a search of the literature. The second half requires each student to individually prepare a research proposal and conduct a research project. (MLH)

Design of e-Science platform for biomedical imaging research cross multiple academic institutions and hospitals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Jianguo; Zhang, Kai; Yang, Yuanyuan; Ling, Tonghui; Wang, Tusheng; Wang, Mingqing; Hu, Haibo; Xu, Xuemin

2012-02-01

More and more image informatics researchers and engineers are considering to re-construct imaging and informatics infrastructure or to build new framework to enable multiple disciplines of medical researchers, clinical physicians and biomedical engineers working together in a secured, efficient, and transparent cooperative environment. In this presentation, we show an outline and our preliminary design work of building an e-Science platform for biomedical imaging and informatics research and application in Shanghai. We will present our consideration and strategy on designing this platform, and preliminary results. We also will discuss some challenges and solutions in building this platform.

Project Alexander the Great: a study on the world proliferation of bioengineering/biomedical engineering education.

PubMed

Abu-Faraj, Ziad O

2008-01-01

Bioengineering/Biomedical Engineering is considered amongst the most reputable fields within the global arena, and will likely be the primer for any future breakthroughs in Medicine and Biology. Bioengineering/biomedical engineering education has evolved since late 1950s and is undergoing advancement in leading academic institutions worldwide. This paper delineates an original study on the world proliferation of bioengineering/biomedical engineering education and bears the name 'Project Alexander the Great'. The initial step of the project was to survey all 10448 universities, recognized by the International Association of Universities, spread among the 193 member states of the United Nations within the six continents. The project aims at identifying, disseminating, and networking, through the world-wide-web, those institutions of higher learning that provide bioengineering/biomedical engineering education. The significance of this project is multifold: i) the inception of a web-based 'world-map' in bioengineering/biomedical engineering education for the potential international student desiring to pursue a career in this field; ii) the global networking of bioengineering/biomedical engineering academic/research programs; iii) the promotion of first-class bioengineering/biomedical engineering education and the catalysis of global proliferation of this field; iv) the erection of bridges among educational institutions, industry, and professional societies or organizations involved in Bioengineering/Biomedical Engineering; and v) the catalysis in the establishment of framework agreements for cooperation among the identified institutions offering curricula in this field. This paper presents the results obtained from Africa and North America. The whole project is due to be completed by 2009.

Careers in biomedical engineering.

PubMed

Madrid, R E; Rotger, V I; Herrera, M C

2010-01-01

Although biomedical engineering was started in Argentina about 35 years ago, it has had a sustained growth for the last 25 years in human resources, with the emergence of new undergraduate and postgraduate careers, as well as in research, knowledge, technological development, and health care.

Women in biomedical engineering and health informatics.

PubMed

McGregor, Carolyn; Frize, Monique

2008-01-01

A valuable session for anyone whether student or not, interested in learning more about Biomedical Engineering and Health Informatics as a career choice for women. Prominent women within the domains Biomedical Engineering and Health Informatics will present their research and their humanitarian interests that motivate them. Utilise the fantastic networking opportunity that will conclude this session to build and establish new professional networks with other women interested in your fields of expertise. Bring your contact details and be ready to make new contacts that are relevant for you.

Analysis of Uncertainty and Variability in Finite Element Computational Models for Biomedical Engineering: Characterization and Propagation

PubMed Central

Mangado, Nerea; Piella, Gemma; Noailly, Jérôme; Pons-Prats, Jordi; Ballester, Miguel Ángel González

2016-01-01

Computational modeling has become a powerful tool in biomedical engineering thanks to its potential to simulate coupled systems. However, real parameters are usually not accurately known, and variability is inherent in living organisms. To cope with this, probabilistic tools, statistical analysis and stochastic approaches have been used. This article aims to review the analysis of uncertainty and variability in the context of finite element modeling in biomedical engineering. Characterization techniques and propagation methods are presented, as well as examples of their applications in biomedical finite element simulations. Uncertainty propagation methods, both non-intrusive and intrusive, are described. Finally, pros and cons of the different approaches and their use in the scientific community are presented. This leads us to identify future directions for research and methodological development of uncertainty modeling in biomedical engineering. PMID:27872840

Analysis of Uncertainty and Variability in Finite Element Computational Models for Biomedical Engineering: Characterization and Propagation.

PubMed

Mangado, Nerea; Piella, Gemma; Noailly, Jérôme; Pons-Prats, Jordi; Ballester, Miguel Ángel González

2016-01-01

Computational modeling has become a powerful tool in biomedical engineering thanks to its potential to simulate coupled systems. However, real parameters are usually not accurately known, and variability is inherent in living organisms. To cope with this, probabilistic tools, statistical analysis and stochastic approaches have been used. This article aims to review the analysis of uncertainty and variability in the context of finite element modeling in biomedical engineering. Characterization techniques and propagation methods are presented, as well as examples of their applications in biomedical finite element simulations. Uncertainty propagation methods, both non-intrusive and intrusive, are described. Finally, pros and cons of the different approaches and their use in the scientific community are presented. This leads us to identify future directions for research and methodological development of uncertainty modeling in biomedical engineering.

Physiology and the Biomedical Engineering Curriculum: Utilizing Emerging Instructional Technologies to Promote Development of Adaptive Expertise in Undergraduate Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nelson, Regina K.

2013-01-01

A mixed-methods research study was designed to test whether undergraduate engineering students were better prepared to learn advanced topics in biomedical engineering if they learned physiology via a quantitative, concept-based approach rather than a qualitative, system-based approach. Experiments were conducted with undergraduate engineering…

A Ten-Year Assessment of a Biomedical Engineering Summer Research Internship within a Comprehensive Cancer Center

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wright, A. S.; Wu, X.; Frye, C. A.; Mathur, A. B.; Patrick, C. W., Jr.

2007-01-01

A Biomedical Engineering Internship Program conducted within a Comprehensive Cancer Center over a 10 year period was assessed and evaluated. Although this is a non-traditional location for an internship, it is an ideal site for a multidisciplinary training program for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) students. We made a…

Engineering and Application of Zinc Finger Proteins and TALEs for Biomedical Research.

PubMed

Kim, Moon-Soo; Kini, Anu Ganesh

2017-08-01

Engineered DNA-binding domains provide a powerful technology for numerous biomedical studies due to their ability to recognize specific DNA sequences. Zinc fingers (ZF) are one of the most common DNA-binding domains and have been extensively studied for a variety of applications, such as gene regulation, genome engineering and diagnostics. Another novel DNA-binding domain known as a transcriptional activator-like effector (TALE) has been more recently discovered, which has a previously undescribed DNA-binding mode. Due to their modular architecture and flexibility, TALEs have been rapidly developed into artificial gene targeting reagents. Here, we describe the methods used to design these DNA-binding proteins and their key applications in biomedical research.

Status of Research in Biomedical Engineering 1968.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Inst. of General Medical Sciences (NIH), Bethesda, MD.

This status report is divided into eight sections. The first four represent the classical engineering or building aspects of bioengineering and deal with biomedical instrumentation, prosthetics, man-machine systems and computer and information systems. The next three sections are related to the scientific, intellectual and academic influence of…

The Washington Academy of Biomedical Engineering (WABME) Quarterly Workshops: Clinical Problems and Engineering Solutions

DTIC Science & Technology

2005-01-01

bioengineering programs and activities of The Catholic University of America, Georgetown University, The George Washington University and Howard ... University . A prime component of WABME activities is a quarterly series of research workshops, which bring together problem-rich biomedical disciplines and

Ethics in biomedical engineering.

PubMed

Morsy, Ahmed; Flexman, Jennifer

2008-01-01

This session focuses on a number of aspects of the subject of Ethics in Biomedical Engineering. The session starts by providing a case study of a company that manufactures artificial heart valves where the valves were failing at an unexpected rate. The case study focuses on Biomedical Engineers working at the company and how their education and training did not prepare them to deal properly with such situation. The second part of the session highlights the need to learn about various ethics rules and policies regulating research involving human or animal subjects.

John Glenn Biomedical Engineering Consortium

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nall, Marsha

2004-01-01

The John Glenn Biomedical Engineering Consortium is an inter-institutional research and technology development, beginning with ten projects in FY02 that are aimed at applying GRC expertise in fluid physics and sensor development with local biomedical expertise to mitigate the risks of space flight on the health, safety, and performance of astronauts. It is anticipated that several new technologies will be developed that are applicable to both medical needs in space and on earth.

Figure mining for biomedical research.

PubMed

Rodriguez-Esteban, Raul; Iossifov, Ivan

2009-08-15

Figures from biomedical articles contain valuable information difficult to reach without specialized tools. Currently, there is no search engine that can retrieve specific figure types. This study describes a retrieval method that takes advantage of principles in image understanding, text mining and optical character recognition (OCR) to retrieve figure types defined conceptually. A search engine was developed to retrieve tables and figure types to aid computational and experimental research. http://iossifovlab.cshl.edu/figurome/.

[Scientometrics and bibliometrics of biomedical engineering periodicals and papers].

PubMed

Zhao, Ping; Xu, Ping; Li, Bingyan; Wang, Zhengrong

2003-09-01

This investigation was made to reveal the current status, research trend and research level of biomedical engineering in Chinese mainland by means of scientometrics and to assess the quality of the four domestic publications by bibliometrics. We identified all articles of four related publications by searching Chinese and foreign databases from 1997 to 2001. All articles collected or cited by these databases were searched and statistically analyzed for finding out the relevant distributions, including databases, years, authors, institutions, subject headings and subheadings. The source of sustentation funds and the related articles were analyzed too. The results showed that two journals were cited by two foreign databases and five Chinese databases simultaneously. The output of Journal of Biomedical Engineering was the highest. Its quantity of original papers cited by EI, CA and the totality of papers sponsored by funds were higher than those of the others, but the quantity and percentage per year of biomedical articles cited by EI were decreased in all. Inland core authors and institutions had come into being in the field of biomedical engineering. Their research topics were mainly concentrated on ten subject headings which included biocompatible materials, computer-assisted signal processing, electrocardiography, computer-assisted image processing, biomechanics, algorithms, electroencephalography, automatic data processing, mechanical stress, hemodynamics, mathematical computing, microcomputers, theoretical models, etc. The main subheadings were concentrated on instrumentation, physiopathology, diagnosis, therapy, ultrasonography, physiology, analysis, surgery, pathology, method, etc.

Biomedical Engineering: A Compendium of Research Training Programs.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Inst. of General Medical Sciences (NIH), Bethesda, MD.

This document was prepared to provide a comprehensive view of the programs in biomedical engineering in existence in 1969. These programs are supported by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences and are located at 18 universities. This compendium provides information as to the intent and content of these programs from data provided by…

Engineering excellence in breakthrough biomedical technologies: bioengineering at the University of California, Riverside.

PubMed

Schultz, Jane S; Rodgers, V G J

2012-07-01

The Department of Bioengineering at the University of California, Riverside (UCR), was established in 2006 and is the youngest department in the Bourns College of Engineering. It is an interdisciplinary research engine that builds strength from highly recognized experts in biochemistry, biophysics, biology, and engineering, focusing on common critical themes. The range of faculty research interests is notable for its diversity, from the basic cell biology through cell function to the physiology of the whole organism, each directed at breakthroughs in biomedical devices for measurement and therapy. The department forges future leaders in bioengineering, mirroring the field in being energetic, interdisciplinary, and fast moving at the frontiers of biomedical discoveries. Our educational programs combine a solid foundation in bio logical sciences and engineering, diverse communication skills, and training in the most advanced quantitative bioengineering research. Bioengineering at UCR also includes the Bioengineering Interdepartmental Graduate (BIG) program. With its slogan Start-Grow-Be-BIG, it is already recognized for its many accomplishments, including being third in the nation in 2011 for bioengineering students receiving National Science Foundation graduate research fellowships as well as being one of the most ethnically inclusive programs in the nation.

e-Science platform for translational biomedical imaging research: running, statistics, and analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Tusheng; Yang, Yuanyuan; Zhang, Kai; Wang, Mingqing; Zhao, Jun; Xu, Lisa; Zhang, Jianguo

2015-03-01

In order to enable multiple disciplines of medical researchers, clinical physicians and biomedical engineers working together in a secured, efficient, and transparent cooperative environment, we had designed an e-Science platform for biomedical imaging research and application cross multiple academic institutions and hospitals in Shanghai and presented this work in SPIE Medical Imaging conference held in San Diego in 2012. In past the two-years, we implemented a biomedical image chain including communication, storage, cooperation and computing based on this e-Science platform. In this presentation, we presented the operating status of this system in supporting biomedical imaging research, analyzed and discussed results of this system in supporting multi-disciplines collaboration cross-multiple institutions.

Current Progress of Genetically Engineered Pig Models for Biomedical Research

PubMed Central

Gün, Gökhan

2014-01-01

Abstract The first transgenic pigs were generated for agricultural purposes about three decades ago. Since then, the micromanipulation techniques of pig oocytes and embryos expanded from pronuclear injection of foreign DNA to somatic cell nuclear transfer, intracytoplasmic sperm injection-mediated gene transfer, lentiviral transduction, and cytoplasmic injection. Mechanistically, the passive transgenesis approach based on random integration of foreign DNA was developed to active genetic engineering techniques based on the transient activity of ectopic enzymes, such as transposases, recombinases, and programmable nucleases. Whole-genome sequencing and annotation of advanced genome maps of the pig complemented these developments. The full implementation of these tools promises to immensely increase the efficiency and, in parallel, to reduce the costs for the generation of genetically engineered pigs. Today, the major application of genetically engineered pigs is found in the field of biomedical disease modeling. It is anticipated that genetically engineered pigs will increasingly be used in biomedical research, since this model shows several similarities to humans with regard to physiology, metabolism, genome organization, pathology, and aging. PMID:25469311

Carbon-Based Nanomaterials: Multi-Functional Materials for Biomedical Engineering

PubMed Central

Cha, Chaenyung; Shin, Su Ryon; Annabi, Nasim; Dokmeci, Mehmet R.; Khademhosseini, Ali

2013-01-01

Functional carbon-based nanomaterials (CBNs) have become important due to their unique combinations of chemical and physical properties (i.e., thermal and electrical conductivity, high mechanical strength, and optical properties), extensive research efforts are being made to utilize these materials for various industrial applications, such as high-strength materials and electronics. These advantageous properties of CBNs are also actively investigated in several areas of biomedical engineering. This Perspective highlights different types of carbon-based nanomaterials currently used in biomedical applications. PMID:23560817

Carbon-based nanomaterials: multifunctional materials for biomedical engineering.

PubMed

Cha, Chaenyung; Shin, Su Ryon; Annabi, Nasim; Dokmeci, Mehmet R; Khademhosseini, Ali

2013-04-23

Functional carbon-based nanomaterials (CBNs) have become important due to their unique combinations of chemical and physical properties (i.e., thermal and electrical conductivity, high mechanical strength, and optical properties), and extensive research efforts are being made to utilize these materials for various industrial applications, such as high-strength materials and electronics. These advantageous properties of CBNs are also actively investigated in several areas of biomedical engineering. This Perspective highlights different types of carbon-based nanomaterials currently used in biomedical applications.

Cluster-Based Query Expansion Using Language Modeling for Biomedical Literature Retrieval

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Xu, Xuheng

2011-01-01

The tremendously huge volume of biomedical literature, scientists' specific information needs, long terms of multiples words, and fundamental problems of synonym and polysemy have been challenging issues facing the biomedical information retrieval community researchers. Search engines have significantly improved the efficiency and effectiveness of…

Manpower development for the biomedical industry space.

PubMed

Goh, James C H

2013-01-01

The Biomedical Sciences (BMS) Cluster is one of four key pillars of the Singapore economy. The Singapore Government has injected research funding for basic and translational research to attract companies to carry out their commercial R&D activities. To further intensify the R&D efforts, the National Research Foundation (NRF) was set up to coordinate the research activities of different agencies within the larger national framework and to fund strategic R&D initiatives. In recent years, funding agencies began to focus on support of translational and clinical research, particularly those with potential for commercialization. Translational research is beginning to have traction, in particular research funding for the development of innovation medical devices. Therefore, the Biomedical Sciences sector is projected to grow which means that there is a need to invest in human capital development to achieve sustainable growth. In support of this, education and training programs to strengthen the manpower capabilities for the Biomedical Sciences industry have been developed. In recent years, undergraduate and graduate degree courses in biomedical engineering/bioengineering have been developing at a rapid rate. The goal is to train students with skills to understand complex issues of biomedicine and to develop and implement of advanced technological applications to these problems. There are a variety of career opportunities open to graduates in biomedical engineering, however regardless of the type of career choices, students must not only focus on achieving good grades. They have to develop their marketability to employers through internships, overseas exchange programs, and involvement in leadership-type activities. Furthermore, curriculum has to be developed with biomedical innovation in mind and ensure relevance to the industry. The objective of this paper is to present the NUS Bioengineering undergraduate program in relation to manpower development for the biomedical industry in Singapore.

Group of R&D on biomedical engineering: Its development and results.

PubMed

Yabar, Leopoldo F; Torres, Miguel A; Garcia, Daniel O; Villavicencio, Emilio A; Navarro, Luis A; Nakamura, Orlando K; Huamani, Robinson

2010-01-01

Conducting research and development activities generates new knowledge that can then be applied properly. In this sense, the groups of research and development on biomedical engineering (GRDBE) can contribute a lot in various areas such as teaching (theory and laboratory), as well as the development of prototypes, but mainly with the results they can provide. These contributions should response to specific needs of some sector, for example: health, environment, biology, and others. The present paper provides a description of the development of a GRDBE into a private university. Also, it's presented the amount of papers developed by this group and accepted by international congress on biomedical engineering (BE) on the 2007-2009 period. This paper also shows comparative charts with papers produced by other GRDBE that exist in our country, which are matter of analysis and conclusions.

Research in Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering: Achievements and perspectives.

PubMed

Ventre, Maurizio; Causa, Filippo; Netti, Paolo A; Pietrabissa, Riccardo

2015-01-01

Research on biomaterials and related subjects has been active in Italy. Starting from the very first examples of biomaterials and biomedical devices, Italian researchers have always provided valuable scientific contributions. This trend has steadily increased. To provide a rough estimate of this, it is sufficient to search PubMed, a free search engine accessing primarily the MEDLINE database of references and abstracts on life sciences and biomedical topics, with the keywords "biomaterials" or "tissue engineering" and sort the results by affiliation. Again, even though this is a crude estimate, the results speak for themselves, as Italy is the third European country, in terms of publications, with an astonishing 3,700 products in the last decade.

Structural Design and Physicochemical Foundations of Hydrogels for Biomedical Applications.

PubMed

Li, Qingyong; Ning, Zhengxiang; Ren, Jiaoyan; Liao, Wenzhen

2018-01-01

Biomedical research, known as medical research, is conducive to support and promote the development of knowledge in the field of medicine. Hydrogels have been extensively used in many biomedical fields due to their highly absorbent and flexible properties. The smart hydrogels, especially, can respond to a broad range of external stimuli such as temperature, pH value, light, electric and magnetic fields. With excellent biocompatibility, tunable rheology, mechanical properties, porosity, and hydrated molecular structure, hydrogels are considered as promising candidate for simulating local tissue microenvironment. In this review article, we mainly focused on the most recent development of engineering synthetic hydrogels; moreover, the classification, properties, especially the biomedical applications including tissue engineering and cell scaffolding, drug and gene delivery, immunotherapies and vaccines, are summarized and discussed. Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.org.

Carbon dots: emerging theranostic nanoarchitectures.

PubMed

Mishra, Vijay; Patil, Akshay; Thakur, Sourav; Kesharwani, Prashant

2018-06-01

Nanotechnology has gained significant interest from biomedical and analytical researchers in recent years. Carbon dots (C-dots), a new member of the carbon nanomaterial family, are spherical, nontoxic, biocompatible, and discrete particles less than 10nm in diameter. Research interest has focused on C-dots because of their ultra-compact nanosize, favorable biocompatibility, outstanding photoluminescence, superior electron transfer ability, and versatile surface engineering properties. C-dots show significant potential for use in cellular imaging, biosensing, targeted drug delivery, and other biomedical applications. Here we discuss C-dots, in terms of their physicochemical properties, fabrication techniques, toxicity issues, surface engineering and biomedical potential in drug delivery, targeting as well as bioimaging. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A unified architecture for biomedical search engines based on semantic web technologies.

PubMed

Jalali, Vahid; Matash Borujerdi, Mohammad Reza

2011-04-01

There is a huge growth in the volume of published biomedical research in recent years. Many medical search engines are designed and developed to address the over growing information needs of biomedical experts and curators. Significant progress has been made in utilizing the knowledge embedded in medical ontologies and controlled vocabularies to assist these engines. However, the lack of common architecture for utilized ontologies and overall retrieval process, hampers evaluating different search engines and interoperability between them under unified conditions. In this paper, a unified architecture for medical search engines is introduced. Proposed model contains standard schemas declared in semantic web languages for ontologies and documents used by search engines. Unified models for annotation and retrieval processes are other parts of introduced architecture. A sample search engine is also designed and implemented based on the proposed architecture in this paper. The search engine is evaluated using two test collections and results are reported in terms of precision vs. recall and mean average precision for different approaches used by this search engine.

First experience with a new biomedical engineering program in Slovenia established following the TEMPUS IV CRH-BME joint project guidelines.

PubMed

Jarm, Tomaz; Miklavcic, Damijan

2014-01-01

A new study program of biomedical engineering was recently established at Faculty of Electrical Engineering, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia. It is based on the long-lasting tradition of education in the field of BME at the host institution and is built on the BME areas in which the research groups of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering have been traditionally successful. The program was prepared in accordance with the recommendations of the TEMPUS IV CRH-BME Project consortium.

A summary of the research program in the broad field of electronics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1972-01-01

Summary reports of research projects covering solid state materials, semiconductors and devices, quantum electronics, plasmas, applied electromagnetics, electrical engineering systems to include control communication, computer and power systems, biomedical engineering and mathematical biosciences.

Pharmaceutical and biomedical applications of surface engineered carbon nanotubes.

PubMed

Mehra, Neelesh Kumar; Jain, Keerti; Jain, Narendra Kumar

2015-06-01

Surface engineered carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are attracting recent attention of scientists owing to their vivid biomedical and pharmaceutical applications. The focus of this review is to highlight the important role of surface engineered CNTs in the highly challenging but rewarding area of nanotechnology. The major strength of this review lies in highlighting the exciting applications of CNTs to boost the research efforts, which unfortunately are otherwise scattered in the literature making the reading non-coherent and non-homogeneous. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Biomedical research, development, and engineering at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory. Annual report 1 October 1978-30 September 1979

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Not Available

The Medical Institutions of The Johns Hopkins University and The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory have developed a vigorous collaborative program of biomedical research, development, and systems engineering. An important objective of the program is to apply the expertise in engineering, the physical sciences, and systems analysis acquired by APL in defense and space research and development to problems of medical research and health care delivery. This program has grown to include collaboration with many of the clinical and basic science departments of the medical divisions. Active collaborative projects exist in ophthalmology, neurosensory research and instrumentation development, cardiovascular systems,more » patient monitoring, therapeutic and rehabilitation systems, clinical information systems, and clinical engineering. This application of state-of-the-art technology has contributed to advances in many areas of basic medical research and in clinical diagnosis and therapy through improvement of instrumentation, techniques, and basic understanding.« less

Scientific and Engineering Research Facilities: 2001. Detailed Statistical Tables.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Science Foundation, Arlington, VA. Div. of Science Resources Studies.

This report presents information on the amount of science and engineering (S&E) research space existing at U.S. colleges, universities, and nonprofit biomedical research institutions based on research data collected biennially through the National Science Foundation. Data are also provided on the adequacy of this research space to meet current…

Branding the bio/biomedical engineering degree.

PubMed

Voigt, Herbert F

2011-01-01

The future challenges to medical and biological engineering, sometimes referred to as biomedical engineering or simply bioengineering, are many. Some of these are identifiable now and others will emerge from time to time as new technologies are introduced and harnessed. There is a fundamental issue regarding "Branding the bio/biomedical engineering degree" that requires a common understanding of what is meant by a B.S. degree in Biomedical Engineering, Bioengineering, or Biological Engineering. In this paper we address some of the issues involved in branding the Bio/Biomedical Engineering degree, with the aim of clarifying the Bio/Biomedical Engineering brand.

The University of Connecticut Biomedical Engineering Mentoring Program for high school students.

PubMed

Enderle, John D; Liebler, Christopher M; Haapala, Stephenic A; Hart, James L; Thonakkaraparayil, Naomi T; Romonosky, Laura L; Rodriguez, Francisco; Trumbower, Randy D

2004-01-01

For the past four years, the Biomedical Engineering Program at the University of Connecticut has offered a summer mentoring program for high school students interested in biomedical engineering. To offer this program, we have partnered with the UConn Mentor Connection Program, the School of Engineering 2000 Program and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Summer Laboratory Apprentice Program. We typically have approximately 20-25 high school students learning about biomedical engineering each summer. The mentoring aspect of the program exists at many different levels, with the graduate students mentoring the undergraduate students, and these students mentoring the high school students. The program starts with a three-hour lecture on biomedical engineering to properly orient the students. An in-depth paper on an area in biomedical engineering is a required component, as well as a PowerPoint presentation on their research. All of the students build a device to record an EKG on a computer using LabView, including signal processing to remove noise. The students learn some rudimentary concepts on electrocardiography and the physiology and anatomy of the heart. The students also learn basic electronics and breadboarding circuits, PSpice, the building of a printed circuit board, PIC microcontroller, the operation of Multimeters (including the oscilloscope), soldering, assembly of the EKG device and writing LabView code to run their device on a PC. The students keep their EKG device, LabView program and a fully illustrated booklet on EKG to bring home with them, and hopefully bring back to their high school to share their experiences with other students and teachers. The students also work on several other projects during this summer experience as well as visit Hartford Hospital to learn about Clinical Engineering.

Passage-Based Bibliographic Coupling: An Inter-Article Similarity Measure for Biomedical Articles

PubMed Central

Liu, Rey-Long

2015-01-01

Biomedical literature is an essential source of biomedical evidence. To translate the evidence for biomedicine study, researchers often need to carefully read multiple articles about specific biomedical issues. These articles thus need to be highly related to each other. They should share similar core contents, including research goals, methods, and findings. However, given an article r, it is challenging for search engines to retrieve highly related articles for r. In this paper, we present a technique PBC (Passage-based Bibliographic Coupling) that estimates inter-article similarity by seamlessly integrating bibliographic coupling with the information collected from context passages around important out-link citations (references) in each article. Empirical evaluation shows that PBC can significantly improve the retrieval of those articles that biomedical experts believe to be highly related to specific articles about gene-disease associations. PBC can thus be used to improve search engines in retrieving the highly related articles for any given article r, even when r is cited by very few (or even no) articles. The contribution is essential for those researchers and text mining systems that aim at cross-validating the evidence about specific gene-disease associations. PMID:26440794

Passage-Based Bibliographic Coupling: An Inter-Article Similarity Measure for Biomedical Articles.

PubMed

Liu, Rey-Long

2015-01-01

Biomedical literature is an essential source of biomedical evidence. To translate the evidence for biomedicine study, researchers often need to carefully read multiple articles about specific biomedical issues. These articles thus need to be highly related to each other. They should share similar core contents, including research goals, methods, and findings. However, given an article r, it is challenging for search engines to retrieve highly related articles for r. In this paper, we present a technique PBC (Passage-based Bibliographic Coupling) that estimates inter-article similarity by seamlessly integrating bibliographic coupling with the information collected from context passages around important out-link citations (references) in each article. Empirical evaluation shows that PBC can significantly improve the retrieval of those articles that biomedical experts believe to be highly related to specific articles about gene-disease associations. PBC can thus be used to improve search engines in retrieving the highly related articles for any given article r, even when r is cited by very few (or even no) articles. The contribution is essential for those researchers and text mining systems that aim at cross-validating the evidence about specific gene-disease associations.

JPRS Report, Science & Technology, Europe Economic Competitiveness

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-11-14

budget resources, excluding industrial research, had increased from Fr35.6 billion in 1988 to Fr45 billion in 1992, i.e., an overall increase of...Research or the Biomedical Research Center, shows a disproportionately high growth of 18.8 percent. In environmental engineering, projects for...January 1992 with an initial complement of 350 employees, biomedical research and its clinical application will be carried out "as never before

Challenge-based instruction in biomedical engineering: a scalable method to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of teaching and learning in biomedical engineering.

PubMed

Harris, Thomas R; Brophy, Sean P

2005-09-01

Vanderbilt University, Northwestern University, the University of Texas and the Harvard/MIT Health Sciences Technology Program have collaborated since 1999 to develop means to improve bioengineering education. This effort, funded by the National Science Foundation as the VaNTH Engineering Research Center in Bioengineering Educational Technologies, has sought a synthesis of learning science, learning technology, assessment and the domains of bioengineering in order to improve learning by bioengineering students. Research has shown that bioengineering educational materials may be designed to emphasize challenges that engage the student and, when coupled with a learning cycle and appropriate technologies, can lead to improvements in instruction.

Micro-/nano-engineered cellular responses for soft tissue engineering and biomedical applications.

PubMed

Tay, Chor Yong; Irvine, Scott Alexander; Boey, Freddy Y C; Tan, Lay Poh; Venkatraman, Subbu

2011-05-23

The development of biomedical devices and reconstruction of functional ex vivo tissues often requires the need to fabricate biomimetic surfaces with features of sub-micrometer precision. This can be achieved with the advancements in micro-/nano-engineering techniques, allowing researchers to manipulate a plethora of cellular behaviors at the cell-biomaterial interface. Systematic studies conducted on these 2D engineered surfaces have unraveled numerous novel findings that can potentially be integrated as part of the design consideration for future 2D and 3D biomaterials and will no doubt greatly benefit tissue engineering. In this review, recent developments detailing the use of micro-/nano-engineering techniques to direct cellular orientation and function pertinent to soft tissue engineering will be highlighted. Particularly, this article aims to provide valuable insights into distinctive cell interactions and reactions to controlled surfaces, which can be exploited to understand the mechanisms of cell growth on micro-/nano-engineered interfaces, and to harness this knowledge to optimize the performance of 3D artificial soft tissue grafts and biomedical applications. Copyright © 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Camera systems in human motion analysis for biomedical applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chin, Lim Chee; Basah, Shafriza Nisha; Yaacob, Sazali; Juan, Yeap Ewe; Kadir, Aida Khairunnisaa Ab.

2015-05-01

Human Motion Analysis (HMA) system has been one of the major interests among researchers in the field of computer vision, artificial intelligence and biomedical engineering and sciences. This is due to its wide and promising biomedical applications, namely, bio-instrumentation for human computer interfacing and surveillance system for monitoring human behaviour as well as analysis of biomedical signal and image processing for diagnosis and rehabilitation applications. This paper provides an extensive review of the camera system of HMA, its taxonomy, including camera types, camera calibration and camera configuration. The review focused on evaluating the camera system consideration of the HMA system specifically for biomedical applications. This review is important as it provides guidelines and recommendation for researchers and practitioners in selecting a camera system of the HMA system for biomedical applications.

Sagace: A web-based search engine for biomedical databases in Japan

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background In the big data era, biomedical research continues to generate a large amount of data, and the generated information is often stored in a database and made publicly available. Although combining data from multiple databases should accelerate further studies, the current number of life sciences databases is too large to grasp features and contents of each database. Findings We have developed Sagace, a web-based search engine that enables users to retrieve information from a range of biological databases (such as gene expression profiles and proteomics data) and biological resource banks (such as mouse models of disease and cell lines). With Sagace, users can search more than 300 databases in Japan. Sagace offers features tailored to biomedical research, including manually tuned ranking, a faceted navigation to refine search results, and rich snippets constructed with retrieved metadata for each database entry. Conclusions Sagace will be valuable for experts who are involved in biomedical research and drug development in both academia and industry. Sagace is freely available at http://sagace.nibio.go.jp/en/. PMID:23110816

Genetically engineered livestock for biomedical models.

PubMed

Rogers, Christopher S

2016-06-01

To commemorate Transgenic Animal Research Conference X, this review summarizes the recent progress in developing genetically engineered livestock species as biomedical models. The first of these conferences was held in 1997, which turned out to be a watershed year for the field, with two significant events occurring. One was the publication of the first transgenic livestock animal disease model, a pig with retinitis pigmentosa. Before that, the use of livestock species in biomedical research had been limited to wild-type animals or disease models that had been induced or were naturally occurring. The second event was the report of Dolly, a cloned sheep produced by somatic cell nuclear transfer. Cloning subsequently became an essential part of the process for most of the models developed in the last 18 years and is stilled used prominently today. This review is intended to highlight the biomedical modeling achievements that followed those key events, many of which were first reported at one of the previous nine Transgenic Animal Research Conferences. Also discussed are the practical challenges of utilizing livestock disease models now that the technical hurdles of model development have been largely overcome.

Case study: use of problem-based learning to develop students' technical and professional skills

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Warnock, James N.; Mohammadi-Aragh, M. Jean

2016-03-01

Problem-based learning (PBL) is a pedagogy that has attracted attention for many biomedical engineering curricula. The aim of the current study was to address the research question, 'Does PBL enable students to develop desirable professional engineering skills?' The desirable skills identified were communication, teamwork, problem solving and self-directed learning. Forty-seven students enrolled in a biomedical materials course participated in the case study. Students worked in teams to complete a series of problems throughout the semester. The results showed that students made significant improvements in their problem-solving skills, written communication and self-directed learning. Students also demonstrated an ability to work in teams and communicate orally. In conclusion, this case study provides empirical evidence of the efficacy of PBL on student learning. We discuss findings from our study and provide observations of student performance and perceptions that could be useful for faculty and researchers interested in PBL for biomedical engineering education.

Adolf Friedrich Fercher: a pioneer of biomedical optics.

PubMed

Hitzenberger, Christoph K

2017-11-01

Adolf Friedrich Fercher, an outstanding pioneer of biomedical optics, passed away earlier this year. He was a brilliant and visionary researcher who pioneered various fields of biomedical optics, such as laser speckle flowgraphy, tissue interferometry, and optical coherence tomography (OCT). On the occasion of the 25th anniversary of OCT, this paper reviews and commemorates Fercher's pioneering work. (2017) COPYRIGHT Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE).

[327] Biomedical Research Deferred in the Aftermath of the Apollo Fire: Impact to Progress in Human Spaceflight

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Charles, John B.

2017-01-01

Before Apollo fire, early Apollo missions were expected to continue pattern established in Gemini program of accommodating significant scientific and biological experimentation, including human biomedical studies, during flights. Apollo1 and Apollo2, both 2-week engineering test flights, were to carry almost as many biomedical studies as Gemini 7, a 2-week medical test mission.

Recent advances in engineering microparticles and their nascent utilization in biomedical delivery and diagnostic applications.

PubMed

Choi, Andrew; Seo, Kyoung Duck; Kim, Do Wan; Kim, Bum Chang; Kim, Dong Sung

2017-02-14

Complex microparticles (MPs) bearing unique characteristics such as well-tailored sizes, various morphologies, and multi-compartments have been attempted to be produced by many researchers in the past decades. However, a conventionally used method of fabricating MPs, emulsion polymerization, has a limitation in achieving the aforementioned characteristics and several approaches such as the microfluidics-assisted (droplet-based microfluidics and flow lithography-based microfluidics), electrohydrodynamics (EHD)-based, centrifugation-based, and template-based methods have been recently suggested to overcome this limitation. The outstanding features of complex MPs engineered through these suggested methods have provided new opportunities for MPs to be applied in a wider range of applications including cell carriers, drug delivery agents, active pigments for display, microsensors, interface stabilizers, and catalyst substrates. Overall, the engineered MPs expose their potential particularly in the field of biomedical engineering as the increased complexity in the engineered MPs fulfills well the requirements of the high-end applications. This review outlines the current trends of newly developed techniques used for engineered MPs fabrication and focuses on the current state of engineered MPs in biomedical applications.

Results From the John Glenn Biomedical Engineering Consortium. A Success Story for NASA and Northeast Ohio

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nall, Marsha M.; Barna, Gerald J.

2009-01-01

The John Glenn Biomedical Engineering Consortium was established by NASA in 2002 to formulate and implement an integrated, interdisciplinary research program to address risks faced by astronauts during long-duration space missions. The consortium is comprised of a preeminent team of Northeast Ohio institutions that include Case Western Reserve University, the Cleveland Clinic, University Hospitals Case Medical Center, The National Center for Space Exploration Research, and the NASA Glenn Research Center. The John Glenn Biomedical Engineering Consortium research is focused on fluid physics and sensor technology that addresses the critical risks to crew health, safety, and performance. Effectively utilizing the unique skills, capabilities and facilities of the consortium members is also of prime importance. Research efforts were initiated with a general call for proposals to the consortium members. The top proposals were selected for funding through a rigorous, peer review process. The review included participation from NASA's Johnson Space Center, which has programmatic responsibility for NASA's Human Research Program. The projects range in scope from delivery of prototype hardware to applied research that enables future development of advanced technology devices. All of the projects selected for funding have been completed and the results are summarized. Because of the success of the consortium, the member institutions have extended the original agreement to continue this highly effective research collaboration through 2011.

Education of biomedical engineering in Taiwan.

PubMed

Lin, Kang-Ping; Kao, Tsair; Wang, Jia-Jung; Chen, Mei-Jung; Su, Fong-Chin

2014-01-01

Biomedical Engineers (BME) play an important role in medical and healthcare society. Well educational programs are important to support the healthcare systems including hospitals, long term care organizations, manufacture industries of medical devices/instrumentations/systems, and sales/services companies of medical devices/instrumentations/system. In past 30 more years, biomedical engineering society has accumulated thousands people hold a biomedical engineering degree, and work as a biomedical engineer in Taiwan. Most of BME students can be trained in biomedical engineering departments with at least one of specialties in bioelectronics, bio-information, biomaterials or biomechanics. Students are required to have internship trainings in related institutions out of campus for 320 hours before graduating. Almost all the biomedical engineering departments are certified by IEET (Institute of Engineering Education Taiwan), and met the IEET requirement in which required mathematics and fundamental engineering courses. For BMEs after graduation, Taiwanese Society of Biomedical Engineering (TSBME) provides many continue-learning programs and certificates for all members who expect to hold the certification as a professional credit in his working place. In current status, many engineering departments in university are continuously asked to provide joint programs with BME department to train much better quality students. BME is one of growing fields in Taiwan.

Demand for interdisciplinary laboratories for physiology research by undergraduate students in biosciences and biomedical engineering.

PubMed

Clase, Kari L; Hein, Patrick W; Pelaez, Nancy J

2008-12-01

Physiology as a discipline is uniquely positioned to engage undergraduate students in interdisciplinary research in response to the 2006-2011 National Science Foundation Strategic Plan call for innovative transformational research, which emphasizes multidisciplinary projects. To prepare undergraduates for careers that cross disciplinary boundaries, students need to practice interdisciplinary communication in academic programs that connect students in diverse disciplines. This report surveys policy documents relevant to this emphasis on interdisciplinary training and suggests a changing role for physiology courses in bioscience and engineering programs. A role for a physiology course is increasingly recommended for engineering programs, but the study of physiology from an engineering perspective might differ from the study of physiology as a basic science. Indeed, physiology laboratory courses provide an arena where biomedical engineering and bioscience students can apply knowledge from both fields while cooperating in multidisciplinary teams under specified technical constraints. Because different problem-solving approaches are used by students of engineering and bioscience, instructional innovations are needed to break down stereotypes between the disciplines and create an educational environment where interdisciplinary teamwork is used to bridge differences.

Reverse engineering by design: using history to teach.

PubMed

Fagette, Paul

2013-01-01

Engineering students rarely have an opportunity to delve into the historic antecedents of design in their craft, and this is especially true for biomedical devices. The teaching emphasis is always on the new, the innovative, and the future. Even so, over the last decade, I have coupled a research agenda with engineering special projects into a successful format that allows young biomedical engineering students to understand aspects of their history and learn the complexities of design. There is value in having knowledge of historic engineering achievements, not just for an appreciation of these accomplishments but also for understanding exactly how engineers and clinicians of the day executed their feats-in other words, how the design process works. Ultimately, this particular educational odyssey confirms that history and engineering education are not only compatible but mutually supportive.

Evan Weaver | NREL

Science.gov Websites

Evan Weaver Photo of Evan Weaver Evan Weaver Researcher III-Software Engineering Evan.Weaver , he works as a software engineer developing whole-building energy modeling tools. Prior to joining NREL, he worked in the biomedical industry as a software engineer, specializing in graphical user

A neural joint model for entity and relation extraction from biomedical text.

PubMed

Li, Fei; Zhang, Meishan; Fu, Guohong; Ji, Donghong

2017-03-31

Extracting biomedical entities and their relations from text has important applications on biomedical research. Previous work primarily utilized feature-based pipeline models to process this task. Many efforts need to be made on feature engineering when feature-based models are employed. Moreover, pipeline models may suffer error propagation and are not able to utilize the interactions between subtasks. Therefore, we propose a neural joint model to extract biomedical entities as well as their relations simultaneously, and it can alleviate the problems above. Our model was evaluated on two tasks, i.e., the task of extracting adverse drug events between drug and disease entities, and the task of extracting resident relations between bacteria and location entities. Compared with the state-of-the-art systems in these tasks, our model improved the F1 scores of the first task by 5.1% in entity recognition and 8.0% in relation extraction, and that of the second task by 9.2% in relation extraction. The proposed model achieves competitive performances with less work on feature engineering. We demonstrate that the model based on neural networks is effective for biomedical entity and relation extraction. In addition, parameter sharing is an alternative method for neural models to jointly process this task. Our work can facilitate the research on biomedical text mining.

Design and integration of a problem-based biofabrication course into an undergraduate biomedical engineering curriculum.

PubMed

Raman, Ritu; Mitchell, Marlon; Perez-Pinera, Pablo; Bashir, Rashid; DeStefano, Lizanne

2016-01-01

The rapidly evolving discipline of biological and biomedical engineering requires adaptive instructional approaches that teach students to target and solve multi-pronged and ill-structured problems at the cutting edge of scientific research. Here we present a modular approach to designing a lab-based course in the emerging field of biofabrication and biological design, leading to a final capstone design project that requires students to formulate and test a hypothesis using the scientific method. Students were assessed on a range of metrics designed to evaluate the format of the course, the efficacy of the format for teaching new topics and concepts, and the depth of the contribution this course made to students training for biological engineering careers. The evaluation showed that the problem-based format of the course was well suited to teaching students how to use the scientific method to investigate and uncover the fundamental biological design rules that govern the field of biofabrication. We show that this approach is an efficient and effective method of translating emergent scientific principles from the lab bench to the classroom and training the next generation of biological and biomedical engineers for careers as researchers and industry practicians.

Biomedical Engineering | Classification | College of Engineering & Applied

Science.gov Websites

Engineering, Biomedical Engineering(414) 229-6614wjchang@uwm.eduEng & Math Sciences 1113 profile photo Malkoc, Ph.D.Visiting Assistant ProfessorBiomedical Engineering414-229-6919malkoc@uwm.eduEng & Math Engineering / Electrical Engineering(414) 229-3327misra@uwm.eduEng & Math Sciences E-314 profile photo

Novel 3D Tissue Engineered Bone Model, Biomimetic Nanomaterials, and Cold Atmospheric Plasma Technique for Biomedical Applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Mian

This thesis research is consist of four chapters, including biomimetic three-dimensional tissue engineered nanostructured bone model for breast cancer bone metastasis study (Chapter one), cold atmospheric plasma for selectively ablating metastatic breast cancer (Chapter two), design of biomimetic and bioactive cold plasma modified nanostructured scaffolds for enhanced osteogenic differentiation of bone marrow derived mesenchymal stem cells (Chapter three), and enhanced osteoblast and mesenchymal stem cell functions on titanium with hydrothermally treated nanocrystalline hydroxyapatite/magnetically treated carbon nanotubes for orthopedic applications (Chapter four). All the thesis research is focused on nanomaterials and the use of cold plasma technique for various biomedical applications.

Why our patients (and we) need basic science research.

PubMed

Schor, Nina F

2013-05-28

In times of fiscal austerity, the tendency is to seek instant, inexpensive gratification. In the case of biomedical research, this means the shortest path to practical clinical implementation. But fueling the translational pipeline with discovery depends critically on allowing the biomedical research community to follow their science where it takes them. Fiscal constraints carry with them the risk of squelching creativity and forfeiting the power of serendipity to provide the substrate for the translational engine in the future.

Engineered, thermoresponsive, magnetic nanocarriers of oligo(ethylene glycol)-methacrylate-based biopolymers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McCallister, Thomas; Gidney, Elwood; Adams, Devin; Diercks, David R.; Ghosh, Santaneel

2014-11-01

Engineered magnetic nanocarriers offer attractive options for implementing novel therapeutic solutions in biomedical research; however lack of biocompatibility and external tunability have prevented a biomedical breakthrough. Here we report multifunctional, magnetic nanospheres with tailored size, volumetric transition range, and magnetic properties based on biocompatible, thermo-responsive oligo(ethylene glycol) methacrylate biopolymers. Precise control of the nanosphere size in the range 100-300 nm, coupled with a higher and broader volumetric transition range (32-42 °C), is ideal for various biomedical applications. More importantly, super-paramagnetic behavior of the nanocarriers, even after polymer shell shrinkage, indicates stable and easily controllable loss mechanisms under exposure to an ac magnetic field.

Where to search top-K biomedical ontologies?

PubMed

Oliveira, Daniela; Butt, Anila Sahar; Haller, Armin; Rebholz-Schuhmann, Dietrich; Sahay, Ratnesh

2018-03-20

Searching for precise terms and terminological definitions in the biomedical data space is problematic, as researchers find overlapping, closely related and even equivalent concepts in a single or multiple ontologies. Search engines that retrieve ontological resources often suggest an extensive list of search results for a given input term, which leads to the tedious task of selecting the best-fit ontological resource (class or property) for the input term and reduces user confidence in the retrieval engines. A systematic evaluation of these search engines is necessary to understand their strengths and weaknesses in different search requirements. We have implemented seven comparable Information Retrieval ranking algorithms to search through ontologies and compared them against four search engines for ontologies. Free-text queries have been performed, the outcomes have been judged by experts and the ranking algorithms and search engines have been evaluated against the expert-based ground truth (GT). In addition, we propose a probabilistic GT that is developed automatically to provide deeper insights and confidence to the expert-based GT as well as evaluating a broader range of search queries. The main outcome of this work is the identification of key search factors for biomedical ontologies together with search requirements and a set of recommendations that will help biomedical experts and ontology engineers to select the best-suited retrieval mechanism in their search scenarios. We expect that this evaluation will allow researchers and practitioners to apply the current search techniques more reliably and that it will help them to select the right solution for their daily work. The source code (of seven ranking algorithms), ground truths and experimental results are available at https://github.com/danielapoliveira/bioont-search-benchmark.

An Approach to Integrating Health Disparities within Undergraduate Biomedical Engineering Education.

PubMed

Vazquez, Maribel; Marte, Otto; Barba, Joseph; Hubbard, Karen

2017-11-01

Health disparities are preventable differences in the incidence, prevalence and burden of disease among communities targeted by gender, geographic location, ethnicity and/or socio-economic status. While biomedical research has identified partial origin(s) of divergent burden and impact of disease, the innovation needed to eradicate health disparities in the United States requires unique engagement from biomedical engineers. Increasing awareness of the prevalence and consequences of health disparities is particularly attractive to today's undergraduates, who have undauntedly challenged paradigms believed to foster inequality. Here, the Department of Biomedical Engineering at The City College of New York (CCNY) has leveraged its historical mission of access-and-excellence to integrate the study of health disparities into undergraduate BME curricula. This article describes our novel approach in a multiyear study that: (i) Integrated health disparities modules at all levels of the required undergraduate BME curriculum; (ii) Developed opportunities to include impacts of health disparities into undergraduate BME research projects and mentored High School summer STEM training; and (iii) Established health disparities-based challenges as BME capstone design and/or independent entrepreneurship projects. Results illustrate the rising awareness of health disparities among the youngest BMEs-to-be, as well as abundant undergraduate desire to integrate health disparities within BME education and training.

Environmental practices for biomedical research facilities.

PubMed Central

Medlin, E L; Grupenhoff, J T

2000-01-01

As a result of the Leadership Conference on Biomedical Research and the Environment, the Facilities Committee focused its work on the development of best environmental practices at biomedical research facilities at the university and independent research facility level as well as consideration of potential involvement of for-profit companies and government agencies. The designation "facilities" includes all related buildings and grounds, "green auditing" of buildings and programs, purchasing of furnishings and sources, energy efficiency, and engineering services (lighting, heating, air conditioning), among other activities. The committee made a number of recommendations, including development of a national council for environmental stewardship in biomedical research, development of a system of green auditing of such research facilities, and creation of programs for sustainable building and use. In addition, the committee recommended extension of education and training programs for environmental stewardship, in cooperation with facilities managers, for all research administrators and researchers. These programs would focus especially on graduate fellows and other students, as well as on science labs at levels K--12. PMID:11121360

Gender Writ Small: Gender Enactments and Gendered Narratives about Lab Organization and Knowledge Transmission in a Biomedical Engineering Research Setting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Malone, Kareen Ror; Nersessian, Nancy J.; Newstetter, Wendy

This article presents qualitative data and offers some innovative theoretical approaches to frame the analysis of gender in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) settings. It begins with a theoretical discussion of a discursive approach to gender that captures how gender is lived "on the ground." The authors argue for a less individualistic approach to gender. Data for this research project was gathered from intensive interviews with lab members and ethnographic observations in a biomedical engineering lab. Data analysis relied on a mixed methodology involving qualitative approaches and dialogues with findings from other research traditions. Three themes are highlighted: lab dynamics in relation to issues of critical mass, the division of labor, and knowledge transmission. The data illustrate how gender is created in interactions and is inflected through forms of social organization.

Incorporating collaboratory concepts into informatics in support of translational interdisciplinary biomedical research

PubMed Central

Lee, E. Sally; McDonald, David W.; Anderson, Nicholas; Tarczy-Hornoch, Peter

2008-01-01

Due to its complex nature, modern biomedical research has become increasingly interdisciplinary and collaborative in nature. Although a necessity, interdisciplinary biomedical collaboration is difficult. There is, however, a growing body of literature on the study and fostering of collaboration in fields such as computer supported cooperative work (CSCW) and information science (IS). These studies of collaboration provide insight into how to potentially alleviate the difficulties of interdisciplinary collaborative research. We, therefore, undertook a cross cutting study of science and engineering collaboratories to identify emergent themes. We review many relevant collaboratory concepts: (a) general collaboratory concepts across many domains: communication, common workspace and coordination, and data sharing and management, (b) specific collaboratory concepts of particular biomedical relevance: data integration and analysis, security structure, metadata and data provenance, and interoperability and data standards, (c) environmental factors that support collaboratories: administrative and management structure, technical support, and available funding as critical environmental factors, and (d) future considerations for biomedical collaboration: appropriate training and long-term planning. In our opinion, the collaboratory concepts we discuss can guide planning and design of future collaborative infrastructure by biomedical informatics researchers to alleviate some of the difficulties of interdisciplinary biomedical collaboration. PMID:18706852

Defining new aims for BME programs in Latin America: the case of UAM-Iztapalapa.

PubMed

Azpiroz-Leehan, J; Martinez, L F; Urbina, M E G; Cadena, M M; Sacristan, E

2016-08-01

The need for upkeep and management of medical technology has fostered the creation of a large number of under graduate programs in the field of biomedical Engineering. In Latin America alone, there are over 85 programs dedicated to this. This contrasts with programs in other regions where most of the undergraduates continue on to pursue graduate degrees or work as research and development engineers in the biomedical industry. In this work we analyze the situation regarding curricular design in the 48 BME programs in Mexico and compare this to suggestions and classifications of programs according to needs and possibilities. We then focus on a particular institution, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana and due to its characteristics and performance we propose that it should redefine its aims from the undergraduate program on, in order to not only generate research but also to provide a nurturing environment for a budding biomedical industry in Mexico.

HEALTH RISK ASSESSMENT OF ENGINEERED-MANUFACTURED NANOMATERIALS: RESEARCH CHALLENGES AND PRELIMINARY FINDINGS

EPA Science Inventory

Nanotechnology continues to produce a diversity of engineered nanomaterials (NMs), displaying novel physicochemical properties with applications in commercial, consumer, electronic, biomedical, energy, and environmental sectors. Nanotechnology has been referred to as the next in...

Stakeholder views on the creation and use of genetically-engineered animals in research.

PubMed

Ormandy, Elisabeth H

2016-05-01

This interview-based study examined the diversity of views relating to the creation and use of genetically-engineered (GE) animals in biomedical science. Twenty Canadian participants (eight researchers, five research technicians and seven members of the public) took part in the interviews, in which four main themes were discussed: a) how participants felt about the genetic engineering of animals as a practice; b) governance of the creation and use of GE animals in research, and whether current guidelines are sufficient; c) the Three Rs (Replacement, Reduction, Refinement) and how they are applied during the creation and use of GE animals in research; and d) whether public opinion should play a greater role in the creation and use of GE animals. Most of the participants felt that the creation and use of GE animals for biomedical research purposes (as opposed to food purposes) is acceptable, provided that tangible human health benefits are gained. However, obstacles to Three Rs implementation were identified, and the participants agreed that more effort should be placed on engaging the public on the use of GE animals in research. 2016 FRAME.

Web of Science, Scopus, and Google Scholar citation rates: a case study of medical physics and biomedical engineering: what gets cited and what doesn't?

PubMed

Trapp, Jamie

2016-12-01

There are often differences in a publication's citation count, depending on the database accessed. Here, aspects of citation counts for medical physics and biomedical engineering papers are studied using papers published in the journal Australasian physical and engineering sciences in medicine. Comparison is made between the Web of Science, Scopus, and Google Scholar. Papers are categorised into subject matter, and citation trends are examined. It is shown that review papers as a group tend to receive more citations on average; however the highest cited individual papers are more likely to be research papers.

Professional Identification for Biomedical Engineers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Long, Francis M.

1973-01-01

Discusses four methods of professional identification in biomedical engineering including registration, certification, accreditation, and possible membership qualification of the societies. Indicates that the destiny of the biomedical engineer may be under the control of a new profession, neither the medical nor the engineering. (CC)

Engineering β-sheet peptide assemblies for biomedical applications.

PubMed

Yu, Zhiqiang; Cai, Zheng; Chen, Qiling; Liu, Menghua; Ye, Ling; Ren, Jiaoyan; Liao, Wenzhen; Liu, Shuwen

2016-03-01

Hydrogels have been widely studied in various biomedical applications, such as tissue engineering, cell culture, immunotherapy and vaccines, and drug delivery. Peptide-based nanofibers represent a promising new strategy for current drug delivery approaches and cell carriers for tissue engineering. This review focuses on the recent advances in the use of self-assembling engineered β-sheet peptide assemblies for biomedical applications. The applications of peptide nanofibers in biomedical fields, such as drug delivery, tissue engineering, immunotherapy, and vaccines, are highlighted. The current challenges and future perspectives for self-assembling peptide nanofibers in biomedical applications are discussed.

The Connectivity Map: a new tool for biomedical research.

PubMed

Lamb, Justin

2007-01-01

The ultimate objective of biomedical research is to connect human diseases with the genes that underlie them and drugs that treat them. But this remains a daunting task, and even the most inspired researchers still have to resort to laborious screens of genetic or chemical libraries. What if at least some parts of this screening process could be systematized and centralized? And hits found and hypotheses generated with something resembling an internet search engine? These are the questions the Connectivity Map project set out to answer.

[Progress of research on genetic engineering antibody and its application in prevention and control of parasitic diseases].

PubMed

Yao, Yuan; Yu, Chuan-xin

2013-08-01

Antibody has extensive application prospects in the biomedical field. The inherent disadvantages of traditional polyclonal antibody and monoclonal antibody limit their application values. The humanized and fragmented antibody remodeling has given a rise to a series of genetic engineered antibody variant. This paper reviews the progress of research on genetic engineering antibody and its application in prevention and control of parasitic diseases.

1996 Laboratory directed research and development annual report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Meyers, C.E.; Harvey, C.L.; Lopez-Andreas, L.M.

This report summarizes progress from the Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) program during fiscal year 1996. In addition to a programmatic and financial overview, the report includes progress reports from 259 individual R&D projects in seventeen categories. The general areas of research include: engineered processes and materials; computational and information sciences; microelectronics and photonics; engineering sciences; pulsed power; advanced manufacturing technologies; biomedical engineering; energy and environmental science and technology; advanced information technologies; counterproliferation; advanced transportation; national security technology; electronics technologies; idea exploration and exploitation; production; and science at the interfaces - engineering with atoms.

Biomedical Engineering in Modern Society

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Attinger, E. O.

1971-01-01

Considers definition of biomedical engineering (BME) and how biomedical engineers should be trained. State of the art descriptions of BME and BME education are followed by a brief look at the future of BME. (TS)

Biotechnology Process Engineering Center at MIT Home

Science.gov Websites

is speaking at the 2004 Congressional Biomedical Research Caucus Briefings on July 14th. Her briefing | Education & Outreach | Research | Industrial Programs | Student Leadership Council Facilities | Umbrella

Scientific and Engineering Research Facilities at Colleges and Universities, 1998. Topical Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Science Foundation, Arlington, VA. Div. of Science Resources Studies.

On a biennial basis since 1986, the National Science Foundation (NSF) has collected data on issues related to Science and Engineering (S&E) research facilities at U.S. colleges, universities, and biomedical institutions. This report presents the major findings from the 1998 survey and provides a summary of the changes that took place between…

A Novel Approach to Physiology Education for Biomedical Engineering Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

DiCecco, J.; Wu, J.; Kuwasawa, K.; Sun, Y.

2007-01-01

It is challenging for biomedical engineering programs to incorporate an indepth study of the systemic interdependence of cells, tissues, and organs into the rigorous mathematical curriculum that is the cornerstone of engineering education. To be sure, many biomedical engineering programs require their students to enroll in anatomy and physiology…

How can we improve Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math education to encourage careers in Biomedical and Pathology Informatics?

PubMed

Uppal, Rahul; Mandava, Gunasheil; Romagnoli, Katrina M; King, Andrew J; Draper, Amie J; Handen, Adam L; Fisher, Arielle M; Becich, Michael J; Dutta-Moscato, Joyeeta

2016-01-01

The Computer Science, Biology, and Biomedical Informatics (CoSBBI) program was initiated in 2011 to expose the critical role of informatics in biomedicine to talented high school students.[1] By involving them in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) training at the high school level and providing mentorship and research opportunities throughout the formative years of their education, CoSBBI creates a research infrastructure designed to develop young informaticians. Our central premise is that the trajectory necessary to be an expert in the emerging fields of biomedical informatics and pathology informatics requires accelerated learning at an early age.In our 4(th) year of CoSBBI as a part of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute (UPCI) Academy (http://www.upci.upmc.edu/summeracademy/), and our 2nd year of CoSBBI as an independent informatics-based academy, we enhanced our classroom curriculum, added hands-on computer science instruction, and expanded research projects to include clinical informatics. We also conducted a qualitative evaluation of the program to identify areas that need improvement in order to achieve our goal of creating a pipeline of exceptionally well-trained applicants for both the disciplines of pathology informatics and biomedical informatics in the era of big data and personalized medicine.

The Brazilian research and teaching center in biomedicine and aerospace biomedical engineering.

PubMed

Russomano, T; Falcao, P F; Dalmarco, G; Martinelli, L; Cardoso, R; Santos, M A; Sparenberg, A

2008-08-01

The recent engagement of Brazil in the construction and utilization of the International Space Station has motivated several Brazilian research institutions and universities to establish study centers related to Space Sciences. The Pontificia Universidade Catolica do Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS) is no exception. The University initiated in 1993 the first degree course training students to operate commercial aircraft in South America (the School of Aeronautical Sciences. A further step was the decision to build the first Brazilian laboratory dedicated to the conduct of experiments in ground-based microgravity simulation. Established in 1998, the Microgravity Laboratory, which was located in the Instituto de Pesquisas Cientificas e Tecnologicas (IPCT), was supported by the Schools of Medicine, Aeronautical Sciences and Electrical Engineering/Biomedical Engineering. At the end of 2006, the Microgravity Laboratory became a Center and was transferred to the School of Engineering. The principal activities of the Microgravity Centre are the development of research projects related to human physiology before, during and after ground-based microgravity simulation and parabolic flights, to aviation medicine in the 21st century and to aerospace biomedical engineering. The history of Brazilian, and why not say worldwide, space science should unquestionably go through PUCRS. As time passes, the pioneering spirit of our University in the aerospace area has become undeniable. This is due to the group of professionals, students, technicians and staff in general that have once worked or are still working in the Center of Microgravity, a group of faculty and students that excel in their undeniable technical-scientific qualifications.

[Master course in biomedical engineering].

PubMed

Jobbágy, Akos; Benyó, Zoltán; Monos, Emil

2009-11-22

The Bologna Declaration aims at harmonizing the European higher education structure. In accordance with the Declaration, biomedical engineering will be offered as a master (MSc) course also in Hungary, from year 2009. Since 1995 biomedical engineering course has been held in cooperation of three universities: Semmelweis University, Budapest Veterinary University, and Budapest University of Technology and Economics. One of the latter's faculties, Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Informatics, has been responsible for the course. Students could start their biomedical engineering studies - usually in parallel with their first degree course - after they collected at least 180 ECTS credits. Consequently, the biomedical engineering course could have been considered as a master course even before the Bologna Declaration. Students had to collect 130 ECTS credits during the six-semester course. This is equivalent to four-semester full-time studies, because during the first three semesters the curriculum required to gain only one third of the usual ECTS credits. The paper gives a survey on the new biomedical engineering master course, briefly summing up also the subjects in the curriculum.

A Review on Graphene-Based Nanomaterials in Biomedical Applications and Risks in Environment and Health

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dasari Shareena, Thabitha P.; McShan, Danielle; Dasmahapatra, Asok K.; Tchounwou, Paul B.

2018-07-01

Graphene-based nanomaterials (GBNs) have attracted increasing interests of the scientific community due to their unique physicochemical properties and their applications in biotechnology, biomedicine, bioengineering, disease diagnosis and therapy. Although a large amount of researches have been conducted on these novel nanomaterials, limited comprehensive reviews are published on their biomedical applications and potential environmental and human health effects. The present research aimed at addressing this knowledge gap by examining and discussing: (1) the history, synthesis, structural properties and recent developments of GBNs for biomedical applications; (2) GBNs uses as therapeutics, drug/gene delivery and antibacterial materials; (3) GBNs applications in tissue engineering and in research as biosensors and bioimaging materials; and (4) GBNs potential environmental effects and human health risks. It also discussed the perspectives and challenges associated with the biomedical applications of GBNs.[Figure not available: see fulltext.

Scientific Programs and Funding Opportunities at the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baird, Richard

2006-03-01

The mission of the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB) is to improve human health by promoting the development and translation of emerging technologies in biomedical imaging and bioengineering. To this end, NIBIB supports a coordinated agenda of research programs in advanced imaging technologies and engineering methods that enable fundamental biomedical discoveries across a broad spectrum of biological processes, disorders, and diseases and have significant potential for direct medical application. These research programs dramatically advance the Nation's healthcare by improving the detection, management and, ultimately, the prevention of disease. The research promoted and supported by NIBIB also is strongly synergistic with other NIH Institutes and Centers as well as across government agencies. This presentation will provide an overview of the scientific programs and funding opportunities supported by NIBIB, highlighting those that are of particular important to the field of medical physics.

Biomedical Impact in Implantable Devices-The Transcatheter Aortic Valve as an example

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anastasiou, Alexandros; Saatsakis, George

2015-09-01

Objective: To update of the scientific community about the biomedical engineering involvement in the implantable devices chain. Moreover the transcatheter Aortic Valve (TAV) replacement, in the field of cardiac surgery, will be analyzed as an example of contemporary implantable technology. Methods: A detailed literature review regarding biomedical engineers participating in the implantable medical product chain, starting from the design of the product till the final implantation technique. Results: The scientific role of biomedical engineers has clearly been established. Certain parts of the product chain are implemented almost exclusively by experienced biomedical engineers such as the transcatheter aortic valve device. The successful professional should have a multidisciplinary knowledge, including medicine, in order to pursue the challenges for such intuitive technology. This clearly indicates that biomedical engineers are among the most appropriate scientists to accomplish such tasks. Conclusions: The biomedical engineering involvement in medical implantable devices has been widely accepted by the scientific community, worldwide. Its important contribution, starting from the design and extended to the development, clinical trials, scientific support, education of other scientists (surgeons, cardiologists, technicians etc.), and even to sales, makes biomedical engineers a valuable player in the scientific arena. Notably, the sector of implantable devices is constantly raising, as emerging technologies continuously set up new targets.

Digital Technologies Jump Start Telemedicine

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pierce, Alan

2011-01-01

The technologists, research doctors, computer programmers, electrical engineers, and biomedical engineers who design and create new medical diagnostic equipment and medical treatments are now working on medical systems that use the computing power of personal computers and cell phones. For disease diagnosis, they are finding ways to shrink…

Organizing human functioning and rehabilitation research into distinct scientific fields. Part I: Developing a comprehensive structure from the cell to society.

PubMed

Stucki, Gerold; Grimby, Gunnar

2007-05-01

There is a need to organize rehabilitation and related research into distinct scientific fields in order to overcome the current limitations of rehabilitation research. Based on the general distinction in basic, applied and professional sciences applicable to research in general, and the rehabilitation relevant distinction between the comprehensive perspective based on WHO's integrative model of human functioning (ICF) and the partial perspective focusing on the biomedical aspects of functioning, it is possible to identify 5 distinct scientific fields of human functioning and rehabilitation research. These are the emerging human functioning sciences and integrative rehabilitation sciences from the comprehensive perspective, the established biosciences and biomedical rehabilitation sciences and engineering from the partial perspective, and the professional rehabilitation sciences at the cutting edge of research and practice. The human functioning sciences aim to understand human functioning and to identify targets for comprehensive interventions, with the goal of contributing to the minimization of the experience of disability in the population. The biosciences in rehabilitation aim to explain body injury and repair and to identify targets for biomedical interventions. The integrative rehabilitation sciences design and study comprehensive assessments and interventions that integrate biomedical, personal factor and environmental approaches suited to optimize people's performance. The biomedical rehabilitation sciences and engineering study diagnostic measures and interventions suitable to minimize impairment, including symptom control, and to optimize people's capacity. The professional rehabilitation sciences study how to provide best care with the goal of enabling people with health conditions experiencing or likely to experience disability to achieve and maintain optimal functioning in interaction with the environment. The organization of human functioning and rehabilitation research into the 5 distinct scientific fields facilitates the development of academic training programs and career building as well as the development of research structures dedicated to human functioning and rehabilitation research.

[Projects to accelerate the practical use of innovative medical devices to collaborate with TWIns, Center for Advanced Biomedical Sciences, Waseda University and School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo].

PubMed

Niimi, Shingo; Umezu, Mitsuo; Iseki, Hiroshi; Harada, Hiroshi Kasanuki Noboru; Mitsuishi, Mamoru; Kitamori, Takehiko; Tei, Yuichi; Nakaoka, Ryusuke; Haishima, Yuji

2014-01-01

Division of Medical Devices has been conducting the projects to accelerate the practical use of innovative medical devices to collaborate with TWIns, Center for Advanced Biomedical Sciences, Waseda University and School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo. The TWIns has been studying to aim at establishment of preclinical evaluation methods by "Engineering Based Medicine", and established Regulatory Science Institute for Medical Devices. School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo has been studying to aim at establishment of assessment methodology for innovative minimally invasive therapeutic devices, materials, and nanobio diagnostic devices. This report reviews the exchanges of personnel, the implement systems and the research progress of these projects.

Women in biomedical engineering and health informatics and its impact on gender representation for accepted publications at IEEE EMBC 2007.

PubMed

McGregor, Carolyn; Smith, Kathleen P; Percival, Jennifer

2008-01-01

The study of women within the professions of Engineering and Computer Science has consistently been found to demonstrate women as a minority within these professions. However none of that previous work has assessed publication behaviours based on gender. This paper presents research findings on gender distribution of authors of accepted papers for the IEEE Engineering and Medicine Society annual conference for 2007 (EMBC '07) held in Lyon, France. This information is used to present a position statement of the current state of gender representation for conference publication within the domain of biomedical engineering and health informatics. Issues in data preparation resulting from the lack of inclusion of gender in information gathered from accepted authors are presented and discussed.

Functional supramolecular polymers for biomedical applications.

PubMed

Dong, Ruijiao; Zhou, Yongfeng; Huang, Xiaohua; Zhu, Xinyuan; Lu, Yunfeng; Shen, Jian

2015-01-21

As a novel class of dynamic and non-covalent polymers, supramolecular polymers not only display specific structural and physicochemical properties, but also have the ability to undergo reversible changes of structure, shape, and function in response to diverse external stimuli, making them promising candidates for widespread applications ranging from academic research to industrial fields. By an elegant combination of dynamic/reversible structures with exceptional functions, functional supramolecular polymers are attracting increasing attention in various fields. In particular, functional supramolecular polymers offer several unique advantages, including inherent degradable polymer backbones, smart responsiveness to various biological stimuli, and the ease for the incorporation of multiple biofunctionalities (e.g., targeting and bioactivity), thereby showing great potential for a wide range of applications in the biomedical field. In this Review, the trends and representative achievements in the design and synthesis of supramolecular polymers with specific functions are summarized, as well as their wide-ranging biomedical applications such as drug delivery, gene transfection, protein delivery, bio-imaging and diagnosis, tissue engineering, and biomimetic chemistry. These achievements further inspire persistent efforts in an emerging interdisciplin-ary research area of supramolecular chemistry, polymer science, material science, biomedical engineering, and nanotechnology. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Research report: learning styles of biomedical engineering students.

PubMed

Dee, Kay C; Nauman, Eric A; Livesay, Glen A; Rice, Janet

2002-09-01

Examining students' learning styles can yield information useful to the design of learning activities, courses, and curricula. A variety of measures have been used to characterize learning styles, but the literature contains little information specific to biomedical engineering (BMEN) students. We, therefore, utilized Felder's Index of Learning Styles to investigate the learning style preferences of BMEN students at Tulane University. Tulane BMEN students preferred to receive information visually (preferred by 88% of the student sample) rather than verbally, focus on sensory information (55%) instead of intuitive information, process information actively (66%) instead of reflectively, and understand information globally (59%) rather than sequentially. These preferences varied between cohorts (freshman, sophomore, etc.) and a significantly higher percentage of female students preferred active and sensing learning styles. Compared to other engineering student populations, our sample of Tulane BMEN students contained the highest percentage of students preferring the global learning style. Whether this is a general trend for all BMEN students or a trait specific to Tulane engineers requires further investigation. Regardless, this study confirms the existence of a range of learning styles within biomedical engineering students, and provides motivation for instructors to consider how well their teaching style engages multiple learning styles.

Engineering a Cure: Treena Livingston Arinzeh

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lum, Lydia

2005-01-01

This article provides an overview of the accomplishments of Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering at the New Jersey Institute of Technology, Treena Livingston Arinzeh. It describes her exemplary work on stem cell research; her educational roots; and her work helping develop undergraduate and graduate curricula for the fledgling biomedical…

International Conference on Bio-Medical Instrumentation and related Engineering and Physical Sciences (BIOMEP 2015)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2015-09-01

The International Conference on Bio-Medical Instrumentation and related Engineering and Physical Sciences (BIOMEP 2015) took place in the Technological Educational Institute (TEI) of Athens, Greece on June 18-20, 2015 and was organized by the Department of Biomedical Engineering. The scope of the conference was to provide a forum on the latest developments in Biomedical Instrumentation and related principles of Physical and Engineering sciences. Scientists and engineers from academic, industrial and health disciplines were invited to participate in the Conference and to contribute both in the promotion and dissemination of the scientific knowledge.

Molecular engineering of polymer actuators for biomedical and industrial use

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Banister, Mark; Eichorst, Rebecca; Gurr, Amy; Schweitzer, Georgette; Geronov, Yordan; Rao, Pavalli; McGrath, Dominic

2012-04-01

Five key materials engineering components and how each component impacted the working performance of a polymer actuator material are investigated. In our research we investigated the change of actuation performance that occurred with each change we made to the material. We investigated polymer crosslink density, polymer chain length, polymer gelation, type and density of reactive units, as well as the addition of binders to the polymer matrix. All five play a significant role and need to be addressed at the molecular level to optimize a polymer gel for use as a practical actuator material for biomedical and industrial use.

New Directions for Biomedical Engineering

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Plonsey, Robert

1973-01-01

Discusses the definition of "biomedical engineering" and the development of educational programs in the field. Includes detailed descriptions of the roles of bioengineers, medical engineers, and chemical engineers. (CC)

NASA Ames Research Center R and D Services Directorate Biomedical Systems Development

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pollitt, J.; Flynn, K.

1999-01-01

The Ames Research Center R&D Services Directorate teams with NASA, other government agencies and/or industry investigators for the development, design, fabrication, manufacturing and qualification testing of space-flight and ground-based experiment hardware for biomedical and general aerospace applications. In recent years, biomedical research hardware and software has been developed to support space-flight and ground-based experiment needs including the E 132 Biotelemetry system for the Research Animal Holding Facility (RAHF), E 100 Neurolab neuro-vestibular investigation systems, the Autogenic Feedback Systems, and the Standard Interface Glove Box (SIGB) experiment workstation module. Centrifuges, motion simulators, habitat design, environmental control systems, and other unique experiment modules and fixtures have also been developed. A discussion of engineered systems and capabilities will be provided to promote understanding of possibilities for future system designs in biomedical applications. In addition, an overview of existing engineered products will be shown. Examples of hardware and literature that demonstrate the organization's capabilities will be displayed. The Ames Research Center R&D Services Directorate is available to support the development of new hardware and software systems or adaptation of existing systems to meet the needs of academic, commercial/industrial, and government research requirements. The Ames R&D Services Directorate can provide specialized support for: System concept definition and feasibility Mathematical modeling and simulation of system performance Prototype hardware development Hardware and software design Data acquisition systems Graphical user interface development Motion control design Hardware fabrication and high-fidelity machining Composite materials development and application design Electronic/electrical system design and fabrication System performance verification testing and qualification.

An Italian Education: IEEE Pulse talks with Riccardo Pietrabissa, president of Italy's National Bioengineering Group, about Italian progress and challenges in biomedical engineering education.

PubMed

Pietrabissa, Riccardo; Reynolds, Pamela

2015-01-01

From Leonardo da Vinci's designs for ball bearings to the incredible engineering wizardry behind the Ferrari, the inventive, inquisitive, and ingenious spirit of the engineer has always lived--and thrived--in Italy. From education to research to product development, Italy has always been regarded as an engineering leader. But does this apply to biomedical engineering (BME)? Despite many successes, questions loom, as they do at engineering schools worldwide. Concerns such as whether BME programs are providing students with enough focused, practical, hands-on training remain at the forefront, as does the question of whether graduates will be able to find jobs in industry after university studies are over. Here, IEEE Pulse explores these topics with Riccardo Pietrabissa, president of the Gruppo Nazionale di Bioingegneria (National Bioengineering Group) and a full professor in the Department of Chemistry, Materials, and Chemical Engineering at Politecnico di Milano.

New ethical challenges in science and technology

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

NONE

The published research features some of the nation's leading scientists and engineers, as well as science policy experts, and discusses a wide range of issues and topics. These include the economic and social pressure impacting biomedical research, the impossibility of predicting all the behaviors of increasingly complex, engineered systems, a look at the new federal guidelines for misconduct and new wrinkles on faculty conflicts of interest.

Cloud computing applications for biomedical science: A perspective.

PubMed

Navale, Vivek; Bourne, Philip E

2018-06-01

Biomedical research has become a digital data-intensive endeavor, relying on secure and scalable computing, storage, and network infrastructure, which has traditionally been purchased, supported, and maintained locally. For certain types of biomedical applications, cloud computing has emerged as an alternative to locally maintained traditional computing approaches. Cloud computing offers users pay-as-you-go access to services such as hardware infrastructure, platforms, and software for solving common biomedical computational problems. Cloud computing services offer secure on-demand storage and analysis and are differentiated from traditional high-performance computing by their rapid availability and scalability of services. As such, cloud services are engineered to address big data problems and enhance the likelihood of data and analytics sharing, reproducibility, and reuse. Here, we provide an introductory perspective on cloud computing to help the reader determine its value to their own research.

Cloud computing applications for biomedical science: A perspective

PubMed Central

2018-01-01

Biomedical research has become a digital data–intensive endeavor, relying on secure and scalable computing, storage, and network infrastructure, which has traditionally been purchased, supported, and maintained locally. For certain types of biomedical applications, cloud computing has emerged as an alternative to locally maintained traditional computing approaches. Cloud computing offers users pay-as-you-go access to services such as hardware infrastructure, platforms, and software for solving common biomedical computational problems. Cloud computing services offer secure on-demand storage and analysis and are differentiated from traditional high-performance computing by their rapid availability and scalability of services. As such, cloud services are engineered to address big data problems and enhance the likelihood of data and analytics sharing, reproducibility, and reuse. Here, we provide an introductory perspective on cloud computing to help the reader determine its value to their own research. PMID:29902176

The AIBS In Yugoslavia: Programs in Biomedical Engineering

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thompson, Mary-Frances

1978-01-01

Programs in biomedical engineering have been developing worldwide since World War II. This article describes a multidisciplinary program which operates in Yugoslavia through a cooperative effort between that county and the AIBS. A major problem has been the slowness with which hospitals accept the concept of biomedical engineering. (MA)

76 FR 66735 - Announcement of Requirements and Registration for the NIBIB DEsign by Biomedical Undergraduate...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-10-27

...., implants, biomaterials, surgical tools, tissue engineering, drug and gene delivery; (c) Technology to Aid... health information, and other programs with respect to biomedical imaging and engineering and associated... ceremony: October 2012, Biomedical Engineering Society Conference (exact date to be determined). FOR...

78 FR 5469 - Announcement of Requirements and Registration for the 2013 NIBIB DEsign by Biomedical...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-01-25

... tools, tissue engineering, drug and gene delivery (c) Technology to Aid Underserved Populations and... and engineering and associated technologies and modalities with biomedical applications; and (3) to...: September 2013, Biomedical Engineering Society Conference (exact date to be announced at http://debut2013...

Biomedical engineering education through global engineering teams.

PubMed

Scheffer, C; Blanckenberg, M; Garth-Davis, B; Eisenberg, M

2012-01-01

Most industrial projects require a team of engineers from a variety of disciplines. The team members are often culturally diverse and geographically dispersed. Many students do not acquire sufficient skills from typical university courses to function efficiently in such an environment. The Global Engineering Teams (GET) programme was designed to prepare students such a scenario in industry. This paper discusses five biomedical engineering themed projects completed by GET students. The benefits and success of the programme in educating students in the field of biomedical engineering are discussed.

Are graduate students rational? Evidence from the market for biomedical scientists.

PubMed

Blume-Kohout, Margaret E; Clack, John W

2013-01-01

The U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) budget expansion from 1998 through 2003 increased demand for biomedical research, raising relative wages and total employment in the market for biomedical scientists. However, because research doctorates in biomedical sciences can often take six years or more to complete, the full labor supply response to such changes in market conditions is not immediate, but rather is observed over a period of several years. Economic rational expectations models assume that prospective students anticipate these future changes, and also that students take into account the opportunity costs of their pursuing graduate training. Prior empirical research on student enrollment and degree completions in science and engineering (S&E) fields indicates that "cobweb" expectations prevail: that is, at least in theory, prospective graduate students respond to contemporaneous changes in market wages and employment, but do not forecast further changes that will arise by the time they complete their degrees and enter the labor market. In this article, we analyze time-series data on wages and employment of biomedical scientists versus alternative careers, on completions of S&E bachelor's degrees and biomedical sciences PhDs, and on research expenditures funded both by NIH and by biopharmaceutical firms, to examine the responsiveness of the biomedical sciences labor supply to changes in market conditions. Consistent with previous studies, we find that enrollments and completions in biomedical sciences PhD programs are responsive to market conditions at the time of students' enrollment. More striking, however, is the close correspondence between graduate student enrollments and completions, and changes in availability of NIH-funded traineeships, fellowships, and research assistantships.

Polymer-Based Electrospun Nanofibers for Biomedical Applications

PubMed Central

Al-Enizi, Abdullah M.; Zagho, Moustafa M.

2018-01-01

Electrospinning has been considered a promising and novel procedure to fabricate polymer nanofibers due to its simplicity, cost effectiveness, and high production rate, making this technique highly relevant for both industry and academia. It is used to fabricate non-woven fibers with unique characteristics such as high permeability, stability, porosity, surface area to volume ratio, ease of functionalization, and excellent mechanical performance. Nanofibers can be synthesized and tailored to suit a wide range of applications including energy, biotechnology, healthcare, and environmental engineering. A comprehensive outlook on the recent developments, and the influence of electrospinning on biomedical uses such as wound dressing, drug release, and tissue engineering, has been presented. Concerns regarding the procedural restrictions and research contests are addressed, in addition to providing insights about the future of this fabrication technique in the biomedical field. PMID:29677145

Weak Bond-Based Injectable and Stimuli Responsive Hydrogels for Biomedical Applications

PubMed Central

Ding, Xiaochu; Wang, Yadong

2017-01-01

Here we define hydrogels crosslinked by weak bonds as physical hydrogels. They possess unique features including reversible bonding, shear thinning and stimuli-responsiveness. Unlike covalently crosslinked hydrogels, physical hydrogels do not require triggers to initiate chemical reactions for in situ gelation. The drug can be fully loaded in a pre-formed hydrogel for delivery with minimal cargo leakage during injection. These benefits make physical hydrogels useful as delivery vehicles for applications in biomedical engineering. This review focuses on recent advances of physical hydrogels crosslinked by weak bonds: hydrogen bonds, ionic interactions, host-guest chemistry, hydrophobic interactions, coordination bonds and π-π stacking interactions. Understanding the principles and the state of the art of gels with these dynamic bonds may give rise to breakthroughs in many biomedical research areas including drug delivery and tissue engineering. PMID:29062484

NaKnowBaseTM: The EPA Nanomaterials Research Database

EPA Science Inventory

The ability to predict the environmental and health implications of engineered nanomaterials is an important research priority due to the exponential rate at which nanotechnology is being incorporated into consumer, industrial and biomedical applications. To address this need and...

An update to space biomedical research: tissue engineering in microgravity bioreactors.

PubMed

Barzegari, Abolfazl; Saei, Amir Ata

2012-01-01

The severe need for constructing replacement tissues in organ transplanta-tion has necessitated the development of tissue engineering approaches and bioreactors that can bring these approaches to reality. The inherent limitations of conventional bioreactors in generating realistic tissue constructs led to the devise of the microgravity tissue engineering that uses Rotating Wall Vessel (RWV) bioreactors initially developed by NASA. In this review article, we intend to highlight some major advances and accomplishments in the rapidly-growing field of tissue engineering that could not be achieved without using microgravity. Research is now focused on assembly of 3 dimensional (3D) tissue fragments from various cell types in human body such as chon-drocytes, osteoblasts, embryonic and mesenchymal stem cells, hepatocytes and pancreas islet cells. Hepatocytes cultured under microgravity are now being used in extracorporeal bioartificial liver devices. Tissue constructs can be used not only in organ replacement therapy, but also in pharmaco-toxicology and food safety assessment. 3D models of vari-ous cancers may be used in studying cancer development and biology or in high-throughput screening of anticancer drug candidates. Finally, 3D heterogeneous assemblies from cancer/immune cells provide models for immunotherapy of cancer. Tissue engineering in (simulated) microgravity has been one of the stunning impacts of space research on biomedical sciences and their applications on earth.

Livestock in biomedical research: history, current status and future prospective.

PubMed

Polejaeva, Irina A; Rutigliano, Heloisa M; Wells, Kevin D

2016-01-01

Livestock models have contributed significantly to biomedical and surgical advances. Their contribution is particularly prominent in the areas of physiology and assisted reproductive technologies, including understanding developmental processes and disorders, from ancient to modern times. Over the past 25 years, biomedical research that traditionally embraced a diverse species approach shifted to a small number of model species (e.g. mice and rats). The initial reasons for focusing the main efforts on the mouse were the availability of murine embryonic stem cells (ESCs) and genome sequence data. This powerful combination allowed for precise manipulation of the mouse genome (knockouts, knockins, transcriptional switches etc.) leading to ground-breaking discoveries on gene functions and regulation, and their role in health and disease. Despite the enormous contribution to biomedical research, mouse models have some major limitations. Their substantial differences compared with humans in body and organ size, lifespan and inbreeding result in pronounced metabolic, physiological and behavioural differences. Comparative studies of strategically chosen domestic species can complement mouse research and yield more rigorous findings. Because genome sequence and gene manipulation tools are now available for farm animals (cattle, pigs, sheep and goats), a larger number of livestock genetically engineered (GE) models will be accessible for biomedical research. This paper discusses the use of cattle, goats, sheep and pigs in biomedical research, provides an overview of transgenic technology in farm animals and highlights some of the beneficial characteristics of large animal models of human disease compared with the mouse. In addition, status and origin of current regulation of GE biomedical models is also reviewed.

An overview of biomedical literature search on the World Wide Web in the third millennium.

PubMed

Kumar, Prince; Goel, Roshni; Jain, Chandni; Kumar, Ashish; Parashar, Abhishek; Gond, Ajay Ratan

2012-06-01

Complete access to the existing pool of biomedical literature and the ability to "hit" upon the exact information of the relevant specialty are becoming essential elements of academic and clinical expertise. With the rapid expansion of the literature database, it is almost impossible to keep up to date with every innovation. Using the Internet, however, most people can freely access this literature at any time, from almost anywhere. This paper highlights the use of the Internet in obtaining valuable biomedical research information, which is mostly available from journals, databases, textbooks and e-journals in the form of web pages, text materials, images, and so on. The authors present an overview of web-based resources for biomedical researchers, providing information about Internet search engines (e.g., Google), web-based bibliographic databases (e.g., PubMed, IndMed) and how to use them, and other online biomedical resources that can assist clinicians in reaching well-informed clinical decisions.

Biomedical engineering education--status and perspectives.

PubMed

Magjarevic, Ratko; Zequera Diaz, Martha L

2014-01-01

Biomedical Engineering programs are present at a large number of universities all over the world with an increasing trend. New generations of biomedical engineers have to face the challenges of health care systems round the world which need a large number of professionals not only to support the present technology in the health care system but to develop new devices and services. Health care stakeholders would like to have innovative solutions directed towards solving problems of the world growing incidence of chronic disease and ageing population. These new solutions have to meet the requirements for continuous monitoring, support or care outside clinical settlements. Presence of these needs can be tracked through data from the Labor Organization in the U.S. showing that biomedical engineering jobs have the largest growth at the engineering labor market with expected 72% growth rate in the period from 2008-2018. In European Union the number of patents (i.e. innovation) is the highest in the category of biomedical technology. Biomedical engineering curricula have to adopt to the new needs and for expectations of the future. In this paper we want to give an overview of engineering professions in related to engineering in medicine and biology and the current status of BME education in some regions, as a base for further discussions.

Evolving technologies drive the new roles of Biomedical Engineering.

PubMed

Frisch, P H; St Germain, J; Lui, W

2008-01-01

Rapidly changing technology coupled with the financial impact of organized health care, has required hospital Biomedical Engineering organizations to augment their traditional operational and business models to increase their role in developing enhanced clinical applications utilizing new and evolving technologies. The deployment of these technology based applications has required Biomedical Engineering organizations to re-organize to optimize the manner in which they provide and manage services. Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center has implemented a strategy to explore evolving technologies integrating them into enhanced clinical applications while optimally utilizing the expertise of the traditional Biomedical Engineering component (Clinical Engineering) to provide expanded support in technology / equipment management, device repair, preventive maintenance and integration with legacy clinical systems. Specifically, Biomedical Engineering is an integral component of the Medical Physics Department which provides comprehensive and integrated support to the Center in advanced physical, technical and engineering technology. This organizational structure emphasizes the integration and collaboration between a spectrum of technical expertise for clinical support and equipment management roles. The high cost of clinical equipment purchases coupled with the increasing cost of service has driven equipment management responsibilities to include significant business and financial aspects to provide a cost effective service model. This case study details the dynamics of these expanded roles, future initiatives and benefits for Biomedical Engineering and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.

Demand for Interdisciplinary Laboratories for Physiology Research by Undergraduate Students in Biosciences and Biomedical Engineering

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clase, Kari L.; Hein, Patrick W.; Pelaez, Nancy J.

2008-01-01

Physiology as a discipline is uniquely positioned to engage undergraduate students in interdisciplinary research in response to the 2006-2011 National Science Foundation Strategic Plan call for innovative transformational research, which emphasizes multidisciplinary projects. To prepare undergraduates for careers that cross disciplinary…

Measuring the Benefits from Research. Policy Resource

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Grant, Jonathan

2006-01-01

To date, much thinking about research measurement and evaluation has been concentrated in the biomedical and health sciences. However, there is increasing recognition that funders of public research--in areas ranging from music to microbiology or from economics to engineering--need to justify their expenditure and demonstrate added value to the…

Updating the biomedical engineering curriculum: Inclusion of Health Technology Assessment subjects.

PubMed

Martinez Licona, Fabiola; Urbina, Edmundo Gerardo; Azpiroz-Leehan, Joaquin

2010-01-01

This paper describes the work being carried out at Metropolitan Autonomous University (UAM) in Mexico City with regard to the continuous evaluation and updating of the Biomedical Engineering (BME) curriculum. In particular the courses regarded as part of the BME basic branch are reduced and new sets of elective subjects are proposed in order to bring closer the research work at UAM with the subjects in the BME curriculum. Special emphasis is placed on subjects dealing with Health Technology Assessment (HTA) and Health economics, as this branch of the BME discipline is quite promising in Mexico, but there are very few professionals in the field with adequate qualifications.

Life sciences biomedical research planning for Space Station

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Primeaux, Gary R.; Michaud, Roger; Miller, Ladonna; Searcy, Jim; Dickey, Bernistine

1987-01-01

The Biomedical Research Project (BmRP), a major component of the NASA Life Sciences Space Station Program, incorporates a laboratory for the study of the effects of microgravity on the human body, and the development of techniques capable of modifying or counteracting these effects. Attention is presently given to a representative scenario of BmRP investigations and associated engineering analyses, together with an account of the evolutionary process by which the scenarios and the Space Station design requirements they entail are identified. Attention is given to a tether-implemented 'variable gravity centrifuge'.

Synthetic Plasma Liquid Based Electronic Circuits Realization-A Novel Concept.

PubMed

Pandya, Killol V; Kosta, ShivPrasad

2016-09-01

Biomedical research is contributing significant role in the field of biomedical engineering and applied science. It brings research and innovations to a different level. This study investigated artificial human blood -synthetic plasma liquid as conductive medium. Keeping in mind the conductivity of synthetic plasma, astable multivibrator as well as differential amplifier circuit were demonstrated. The circuits were given normal input voltages at regular temperature and ideal conditions. The result shows desired response which supports the novel concept. For both the circuits, phase shift of 180° achieved by analysing biological electronic circuits.

Case Study: Use of Problem-Based Learning to Develop Students' Technical and Professional Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Warnock, James N.; Mohammadi-Aragh, M. Jean

2016-01-01

Problem-based learning (PBL) is a pedagogy that has attracted attention for many biomedical engineering curricula. The aim of the current study was to address the research question, "Does PBL enable students to develop desirable professional engineering skills?" The desirable skills identified were communication, teamwork, problem…

John Kuniholm: An Ordinary Man with an Extraordinary Story

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Williams, John M.

2006-01-01

This article profiles John Kuniholm, a 34-year-old PhD candidate in biomedical engineering at Duke University and has master's degrees in mechanical engineering and industrial design from North Carolina State University. He has worked in the research and development of tools for robotic cardiac surgery for Cardiovations, a Johnson & Johnson…

Portable Linear Sled (PLS) for biomedical research

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vallotton, Will; Matsuhiro, Dennis; Wynn, Tom; Temple, John

1993-01-01

The PLS is a portable linear motion generating device conceived by researchers at Ames Research Center's Vestibular Research Facility and designed by engineers at Ames for the study of motion sickness in space. It is an extremely smooth apparatus, powered by linear motors and suspended on air bearings which ride on precision ground ceramic ways.

RECOPE: How to succeed in bringing ideas from academia to market without compromising ingenuity.

PubMed

Gaymalov, Zagit; Kabanov, Alexander

2017-04-01

Translation of biomedical technology originated in academia to the market is hindered by lack of consideration of market needs and commercialization pathways that leads academic research away from the market, leaving the public without long-awaited cures. Here we describe Reverse Conceptual Product Engineering (RECOPE), an approach applied in academic setting early in the course of the research project to facilitate biomedical research translation from bench to bedside. By using expertise of diverse set of biomedical professionals and trainees to solve a problem, RECOPE helps to make research goals more relevant to the society needs and translatable in a long-term perspective. Through the use of RECOPE one can critically reassess research design and translational potential and identify new market opportunities. RECOPE also provides for considerable educational opportunities to pre- and post-doctoral trainees. Adoption of RECOPE as a basic to for research design education will have a noticeable impact on academic research. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

High-Fidelity Simulation in Biomedical and Aerospace Engineering

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kwak, Dochan

2005-01-01

Contents include the following: Introduction / Background. Modeling and Simulation Challenges in Aerospace Engineering. Modeling and Simulation Challenges in Biomedical Engineering. Digital Astronaut. Project Columbia. Summary and Discussion.

Overview on zein protein: a promising pharmaceutical excipient in drug delivery systems and tissue engineering.

PubMed

Labib, Gihan

2018-01-01

Natural pharmaceutical excipients have been applied extensively in the past decades owing to their safety and biocompatibility. Zein, a natural protein of plant origin offers great benefit over other synthetic polymers used in controlled drug and biomedical delivery systems. It was used in a variety of medical fields including pharmaceutical and biomedical drug targeting, vaccine, tissue engineering, and gene delivery. Being biodegradable and biocompatible, the current review focuses on the history and the medical application of zein as an attractive still promising biopolymer. Areas covered: The current review gives a broadscope on zein as a still promising protein excipient in different fields. Zein- based drug and biomedical delivery systems are discussed with special focus on current and potential application in controlled drug delivery systems, and tissue engineering. Expert opinion: Zein as a protein of natural origin can still be considered a promising polymer in the field of drug delivery systems as well as in tissue engineering. Although different researchers spotted light on zein application in different industrial fields extensively, the feasibility of its use in the field of drug delivery replenished by investigators in recent years has not yet been fully approached.

Are Graduate Students Rational? Evidence from the Market for Biomedical Scientists

PubMed Central

Blume-Kohout, Margaret E.; Clack, John W.

2013-01-01

The U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) budget expansion from 1998 through 2003 increased demand for biomedical research, raising relative wages and total employment in the market for biomedical scientists. However, because research doctorates in biomedical sciences can often take six years or more to complete, the full labor supply response to such changes in market conditions is not immediate, but rather is observed over a period of several years. Economic rational expectations models assume that prospective students anticipate these future changes, and also that students take into account the opportunity costs of their pursuing graduate training. Prior empirical research on student enrollment and degree completions in science and engineering (S&E) fields indicates that “cobweb” expectations prevail: that is, at least in theory, prospective graduate students respond to contemporaneous changes in market wages and employment, but do not forecast further changes that will arise by the time they complete their degrees and enter the labor market. In this article, we analyze time-series data on wages and employment of biomedical scientists versus alternative careers, on completions of S&E bachelor's degrees and biomedical sciences PhDs, and on research expenditures funded both by NIH and by biopharmaceutical firms, to examine the responsiveness of the biomedical sciences labor supply to changes in market conditions. Consistent with previous studies, we find that enrollments and completions in biomedical sciences PhD programs are responsive to market conditions at the time of students' enrollment. More striking, however, is the close correspondence between graduate student enrollments and completions, and changes in availability of NIH-funded traineeships, fellowships, and research assistantships. PMID:24376573

BioTCM-SE: a semantic search engine for the information retrieval of modern biology and traditional Chinese medicine.

PubMed

Chen, Xi; Chen, Huajun; Bi, Xuan; Gu, Peiqin; Chen, Jiaoyan; Wu, Zhaohui

2014-01-01

Understanding the functional mechanisms of the complex biological system as a whole is drawing more and more attention in global health care management. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), essentially different from Western Medicine (WM), is gaining increasing attention due to its emphasis on individual wellness and natural herbal medicine, which satisfies the goal of integrative medicine. However, with the explosive growth of biomedical data on the Web, biomedical researchers are now confronted with the problem of large-scale data analysis and data query. Besides that, biomedical data also has a wide coverage which usually comes from multiple heterogeneous data sources and has different taxonomies, making it hard to integrate and query the big biomedical data. Embedded with domain knowledge from different disciplines all regarding human biological systems, the heterogeneous data repositories are implicitly connected by human expert knowledge. Traditional search engines cannot provide accurate and comprehensive search results for the semantically associated knowledge since they only support keywords-based searches. In this paper, we present BioTCM-SE, a semantic search engine for the information retrieval of modern biology and TCM, which provides biologists with a comprehensive and accurate associated knowledge query platform to greatly facilitate the implicit knowledge discovery between WM and TCM.

BioTCM-SE: A Semantic Search Engine for the Information Retrieval of Modern Biology and Traditional Chinese Medicine

PubMed Central

Chen, Xi; Chen, Huajun; Bi, Xuan; Gu, Peiqin; Chen, Jiaoyan; Wu, Zhaohui

2014-01-01

Understanding the functional mechanisms of the complex biological system as a whole is drawing more and more attention in global health care management. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), essentially different from Western Medicine (WM), is gaining increasing attention due to its emphasis on individual wellness and natural herbal medicine, which satisfies the goal of integrative medicine. However, with the explosive growth of biomedical data on the Web, biomedical researchers are now confronted with the problem of large-scale data analysis and data query. Besides that, biomedical data also has a wide coverage which usually comes from multiple heterogeneous data sources and has different taxonomies, making it hard to integrate and query the big biomedical data. Embedded with domain knowledge from different disciplines all regarding human biological systems, the heterogeneous data repositories are implicitly connected by human expert knowledge. Traditional search engines cannot provide accurate and comprehensive search results for the semantically associated knowledge since they only support keywords-based searches. In this paper, we present BioTCM-SE, a semantic search engine for the information retrieval of modern biology and TCM, which provides biologists with a comprehensive and accurate associated knowledge query platform to greatly facilitate the implicit knowledge discovery between WM and TCM. PMID:24772189

Surface engineering of graphene-based nanomaterials for biomedical applications.

PubMed

Shi, Sixiang; Chen, Feng; Ehlerding, Emily B; Cai, Weibo

2014-09-17

Graphene-based nanomaterials have attracted tremendous interest over the past decade due to their unique electronic, optical, mechanical, and chemical properties. However, the biomedical applications of these intriguing nanomaterials are still limited due to their suboptimal solubility/biocompatibility, potential toxicity, and difficulties in achieving active tumor targeting, just to name a few. In this Topical Review, we will discuss in detail the important role of surface engineering (i.e., bioconjugation) in improving the in vitro/in vivo stability and enriching the functionality of graphene-based nanomaterials, which can enable single/multimodality imaging (e.g., optical imaging, positron emission tomography, magnetic resonance imaging) and therapy (e.g., photothermal therapy, photodynamic therapy, and drug/gene delivery) of cancer. Current challenges and future research directions are also discussed and we believe that graphene-based nanomaterials are attractive nanoplatforms for a broad array of future biomedical applications.

Surface Engineering of Graphene-Based Nanomaterials for Biomedical Applications

PubMed Central

2015-01-01

Graphene-based nanomaterials have attracted tremendous interest over the past decade due to their unique electronic, optical, mechanical, and chemical properties. However, the biomedical applications of these intriguing nanomaterials are still limited due to their suboptimal solubility/biocompatibility, potential toxicity, and difficulties in achieving active tumor targeting, just to name a few. In this Topical Review, we will discuss in detail the important role of surface engineering (i.e., bioconjugation) in improving the in vitro/in vivo stability and enriching the functionality of graphene-based nanomaterials, which can enable single/multimodality imaging (e.g., optical imaging, positron emission tomography, magnetic resonance imaging) and therapy (e.g., photothermal therapy, photodynamic therapy, and drug/gene delivery) of cancer. Current challenges and future research directions are also discussed and we believe that graphene-based nanomaterials are attractive nanoplatforms for a broad array of future biomedical applications. PMID:25117569

Modelling Down Syndrome

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Buckley, Frank

2008-01-01

Animal models are extensively used in genetics, neuroscience and biomedical research. Recent studies illustrate the usefulness and the challenges of research utilising genetically engineered mice to explore the developmental biology of Down syndrome. These studies highlight many of the issues at the centre of what we understand about Down…

Energy and technology review, July--August, 1990

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Burnham, A.K.

1990-01-01

This report highlights various research programs conducted at the Lab to include: defense systems, laser research, fusion energy, biomedical and environmental sciences, engineering, physics, chemistry, materials science, and computational analysis. It also contains a statement on the state of the Lab and Laboratory Administration. (JEF)

Biomedical engineering education at Politecnico di Milano: development and recent changes.

PubMed

Baselli, G

2009-05-01

The biomedical engineering (BME) programme at the Politecnico di Milano (POLIMI) is characterized by a strong interdisciplinary background in a broad range of engineering subjects applied to biology and medicine. Accordingly, the undergraduate level (3 years) provides a general education, which includes mechanics, chemistry and materials, electronics, and information technology both in the context of general engineering and within BME foundations. In contrast, the postgraduate programme (2 years) offers a broad choice of specializations in BME fields in close connection with the BME research activities and laboratories of the campus and with active interchange with the other engineering disciplines. The history of BME development at POLIMI is briefly recalled, together with the characteristics of educational and research work, which is strongly biased by a large polytechnic university with no medical school within the same campus; points of strength and weakness due to this background are discussed. The introduction of a double cycle (undergraduate and postgraduate) according to the Bologna process (2000) and the effects on the programme structure is considered. An early phase in which professional education was emphasized at undergraduate level is recalled, which was followed by the actual revision fostering basic engineering and BME education at the first level while leaving in-depth specialization to postgraduate studies or to on-the-job training.

A New Way to Manage TCGA Data - TCGA

Cancer.gov

Rachel Karchin, of Johns Hopkins University's Department of Biomedical Engineering, is developing a tool that will help researchers sort through the massive amounts of genomic data gathered from TCGA's ovarian cancer tumor samples.

Supervised Learning Based Hypothesis Generation from Biomedical Literature.

PubMed

Sang, Shengtian; Yang, Zhihao; Li, Zongyao; Lin, Hongfei

2015-01-01

Nowadays, the amount of biomedical literatures is growing at an explosive speed, and there is much useful knowledge undiscovered in this literature. Researchers can form biomedical hypotheses through mining these works. In this paper, we propose a supervised learning based approach to generate hypotheses from biomedical literature. This approach splits the traditional processing of hypothesis generation with classic ABC model into AB model and BC model which are constructed with supervised learning method. Compared with the concept cooccurrence and grammar engineering-based approaches like SemRep, machine learning based models usually can achieve better performance in information extraction (IE) from texts. Then through combining the two models, the approach reconstructs the ABC model and generates biomedical hypotheses from literature. The experimental results on the three classic Swanson hypotheses show that our approach outperforms SemRep system.

Technological Innovations from NASA

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pellis, Neal R.

2006-01-01

The challenge of human space exploration places demands on technology that push concepts and development to the leading edge. In biotechnology and biomedical equipment development, NASA science has been the seed for numerous innovations, many of which are in the commercial arena. The biotechnology effort has led to rational drug design, analytical equipment, and cell culture and tissue engineering strategies. Biomedical research and development has resulted in medical devices that enable diagnosis and treatment advances. NASA Biomedical developments are exemplified in the new laser light scattering analysis for cataracts, the axial flow left ventricular-assist device, non contact electrocardiography, and the guidance system for LASIK surgery. Many more developments are in progress. NASA will continue to advance technologies, incorporating new approaches from basic and applied research, nanotechnology, computational modeling, and database analyses.

The biomedical engineer as a driver for Health Technology innovation.

PubMed

Colas Fustero, Javier; Guillen Arredondo, Alejandra

2010-01-01

Health Technology has played a mayor role on most of the fundamental advances in medicine, in the last 30 years. Right now, beginning the XXI Century, it is well accepted that the most important revolution expected in Health Care is the empowerment of the individuals on their own health management. Innovation in health care technologies will continue being paramount, not only in the advances of medicine and in the self health management of patients but also in allowing the sustainability of the public health care becomes more important, the role of the biomedical engineer will turn to be more crucial for the society. The paper targets the development of new curricula for the Biomedical Engineers, The needs of evolving on his different fields in which the contribution of the Biomedical Engineer is becoming fundamental to drive the innovation that Health Care Technology Industry must provide to continue improving human health through cross-disciplinary activities that integrate the engineering sciences with the biomedical sciences and clinical practice.

UCSD's Institute of Engineering in Medicine: fostering collaboration through research and education.

PubMed

Chien, Shu

2012-07-01

The University of California, San Diego (UCSD) was established in 1961 as a new research university that emphasizes innovation, excellence, and interdisciplinary research and education. It has a School of Medicine (SOM) and the Jacobs School of Engineering (JSOE) in close proximity, and both schools have national rankings among the top 15. In 1991, with the support of the Whitaker Foundation, the Whitaker Institute of Biomedical Engineering was formed to foster collaborations in research and education. In 2008, the university extended the collaboration further by establishing the Institute of Engineering in Medicine (IEM), with the mission of accelerating the discoveries of novel science and technology to enhance health care through teamwork between engineering and medicine, and facilitating the translation of innovative technologies for delivery to the public through clinical application and commercialization.

European virtual campus for biomedical engineering EVICAB.

PubMed

Malmivuo, Jaakko A; Nousiainen, Juha O; Lindroos, Kari V

2007-01-01

European Commission has funded building a curriculum on Biomedical Engineering to the Internet for European universities under the project EVICAB. EVICAB forms a curriculum which will be free access and available free of charge. Therefore, in addition to the European universities, it will be available worldwide. EVICAB will make high quality education available for everyone, not only for the university students, and facilitate the development of the discipline of Biomedical Engineering.

Development of concept-based physiology lessons for biomedical engineering undergraduate students.

PubMed

Nelson, Regina K; Chesler, Naomi C; Strang, Kevin T

2013-06-01

Physiology is a core requirement in the undergraduate biomedical engineering curriculum. In one or two introductory physiology courses, engineering students must learn physiology sufficiently to support learning in their subsequent engineering courses and careers. As preparation for future learning, physiology instruction centered on concepts may help engineering students to further develop their physiology and biomedical engineering knowledge. Following the Backward Design instructional model, a series of seven concept-based lessons was developed for undergraduate engineering students. These online lessons were created as prerequisite physiology training to prepare students to engage in a collaborative engineering challenge activity. This work is presented as an example of how to convert standard, organ system-based physiology content into concept-based content lessons.

Leveraging Engineering of Indocyanine Green-Encapsulated Polymeric Nanocomposites for Biomedical Applications.

PubMed

Han, Ya-Hui; Kankala, Ranjith Kumar; Wang, Shi-Bin; Chen, Ai-Zheng

2018-05-24

In recent times, photo-induced therapeutics have attracted enormous interest from researchers due to such attractive properties as preferential localization, excellent tissue penetration, high therapeutic efficacy, and minimal invasiveness, among others. Numerous photosensitizers have been considered in combination with light to realize significant progress in therapeutics. Along this line, indocyanine green (ICG), a Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved near-infrared (NIR, >750 nm) fluorescent dye, has been utilized in various biomedical applications such as drug delivery, imaging, and diagnosis, due to its attractive physicochemical properties, high sensitivity, and better imaging view field. However, ICG still suffers from certain limitations for its utilization as a molecular imaging probe in vivo, such as concentration-dependent aggregation, poor in vitro aqueous stability and photodegradation due to various physicochemical attributes. To overcome these limitations, much research has been dedicated to engineering numerous multifunctional polymeric composites for potential biomedical applications. In this review, we aim to discuss ICG-encapsulated polymeric nanoconstructs, which are of particular interest in various biomedical applications. First, we emphasize some attractive properties of ICG (including physicochemical characteristics, optical properties, metabolic features, and other aspects) and some of its current limitations. Next, we aim to provide a comprehensive overview highlighting recent reports on various polymeric nanoparticles that carry ICG for light-induced therapeutics with a set of examples. Finally, we summarize with perspectives highlighting the significant outcome, and current challenges of these nanocomposites.

Modern technologies for retinal scanning and imaging: an introduction for the biomedical engineer

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

This review article is meant to help biomedical engineers and nonphysical scientists better understand the principles of, and the main trends in modern scanning and imaging modalities used in ophthalmology. It is intended to ease the communication between physicists, medical doctors and engineers, and hopefully encourage “classical” biomedical engineers to generate new ideas and to initiate projects in an area which has traditionally been dominated by optical physics. Most of the methods involved are applicable to other areas of biomedical optics and optoelectronics, such as microscopic imaging, spectroscopy, spectral imaging, opto-acoustic tomography, fluorescence imaging etc., all of which are with potential biomedical application. Although all described methods are novel and important, the emphasis of this review has been placed on three technologies introduced in the 1990’s and still undergoing vigorous development: Confocal Scanning Laser Ophthalmoscopy, Optical Coherence Tomography, and polarization-sensitive retinal scanning. PMID:24779618

Use of controlled vocabularies to improve biomedical information retrieval tasks.

PubMed

Pasche, Emilie; Gobeill, Julien; Vishnyakova, Dina; Ruch, Patrick; Lovis, Christian

2013-01-01

The high heterogeneity of biomedical vocabulary is a major obstacle for information retrieval in large biomedical collections. Therefore, using biomedical controlled vocabularies is crucial for managing these contents. We investigate the impact of query expansion based on controlled vocabularies to improve the effectiveness of two search engines. Our strategy relies on the enrichment of users' queries with additional terms, directly derived from such vocabularies applied to infectious diseases and chemical patents. We observed that query expansion based on pathogen names resulted in improvements of the top-precision of our first search engine, while the normalization of diseases degraded the top-precision. The expansion of chemical entities, which was performed on the second search engine, positively affected the mean average precision. We have shown that query expansion of some types of biomedical entities has a great potential to improve search effectiveness; therefore a fine-tuning of query expansion strategies could help improving the performances of search engines.

Crowdsourcing biomedical research: leveraging communities as innovation engines

PubMed Central

Saez-Rodriguez, Julio; Costello, James C.; Friend, Stephen H.; Kellen, Michael R.; Mangravite, Lara; Meyer, Pablo; Norman, Thea; Stolovitzky, Gustavo

2018-01-01

The generation of large-scale biomedical data is creating unprecedented opportunities for basic and translational science. Typically, the data producers perform initial analyses, but it is very likely that the most informative methods may reside with other groups. Crowdsourcing the analysis of complex and massive data has emerged as a framework to find robust methodologies. When the crowdsourcing is done in the form of collaborative scientific competitions, known as Challenges, the validation of the methods is inherently addressed. Challenges also encourage open innovation, create collaborative communities to solve diverse and important biomedical problems, and foster the creation and dissemination of well-curated data repositories. PMID:27418159

Crowdsourcing biomedical research: leveraging communities as innovation engines.

PubMed

Saez-Rodriguez, Julio; Costello, James C; Friend, Stephen H; Kellen, Michael R; Mangravite, Lara; Meyer, Pablo; Norman, Thea; Stolovitzky, Gustavo

2016-07-15

The generation of large-scale biomedical data is creating unprecedented opportunities for basic and translational science. Typically, the data producers perform initial analyses, but it is very likely that the most informative methods may reside with other groups. Crowdsourcing the analysis of complex and massive data has emerged as a framework to find robust methodologies. When the crowdsourcing is done in the form of collaborative scientific competitions, known as Challenges, the validation of the methods is inherently addressed. Challenges also encourage open innovation, create collaborative communities to solve diverse and important biomedical problems, and foster the creation and dissemination of well-curated data repositories.

Nanomaterials and nanofabrication for biomedical applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cheng, Chao-Min; Chia-Wen Wu, Kevin

2013-08-01

Traditional boundaries between materials science and engineering and life sciences are rapidly disintegrating as interdisciplinary research teams develop new materials-science-based tools for exploring fundamental issues in both medicine and biology. With recent technological advances in multiple research fields such as materials science, cell and molecular biology and micro-/nano-technology, much attention is shifting toward evaluating the functional advantages of nanomaterials and nanofabrication, at the cellular and molecular levels, for specific, biomedically relevant applications. The pursuit of this direction enhances the understanding of the mechanisms of, and therapeutic potentials for, some of the most lethal diseases, including cardiovascular diseases, organ fibrosis and cancers. This interdisciplinary approach has generated great interest among researchers working in a wide variety of communities including industry, universities and research laboratories. The purpose of this focus issue in Science and Technology of Advanced Materials is to bridge nanotechnology and biology with medicine, focusing more on the applications of nanomaterials and nanofabrication in biomedically relevant issues. This focus issue, we believe, will provide a more comprehensive understanding of (i) the preparation of nanomaterials and the underlying mechanisms of nanofabrication, and (ii) the linkage of nanomaterials and nanofabrication with biomedical applications. The multidisciplinary focus issue that we have attempted to organize is of interest to various research fields including biomaterials and tissue engineering, bioengineering, nanotechnology and nanomaterials, i.e. chemistry, physics and engineering. Nanomaterials and nanofabrication topics addressed in this focus issue include sensing and diagnosis (e.g. immunosensing and diagnostic devices for diseases), cellular and molecular biology (e.g. probing cellular behaviors and stem cell differentiation) and drug delivery carriers (e.g. polymers, gold nanoparticles, Prussian blue nanoparticles, mesoporous silica nanoparticles and carbon-based nanomaterials). Here, we would like to show our deep appreciation to all authors and reviewers. Without their great help and contributions, this focus issue, including the review and original papers, would not have been published on schedule. This focus issue may not cover all issues in this emerging scientific field; however, we believe that our efforts have great potential 'to hurl a boulder to draw a jade' and ignite innovation and challenging discussion in the relevant scientific communities.

Light Weight Portable Plasma Medical Device - Plasma Engineering Research Laboratory

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-10-01

Millennial Student. 15. Thiyagarajan, M. (2011). Portable Plasma Biomedical Device for Cancer Treatment. Irvine, California: ASME Emerging...American Society of Mechanical Engineers Sigma Xi Toastmasters International Club MIT Entrepreneur Club Eta Kappa Nu Tau Beta Pi Institute of...Learning Environment. Corpus Christi, TX: TAMUCC 1st Faculty Symposium: Course Design for the Millennial Student. Thiyagarajan, M. (2011). Portable

User needs analysis and usability assessment of DataMed - a biomedical data discovery index.

PubMed

Dixit, Ram; Rogith, Deevakar; Narayana, Vidya; Salimi, Mandana; Gururaj, Anupama; Ohno-Machado, Lucila; Xu, Hua; Johnson, Todd R

2017-11-30

To present user needs and usability evaluations of DataMed, a Data Discovery Index (DDI) that allows searching for biomedical data from multiple sources. We conducted 2 phases of user studies. Phase 1 was a user needs analysis conducted before the development of DataMed, consisting of interviews with researchers. Phase 2 involved iterative usability evaluations of DataMed prototypes. We analyzed data qualitatively to document researchers' information and user interface needs. Biomedical researchers' information needs in data discovery are complex, multidimensional, and shaped by their context, domain knowledge, and technical experience. User needs analyses validate the need for a DDI, while usability evaluations of DataMed show that even though aggregating metadata into a common search engine and applying traditional information retrieval tools are promising first steps, there remain challenges for DataMed due to incomplete metadata and the complexity of data discovery. Biomedical data poses distinct problems for search when compared to websites or publications. Making data available is not enough to facilitate biomedical data discovery: new retrieval techniques and user interfaces are necessary for dataset exploration. Consistent, complete, and high-quality metadata are vital to enable this process. While available data and researchers' information needs are complex and heterogeneous, a successful DDI must meet those needs and fit into the processes of biomedical researchers. Research directions include formalizing researchers' information needs, standardizing overviews of data to facilitate relevance judgments, implementing user interfaces for concept-based searching, and developing evaluation methods for open-ended discovery systems such as DDIs. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Medical Informatics Association. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com

Microgravity

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-04-15

Biomedical research offers hope for a variety of medical problems, from diabetes to the replacement of damaged bone and tissues. Bioreactors, which are used to grow cells and tissue cultures, play a major role in such research and production efforts. Cell culturing, such as this bone cell culture, is an important part of biomedical research. The BioDyn payload includes a tissue engineering investigation. The commercial affiliate, Millenium Biologix, Inc., has been conducting bone implant experiments to better understand how synthetic bone can be used to treat bone-related illnesses and bone damaged in accidents. On STS-95, the BioDyn payload will include a bone cell culture aimed to help develop this commercial synthetic bone product. Millenium Biologix, Inc., is exploring the potential for making human bone implantable materials by seeding its proprietary artificial scaffold material with human bone cells. The product of this tissue engineering experiment using the Bioprocessing Modules (BPMs) on STS-95 is space-grown bone implants, which could have potential for dental implants, long bone grafts, and coating for orthopedic implants such as hip replacements.

Microgravity

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-04-15

Biomedical research offers hope for a variety of medical problems, from diabetes to the replacement of damaged bone and tissues. Bioreactors, which are used to grow cells and tissue cultures, play a major role in such research and production efforts. Cell culturing, such as this bone cell culture, is an important part of biomedical research. The BioDyn payload includes a tissue engineering investigation. The commercial affiliate, Millenium Biologix, Inc. has been conducting bone implant experiments to better understand how synthetic bone can be used to treat bone-related illnesses and bone damaged in accidents. On STS-95, the BioDyn payload will include a bone cell culture aimed to help develop this commercial synthetic bone product. Millenium Biologix, Inc. is exploring the potential for making human bone implantable materials by seeding its proprietary artificial scaffold material with human bone cells. The product of this tissue engineering experiment using the Bioprocessing Modules (BPMs) on STS-95 is space-grown bone implants, which could have potential for dental implants, long bone grafts, and coating for orthopedic implants such as hip replacements.

Machine learning, medical diagnosis, and biomedical engineering research - commentary.

PubMed

Foster, Kenneth R; Koprowski, Robert; Skufca, Joseph D

2014-07-05

A large number of papers are appearing in the biomedical engineering literature that describe the use of machine learning techniques to develop classifiers for detection or diagnosis of disease. However, the usefulness of this approach in developing clinically validated diagnostic techniques so far has been limited and the methods are prone to overfitting and other problems which may not be immediately apparent to the investigators. This commentary is intended to help sensitize investigators as well as readers and reviewers of papers to some potential pitfalls in the development of classifiers, and suggests steps that researchers can take to help avoid these problems. Building classifiers should be viewed not simply as an add-on statistical analysis, but as part and parcel of the experimental process. Validation of classifiers for diagnostic applications should be considered as part of a much larger process of establishing the clinical validity of the diagnostic technique.

Career development in Bioengineering/Biomedical Engineering: a student's roadmap.

PubMed

Abu-Faraj, Ziad O

2008-01-01

Bioengineering/biomedical engineering education has progressed since the late 1950s and is still evolving in leading academic institutions worldwide. Today, Bioengineering/Biomedical Engineering is acclaimed as one of the most reputable fields within the global arena, and will likely be the catalyst for any future breakthroughs in Medicine and Biology. This paper provides a set of strategies and recommendations to be pursued by individuals aiming at planning and developing careers in this field. The paper targets the international student contemplating bioengineering/biomedical engineering as a career, with an underlying emphasis on the student within developing and transitional countries where career guidance is found deficient. The paper also provides a comprehensive definition of the field and an enumeration of its subdivisions.

Thermomechanical Properties of Polylactic Acid-Graphene Composites: A State-of-the-Art Review for Biomedical Applications

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

Due to its biodegradable and bioabsorbable characteristics polylactic acid (PLA) has attracted considerable attention for numerous biomedical applications. Moreover, a number of tissue engineering problems for function restoration of impaired tissues have been addressed by using PLA and its copolymers due to their biocompatibility and distinctive mechanical properties. Recent studies on various stereocomplex formation between enantiomeric PLA, poly(l-lactide) (PLLA) and poly(d-lactide) (PDLA) indicated that stereocomplexation enhances the mechanical properties as well as the thermal- and hydrolysis-resistance of PLA polymers. On the other hand, biomedical application of graphene is a relatively new front with significant potential. Many recent reports have indicated that understanding of graphene-cell (or tissue, organ) interactions; particularly the cellular uptake mechanisms are still challenging. Therefore, use of graphene or graphene oxide properly embedded in suitable PLA matrices can positively impact and accelerate the growth, differentiation, and proliferation of stem cells, conceivably minimizing concerns over cytotoxicity of graphene. As such, PLA-graphene composites hold great promise in tissue engineering, regenerative medicine, and in other biomedical fields. However, since PLA is classified as a hard bio-polyester prone to hydrolysis, understanding and engineering of thermo-mechanical properties of PLA-graphene composites are very crucial for such cutting-edge applications. Hence, this review aims to present an overview of current advances in the preparation and applications of PLA-graphene composites and their properties with focus on various biomedical uses such as scaffolds, drug delivery, cancer therapy, and biological imaging, together with a brief discussion on the challenges and perspectives for future research in this field. PMID:28773109

Development and Evaluation of Thesauri-Based Bibliographic Biomedical Search Engine

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alghoson, Abdullah

2017-01-01

Due to the large volume and exponential growth of biomedical documents (e.g., books, journal articles), it has become increasingly challenging for biomedical search engines to retrieve relevant documents based on users' search queries. Part of the challenge is the matching mechanism of free-text indexing that performs matching based on…

Imaging Strategies for Tissue Engineering Applications

PubMed Central

Nam, Seung Yun; Ricles, Laura M.; Suggs, Laura J.

2015-01-01

Tissue engineering has evolved with multifaceted research being conducted using advanced technologies, and it is progressing toward clinical applications. As tissue engineering technology significantly advances, it proceeds toward increasing sophistication, including nanoscale strategies for material construction and synergetic methods for combining with cells, growth factors, or other macromolecules. Therefore, to assess advanced tissue-engineered constructs, tissue engineers need versatile imaging methods capable of monitoring not only morphological but also functional and molecular information. However, there is no single imaging modality that is suitable for all tissue-engineered constructs. Each imaging method has its own range of applications and provides information based on the specific properties of the imaging technique. Therefore, according to the requirements of the tissue engineering studies, the most appropriate tool should be selected among a variety of imaging modalities. The goal of this review article is to describe available biomedical imaging methods to assess tissue engineering applications and to provide tissue engineers with criteria and insights for determining the best imaging strategies. Commonly used biomedical imaging modalities, including X-ray and computed tomography, positron emission tomography and single photon emission computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, ultrasound imaging, optical imaging, and emerging techniques and multimodal imaging, will be discussed, focusing on the latest trends of their applications in recent tissue engineering studies. PMID:25012069

Building integrated pathways to independence for diverse biomedical researchers: Project Pathways, the BUILD program at Xavier University of Louisiana.

PubMed

Foroozesh, Maryam; Giguette, Marguerite; Morgan, Kathleen; Johanson, Kelly; D'Amour, Gene; Coston, Tiera; Wilkins-Green, Clair

2017-01-01

Xavier University of Louisiana is a historically Black and Catholic university that is nationally recognized for its science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) curricula. Approximately 73% of Xavier's students are African American, and about 77% major in the biomedical sciences. Xavier is a national leader in the number of STEM majors who go on to receive M.D. degrees and Ph.D. degrees in science and engineering. Despite Xavier's advances in this area, African Americans still earn about 7.5% of the Bachelor's degrees, less than 8% of the Master's degrees, and less than 5% of the doctoral degrees conferred in STEM disciplines in the United States. Additionally, although many well-prepared, highly-motivated students are attracted by Xavier's reputation in the sciences, many of these students, though bright and capable, come from underperforming public school systems and receive substandard preparation in STEM disciplines. The purpose of this article is to describe how Xavier works to overcome unequal education backgrounds and socioeconomic challenges to develop student talent through expanding biomedical training opportunities and build on an established reputation in science education. The National Institutes of Health (NIH)/National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS)-funded BUILD (Building Infrastructure Leading to Diversity) Program at Xavier University of Louisiana, Project Pathways , is a highly-innovative program designed to broaden the career interests of students early on, and to engage them in activities that entice them to continue their education towards biomedical research careers. Project strategies involve a transformation of Xavier's academic and non-academic programs through the redesign, supplementation and integration of academic advising, tutoring, career services, personal counseling, undergraduate research training, faculty research mentoring, and development of new biomedical and research skills courses. The Program also focuses on mentor training and providing faculty members with opportunities to improve their teaching skills as well as their research competitiveness. In addition to the wide range of activities supported by BUILD within the institution, Xavier University is partnering with a number of major research universities across the nation to achieve Project Pathways' goals. The strategies developed by Project Pathways are designed to address the challenges and barriers Xavier students face as they work towards graduate studies and entering the biomedical workforce. Xavier University of Louisiana has a long history of providing high quality, rigorous education to African American students in a very supportive environment with highly dedicated faculty and staff. The program highlighted here could be used by other institutions as a model program for assisting students in STEM and other biomedical fields of study to successfully matriculate through college and graduate school and develop their research careers.

Open access to biomedical engineering publications.

PubMed

Flexman, Jennifer A

2008-01-01

Scientific research is disseminated within the community and to the public in part through journals. Most scientific journals, in turn, protect the manuscript through copyright and recover their costs by charging subscription fees to individuals and institutions. This revenue stream is used to support the management of the journal and, in some cases, professional activities of the sponsoring society such as the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). For example, the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBS) manages seven academic publications representing the various areas of biomedical engineering. New business models have been proposed to distribute journal articles free of charge, either immediately or after a delay, to enable a greater dissemination of knowledge to both the public and the scientific community. However, publication costs must be recovered and likely at a higher cost to the manuscript authors. While there is little doubt that the foundations of scientific publication will change, the specifics and implications of an open source framework must be discussed.

NANOMATERIAL HEALTH EFFECTS RESEARCH CONTRIBUTES TO RISK MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES THROUGH THE RISK ASSESSMENT PARADIGM

EPA Science Inventory

Nanotechnology continues to produce a diversity of engineered nanomaterials displaying novel physicochemical properties with applications in commercial, consumer, electronic, biomedical, energy, and environmental sectors. Nanotechnology has been referred to as the next industrial...

STS-32 crewmembers test DSO 0478 lower body negative pressure (LBNP) device

NASA Image and Video Library

1989-11-29

STS-32 crewmembers test the inflight lower body negative pressure (LBNP) device. Mission Specialist (MS) Bonnie J. Dunbar (lying down) inside the cylindrical LBNP device prepares for testing as principal investigator Dr. John Charles, a cardiovascular scientist in JSC's Space Biomedical Research Institute, and Michele Jones, a KRUG International biomedical engineer, review procedures with MS G. David Low. The inflight LBNP will be part of detailed supplementary objective (DSO) 0478. Photo taken by JSC photographer Jack Jacob.

The Dartmouth Center for Cancer Nanotechnology Excellence: magnetic hyperthermia.

PubMed

Baker, Ian; Fiering, Steve N; Griswold, Karl E; Hoopes, P Jack; Kekalo, Katerina; Ndong, Christian; Paulsen, Keith; Petryk, Alicea A; Pogue, Brian; Shubitidze, Fridon; Weaver, John

2015-01-01

The Dartmouth Center for Cancer Nanotechnology Excellence - one of nine funded by the National Cancer Institute as part of the Alliance for Nanotechnology in Cancer - focuses on the use of magnetic nanoparticles for cancer diagnostics and hyperthermia therapy. It brings together a diverse team of engineers and biomedical researchers with expertise in nanomaterials, molecular targeting, advanced biomedical imaging and translational in vivo studies. The goal of successfully treating cancer is being approached by developing nanoparticles, conjugating them with Fabs, hyperthermia treatment, immunotherapy and sensing treatment response.

The role of a creative "joint assignment" project in biomedical engineering bachelor degree education.

PubMed

Jiehui Jiang; Yuting Zhang; Mi Zhou; Xiaosong Zheng; Zhuangzhi Yan

2017-07-01

Biomedical Engineering (BME) bachelor education aims to train qualified engineers who devote themselves to addressing biological and medical problems by integrating the technological, medical and biological knowledge. Design thinking and teamwork with other disciplines are necessary for biomedical engineers. In the current biomedical engineering education system of Shanghai University (SHU), however, such design thinking and teamwork through a practical project is lacking. This paper describes a creative "joint assignment" project in Shanghai University, China, which has provided BME bachelor students a two-year practical experience to work with students from multidisciplinary departments including sociology, mechanics, computer sciences, business and art, etc. To test the feasibility of this project, a twenty-month pilot project has been carried out from May 2015 to December 2016. The results showed that this pilot project obviously enhanced competitive power of BME students in Shanghai University, both in the capabilities of design thinking and teamwork.

Biomedical Engineering Education in Perspective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gowen, Richard J.

1973-01-01

Discusses recent developments in the health care industry and their impact on the future of biomedical engineering education. Indicates that a more thorough understanding of the complex functions of the living organism can be acquired through the application of engineering techniques to problems of life sciences. (CC)

Site-Specific Genome Engineering in Human Pluripotent Stem Cells.

PubMed

Merkert, Sylvia; Martin, Ulrich

2016-06-24

The possibility to generate patient-specific induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) offers an unprecedented potential of applications in clinical therapy and medical research. Human iPSCs and their differentiated derivatives are tools for diseases modelling, drug discovery, safety pharmacology, and toxicology. Moreover, they allow for the engineering of bioartificial tissue and are promising candidates for cellular therapies. For many of these applications, the ability to genetically modify pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) is indispensable, but efficient site-specific and safe technologies for genetic engineering of PSCs were developed only recently. By now, customized engineered nucleases provide excellent tools for targeted genome editing, opening new perspectives for biomedical research and cellular therapies.

An exploration of the biomedical optics course construction of undergraduate biomedical engineering program in medical colleges

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guo, Shijun; Lyu, Jie; Zhang, Peiming

2017-08-01

In this paper, the teaching goals, teaching contents and teaching methods in biomedical optics course construction are discussed. From the dimension of teaching goals, students should master the principle of optical inspection on the human body, diagnosis and treatment of methodology and instruments, through the study of the theory and practice of this course, and can utilize biomedical optics methods to solve practical problems in the clinical medical engineering practice. From the dimension of teaching contents, based on the characteristics of biomedical engineering in medical colleges, the organic integration of engineering aspects, medical optical instruments, and biomedical aspects dispersed in human anatomy, human physiology, clinical medicine fundamental related to the biomedical optics is build. Noninvasive measurement of the human body composition and noninvasive optical imaging of the human body were taken as actual problems in biomedical optics fields. Typical medical applications such as eye optics and laser medicine were also integrated into the theory and practice teaching. From the dimension of teaching methods, referencing to organ-system based medical teaching mode, optical principle and instrument principle were taught by teachers from school of medical instruments, and the histological characteristics and clinical actual need in areas such as digestive diseases and urinary surgery were taught by teachers from school of basic medicine or clinical medicine of medical colleges. Furthermore, clinical application guidance would be provided by physician and surgeons in hospitals.

The fully integrated biomedical engineering programme at Eindhoven University of Technology.

PubMed

Slaaf, D W; van Genderen, M H P

2009-05-01

The development of a fully integrated biomedical engineering programme (life sciences included from the start) is described. Details are provided about background, implementation, and didactic concept: design centred learning combined with courses. The curriculum has developed into a bachelor-master's programme with two different master's degrees: Master's Degree in Biomedical Engineering and Master's Degree in Medical Engineering. Recently, the programme has adopted semester programming, has included a major and minor in the bachelor's degree phase, and a true bachelor's degree final project. Details about the programme and data about where graduates find jobs are provided in this paper.

Challenges of the biomedical engineering education in Europe.

PubMed

Magjarevic, Ratko; Lackovic, Igor; Bliznakov, Zhivko; Pallikarakis, Nicolas

2010-01-01

Higher education in Europe has passed through a very dynamic period of changes during the last ten years. Since the signing of the Bologna Declaration in 1999 by the Ministers of Education from the EU states, European higher education system has aimed toward establishing harmonized programs enabling students and teachers to extensively exchange knowledge, ideas and skills. Education in the field of Biomedical Engineering has experienced changes also because of the research and development in the field which was more intensive than in other fields. Besides research in new power sources, it is the most intensive and productive research field. Much of the development in BME education in Europe is influenced by the European research policy expressed through the 7th Framework Programme where health is the major theme. In order to foster and support the changes in the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) according to the needs of research sector and the labor market, the Tempus scheme of projects was established. Tempus scheme aims to support the modernization of higher education and create an area of co-operation in the countries surrounding the EU. Our Tempus project, CRH-BME "Curricula Reformation and Harmonization in the field of Biomedical Engineering" aims to create guidelines for updating existing curricula in the field of BME in Europe in order to meet recent and future developments in the area, address new emerging interdisciplinary domains that appear as the result of the R&D progress and respond to the BME job market demands. In this paper, some policy and economic factors affecting BME education in Europe are discussed and the results of a BME education survey we prepared within the Tempus CHR-BME project are presented. The number of BME programmes in Europe has in the last decade significantly increased and there are more BME specializations as the result of growing complexity of the research and production in the field.

Critical assessment and outlook for the 50 biomedical engineering undergraduate programs in Mexico.

PubMed

Azpiroz-Leehan, Joaquín; Martínez Licona, Fabiola; Urbina Medal, E Gerardo; Cadena Méndez, Miguel; Sacristán Rock, Emilio

2015-01-01

Biomedical Engineering (BME) has been taught in Mexico at the undergraduate level for over forty years. The rationale for the introduction of this profession was to help manage and maintain the growing technological infrastructure in the health care system during the seventies. Owing to this, it is not surprising that early versions of the BME curricula were oriented towards clinical engineering and medical instrumentation. In the last decade the number of programs has grown from three in the seventies and eighties to fifty at present. This work is the result of the analysis of the BME programs in all the institutions that offer this degree in Mexico. Three main issues were studied: the curricula, the sub-disciplines that were emphasized in the programs and the job market. Results have shown a striking resemblance in most of the programs, which are mostly dedicated to teaching aspects of medical instrumentation and clinical engineering. These results reflect an agreement with the requirements of the job market, but since most job offerings are for low-paying positions in sales, service and hospital maintenance, we question the wisdom of stressing these sub-specialties at research universities, where faculties and research labs offer a wide variety of options. An analysis of work at these centers shows that most of the results are publications, so the need to emphasize translational research and partnerships with industry are suggested.

Biomedical learning experiences for middle school girls sponsored by the Kansas State University Student Chapter of the IEEE EMBS.

PubMed

Gruber, Lucinda; Griffith, Connor; Young, Ethan; Sullivan, Adriann; Schuler, Jeff; Arnold-Christian, Susan; Warren, Steve

2009-01-01

Learning experiences for middle school girls are an effective means to steer young women toward secondary engineering curricula that they might not have otherwise considered. Sponsorship of such experiences by a collegiate student group is worthwhile, as it gives the group common purpose and places college students in a position to mentor these young women. This paper addresses learning experiences in different areas of bio-medical engineering offered to middle school girls in November 2008 via a day-long workshop entitled "Engineering The Body." The Kansas State University (KSU) Student Chapter of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBS) worked with the KSU Women in Engineering and Science Program (WESP) to design and sponsor these experiences, which addressed the areas of joint mechanics, electrocardiograms, membrane transport, computer mouse design, and audio filters for cochlear implants. Fifty five middle-school girls participated in this event, affirming the notion that biomedical engineering appeals to young women and that early education and recruitment efforts have the potential to expand the biomedical engineering talent pool.

GDRMS: a system for automatic extraction of the disease-centre relation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Ronggen; Zhang, Yue; Gong, Lejun

2012-01-01

With the rapidly increasing of biomedical literature, the deluge of new articles is leading to information overload. Extracting the available knowledge from the huge amount of biomedical literature has become a major challenge. GDRMS is developed as a tool that extracts the relationship between disease and gene, gene and gene from biomedical literatures using text mining technology. It is a ruled-based system which also provides disease-centre network visualization, constructs the disease-gene database, and represents a gene engine for understanding the function of the gene. The main focus of GDRMS is to provide a valuable opportunity to explore the relationship between disease and gene for the research community about etiology of disease.

Biomedical technology in Franconia.

PubMed

Efferth, T

2000-01-01

Medical instrumentation and biotechnology business is developing rapidly in Franconia. The universities of Bayreuth, Erlangen-Nürnberg, and Würzburg hold upper ranks in biomedical extramural funding research. They have a high competence in biomedical research, medical instrumentation, and biotechnology. The association "BioMedTec Franken e.V" has been founded at the beginning of 1999 both to foster the information exchange between universities, industry and politics and to facilitate the establishment of biomedical companies by means of science parks. In the IGZ (Innovation and Foundation Center Nürnberg-Fürth-Erlangen) 4,500 square meters of space are currently shared by 19 novel companies. Since 1985 60 companies in the IGZ had a total turnover of about 74 Mio Euro. The TGZ (Technologie- und Gründerzentrum) in Würzburg provides space for 11 companies. For the specific needs of biomedical technology companies further science parks will be set up in the near future. A science park for medical instrumentation will be founded in Erlangen (IZMP, Innovations- und Gründerzentrum für Medizintechnik und Pharma in der Region Nürnberg, Fürch, Erlangen). Furthermore, a Biomedical Technology Center and a Research Center for Bicompatible Materials are to be founded in Würzburg and Bayreuth, respectively. Several communication platforms (Bayern Innovativ, FORWISS, FTT, KIM, N-TEC-VISIT, TBU, WETTI etc.) allow the transfer of local academic research activities to industrial utilization and open new co-operation possibilities. International pharmaceutical companies (Novartis, Nürnberg; Pharmacia Upjohn, Erlangen) are located in Franconia. Central Franconia represents a national focus for medical instrumentation. The Erlangen settlement of the Medical Engineering Section of Siemens employs 4,500 people including approximately 1,000 employees in the Siemens research center.

Biomedical Uses for 2D Materials Beyond Graphene: Current Advances and Challenges Ahead.

PubMed

Kurapati, Rajendra; Kostarelos, Kostas; Prato, Maurizio; Bianco, Alberto

2016-08-01

Currently, a broad interdisciplinary research effort is pursued on biomedical applications of 2D materials (2DMs) beyond graphene, due to their unique physicochemical and electronic properties. The discovery of new 2DMs is driven by the diverse chemical compositions and tuneable characteristics offered. Researchers are increasingly attracted to exploit those as drug delivery systems, highly efficient photothermal modalities, multimodal therapeutics with non-invasive diagnostic capabilities, biosensing, and tissue engineering. A crucial limitation of some of the 2DMs is their moderate colloidal stability in aqueous media. In addition, the lack of suitable functionalisation strategies should encourage the exploration of novel chemical methodologies with that purpose. Moreover, the clinical translation of these emerging materials will require undertaking of fundamental research on biocompatibility, toxicology and biopersistence in the living body as well as in the environment. Here, a thorough account of the biomedical applications using 2DMs explored today is given. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

The Tufts Non-Vocal Communication Program.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Foulds, Richard A.; And Others

Described are the efforts of the Biomedical Engineering Center in developing devices, particularly the Tufts Interactive Communicator (TIC) for the non-vocal severely physically disabled individual. It is noted that research has been conducted in the following areas: dictionary development, anticipatory communication, symbol communication, symbol…

Outlook for Development of High-throughput Cryopreservation for Small-bodied Biomedical Model Fishes★

PubMed Central

Tiersch, Terrence R.; Yang, Huiping; Hu, E.

2011-01-01

With the development of genomic research technologies, comparative genome studies among vertebrate species are becoming commonplace for human biomedical research. Fish offer unlimited versatility for biomedical research. Extensive studies are done using these fish models, yielding tens of thousands of specific strains and lines, and the number is increasing every day. Thus, high-throughput sperm cryopreservation is urgently needed to preserve these genetic resources. Although high-throughput processing has been widely applied for sperm cryopreservation in livestock for decades, application in biomedical model fishes is still in the concept-development stage because of the limited sample volumes and the biological characteristics of fish sperm. High-throughput processing in livestock was developed based on advances made in the laboratory and was scaled up for increased processing speed, capability for mass production, and uniformity and quality assurance. Cryopreserved germplasm combined with high-throughput processing constitutes an independent industry encompassing animal breeding, preservation of genetic diversity, and medical research. Currently, there is no specifically engineered system available for high-throughput of cryopreserved germplasm for aquatic species. This review is to discuss the concepts and needs for high-throughput technology for model fishes, propose approaches for technical development, and overview future directions of this approach. PMID:21440666

CRISPR editing in biological and biomedical investigation.

PubMed

Huang, Jiaojiao; Wang, Yanfang; Zhao, Jianguo

2018-05-01

Recently, clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) based genomic editing technologies have armed researchers with powerful new tools to biological and biomedical investigations. To further improve and expand its functionality, natural, and engineered CRISPR associated nine proteins (Cas9s) have been investigated, various CRISPR delivery strategies have been tested and optimized, and multiple schemes have been developed to ensure precise mammalian genome editing. Benefiting from those in-depth understanding and further development of CRISPR, versatile CRISPR-based platforms for genome editing have been rapidly developed to advance investigations in biology and biomedicine. In biological research area, CRISPR has been widely adopted in both fundamental and applied research fields, such as accurate base editing, transcriptional regulation, and genome-wide screening. In biomedical research area, CRISPR has also shown its extensive applicability in the establishment of animal models for genetic disorders especially those large animals and non-human primates models, and gene therapy to combat virus infectious diseases, to correct monogenic disorders in vivo or in pluripotent cells. In this prospect article, after highlighting recent developments of CRISPR systems, we outline different applications and current limitations of CRISPR use in biological and biomedical investigation. Finally, we provide a perspective for future development and potential risks of this multifunctional technology. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Auditory and Acoustic Research & Development at Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL)

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-09-01

aircraft noise measurement and modeling, speech communication in noise, and national and international standards for over 60 years. This article ...substantial technical document and a complete review is beyond the scope of this article . The purpose of this section is to give some examples of...acoustics facilities and instrumentation. The multi-disciplinary researchers included experts in audiology , biomedical engineering, human factors

Biomedical Nanomagnetics: A Spin Through Possibilities in Imaging, Diagnostics, and Therapy

PubMed Central

Krishnan, Kannan M.

2010-01-01

Biomedical nanomagnetics is a multidisciplinary area of research in science, engineering and medicine with broad applications in imaging, diagnostics and therapy. Recent developments offer exciting possibilities in personalized medicine provided a truly integrated approach, combining chemistry, materials science, physics, engineering, biology and medicine, is implemented. Emphasizing this perspective, here we address important issues for the rapid development of the field, i.e., magnetic behavior at the nanoscale with emphasis on the relaxation dynamics, synthesis and surface functionalization of nanoparticles and core-shell structures, biocompatibility and toxicity studies, biological constraints and opportunities, and in vivo and in vitro applications. Specifically, we discuss targeted drug delivery and triggered release, novel contrast agents for magnetic resonance imaging, cancer therapy using magnetic fluid hyperthermia, in vitro diagnostics and the emerging magnetic particle imaging technique, that is quantitative and sensitive enough to compete with established imaging methods. In addition, the physics of self-assembly, which is fundamental to both biology and the future development of nanoscience, is illustrated with magnetic nanoparticles. It is shown that various competing energies associated with self-assembly converge on the nanometer length scale and different assemblies can be tailored by varying particle size and size distribution. Throughout this paper, while we discuss our recent research in the broad context of the multidisciplinary literature, we hope to bridge the gap between related work in physics/chemistry/engineering and biology/medicine and, at the same time, present the essential concepts in the individual disciplines. This approach is essential as biomedical nanomagnetics moves into the next phase of innovative translational research with emphasis on development of quantitative in vivo imaging, targeted and triggered drug release, and image guided therapy including validation of delivery and therapy response. PMID:20930943

A biomedical engineer's library.

PubMed

Webster, J G

1982-01-01

A survey resulted in a list of the 101 textbooks used by 62 biomedical engineering educational programs. A second list shows the textbooks used by each school. A third list shows the 27 textbooks used at two or more schools and the number of times each is used. This selected compilation should be useful to (a) biomedical engineering curriculum committees considering program revision, (b) teachers considering course revision, (c) university and industrial librarians updating their collections, (d) individuals building a personal library, and (e) students desiring information about the emphasis of various educational programs.

Cell Culturing of Cytoskeleton

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

Biomedical research offers hope for a variety of medical problems, from diabetes to the replacement of damaged bone and tissues. Bioreactors, which are used to grow cells and tissue cultures, play a major role in such research and production efforts. Cell culturing, such as this bone cell culture, is an important part of biomedical research. The BioDyn payload includes a tissue engineering investigation. The commercial affiliate, Millenium Biologix, Inc., has been conducting bone implant experiments to better understand how synthetic bone can be used to treat bone-related illnesses and bone damaged in accidents. On STS-95, the BioDyn payload will include a bone cell culture aimed to help develop this commercial synthetic bone product. Millenium Biologix, Inc., is exploring the potential for making human bone implantable materials by seeding its proprietary artificial scaffold material with human bone cells. The product of this tissue engineering experiment using the Bioprocessing Modules (BPMs) on STS-95 is space-grown bone implants, which could have potential for dental implants, long bone grafts, and coating for orthopedic implants such as hip replacements.

Cell Culturing of Cytoskeleton

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

Biomedical research offers hope for a variety of medical problems, from diabetes to the replacement of damaged bone and tissues. Bioreactors, which are used to grow cells and tissue cultures, play a major role in such research and production efforts. Cell culturing, such as this bone cell culture, is an important part of biomedical research. The BioDyn payload includes a tissue engineering investigation. The commercial affiliate, Millenium Biologix, Inc. has been conducting bone implant experiments to better understand how synthetic bone can be used to treat bone-related illnesses and bone damaged in accidents. On STS-95, the BioDyn payload will include a bone cell culture aimed to help develop this commercial synthetic bone product. Millenium Biologix, Inc. is exploring the potential for making human bone implantable materials by seeding its proprietary artificial scaffold material with human bone cells. The product of this tissue engineering experiment using the Bioprocessing Modules (BPMs) on STS-95 is space-grown bone implants, which could have potential for dental implants, long bone grafts, and coating for orthopedic implants such as hip replacements.

PERSPECTIVE: Translational neural engineering: multiple perspectives on bringing benchtop research into the clinical domain

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rousche, Patrick; Schneeweis, David M.; Perreault, Eric J.; Jensen, Winnie

2008-03-01

A half-day forum to address a wide range of issues related to translational neural engineering was conducted at the annual meeting of the Biomedical Engineering Society. Successful practitioners of translational neural engineering from academics, clinical medicine and industry were invited to share a diversity of perspectives and experiences on the translational process. The forum was targeted towards traditional academic researchers who may be interested in the expanded funding opportunities available for translational research that emphasizes product commercialization and clinical implementation. The seminar was funded by the NIH with support from the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago. We report here a summary of the speaker viewpoints with particular focus on extracting successful strategies for engaging in or conducting translational neural engineering research. Daryl Kipke, PhD, (Department of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Michigan) and Molly Shoichet, PhD, (Department of Chemical Engineering at the University of Toronto) gave details of their extensive experience with product commercialization while holding primary appointments in academic departments. They both encouraged strong clinical input at very early stages of research. Neurosurgeon Fady Charbel, MD, (Department of Neurosurgery at the University of Illinois at Chicago) discussed his role in product commercialization as a clinician. Todd Kuiken, MD, PhD, (Director of the Neural Engineering for Artificial Limbs at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, affiliated with Northwestern University) also a clinician, described a model of translational engineering that emphasized the development of clinically relevant technology, without a strong commercialization imperative. The clinicians emphasized the importance of communicating effectively with engineers. Representing commercial neural engineering was Doug Sheffield, PhD, (Director of New Technology at Vertis Neuroscience, Inc.) who strongly encouraged open industrial academic partnerships as an efficient path forward in the translational process. Joe Pancrazio, PhD, a Program Director at NIH's National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, emphasized that NIH funding for translational research was aimed at breaking down scientific barriers to clinic entrance. Vivian Weil, PhD, (Director of Center for the Study of Ethics in the Professions at the Illinois Institute of Technology) a specialist on ethics in science and engineering, spoke of the usefulness of developing a code of ethics for addressing ethical aspects of translation from the bench to clinical implementation and of translation across disciplines in multi-disciplinary projects. Finally, the patient perspective was represented by Mr Jesse Sullivan. A double-arm amputee and patient of Dr Kuiken's, Mr Sullivan demonstrated the critically important role of the patient in successful translational neural engineering research.

Translational neural engineering: multiple perspectives on bringing benchtop research into the clinical domain

PubMed Central

Rousche, Patrick; Schneeweis, David M; Perreault, Eric J; Jensen, Winnie

2009-01-01

A half-day forum to address a wide range of issues related to translational neural engineering was conducted at the annual meeting of the Biomedical Engineering Society. Successful practitioners of translational neural engineering from academics, clinical medicine and industry were invited to share a diversity of perspectives and experiences on the translational process. The forum was targeted towards traditional academic researchers who may be interested in the expanded funding opportunities available for translational research that emphasizes product commercialization and clinical implementation. The seminar was funded by the NIH with support from the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago. We report here a summary of the speaker viewpoints with particular focus on extracting successful strategies for engaging in or conducting translational neural engineering research. Daryl Kipke, PhD, (Department of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Michigan) and Molly Shoichet, PhD, (Department of Chemical Engineering at the University of Toronto) gave details of their extensive experience with product commercialization while holding primary appointments in academic departments. They both encouraged strong clinical input at very early stages of research. Neurosurgeon Fady Charbel, MD, (Department of Neurosurgery at the University of Illinois at Chicago) discussed his role in product commercialization as a clinician. Todd Kuiken, MD, PhD, (Director of the Neural Engineering for Artificial Limbs at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, affiliated with Northwestern University) also a clinician, described a model of translational engineering that emphasized the development of clinically relevant technology, without a strong commercialization imperative. The clinicians emphasized the importance of communicating effectively with engineers. Representing commercial neural engineering was Doug Sheffield, PhD, (Director of New Technology at Vertis Neuroscience, Inc.) who strongly encouraged open industrial–academic partnerships as an efficient path forward in the translational process. Joe Pancrazio, PhD, a Program Director at NIH’s National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, emphasized that NIH funding for translational research was aimed at breaking down scientific barriers to clinic entrance. Vivian Weil, PhD, (Director of Center for the Study of Ethics in the Professions at the Illinois Institute of Technology) a specialist on ethics in science and engineering, spoke of the usefulness of developing a code of ethics for addressing ethical aspects of translation from the bench to clinical implementation and of translation across disciplines in multi-disciplinary projects. Finally, the patient perspective was represented by Mr Jesse Sullivan. A double-arm amputee and patient of Dr Kuiken’s, Mr Sullivan demonstrated the critically important role of the patient in successful translational neural engineering research. PMID:18310805

Translational neural engineering: multiple perspectives on bringing benchtop research into the clinical domain.

PubMed

Rousche, Patrick; Schneeweis, David M; Perreault, Eric J; Jensen, Winnie

2008-03-01

A half-day forum to address a wide range of issues related to translational neural engineering was conducted at the annual meeting of the Biomedical Engineering Society. Successful practitioners of translational neural engineering from academics, clinical medicine and industry were invited to share a diversity of perspectives and experiences on the translational process. The forum was targeted towards traditional academic researchers who may be interested in the expanded funding opportunities available for translational research that emphasizes product commercialization and clinical implementation. The seminar was funded by the NIH with support from the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago. We report here a summary of the speaker viewpoints with particular focus on extracting successful strategies for engaging in or conducting translational neural engineering research. Daryl Kipke, PhD, (Department of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Michigan) and Molly Shoichet, PhD, (Department of Chemical Engineering at the University of Toronto) gave details of their extensive experience with product commercialization while holding primary appointments in academic departments. They both encouraged strong clinical input at very early stages of research. Neurosurgeon Fady Charbel, MD, (Department of Neurosurgery at the University of Illinois at Chicago) discussed his role in product commercialization as a clinician. Todd Kuiken, MD, PhD, (Director of the Neural Engineering for Artificial Limbs at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, affiliated with Northwestern University) also a clinician, described a model of translational engineering that emphasized the development of clinically relevant technology, without a strong commercialization imperative. The clinicians emphasized the importance of communicating effectively with engineers. Representing commercial neural engineering was Doug Sheffield, PhD, (Director of New Technology at Vertis Neuroscience, Inc.) who strongly encouraged open industrial-academic partnerships as an efficient path forward in the translational process. Joe Pancrazio, PhD, a Program Director at NIH's National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, emphasized that NIH funding for translational research was aimed at breaking down scientific barriers to clinic entrance. Vivian Weil, PhD, (Director of Center for the Study of Ethics in the Professions at the Illinois Institute of Technology) a specialist on ethics in science and engineering, spoke of the usefulness of developing a code of ethics for addressing ethical aspects of translation from the bench to clinical implementation and of translation across disciplines in multi-disciplinary projects. Finally, the patient perspective was represented by Mr Jesse Sullivan. A double-arm amputee and patient of Dr Kuiken's, Mr Sullivan demonstrated the critically important role of the patient in successful translational neural engineering research.

The Dartmouth Center for Cancer Nanotechnology Excellence: magnetic hyperthermia

PubMed Central

Baker, Ian; Fiering, Steve N; Griswold, Karl E; Hoopes, P Jack; Kekalo, Katerina; Ndong, Christian; Paulsen, Keith; Petryk, Alicea A; Pogue, Brian; Shubitidze, Fridon; Weaver, John

2015-01-01

The Dartmouth Center for Cancer Nanotechnology Excellence – one of nine funded by the National Cancer Institute as part of the Alliance for Nanotechnology in Cancer – focuses on the use of magnetic nanoparticles for cancer diagnostics and hyperthermia therapy. It brings together a diverse team of engineers and biomedical researchers with expertise in nanomaterials, molecular targeting, advanced biomedical imaging and translational in vivo studies. The goal of successfully treating cancer is being approached by developing nanoparticles, conjugating them with Fabs, hyperthermia treatment, immunotherapy and sensing treatment response. PMID:26080693

Rapid prototyping for biomedical engineering: current capabilities and challenges.

PubMed

Lantada, Andrés Díaz; Morgado, Pilar Lafont

2012-01-01

A new set of manufacturing technologies has emerged in the past decades to address market requirements in a customized way and to provide support for research tasks that require prototypes. These new techniques and technologies are usually referred to as rapid prototyping and manufacturing technologies, and they allow prototypes to be produced in a wide range of materials with remarkable precision in a couple of hours. Although they have been rapidly incorporated into product development methodologies, they are still under development, and their applications in bioengineering are continuously evolving. Rapid prototyping and manufacturing technologies can be of assistance in every stage of the development process of novel biodevices, to address various problems that can arise in the devices' interactions with biological systems and the fact that the design decisions must be tested carefully. This review focuses on the main fields of application for rapid prototyping in biomedical engineering and health sciences, as well as on the most remarkable challenges and research trends.

The theory and design of piezoelectric/pyroelectric polymer film sensors for biomedical engineering applications.

PubMed

Brown, L F

1989-01-01

The unique properties of piezoelectric/pyroelectric polymers offer many new opportunities for biomedical engineering sensor applications. Since their discovery nearly 20 years ago, the polymer films have been used for many novel switching and sensor applications. Despite the prodigious exposure from many recent publications describing piezo film applications, methods of sensor fabrication and circuit interfacing still elude most engineers. This paper is presented as a tutorial guide to applying piezo polymers to biomedical engineering applications. A review of the fundamentals of piezoelectricity/pyroelectricity in piezo polymers is first presented. Their material properties are contrasted with piezoelectric ceramic materials. Some advantages and disadvantages of the films for biomedical sensors are discussed. Specific details on the fabrication of piezo film sensors are presented. Methods are described for forming, cutting, and mounting film sensors, and making lead connections. A brief discussion of equivalent circuit models for the design and simulation of piezoelectric/pyroelectric sensors is included, as well as common circuit interface techniques. Finally, several sources are recommended for further information on a variety of biomedical sensor applications.

Angiogenesis in tissue engineering: from concept to the vascularization of scaffold construct

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Amirah Ishak, Siti; Pangestu Djuansjah, J. R.; Kadir, M. R. Abdul; Sukmana, Irza

2014-06-01

Angiogenesis, the formation of micro-vascular network from the preexisting vascular vessels, has been studied in the connection to the normal developmental process as well as numerous diseases. In tissue engineering research, angiogenesis is also essential to promote micro-vascular network inside engineered tissue constructs, mimicking a functional blood vessel in vivo. Micro-vascular network can be used to maintain adequate tissue oxygenation, nutrient transfer and waste removal. One of the problems faced by angiogenesis researchers is to find suitable in vitro assays and methods for assessing the effect of regulators on angiogenesis and micro-vessel formation. The assay would be reliable and repeatable with easily quantifiable with physiologically relevant. This review aims to highlights recent advanced and future challenges in developing and using an in vitro angiogenesis assay for the application on biomedical and tissue engineering research.

A woman like you: Women scientists and engineers at Brookhaven National Laboratory

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Benkovitz, Carmen; Bernholc, Nicole; Cohen, Anita

1991-01-01

This publication by the women in Science and Engineering introduces career possibilities in science and engineering. It introduces what work and home life are like for women who have already entered these fields. Women at Brookhaven National Laboratory work in a variety of challenging research roles -- from biologist and environmental scientist to safety engineer, from patent lawyer to technician. Brookhaven National Laboratory is a multi-program laboratory which carries out basic and applied research in the physical, biomedical and environmental sciences and in selected energy technologies. The Laboratory is managed by Associated University, Inc., under contract with the US Departmentmore » of Energy. Brookhaven and the other national laboratories, because of their enormous research resources, can play a critical role in a education and training of the workforce.« less

A woman like you: Women scientists and engineers at Brookhaven National Laboratory. Careers in action

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Not Available

1991-12-31

This publication by the women in Science and Engineering introduces career possibilities in science and engineering. It introduces what work and home life are like for women who have already entered these fields. Women at Brookhaven National Laboratory work in a variety of challenging research roles -- from biologist and environmental scientist to safety engineer, from patent lawyer to technician. Brookhaven National Laboratory is a multi-program laboratory which carries out basic and applied research in the physical, biomedical and environmental sciences and in selected energy technologies. The Laboratory is managed by Associated University, Inc., under contract with the US Departmentmore » of Energy. Brookhaven and the other national laboratories, because of their enormous research resources, can play a critical role in a education and training of the workforce.« less

In Brief: Suresh confirmed as new head of U.S. National Science Foundation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Showstack, Randy

2010-10-01

On 29 September, the U.S. Senate unanimously confirmed Subra Suresh to be the new director of the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) for a 6-year term. Suresh, nominated for the position by U.S. president Barack Obama on 8 June, could be sworn in by mid-October. Suresh has been dean of the School of Engineering and the Vannevar Bush Professor of Engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge. His work as a researcher, educator, and academic administrator has spanned a number of disciplines including mechanical engineering, materials science, and biomedical engineering.

Emerging applications of nanoparticles: Biomedical and environmental

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gulati, Shivani; Sachdeva, M.; Bhasin, K. K.

2018-05-01

Nanotechnology finds a wide range of applications from energy production to industrial fabrication processes to biomedical applications. Nanoparticles (NPs) can be engineered to possess unique compositions and functionalities to empower novel tools and techniques that have not existed previously in biomedical research. The unique size and shape dependent physicochemical properties along with their unique spectral and optical properties have prompted the development of a wide variety of potential applications in the field of diagnostics and medicines. In the plethora of scientific and technological fields, environmental safety is also a big concern. For this purpose, nanomaterials have been functionalized to cope up the existing pollution, improving manufacturing methods to reduce the generation of new pollution, and making alternative and more cost effective energy sources.

GeneView: a comprehensive semantic search engine for PubMed.

PubMed

Thomas, Philippe; Starlinger, Johannes; Vowinkel, Alexander; Arzt, Sebastian; Leser, Ulf

2012-07-01

Research results are primarily published in scientific literature and curation efforts cannot keep up with the rapid growth of published literature. The plethora of knowledge remains hidden in large text repositories like MEDLINE. Consequently, life scientists have to spend a great amount of time searching for specific information. The enormous ambiguity among most names of biomedical objects such as genes, chemicals and diseases often produces too large and unspecific search results. We present GeneView, a semantic search engine for biomedical knowledge. GeneView is built upon a comprehensively annotated version of PubMed abstracts and openly available PubMed Central full texts. This semi-structured representation of biomedical texts enables a number of features extending classical search engines. For instance, users may search for entities using unique database identifiers or they may rank documents by the number of specific mentions they contain. Annotation is performed by a multitude of state-of-the-art text-mining tools for recognizing mentions from 10 entity classes and for identifying protein-protein interactions. GeneView currently contains annotations for >194 million entities from 10 classes for ∼21 million citations with 271,000 full text bodies. GeneView can be searched at http://bc3.informatik.hu-berlin.de/.

Engineering mechanical microenvironment of macrophage and its biomedical applications.

PubMed

Li, Jing; Li, Yuhui; Gao, Bin; Qin, Chuanguang; He, Yining; Xu, Feng; Yang, Hui; Lin, Min

2018-03-01

Macrophages are the most plastic cells in the hematopoietic system and can be widely found in almost all tissues. Recently studies have shown that mechanical cues (e.g., matrix stiffness and stress/strain) can significantly affect macrophage behaviors. Although existing reviews on the physical and mechanical cues that regulate the macrophage's phenotype are available, engineering mechanical microenvironment of macrophages in vitro as well as a comprehensive overview and prospects for their biomedical applications (e.g., tissue engineering and immunotherapy) has yet to be summarized. Thus, this review provides an overview on the existing methods for engineering mechanical microenvironment of macrophages in vitro and then a section on their biomedical applications and further perspectives are presented.

Developing research competencies through a project-based tissue-engineering module in the biomedical engineering undergraduate curriculum.

PubMed

Wallen, M; Pandit, A

2009-05-01

In addressing the task of developing an undergraduate module in the field of tissue engineering, the greatest challenge lies in managing to capture what is a growing and rapidly changing field. Acknowledging the call for the development of greater critical thinking and interpersonal skills among the next generation of engineers as well as encouraging students to engage actively with the dynamic nature of research in the field, the module was developed to include both project-based and cooperative-learning experiences. These learning activities include developing hypotheses for the application of newly introduced laboratory procedures, a collaborative mock grant submission, and debates on ethical issues in which students are assigned roles as various stakeholders. Feedback from module evaluations has indicated that, while students find the expectations challenging, they are able to gain an advanced insight into a dynamic field. More importantly, students develop research competencies by engaging in activities that require them to link current research directions with their own development of hypotheses for future tissue-engineering applications.

Innovations in biomedical nanoengineering: nanowell array biosensor.

PubMed

Seo, YoungTae; Jeong, Sunil; Lee, JuKyung; Choi, Hak Soo; Kim, Jonghan; Lee, HeaYeon

2018-01-01

Nanostructured biosensors have pioneered biomedical engineering by providing highly sensitive analyses of biomolecules. The nanowell array (NWA)-based biosensing platform is particularly innovative, where the small size of NWs within the array permits extremely profound sensing of a small quantity of biomolecules. Undoubtedly, the NWA geometry of a gently-sloped vertical wall is critical for selective docking of specific proteins without capillary resistances, and nanoprocessing has contributed to the fabrication of NWA electrodes on gold substrate such as molding process, e-beam lithography, and krypton-fluoride (KrF) stepper semiconductor method. The Lee group at the Mara Nanotech has established this NW-based biosensing technology during the past two decades by engineering highly sensitive electrochemical sensors and providing a broad range of detection methods from large molecules (e.g., cells or proteins) to small molecules (e.g., DNA and RNA). Nanosized gold dots in the NWA enhance the detection of electrochemical biosensing to the range of zeptomoles in precision against the complementary target DNA molecules. In this review, we discuss recent innovations in biomedical nanoengineering with a specific focus on novel NWA-based biosensors. We also describe our continuous efforts in achieving a label-free detection without non-specific binding while maintaining the activity and stability of immobilized biomolecules. This research can lay the foundation of a new platform for biomedical nanoengineering systems.

Innovations in biomedical nanoengineering: nanowell array biosensor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Seo, YoungTae; Jeong, Sunil; Lee, JuKyung; Choi, Hak Soo; Kim, Jonghan; Lee, HeaYeon

2018-04-01

Nanostructured biosensors have pioneered biomedical engineering by providing highly sensitive analyses of biomolecules. The nanowell array (NWA)-based biosensing platform is particularly innovative, where the small size of NWs within the array permits extremely profound sensing of a small quantity of biomolecules. Undoubtedly, the NWA geometry of a gently-sloped vertical wall is critical for selective docking of specific proteins without capillary resistances, and nanoprocessing has contributed to the fabrication of NWA electrodes on gold substrate such as molding process, e-beam lithography, and krypton-fluoride (KrF) stepper semiconductor method. The Lee group at the Mara Nanotech has established this NW-based biosensing technology during the past two decades by engineering highly sensitive electrochemical sensors and providing a broad range of detection methods from large molecules (e.g., cells or proteins) to small molecules (e.g., DNA and RNA). Nanosized gold dots in the NWA enhance the detection of electrochemical biosensing to the range of zeptomoles in precision against the complementary target DNA molecules. In this review, we discuss recent innovations in biomedical nanoengineering with a specific focus on novel NWA-based biosensors. We also describe our continuous efforts in achieving a label-free detection without non-specific binding while maintaining the activity and stability of immobilized biomolecules. This research can lay the foundation of a new platform for biomedical nanoengineering systems.

A special issue on reviews in biomedical applications of nanomaterials, tissue engineering, stem cells, bioimaging, and toxicity.

PubMed

Nalwa, Hari Singh

2014-10-01

This second special issue of the Journal of Biomedical Nanotechnology in a series contains another 30 state-of-the-art reviews focused on the biomedical applications of nanomaterials, biosensors, bone tissue engineering, MRI and bioimaging, single-cell detection, stem cells, endothelial progenitor cells, toxicity and biosafety of nanodrugs, nanoparticle-based new therapeutic approaches for cancer, hepatic and cardiovascular disease.

Production and Status of Bacterial Cellulose in Biomedical Engineering

PubMed Central

Moniri, Mona; Boroumand Moghaddam, Amin; Abdul Rahim, Raha; Bin Ariff, Arbakariya; Zuhainis Saad, Wan; Navaderi, Mohammad; Mohamad, Rosfarizan

2017-01-01

Bacterial cellulose (BC) is a highly pure and crystalline material generated by aerobic bacteria, which has received significant interest due to its unique physiochemical characteristics in comparison with plant cellulose. BC, alone or in combination with different components (e.g., biopolymers and nanoparticles), can be used for a wide range of applications, such as medical products, electrical instruments, and food ingredients. In recent years, biomedical devices have gained important attention due to the increase in medical engineering products for wound care, regeneration of organs, diagnosis of diseases, and drug transportation. Bacterial cellulose has potential applications across several medical sectors and permits the development of innovative materials. This paper reviews the progress of related research, including overall information about bacterial cellulose, production by microorganisms, mechanisms as well as BC cultivation and its nanocomposites. The latest use of BC in the biomedical field is thoroughly discussed with its applications in both a pure and composite form. This paper concludes the further investigations of BC in the future that are required to make it marketable in vital biomaterials.

Biomedical engineering continues to make the future.

PubMed

Fantini, Sergio; Bennis, Caoimhe; Kaplan, David

2011-01-01

Biomedical engineering (BME) continues to make the future, not just respond to the present, by anticipating the needs of interface engineering and clinical medicine. In many respects, BME is the educational mode of the future, fostering collaboration among disciplines at its core by building on basic concepts in engineering and biology. We strive to educate where the needs, opportunities, and jobs are and will be in the future. The bridge between engineering, biology, and medicine is a growing link, and there is no sign that this interface will slow. With an aging population, dynamic changes in health care, as well as global economies and related themes upon us, we are only at the very beginning of the impact that BME will have on medicine and the quality of life. Those of us in BME are excited to be setting this agenda and welcome your participation. In part, this is why we have designed our BME major to cover both the depth and breadth, always a challenge, but one that we are committed to. The depth of the design projects, research experience, coursework, study abroad options, and internships all convenes to establish a solid foundation for our students as they embark on their career paths.

The Top STEM Degree Producers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Diverse: Issues in Higher Education, 2012

2012-01-01

This article presents a list of the top Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) degree producers in the U.S. This list is broken down into seven categories: (1) Total Minority Research/Scholarship and Other Doctoral: Mathematics and Statistics; (2) Total Minority Bachelors: Biological and Biomedical Sciences; (3) Total Minority…

Academic program models for undergraduate biomedical engineering.

PubMed

Krishnan, Shankar M

2014-01-01

There is a proliferation of medical devices across the globe for the diagnosis and therapy of diseases. Biomedical engineering (BME) plays a significant role in healthcare and advancing medical technologies thus creating a substantial demand for biomedical engineers at undergraduate and graduate levels. There has been a surge in undergraduate programs due to increasing demands from the biomedical industries to cover many of their segments from bench to bedside. With the requirement of multidisciplinary training within allottable duration, it is indeed a challenge to design a comprehensive standardized undergraduate BME program to suit the needs of educators across the globe. This paper's objective is to describe three major models of undergraduate BME programs and their curricular requirements, with relevant recommendations to be applicable in institutions of higher education located in varied resource settings. Model 1 is based on programs to be offered in large research-intensive universities with multiple focus areas. The focus areas depend on the institution's research expertise and training mission. Model 2 has basic segments similar to those of Model 1, but the focus areas are limited due to resource constraints. In this model, co-op/internship in hospitals or medical companies is included which prepares the graduates for the work place. In Model 3, students are trained to earn an Associate Degree in the initial two years and they are trained for two more years to be BME's or BME Technologists. This model is well suited for the resource-poor countries. All three models must be designed to meet applicable accreditation requirements. The challenges in designing undergraduate BME programs include manpower, facility and funding resource requirements and time constraints. Each academic institution has to carefully analyze its short term and long term requirements. In conclusion, three models for BME programs are described based on large universities, colleges, and community colleges. Model 1 is suitable for research-intensive universities. Models 2 and 3 can be successfully implemented in higher education institutions with low and limited resources with appropriate guidance and support from international organizations. The models will continually evolve mainly to meet the industry needs.

The present and future role of microfluidics in biomedical research.

PubMed

Sackmann, Eric K; Fulton, Anna L; Beebe, David J

2014-03-13

Microfluidics, a technology characterized by the engineered manipulation of fluids at the submillimetre scale, has shown considerable promise for improving diagnostics and biology research. Certain properties of microfluidic technologies, such as rapid sample processing and the precise control of fluids in an assay, have made them attractive candidates to replace traditional experimental approaches. Here we analyse the progress made by lab-on-a-chip microtechnologies in recent years, and discuss the clinical and research areas in which they have made the greatest impact. We also suggest directions that biologists, engineers and clinicians can take to help this technology live up to its potential.

Genetic engineering of a mouse: Dr. Frank Ruddle and somatic cell genetics.

PubMed

Jones, Dennis

2011-06-01

Genetic engineering is the process of modifying an organism's genetic composition by adding foreign genes to produce desired traits or evaluate function. Dr. Jon W. Gordon and Sterling Professor Emeritus at Yale Dr. Frank H. Ruddle were pioneers in mammalian gene transfer research. Their research resulted in production of the first transgenic animals, which contained foreign DNA that was passed on to offspring. Transgenic mice have revolutionized biology, medicine, and biotechnology in the 21st century. In brief, this review revisits their creation of transgenic mice and discusses a few evolving applications of their transgenic technology used in biomedical research.

Supporting inter-topic entity search for biomedical Linked Data based on heterogeneous relationships.

PubMed

Zong, Nansu; Lee, Sungin; Ahn, Jinhyun; Kim, Hong-Gee

2017-08-01

The keyword-based entity search restricts search space based on the preference of search. When given keywords and preferences are not related to the same biomedical topic, existing biomedical Linked Data search engines fail to deliver satisfactory results. This research aims to tackle this issue by supporting an inter-topic search-improving search with inputs, keywords and preferences, under different topics. This study developed an effective algorithm in which the relations between biomedical entities were used in tandem with a keyword-based entity search, Siren. The algorithm, PERank, which is an adaptation of Personalized PageRank (PPR), uses a pair of input: (1) search preferences, and (2) entities from a keyword-based entity search with a keyword query, to formalize the search results on-the-fly based on the index of the precomputed Individual Personalized PageRank Vectors (IPPVs). Our experiments were performed over ten linked life datasets for two query sets, one with keyword-preference topic correspondence (intra-topic search), and the other without (inter-topic search). The experiments showed that the proposed method achieved better search results, for example a 14% increase in precision for the inter-topic search than the baseline keyword-based search engine. The proposed method improved the keyword-based biomedical entity search by supporting the inter-topic search without affecting the intra-topic search based on the relations between different entities. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Teaching biomedical applications to secondary students.

PubMed

Openshaw, S; Fleisher, A; Ljunggren, C

1999-01-01

Certain aspects of biomedical engineering applications lend themselves well to experimentation that can be done by high school students. This paper describes two experiments done during a six-week summer internship program in which two high school students used electrodes, circuit boards, and computers to mimic a sophisticated heart monitor and also to control a robotic car. Our experience suggests that simple illustrations of complex instrumentation can be effective in introducing adolescents to the biomedical engineering field.

A comprehensive training approach for biomedical engineers in biochemistry and in vitro diagnostics technology.

PubMed

Spyropoulos, Basile; Tzavaras, Aris

2007-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to review 20 years (1987-2007) of experience in training young Biomedical Engineers in Biochemistry and in vitro Diagnostics (IVD) Technology. This encountering has resulted in the gradual formation of a comprehensive training package that includes lectures and laboratory practicals, supported by both, traditional and on-line digital means, such as lecture-notes, slides, videos, demos and equipment simulations. Further, this course is maintained up to date by several research and development activities that offer partially feed back to the course and enrich its contents with custom developed devices, methods and application software. In this paper are presented, first, the structure and the components of this course, and second, the most important custom developed novelties, which have been integrated in the IVD Technology laboratory-practicals.

Convolving engineering and medical pedagogies for training of tomorrow's health care professionals.

PubMed

Lee, Raphael C

2013-03-01

Several fundamental benefits justify why biomedical engineering and medicine should form a more convergent alliance, especially for the training of tomorrow's physicians and biomedical engineers. Herein, we review the rationale underlying the benefits. Biological discovery has advanced beyond the era of molecular biology well into today's era of molecular systems biology, which focuses on understanding the rules that govern the behavior of complex living systems. This has important medical implications. To realize cost-effective personalized medicine, it is necessary to translate the advances in molecular systems biology to higher levels of biological organization (organ, system, and organismal levels) and then to develop new medical therapeutics based on simulation and medical informatics analysis. Higher education in biological and medical sciences must adapt to a new set of training objectives. This will involve a shifting away from reductionist problem solving toward more integrative, continuum, and predictive modeling approaches which traditionally have been more associated with engineering science. Future biomedical engineers and MDs must be able to predict clinical response to therapeutic intervention. Medical education will involve engineering pedagogies, wherein basic governing rules of complex system behavior and skill sets in manipulating these systems to achieve a practical desired outcome are taught. Similarly, graduate biomedical engineering programs will include more practical exposure to clinical problem solving.

Naval Medical R and D News, January 2018, Volume X, Issue 1

DTIC Science & Technology

2018-01-01

high school science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) teachers toured the Naval Health Research Center (NHRC), Jan. 12, to see a working...lab into the classroom to promote hands-on science education. The teachers, whose subjects ranged from math and chemistry to biomedical sciences, came

ENHANCED PRODUCTION OF CRYPTOSPORIDIUM PARVUM OOCYSTS IN IMMUNOSUPPRESSED MICE

EPA Science Inventory

Recently there has been an increase in the need for fresh C. parvum oocysts for engineering and biomedical research applications. In our laboratory the emphsis has shifted from the use of dairy calves to inbred C57BL/67n mice, primarily for reasons of ease of collection and proce...

Biotechnology Apprenticeship for Secondary-Level Students: Teaching Advanced Cell Culture Techniques for Research.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lewis, Jennifer R.; Kotur, Mark S.; Butt, Omar; Kulcarni, Sumant; Riley, Alyssa A.; Ferrell, Nick; Sullivan, Kathryn D.; Ferrari, Mauro

2002-01-01

Discusses small-group apprenticeships (SGAs) as a method for introducing cell culture techniques to high school participants. Teaches cell culture practices and introduces advance imaging techniques to solve various biomedical engineering problems. Clarifies and illuminates the value of small-group laboratory apprenticeships. (Author/KHR)

42 CFR 65a.1 - To what programs do these regulations apply?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... Section 65a.1 Public Health PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES FELLOWSHIPS... understanding, assessing, and attenuating the adverse effects on human health resulting from exposure to...-biomedical research project in the fields of ecology, hydrogeology, and/or engineering, and including the...

42 CFR 65a.1 - To what programs do these regulations apply?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... Section 65a.1 Public Health PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES FELLOWSHIPS... understanding, assessing, and attenuating the adverse effects on human health resulting from exposure to...-biomedical research project in the fields of ecology, hydrogeology, and/or engineering, and including the...

Ethics in published brain-computer interface research

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Specker Sullivan, L.; Illes, J.

2018-02-01

Objective. Sophisticated signal processing has opened the doors to more research with human subjects than ever before. The increase in the use of human subjects in research comes with a need for increased human subjects protections. Approach. We quantified the presence or absence of ethics language in published reports of brain-computer interface (BCI) studies that involved human subjects and qualitatively characterized ethics statements. Main results. Reports of BCI studies with human subjects that are published in neural engineering and engineering journals are anchored in the rationale of technological improvement. Ethics language is markedly absent, omitted from 31% of studies published in neural engineering journals and 59% of studies in biomedical engineering journals. Significance. As the integration of technological tools with the capacities of the mind deepens, explicit attention to ethical issues will ensure that broad human benefit is embraced and not eclipsed by technological exclusiveness.

Reengineering Biomedical Translational Research with Engineering Ethics.

PubMed

Sunderland, Mary E; Nayak, Rahul Uday

2015-08-01

It is widely accepted that translational research practitioners need to acquire special skills and knowledge that will enable them to anticipate, analyze, and manage a range of ethical issues. While there is a small but growing literature that addresses the ethics of translational research, there is a dearth of scholarship regarding how this might apply to engineers. In this paper we examine engineers as key translators and argue that they are well positioned to ask transformative ethical questions. Asking engineers to both broaden and deepen their consideration of ethics in their work, however, requires a shift in the way ethics is often portrayed and perceived in science and engineering communities. Rather than interpreting ethics as a roadblock to the success of translational research, we suggest that engineers should be encouraged to ask questions about the socio-ethical dimensions of their work. This requires expanding the conceptual framework of engineering beyond its traditional focus on "how" and "what" questions to also include "why" and "who" questions to facilitate the gathering of normative, socially-situated information. Empowering engineers to ask "why" and "who" questions should spur the development of technologies and practices that contribute to improving health outcomes.

[Biomedical information on the internet using search engines. A one-year trial].

PubMed

Corrao, Salvatore; Leone, Francesco; Arnone, Sabrina

2004-01-01

The internet is a communication medium and content distributor that provide information in the general sense but it could be of great utility regarding as the search and retrieval of biomedical information. Search engines represent a great deal to rapidly find information on the net. However, we do not know whether general search engines and meta-search ones are reliable in order to find useful and validated biomedical information. The aim of our study was to verify the reproducibility of a search by key-words (pediatric or evidence) using 9 international search engines and 1 meta-search engine at the baseline and after a one year period. We analysed the first 20 citations as output of each searching. We evaluated the formal quality of Web-sites and their domain extensions. Moreover, we compared the output of each search at the start of this study and after a one year period and we considered as a criterion of reliability the number of Web-sites cited again. We found some interesting results that are reported throughout the text. Our findings point out an extreme dynamicity of the information on the Web and, for this reason, we advice a great caution when someone want to use search and meta-search engines as a tool for searching and retrieve reliable biomedical information. On the other hand, some search and meta-search engines could be very useful as a first step searching for defining better a search and, moreover, for finding institutional Web-sites too. This paper allows to know a more conscious approach to the internet biomedical information universe.

Biomedical equipment and medical services in India.

PubMed

Sahay, K B; Saxena, R K

Varieties of Biomedical Equipment (BME) are now used for quick diagnosis, flawless surgery and therapeutics etc. Use of a malfunctioning BME could result in faulty diagnosis and wrong treatment and can lead to damaging or even devastating aftermath. Modern Biomedical Equipments inevitably employ highly sophisticated technology and use complex systems and instrumentation for best results. To the best of our knowledge the medical education in India does not impart any knowledge on the theory and design of BME and it is perhaps not possible also. Hence there is need for a permanent mechanism which can maintain and repair the biomedical equipments routinely before use and this can be done only with the help of qualified Clinical Engineers. Thus there is a genuine need for well organized cadre of Clinical Engineers who would be persons with engineering background with specialization in medical instrumentation. These Clinical engineers should be made responsible for the maintenance and proper functioning of BME. Every hospital or group of hospitals in the advanced countries has a clinical engineering unit that takes care of the biomedical equipments and systems in the hospital by undertaking routine and preventive maintenance, regular calibration of equipments and their timely repairs. Clinical engineers should be thus made an essential part of modern health care system and services. Unfortunately such facilities and mechanism do not exist in India. To make BME maintenance efficient and flawless in India, study suggests following measures and remedies: (i) design and development of comprehensive computerized database for BME (ii) cadre of Clinical engineers (iii) online maintenance facility and (iv) farsighted managerial skill to maximize accuracy, functioning and cost effectiveness.

The Impact of CRISPR/Cas9-Based Genomic Engineering on Biomedical Research and Medicine.

PubMed

Go, D E; Stottmann, R W

2016-01-01

There has been prolonged and significant interest in manipulating the genome for a wide range of applications in biomedical research and medicine. An existing challenge in realizing this potential has been the inability to precisely edit specific DNA sequences. Past efforts to generate targeted double stranded DNA cleavage have fused DNA-targeting elements such as zinc fingers and DNA-binding proteins to endonucleases. However, these approaches are limited by both design complexity and inefficient, costineffective operation. The discovery of CRISPR/Cas9, a branch of the bacterial adaptive immune system, as a potential genomic editing tool holds the promise of facile targeted cleavage. Its novelty lies in its RNA-guided endonuclease activity, which enhances its efficiency, scalability, and ease of use. The only necessary components are a Cas9 endonuclease protein and an RNA molecule tailored to the gene of interest. This lowbarrier of adoption has facilitated a plethora of advances in just the past three years since its discovery. In this review, we will discuss the impact of CRISPR/Cas9 on biomedical research and its potential implications in medicine.

Microfabricated 3D Scaffolds for Tissue Engineering Applications

DTIC Science & Technology

2005-01-01

coated layers as sacrificial material for subsequent SU-8 layers (Figure 5b). (a) (b) Figure 5. Four-level SU-8 structure realized with a single...connective tissue progenitor cells on micro-textured polydimethylsiloxane surfaces. Journal of Biomedical Materials Research 2002; 62:499-506. 7. Ratner BD...Applications DISTRIBUTION: Approved for public release, distribution unlimited This paper is part of the following report: TITLE: Materials Research Society

Biomedical engineers and participation in judicial executions: capital punishment as a technical problem.

PubMed

Doyle, John

2007-01-01

This paper discusses the topic of judicial execution from the perspective of the intersection of the technological issues and the professional ethics issues. Although physicians are generally ethically forbidden from any involvement in the judicial execution process, this does not appear to be the case for engineering professionals. This creates an interesting but controversial opportunity for the engineering community (especially biomedical engineers) to improve the humaneness and reliability of the judicial execution process.

Functionally graded bio-ceramic reinforced PVA hydrogel composites for knee joint artificial cartilages

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumar, G. C. Mohan

2018-04-01

Research progress in materials science for bio-based materials for cartilage repair or supportive to host tissue has become a fashionable, worldwide. Few efforts in biomedical engineering has attempted in the development of newer biomaterials successfully. Bio ceramics, a class of materials been used in particulate form as a reinforcement with polymers those ensure its biocompatibility. Every artificial biomedical system has to meet the minimum in Vitro requirements for successful application. Equally the biological behavior of normal and diseased tissues is also essential to understand the artificial systems to human body.

Simbios: an NIH national center for physics-based simulation of biological structures.

PubMed

Delp, Scott L; Ku, Joy P; Pande, Vijay S; Sherman, Michael A; Altman, Russ B

2012-01-01

Physics-based simulation provides a powerful framework for understanding biological form and function. Simulations can be used by biologists to study macromolecular assemblies and by clinicians to design treatments for diseases. Simulations help biomedical researchers understand the physical constraints on biological systems as they engineer novel drugs, synthetic tissues, medical devices, and surgical interventions. Although individual biomedical investigators make outstanding contributions to physics-based simulation, the field has been fragmented. Applications are typically limited to a single physical scale, and individual investigators usually must create their own software. These conditions created a major barrier to advancing simulation capabilities. In 2004, we established a National Center for Physics-Based Simulation of Biological Structures (Simbios) to help integrate the field and accelerate biomedical research. In 6 years, Simbios has become a vibrant national center, with collaborators in 16 states and eight countries. Simbios focuses on problems at both the molecular scale and the organismal level, with a long-term goal of uniting these in accurate multiscale simulations.

Commercializing biomedical research through securitization techniques.

PubMed

Fernandez, Jose-Maria; Stein, Roger M; Lo, Andrew W

2012-10-01

Biomedical innovation has become riskier, more expensive and more difficult to finance with traditional sources such as private and public equity. Here we propose a financial structure in which a large number of biomedical programs at various stages of development are funded by a single entity to substantially reduce the portfolio's risk. The portfolio entity can finance its activities by issuing debt, a critical advantage because a much larger pool of capital is available for investment in debt versus equity. By employing financial engineering techniques such as securitization, it can raise even greater amounts of more-patient capital. In a simulation using historical data for new molecular entities in oncology from 1990 to 2011, we find that megafunds of $5–15 billion may yield average investment returns of 8.9–11.4% for equity holders and 5–8% for 'research-backed obligation' holders, which are lower than typical venture-capital hurdle rates but attractive to pension funds, insurance companies and other large institutional investors.

Simbios: an NIH national center for physics-based simulation of biological structures

PubMed Central

Delp, Scott L; Ku, Joy P; Pande, Vijay S; Sherman, Michael A

2011-01-01

Physics-based simulation provides a powerful framework for understanding biological form and function. Simulations can be used by biologists to study macromolecular assemblies and by clinicians to design treatments for diseases. Simulations help biomedical researchers understand the physical constraints on biological systems as they engineer novel drugs, synthetic tissues, medical devices, and surgical interventions. Although individual biomedical investigators make outstanding contributions to physics-based simulation, the field has been fragmented. Applications are typically limited to a single physical scale, and individual investigators usually must create their own software. These conditions created a major barrier to advancing simulation capabilities. In 2004, we established a National Center for Physics-Based Simulation of Biological Structures (Simbios) to help integrate the field and accelerate biomedical research. In 6 years, Simbios has become a vibrant national center, with collaborators in 16 states and eight countries. Simbios focuses on problems at both the molecular scale and the organismal level, with a long-term goal of uniting these in accurate multiscale simulations. PMID:22081222

Biomimicry in biomedical research

PubMed Central

Zhang, Ge

2012-01-01

Biomimicry (literally defined as the imitation of life or nature) has sparked a variety of human innovations and inspired countless cutting-edge designs. From spider silk-made artificial skin to lotus leaf-inspired self-cleaning materials, biomimicry endeavors to solve human problems. Biomimetic approaches have contributed significantly to advances biomedical research during recent years. Using polyacrylamide gels to mimic the elastic modulus of different biological tissues, Disher’s lab has directed meschymal stem cell differentiation into specific lineages.1 They have shown that soft substrates mimicking the elastic modulus of brain tissues (0.1~1 kPa) were neurogenic, substrates of intermediate elastic modulus mimicking muscle (8 ~17 kPa) were myogenic, and substrates with bone-like elastic modulus (25~40 kPa) were osteogenic. This work represents a novel way to regulate the fate of stem cells and exerts profound influence on stem cell research. Biomimcry also drives improvements in tissue engineering. Novel scaffolds have been designed to capture extracellular matrix-like structures, binding of ligands, sustained release of cytokines, and mechanical properties intrinsic to specific tissues for tissue engineering applications.2,3 For example, tissue engineering skin grafts have been designed to mimic the cell composition and layered structure of native skin.4 Similarly, in the field of regenerative medicine, researchers aim to create biomimetic scaffolds to mimic the properties of a native stem cell environment (niche) to dynamically interact with the entrapped stem cells and direct their response.5 PMID:23275257

[Biomedicine in thoracic surgery: state of the art].

PubMed

Leistner, M; Steinke, M; Walles, T

2013-06-01

Biomedicine represents a new scientific field at the interface of human, molecular and cell biology and medicine. Comprising the diverse disciplines of stem cell research, tissue engineering and material sciences, biomedicine gives rise to new approaches in research and therapy for - to date - unmet medical issues. Biomedical research is currently conducted in many medical, especially surgical subspecialties, and a number of successful developments have already been brought to clinical application. Concerning thoracic surgery, biomedical approaches are pursued primarily for tissue and organ replacement of the upper airways, lung and thoracic wall. In spite of a comparatively small research foundation, five different concepts have been clinically implemented worldwide, due to a lack of established treatment options in the case of extensive disease of the greater airways. In this review, the clinical background and the tissue-specific basics of tracheobronchial biomedicine are presented. Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

Synthesis, toxicity, biocompatibility, and biomedical applications of graphene and graphene-related materials.

PubMed

Gurunathan, Sangiliyandi; Kim, Jin-Hoi

2016-01-01

Graphene is a two-dimensional atomic crystal, and since its development it has been applied in many novel ways in both research and industry. Graphene possesses unique properties, and it has been used in many applications including sensors, batteries, fuel cells, supercapacitors, transistors, components of high-strength machinery, and display screens in mobile devices. In the past decade, the biomedical applications of graphene have attracted much interest. Graphene has been reported to have antibacterial, antiplatelet, and anticancer activities. Several salient features of graphene make it a potential candidate for biological and biomedical applications. The synthesis, toxicity, biocompatibility, and biomedical applications of graphene are fundamental issues that require thorough investigation in any kind of applications related to human welfare. Therefore, this review addresses the various methods available for the synthesis of graphene, with special reference to biological synthesis, and highlights the biological applications of graphene with a focus on cancer therapy, drug delivery, bio-imaging, and tissue engineering, together with a brief discussion of the challenges and future perspectives of graphene. We hope to provide a comprehensive review of the latest progress in research on graphene, from synthesis to applications.

Synthesis, toxicity, biocompatibility, and biomedical applications of graphene and graphene-related materials

PubMed Central

Gurunathan, Sangiliyandi; Kim, Jin-Hoi

2016-01-01

Graphene is a two-dimensional atomic crystal, and since its development it has been applied in many novel ways in both research and industry. Graphene possesses unique properties, and it has been used in many applications including sensors, batteries, fuel cells, supercapacitors, transistors, components of high-strength machinery, and display screens in mobile devices. In the past decade, the biomedical applications of graphene have attracted much interest. Graphene has been reported to have antibacterial, antiplatelet, and anticancer activities. Several salient features of graphene make it a potential candidate for biological and biomedical applications. The synthesis, toxicity, biocompatibility, and biomedical applications of graphene are fundamental issues that require thorough investigation in any kind of applications related to human welfare. Therefore, this review addresses the various methods available for the synthesis of graphene, with special reference to biological synthesis, and highlights the biological applications of graphene with a focus on cancer therapy, drug delivery, bio-imaging, and tissue engineering, together with a brief discussion of the challenges and future perspectives of graphene. We hope to provide a comprehensive review of the latest progress in research on graphene, from synthesis to applications. PMID:27226713

Computer Science, Biology and Biomedical Informatics academy: Outcomes from 5 years of Immersing High-school Students into Informatics Research.

PubMed

King, Andrew J; Fisher, Arielle M; Becich, Michael J; Boone, David N

2017-01-01

The University of Pittsburgh's Department of Biomedical Informatics and Division of Pathology Informatics created a Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) pipeline in 2011 dedicated to providing cutting-edge informatics research and career preparatory experiences to a diverse group of highly motivated high-school students. In this third editorial installment describing the program, we provide a brief overview of the pipeline, report on achievements of the past scholars, and present results from self-reported assessments by the 2015 cohort of scholars. The pipeline continues to expand with the 2015 addition of the innovation internship, and the introduction of a program in 2016 aimed at offering first-time research experiences to undergraduates who are underrepresented in pathology and biomedical informatics. Achievements of program scholars include authorship of journal articles, symposium and summit presentations, and attendance at top 25 universities. All of our alumni matriculated into higher education and 90% remain in STEM majors. The 2015 high-school program had ten participating scholars who self-reported gains in confidence in their research abilities and understanding of what it means to be a scientist.

Computer Science, Biology and Biomedical Informatics academy: Outcomes from 5 years of Immersing High-school Students into Informatics Research

PubMed Central

King, Andrew J.; Fisher, Arielle M.; Becich, Michael J.; Boone, David N.

2017-01-01

The University of Pittsburgh's Department of Biomedical Informatics and Division of Pathology Informatics created a Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) pipeline in 2011 dedicated to providing cutting-edge informatics research and career preparatory experiences to a diverse group of highly motivated high-school students. In this third editorial installment describing the program, we provide a brief overview of the pipeline, report on achievements of the past scholars, and present results from self-reported assessments by the 2015 cohort of scholars. The pipeline continues to expand with the 2015 addition of the innovation internship, and the introduction of a program in 2016 aimed at offering first-time research experiences to undergraduates who are underrepresented in pathology and biomedical informatics. Achievements of program scholars include authorship of journal articles, symposium and summit presentations, and attendance at top 25 universities. All of our alumni matriculated into higher education and 90% remain in STEM majors. The 2015 high-school program had ten participating scholars who self-reported gains in confidence in their research abilities and understanding of what it means to be a scientist. PMID:28400991

Nanoparticles for Biomedical Imaging

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Nune, Satish K.; Gunda, Padmaja; Thallapally, Praveen K.

2009-11-01

Background: Synthetic nanoparticles are emerging as versatile tools in biomedical applications, particularly in the area of biomedical imaging. Nanoparticles 1 to 100 nm in diameter possess dimensions comparable to biological functional units. Diverse surface chemistries, unique magnetic properties, tunable absorption and emission properties, and recent advances in the synthesis and engineering of various nanoparticles suggest their potential as probes for early detection of diseases such as cancer. Surface functionalization has further expanded the potential of nanoparticles as probes for molecular imaging. Objective: To summarize emerging research of nanoparticles for biomedical imaging with increased selectivity and reduced non-specific uptake with increasedmore » spatial resolution containing stabilizers conjugated with targeting ligands. Methods: This review summarizes recent technological advances in the synthesis of various nanoparticle probes, and surveys methods to improve the targeting of nanoparticles for their applications in biomedical imaging. Conclusion: Structural design of nanomaterials for biomedical imaging continues to expand and diversify. Synthetic methods have aimed to control the size and surface characteristics of nanoparticles to control distribution, half-life and elimination. Although molecular imaging applications using nanoparticles are advancing into clinical applications, challenges such as storage stability and long-term toxicology should continue to be addressed. Keywords: nanoparticle synthesis, surface modification, targeting, molecular imaging, and biomedical imaging.« less

Current investigations into magnetic nanoparticles for biomedical applications.

PubMed

Li, Xiaoming; Wei, Jianrong; Aifantis, Katerina E; Fan, Yubo; Feng, Qingling; Cui, Fu-Zhai; Watari, Fumio

2016-05-01

It is generally recognized that nanoparticles possess unique physicochemical properties that are largely different from those of conventional materials, specifically the electromagnetic properties of magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs). These properties have attracted many researchers to launch investigations into their potential biomedical applications, which have been reviewed in this article. First, common types of MNPs were briefly introduced. Then, the biomedical applications of MNPs were reviewed in seven parts: magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), cancer therapy, the delivery of drugs and genes, bone and dental repair, tissue engineering, biosensors, and in other aspects, which indicated that MNPs possess great potentials for many kinds of biomedical applications due to their unique properties. Although lots of achievements have been obtained, there is still a lot of work to do. New synthesis techniques and methods are still needed to develop the MNPs with satisfactory biocompatibility. More effective methods need to be exploited to prepare MNPs-based composites with fine microstructures and high biomedical performances. Other promising research points include the development of more appropriate techniques of experiments both in vitro and in vivo to detect and analyze the biocompatibility and cytotoxicity of MNPs and understand the possible influencing mechanism of the two properties. More comprehensive investigations into the diagnostic and therapeutic applications of composites containing MNPs with "core-shell" structure and deeper understanding and further study into the properties of MNPs to reveal their new biomedical applications, are also described in the conclusion and perspectives part. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Tuning differentiation signals for efficient propagation and in vitro validation of rat embryonic stem cell cultures.

PubMed

Meek, Stephen; Sutherland, Linda; Burdon, Tom

2015-01-01

The rat is one of the most commonly used laboratory animals in biomedical research and the recent isolation of genuine pluripotent rat embryonic stem (ES) cell lines has provided new opportunities for applying contemporary genetic engineering techniques to the rat and enhancing the use of this rodent in scientific research. Technical refinements that improve the stability of the rat ES cell cultures will undoubtedly further strengthen and broaden the use of these stem cells in biomedical research. Here, we describe a relatively simple and robust protocol that supports the propagation of germ line competent rat ES cells, and outline how tuning stem cell signaling using small molecule inhibitors can be used to both stabilize self-renewal of rat ES cell cultures and aid evaluation of their differentiation potential in vitro.

Diagnostic imaging applications; Proceedings of the Meeting, Amsterdam, Netherlands, October 8, 9, 1984

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Beckenbach, E. S. (Editor)

1984-01-01

It is more important than ever that engineers have an understanding of the future needs of clinical and research medicine, and that physicians know somthing about probable future developments in instrumentation capabilities. Only by maintaining such a dialog can the most effective application of technological advances to medicine be achieved. This workshop attempted to provide this kind of information transfer in the limited field of diagnostic imaging. Biomedical research at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory is discussed, taking into account imaging results from space exploration missions, as well as biomedical research tasks based in these technologies. Attention is also given to current and future indications for magnetic resonance in medicine, high speed quantitative digital microscopy, computer processing of radiographic images, computed tomography and its modern applications, position emission tomography, and developments related to medical ultrasound.

The 1 MV multi-element AMS system for biomedical applications at the Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research (TNO)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Klein, Matthias; Vaes, W. H. J.; Fabriek, B.; Sandman, H.; Mous, D. J. W.; Gottdang, A.

2013-01-01

The Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research (TNO) has installed a compact 1 MV multi-element AMS system manufactured by High Voltage Engineering Europa B.V., The Netherlands. TNO performs clinical research programs for pharmaceutical and innovative foods industry to obtain early pharmacokinetic data and to provide anti-osteoporotic efficacy data of new treatments. The AMS system will analyze carbon, iodine and calcium samples for this purpose. The first measurements on blank samples indicate background levels in the low 10-12 for calcium and iodine, making the system well suited for these biomedical applications. Carbon blanks have been measured at low 10-16. For unattended, around-the-clock analysis, the system features the 200 sample version of the SO110 hybrid ion source and user friendly control software.

Biomedical Engineering Education: A Conservative Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Niemi, Eugene E., Jr.

1973-01-01

Describes the demand for graduates from biomedical engineering programs as being not yet fully able to absorb the supply. Suggests small schools interested in entering the field consider offering their programs at the undergraduate level via a minor or an option. Examples of such options and student projects are included. (CC)

Anatomy for Biomedical Engineers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carmichael, Stephen W.; Robb, Richard A.

2008-01-01

There is a perceived need for anatomy instruction for graduate students enrolled in a biomedical engineering program. This appeared especially important for students interested in and using medical images. These students typically did not have a strong background in biology. The authors arranged for students to dissect regions of the body that…

Developing a search engine for pharmacotherapeutic information that is not published in biomedical journals.

PubMed

Do Pazo-Oubiña, F; Calvo Pita, C; Puigventós Latorre, F; Periañez-Párraga, L; Ventayol Bosch, P

2011-01-01

To identify publishers of pharmacotherapeutic information not found in biomedical journals that focuses on evaluating and providing advice on medicines and to develop a search engine to access this information. Compiling web sites that publish information on the rational use of medicines and have no commercial interests. Free-access web sites in Spanish, Galician, Catalan or English. Designing a search engine using the Google "custom search" application. Overall 159 internet addresses were compiled and were classified into 9 labels. We were able to recover the information from the selected sources using a search engine, which is called "AlquimiA" and available from http://www.elcomprimido.com/FARHSD/AlquimiA.htm. The main sources of pharmacotherapeutic information not published in biomedical journals were identified. The search engine is a useful tool for searching and accessing "grey literature" on the internet. Copyright © 2010 SEFH. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

Development and Experimental Study of Education Through the Synergetic Training for the Engineering Enhanced Medicine “ESTEEM” in Tohoku University

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yamano, Masahiro; Matsuki, Noriaki; Numayama, Keiko; Takeda, Motohiro; Hayasaka, Tomoaki; Ishikawa, Takuji; Yamaguchi, Takami

We developed new bio-medical engineering curriculum for industrial engineers, and we confirmed that the engineer's needs and the educative effects by holding a trail program. This study in Tohoku University was supported by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) . We named the curriculum as “ESTEEM” which is acronym of project title “Education through the Synergetic Training for the Engineering Enhanced Medicine” . In Tohoku University, the “REDEEM” curriculum which is an entry level course of bio-medical engineering for engineers has been already held. The positioning of “ESTEEM” program is an advanced course to enhance knowledge and experience in clinical point of view. The program is consisted of the problem based learning (PBL) style lectures, practical training, and observation learning in hospital. It is a unique opportunity to have instruction by doctors, from diagnosis to surgical operation, from traditional technique to front-line medical equipment. In this paper, we report and discuss on the progress of the new bio-medical engineering curriculum.

USNCTAM perspectives on mechanics in medicine

PubMed Central

Bao, Gang; Bazilevs, Yuri; Chung, Jae-Hyun; Decuzzi, Paolo; Espinosa, Horacio D.; Ferrari, Mauro; Gao, Huajian; Hossain, Shaolie S.; Hughes, Thomas J. R.; Kamm, Roger D.; Liu, Wing Kam; Marsden, Alison; Schrefler, Bernhard

2014-01-01

Over decades, the theoretical and applied mechanics community has developed sophisticated approaches for analysing the behaviour of complex engineering systems. Most of these approaches have targeted systems in the transportation, materials, defence and energy industries. Applying and further developing engineering approaches for understanding, predicting and modulating the response of complicated biomedical processes not only holds great promise in meeting societal needs, but also poses serious challenges. This report, prepared for the US National Committee on Theoretical and Applied Mechanics, aims to identify the most pressing challenges in biological sciences and medicine that can be tackled within the broad field of mechanics. This echoes and complements a number of national and international initiatives aiming at fostering interdisciplinary biomedical research. This report also comments on cultural/educational challenges. Specifically, this report focuses on three major thrusts in which we believe mechanics has and will continue to have a substantial impact. (i) Rationally engineering injectable nano/microdevices for imaging and therapy of disease. Within this context, we discuss nanoparticle carrier design, vascular transport and adhesion, endocytosis and tumour growth in response to therapy, as well as uncertainty quantification techniques to better connect models and experiments. (ii) Design of biomedical devices, including point-of-care diagnostic systems, model organ and multi-organ microdevices, and pulsatile ventricular assistant devices. (iii) Mechanics of cellular processes, including mechanosensing and mechanotransduction, improved characterization of cellular constitutive behaviour, and microfluidic systems for single-cell studies. PMID:24872502

Lignocellulosic Biomass Derived Functional Materials: Synthesis and Applications in Biomedical Engineering.

PubMed

Zhang, Lei; Peng, Xinwen; Zhong, Linxin; Chua, Weitian; Xiang, Zhihua; Sun, Runcang

2017-09-18

The pertinent issue of resources shortage arising from global climate change in the recent years has accentuated the importance of materials that are environmental friendly. Despite the merits of current material like cellulose as the most abundant natural polysaccharide on earth, the incorporation of lignocellulosic biomass has the potential to value-add the recent development of cellulose-derivatives in drug delivery systems. Lignocellulosic biomass, with a hierarchical structure, comprised of cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin. As an excellent substrate that is renewable, biodegradable, biocompatible and chemically accessible for modified materials, lignocellulosic biomass sets forth a myriad of applications. To date, materials derived from lignocellulosic biomass have been extensively explored for new technological development and applications, such as biomedical, green electronics and energy products. In this review, chemical constituents of lignocellulosic biomass are first discussed before we critically examine the potential alternatives in the field of biomedical application. In addition, the pretreatment methods for extracting cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin from lignocellulosic biomass as well as their biological applications including drug delivery, biosensor, tissue engineering etc will be reviewed. It is anticipated there will be an increasing interest and research findings in cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin from natural resources, which help provide important directions for the development in biomedical applications. Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.org.

Bio-Inspired Extreme Wetting Surfaces for Biomedical Applications

PubMed Central

Shin, Sera; Seo, Jungmok; Han, Heetak; Kang, Subin; Kim, Hyunchul; Lee, Taeyoon

2016-01-01

Biological creatures with unique surface wettability have long served as a source of inspiration for scientists and engineers. More specifically, materials exhibiting extreme wetting properties, such as superhydrophilic and superhydrophobic surfaces, have attracted considerable attention because of their potential use in various applications, such as self-cleaning fabrics, anti-fog windows, anti-corrosive coatings, drag-reduction systems, and efficient water transportation. In particular, the engineering of surface wettability by manipulating chemical properties and structure opens emerging biomedical applications ranging from high-throughput cell culture platforms to biomedical devices. This review describes design and fabrication methods for artificial extreme wetting surfaces. Next, we introduce some of the newer and emerging biomedical applications using extreme wetting surfaces. Current challenges and future prospects of the surfaces for potential biomedical applications are also addressed. PMID:28787916

BioMEMS and Lab-on-a-Chip Course Education at West Virginia University

PubMed Central

Liu, Yuxin

2011-01-01

With the rapid growth of Biological/Biomedical MicroElectroMechanical Systems (BioMEMS) and microfluidic-based lab-on-a-chip (LOC) technology to biological and biomedical research and applications, demands for educated and trained researchers and technicians in these fields are rapidly expanding. Universities are expected to develop educational plans to address these specialized needs in BioMEMS, microfluidic and LOC science and technology. A course entitled BioMEMS and Lab-on-a-Chip was taught recently at the senior undergraduate and graduate levels in the Department of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering at West Virginia University (WVU). The course focused on the basic principles and applications of BioMEMS and LOC technology to the areas of biomedicine, biology, and biotechnology. The course was well received and the enrolled students had diverse backgrounds in electrical engineering, material science, biology, mechanical engineering, and chemistry. Student feedback and a review of the course evaluations indicated that the course was effective in achieving its objectives. Student presentations at the end of the course were a highlight and a valuable experience for all involved. The course proved successful and will continue to be offered regularly. This paper provides an overview of the course as well as some development and future improvements. PMID:25586697

EDITORIAL: Commercial opportunities for neural engineers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cavuoto, James

2008-03-01

Research and academic professionals in neural engineering know well the promise the field offers for advancing our understanding of basic neuroscience and devising new therapies for treating neurological diseases and disorders. But there is also considerable commercial opportunity for new start-up companies in several areas of neural engineering. The neurotechnology industry, which includes firms that manufacture neuromodulation devices, neural prostheses, neurorehabilitation systems, and neurosensing devices, is forecast to grow to grow from 3.6 billion this year to 8.8 billion in 2012, according to a recently published market research study from Neurotech Reports. In recent years, there have been several successful spinoffs of neurotechnology startup firms that originated with research at universities and clinical institutions. In many cases, the academic researchers who invented the new technology or product innovation have stayed on with their startup firms after receiving funding from venture capital firms, or after going public. Among the most successful neurotechnology industry spinoffs in recent years were: Cyberkinetics Inc., Foxborough, MA, a manufacturer of brain-computer interface devices based on research at Brown University. John Donoghue, a professor and chairman of the department of neuroscience at Brown University and executive director of the brain science program at Brown, founded the company in 2001 and remains on board as the chief scientific officer. Synapse Biomedical, Inc., Oberlin, OH, a manufacturer of diaphragm pacing systems, based on research at Case Western Reserve University. Raymond Onders, director of minimal invasive surgery and associate professor at University Hospital Case Medical Center in Cleveland, was the primary researcher. He was helped by J. Thomas Mortimer, professor emeritus of biomedical engineering at Case, and it was Mortimer who came up with the name NeuRx for the device. Onders performed his first surgical implant of the device in 2000. Anthony Ignagni, who worked with Mortimer and Onders as project director and chief biomedical engineer, became a co-founder of Synapse and is currently president and CEO. Afferent Corp., Providence, RI, a manufacturer of sensory stimulation systems based on research at Boston University, Afferent's technology is based on work by James Collins, professor of biomedical engineering at Boston University, who showed that low-level stochastic, or random, vibrations improved sense of touch. Collins went on to demonstrate that generating a subthreshold noise in the sensory pathways with a random electrical stimulation improves detectability of weak mechanical stimuli. In 1999 entrepreneur Jason Harry licensed the stochastic resonance technology from Boston University and received help from the Community Technology Fund-the university's technology transfer incubator. NeuroNexus Technologies, Inc., Ann Arbor, MI, a manufacturer of implanted neural probes, based on a program at the University of Michigan. NeuroNexus was spun out of UM's Center for Neural Communications Technology. Daryl Kipke, head of the Neural Engineering Laboratory at the university, started up NeuroNexus with several colleagues and currently serves as president and CEO. Commercialization issues were discussed recently at a preconference workshop at the 2007 meeting of the International Neuromodulation Society in Acapulco, Mexico. In the session, which was chaired by Chris Coburn of the Cleveland Clinic, neurotech entrepreneurs John Bowers from Northstar Neuroscience and Ben Pless, formerly of NeuroPace, shared their experiences bringing neuromodulation therapies to market. Coburn related his observations from the Cleveland Clinic, which has spun off 22 companies over the last five years. He cited several factors that would influence a neurotech startup's market potential, such as identifying the regulatory pathway, any predicate devices that exist, and the revenue potential for potential investors. Bowers cited several factors that would be critical for the growth of the industry, including reaching out to the 'influential implanters' and pushing reimbursement based on quality of life improvements, rather than mortality. Pless provided an overview of patent-related issues affecting neuromodulation devices. He noted that there have been 2000 issued patents for neuromodulation devices, most of them involving the peripheral nervous system. The example set by these companies and other startups in the neurotechnology industry should remind neural engineering researchers that there are plenty of opportunities for commercial success based on promising research at university and clinical research laboratories. Given the wide range of help and information that is available to potential entrepreneurs in this field, we expect to see many more examples of neurotechnology spinoffs in the years ahead.

Marine algae sulfated polysaccharides for tissue engineering and drug delivery approaches

PubMed Central

Silva, Tiago H.; Alves, Anabela; Popa, Elena G.; Reys, Lara L.; Gomes, Manuela E.; Sousa, Rui A.; Silva, Simone S.; Mano, João F.; Reis, Rui L.

2012-01-01

Biomedical field is constantly requesting for new biomaterials, with innovative properties. Natural polymers appear as materials of election for this goal due to their biocompatibility and biodegradability. In particular, materials found in marine environment are of great interest since the chemical and biological diversity found in this environment is almost uncountable and continuously growing with the research in deeper waters. Moreover, there is also a slower risk of these materials to pose illnesses to humans. In particular, sulfated polysaccharides can be found in marine environment, in different algae species. These polysaccharides don’t have equivalent in the terrestrial plants and resembles the chemical and biological properties of mammalian glycosaminoglycans. In this perspective, are receiving growing interest for application on health-related fields. On this review, we will focus on the biomedical applications of marine algae sulfated polymers, in particular on the development of innovative systems for tissue engineering and drug delivery approaches. PMID:23507892

Snore related signals processing in a private cloud computing system.

PubMed

Qian, Kun; Guo, Jian; Xu, Huijie; Zhu, Zhaomeng; Zhang, Gongxuan

2014-09-01

Snore related signals (SRS) have been demonstrated to carry important information about the obstruction site and degree in the upper airway of Obstructive Sleep Apnea-Hypopnea Syndrome (OSAHS) patients in recent years. To make this acoustic signal analysis method more accurate and robust, big SRS data processing is inevitable. As an emerging concept and technology, cloud computing has motivated numerous researchers and engineers to exploit applications both in academic and industry field, which could have an ability to implement a huge blue print in biomedical engineering. Considering the security and transferring requirement of biomedical data, we designed a system based on private cloud computing to process SRS. Then we set the comparable experiments of processing a 5-hour audio recording of an OSAHS patient by a personal computer, a server and a private cloud computing system to demonstrate the efficiency of the infrastructure we proposed.

Electrophysiology for biomedical engineering students: a practical and theoretical course in animal electrocorticography.

PubMed

Albarracín, Ana L; Farfán, Fernando D; Coletti, Marcos A; Teruya, Pablo Y; Felice, Carmelo J

2016-09-01

The major challenge in laboratory teaching is the application of abstract concepts in simple and direct practical lessons. However, students rarely have the opportunity to participate in a laboratory that combines practical learning with a realistic research experience. In the Biomedical Engineering career, we offer short and optional courses to complement studies for students as they initiate their Graduation Project. The objective of these theoretical and practical courses is to introduce students to the topics of their projects. The present work describes an experience in electrophysiology to teach undergraduate students how to extract cortical information using electrocorticographic techniques. Students actively participate in some parts of the experience and then process and analyze the data obtained with different signal processing tools. In postlaboratory evaluations, students described the course as an exceptional opportunity for students interested in following a postgraduate science program and fully appreciated their contents. Copyright © 2016 The American Physiological Society.

Epigenetic Regulation: A New Frontier for Biomedical Engineers.

PubMed

Chen, Zhen; Li, Shuai; Subramaniam, Shankar; Shyy, John Y-J; Chien, Shu

2017-06-21

Gene expression in mammalian cells depends on the epigenetic status of the chromatin, including DNA methylation, histone modifications, promoter-enhancer interactions, and noncoding RNA-mediated regulation. The coordinated actions of these multifaceted regulations determine cell development, cell cycle regulation, cell state and fate, and the ultimate responses in health and disease. Therefore, studies of epigenetic modulations are critical for our understanding of gene regulation mechanisms at the molecular, cellular, tissue, and organ levels. The aim of this review is to provide biomedical engineers with an overview of the principles of epigenetics, methods of study, recent findings in epigenetic regulation in health and disease, and computational and sequencing tools for epigenetics analysis, with an emphasis on the cardiovascular system. This review concludes with the perspectives of the application of bioengineering to advance epigenetics and the utilization of epigenetics to translate bioengineering research into clinical medicine.

Biotechnology Apprenticeship for Secondary-Level Students: Teaching Advanced Cell Culture Techniques for Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lewis, Jennifer R.; Kotur, Mark S.; Butt, Omar; Kulcarni, Sumant; Riley, Alyssa A.; Ferrell, Nick; Sullivan, Kathryn D.; Ferrari, Mauro

2002-01-01

The purpose of this article is to discuss "small-group apprenticeships (SGAs)" as a method to instruct cell culture techniques to high school participants. The study aimed to teach cell culture practices and to introduce advanced imaging techniques to solve various biomedical engineering problems. Participants designed and completed experiments…

Engineering of microscale three-dimensional pancreatic islet models in vitro and their biomedical applications.

PubMed

Gao, Bin; Wang, Lin; Han, Shuang; Pingguan-Murphy, Belinda; Zhang, Xiaohui; Xu, Feng

2016-08-01

Diabetes now is the most common chronic disease in the world inducing heavy burden for the people's health. Based on this, diabetes research such as islet function has become a hot topic in medical institutes of the world. Today, in medical institutes, the conventional experiment platform in vitro is monolayer cell culture. However, with the development of micro- and nano-technologies, several microengineering methods have been developed to fabricate three-dimensional (3D) islet models in vitro which can better mimic the islet of pancreases in vivo. These in vitro islet models have shown better cell function than monolayer cells, indicating their great potential as better experimental platforms to elucidate islet behaviors under both physiological and pathological conditions, such as the molecular mechanisms of diabetes and clinical islet transplantation. In this review, we present the state-of-the-art advances in the microengineering methods for fabricating microscale islet models in vitro. We hope this will help researchers to better understand the progress in the engineering 3D islet models and their biomedical applications such as drug screening and islet transplantation.

The cortical mouse: a piece of forgotten history in noninvasive brain–computer interfaces.

PubMed

Principe, Jose C

2013-07-01

Early research on brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) was fueled by the study of event-related potentials (ERPs) by Farwell and Donchin, who are rightly credited for laying important groundwork for the BCI field. However, many other researchers have made substantial contributions that have escaped the radar screen of the current BCI community. For example, in the late 1980s, I worked with a brilliant multidisciplinary research group in electrical engineering at the University of Florida, Gainesville, headed by Dr. Donald Childers. Childers should be well known to long-time members of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society since he was the editor-in-chief of IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering in the 1970s and the recipient of one of the most prestigious society awards, the William J. Morlock Award, in 1973.

The World Wide Web--a new tool for biomedical engineering education.

PubMed

Blanchard, S M

1997-01-01

An ever-increasing variety of materials (text, images, videos, and sound) are available through the World Wide Web (WWW). While textbooks, which are often outdated by the time they are published, are usually limited to black and white text and images, many supplemental materials can be found on the WWW. The WWW also provides many resources for student projects. In BAE 465: Biomedical Engineering Applications, student teams developed WWW-based term projects on biomedical topics, e.g. biomaterials, MRI, and medical ultrasound. After the projects were completed and edited by the instructor, they were placed on-line for world-wide access if permission for this had been granted by the student authors. Projects from three classes have been used to form the basis for an electronic textbook which is available at http:@www.eos.ncsu.edu/bae/research/blanchard /www/465/textbook/. This electronic textbook also includes instructional objectives and sample tests for specific topic areas. Student projects have been linked to the appropriate topic areas within the electronic textbook. Links to relevant sites have been included within the electronic textbook as well as within the individual projects. Students were required to link to images and other materials they wanted to include in their project in order to avoid copyright issues. The drawback to this approach to copyright protection is that addresses can change making links unavailable. In BAE 465 and in BAE 235: Engineering Biology, the WWW has also been used to distribute instructional objectives, the syllabi and class policies, homework problems, and abbreviated lecture notes. This has made maintaining course-related material easier and has reduced the amount of paper used by both the students and the instructor. Goals for the electronic textbook include the addition of instructional simulation programs that can be run from remote sites. In the future, biomedical engineering may be taught in a virtual classroom with participation by an instructor and students from many different parts of the world.

Space Grant Research Launches Rehabilitation Chair

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2015-01-01

Working with funding from the National Space Grant College and Fellowship Program-which was implemented by NASA Headquarters to fund research, education, and public service projects-a biomedical engineering student created a vibration-based system that could combat bone loss from prolonged trips to space. A rehabilitation chair incorporating the technology is now sold by Sheboygan, Wisconsin-based VibeTech Inc. and is helping people recover more quickly from injuries and surgery.

Chitin Research Revisited

PubMed Central

Khoushab, Feisal; Yamabhai, Montarop

2010-01-01

Two centuries after the discovery of chitin, it is widely accepted that this biopolymer is an important biomaterial in many aspects. Numerous studies on chitin have focused on its biomedical applications. In this review, various aspects of chitin research including sources, structure, biosynthesis, chitinolytic enzyme, chitin binding protein, genetic engineering approach to produce chitin, chitin and evolution, and a wide range of applications in bio- and nanotechnology will be dealt with. PMID:20714419

Access to Core Facilities and Other Research Resources Provided by the Clinical and Translational Science Awards

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Abstract  Principal investigators who received Clinical and Translational Science Awards created academic homes for biomedical research. They developed program‐supported websites to offer coordinated access to a range of core facilities and other research resources. Visitors to the 60 websites will find at least 170 generic services, which this review has categorized in the following seven areas: (1) core facilities, (2) biomedical informatics, (3) funding, (4) regulatory knowledge and support, (5) biostatistics, epidemiology, research design, and ethics, (6) participant and clinical interaction resources, and (7) community engagement. In addition, many websites facilitate access to resources with search engines, navigators, studios, project development teams, collaboration tools, communication systems, and teaching tools. Each of these websites may be accessed from a single site, http://www.CTSAcentral.org. The ability to access the research resources from 60 of the nation's academic health centers presents a novel opportunity for investigators engaged in clinical and translational research. Clin Trans Sci 2012; Volume #: 1–5 PMID:22376262

Access to core facilities and other research resources provided by the Clinical and Translational Science Awards.

PubMed

Rosenblum, Daniel

2012-02-01

Principal investigators who received Clinical and Translational Science Awards created academic homes for biomedical research. They developed program-supported websites to offer coordinated access to a range of core facilities and other research resources. Visitors to the 60 websites will find at least 170 generic services, which this review has categorized in the following seven areas: (1) core facilities, (2) biomedical informatics, (3) funding, (4) regulatory knowledge and support, (5) biostatistics, epidemiology, research design, and ethics, (6) participant and clinical interaction resources, and (7) community engagement. In addition, many websites facilitate access to resources with search engines, navigators, studios, project development teams, collaboration tools, communication systems, and teaching tools. Each of these websites may be accessed from a single site, http://www.CTSAcentral.org. The ability to access the research resources from 60 of the nation's academic health centers presents a novel opportunity for investigators engaged in clinical and translational research. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Inspiring engineering minds to advance human health: the Henry Samueli School of Engineering's Department of BME.

PubMed

Lee, Abraham; Wirtanen, Erik

2012-07-01

The growth of biomedical engineering at The Henry Samueli School of Engineering at the University of California, Irvine (UCI) has been rapid since the Center for Biomedical Engineering was first formed in 1998 [and was later renamed as the Department of Biomedical Engineering (BME) in 2002]. Our current mission statement, “Inspiring Engineering Minds to Advance Human Health,” serves as a reminder of why we exist, what we do, and the core principles that we value and by which we abide. BME exists to advance the state of human health via engineering innovation and practices. To attain our goal, we are empowering our faculty to inspire and mobilize our students to address health problems. We treasure the human being, particularly the human mind and health. We believe that BME is where minds are nurtured, challenged, and disciplined, and it is also where the health of the human is held as a core mission value that deserves our utmost priority (Figure 1). Advancing human health is not a theoretical practice; it requires bridging between disciplines (engineering and medicine) and between communities (academic and industry).

Engineering Stem Cells for Biomedical Applications

PubMed Central

Yin, Perry T.; Han, Edward

2018-01-01

Stem cells are characterized by a number of useful properties, including their ability to migrate, differentiate, and secrete a variety of therapeutic molecules such as immunomodulatory factors. As such, numerous pre-clinical and clinical studies have utilized stem cell-based therapies and demonstrated their tremendous potential for the treatment of various human diseases and disorders. Recently, efforts have focused on engineering stem cells in order to further enhance their innate abilities as well as to confer them with new functionalities, which can then be used in various biomedical applications. These engineered stem cells can take on a number of forms. For instance, engineered stem cells encompass the genetic modification of stem cells as well as the use of stem cells for gene delivery, nanoparticle loading and delivery, and even small molecule drug delivery. The present Review gives an in-depth account of the current status of engineered stem cells, including potential cell sources, the most common methods used to engineer stem cells, and the utilization of engineered stem cells in various biomedical applications, with a particular focus on tissue regeneration, the treatment of immunodeficiency diseases, and cancer. PMID:25772134

Robot-aided electrospinning toward intelligent biomedical engineering.

PubMed

Tan, Rong; Yang, Xiong; Shen, Yajing

2017-01-01

The rapid development of robotics offers new opportunities for the traditional biofabrication in higher accuracy and controllability, which provides great potentials for the intelligent biomedical engineering. This paper reviews the state of the art of robotics in a widely used biomaterial fabrication process, i.e., electrospinning, including its working principle, main applications, challenges, and prospects. First, the principle and technique of electrospinning are introduced by categorizing it to melt electrospinning, solution electrospinning, and near-field electrospinning. Then, the applications of electrospinning in biomedical engineering are introduced briefly from the aspects of drug delivery, tissue engineering, and wound dressing. After that, we conclude the existing problems in traditional electrospinning such as low production, rough nanofibers, and uncontrolled morphology, and then discuss how those problems are addressed by robotics via four case studies. Lastly, the challenges and outlooks of robotics in electrospinning are discussed and prospected.

Improvement of medical content in the curriculum of biomedical engineering based on assessment of students outcomes.

PubMed

Abdulhay, Enas; Khnouf, Ruba; Haddad, Shireen; Al-Bashir, Areen

2017-08-04

Improvement of medical content in Biomedical Engineering curricula based on a qualitative assessment process or on a comparison with another high-standard program has been approached by a number of studies. However, the quantitative assessment tools have not been emphasized. The quantitative assessment tools can be more accurate and robust in cases of challenging multidisciplinary fields like that of Biomedical Engineering which includes biomedicine elements mixed with technology aspects. The major limitations of the previous research are the high dependence on surveys or pure qualitative approaches as well as the absence of strong focus on medical outcomes without implicit confusion with the technical ones. The proposed work presents the development and evaluation of an accurate/robust quantitative approach to the improvement of the medical content in the challenging multidisciplinary BME curriculum. The work presents quantitative assessment tools and subsequent improvement of curriculum medical content applied, as example for explanation, to the ABET (Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, USA) accredited biomedical engineering BME department at Jordan University of Science and Technology. The quantitative results of assessment of curriculum/course, capstone, exit exam, course assessment by student (CAS) as well as of surveys filled by alumni, seniors, employers and training supervisors were, first, mapped to the expected students' outcomes related to the medical field (SOsM). The collected data were then analyzed and discussed to find curriculum weakness points by tracking shortcomings in every outcome degree of achievement. Finally, actions were taken to fill in the gaps of the curriculum. Actions were also mapped to the students' medical outcomes (SOsM). Weighted averages of obtained quantitative values, mapped to SOsM, indicated accurately the achievement levels of all outcomes as well as the necessary improvements to be performed in curriculum. Mapping the improvements to SOsM also helps in the assessment of the following cycle. The suggested assessment tools can be generalized and extended to any other BME department. Robust improvement of medical content in BME curriculum can subsequently be achieved.

CRISPR Mediated Genome Engineering and its Application in Industry.

PubMed

Kaboli, Saeed; Babazada, Hasan

2018-01-01

The CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat)-Cas9 (CRISPR-associated nuclease 9) method has been dramatically changing the field of genome engineering. It is a rapid, highly efficient and versatile tool for precise modification of genome that uses a guide RNA (gRNA) to target Cas9 to a specific sequence. This novel RNA-guided genome-editing technique has become a revolutionary tool in biomedical science and has many innovative applications in different fields. In this review, we briefly introduce the Cas9-mediated genome-editing tool, summarize the recent advances in CRISPR/Cas9 technology to engineer the genomes of a wide variety of organisms, and discuss their applications to treatment of fungal and viral disease. We also discuss advantageous of CRISPR/Cas9 technology to drug design, creation of animal model, and to food, agricultural and energy sciences. Adoption of the CRISPR/Cas9 technology in biomedical and biotechnological researches would create innovative applications of it not only for breeding of strains exhibiting desired traits for specific industrial and medical applications, but also for investigation of genome function.

Printing Technologies for Medical Applications.

PubMed

Shafiee, Ashkan; Atala, Anthony

2016-03-01

Over the past 15 years, printers have been increasingly utilized for biomedical applications in various areas of medicine and tissue engineering. This review discusses the current and future applications of 3D bioprinting. Several 3D printing tools with broad applications from surgical planning to 3D models are being created, such as liver replicas and intermediate splints. Numerous researchers are exploring this technique to pattern cells or fabricate several different tissues and organs, such as blood vessels or cardiac patches. Current investigations in bioprinting applications are yielding further advances. As one of the fastest areas of industry expansion, 3D additive manufacturing will change techniques across biomedical applications, from research and testing models to surgical planning, device manufacturing, and tissue or organ replacement. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Biomedical Applications of Mulberry Silk and its Proteins: A Review

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nivedita, S.; Sivaprasad, V.

2014-04-01

Silk is a natural fibre used mainly for aesthetic purposes. It has also been used for making surgical sutures for centuries. The recent rediscovery of silk's biological properties have led to new areas of research and utilization in cosmetic, health and medical fields. The silk proteins, fibroin and sericin are processed into biomaterials because of bio-compatibility, bio-degradability, excellent mechanical properties, thermo tolerance and UV protective properties. Silk proteins could be obtained as pure liquids and regenerated in different forms suitable for tissue engineering applications. This paper presents some of the biomedical products and biomaterials made from native, degraded and regenerated silk and their fabrication techniques.

KSC-04pd1497

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-07-07

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The boat with NEEMO-6 personnel ties up at the dock in Key Largo after a training session offshore at NASA’s undersea research station, named Aquarius. At right is Bill Todd, project lead. The NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations 6 (NEEMO-6) mission involves spacewalk-like diving excursions and field-testing a variety of biomedical equipment designed to help astronauts living aboard the International Space Station. The NEEMO-6 team comprises astronaut John Herrington, mission commander, astronauts Doug Wheelock and Nick Patrick, and biomedical engineer Tara Ruttley. To prepare for their 10-day stay, the team had dive training twice a day at the Life Support Buoy, anchored above Aquarius.

A review of engineered zirconia surfaces in biomedical applications

PubMed Central

Yin, Ling; Nakanishi, Yoshitaka; Alao, Abdur-Rasheed; Song, Xiao-Fei; Abduo, Jaafar; Zhang, Yu

2017-01-01

Zirconia is widely used for load-bearing functional structures in medicine and dentistry. The quality of engineered zirconia surfaces determines not only the fracture and fatigue behaviour but also the low temperature degradation (ageing sensitivity), bacterial colonization and bonding strength of zirconia devices. This paper reviews the current manufacturing techniques for fabrication of zirconia surfaces in biomedical applications, particularly, in tooth and joint replacements, and influences of the zirconia surface quality on their functional behaviours. It discusses emerging manufacturing techniques and challenges for fabrication of zirconia surfaces in biomedical applications. PMID:29130030

Alginate: properties and biomedical applications

PubMed Central

Lee, Kuen Yong; Mooney, David J.

2011-01-01

Alginate is a biomaterial that has found numerous applications in biomedical science and engineering due to its favorable properties, including biocompatibility and ease of gelation. Alginate hydrogels have been particularly attractive in wound healing, drug delivery, and tissue engineering applications to date, as these gels retain structural similarity to the extracellular matrices in tissues and can be manipulated to play several critical roles. This review will provide a comprehensive overview of general properties of alginate and its hydrogels, their biomedical applications, and suggest new perspectives for future studies with these polymers. PMID:22125349

Bio-based materials with novel characteristics for tissue engineering applications - A review.

PubMed

Bedian, Luis; Villalba-Rodríguez, Angel M; Hernández-Vargas, Gustavo; Parra-Saldivar, Roberto; Iqbal, Hafiz M N

2017-05-01

Recently, a wider spectrum of bio-based materials and materials-based novel constructs and systems has been engineered with high interests. The key objective is to help for an enhanced/better quality of life in a secure way by avoiding/limiting various adverse effects of some in practice traditional therapies. In this context, different methodological approaches including in vitro, in vivo, and ex vivo techniques have been exploited, so far. Among them, bio-based therapeutic constructs are of supreme interests for an enhanced and efficient delivery in the current biomedical sector of the modern world. The development of new types of novel, effective and highly reliable materials-based novel constructs for multipurpose applications is essential and a core demand to tackle many human health related diseases. Bio-based materials possess several complementary functionalities, e.g. unique chemical structure, bioactivity, non-toxicity, biocompatibility, biodegradability, recyclability, etc. that position them well in the modern world's materials sector. In this context, the utilization of biomaterials provides extensive opportunities for experimentation in the field of interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary scientific research. With an aim to address the global dependence on petroleum-based polymers, researchers have been redirecting their interests to the engineering of biological materials for targeted applications in different industries including cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and other biotechnological or biomedical applications. Herein, we reviewed biotechnological advancements at large and tissue engineering from a biomaterials perspective in particular and envision directions of future developments. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Community outreach at biomedical research facilities.

PubMed

Goldman, M; Hedetniemi, J N; Herbert, E R; Sassaman, J S; Walker, B C

2000-12-01

For biomedical researchers to fulfill their responsibility for protecting the environment, they must do more than meet the scientific challenge of reducing the number and volume of hazardous materials used in their laboratories and the engineering challenge of reducing pollution and shifting to cleaner energy sources. They must also meet the public relations challenge of informing and involving their neighbors in these efforts. The experience of the Office of Community Liaison of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in meeting the latter challenge offers a model and several valuable lessons for other biomedical research facilities to follow. This paper is based on presentations by an expert panel during the Leadership Conference on Biomedical Research and the Environment held 1--2 November 1999 at NIH, Bethesda, Maryland. The risks perceived by community members are often quite different from those identified by officials at the biomedical research facility. The best antidote for misconceptions is more and better information. If community organizations are to be informed participants in the decision-making process, they need a simple but robust mechanism for identifying and evaluating the environmental hazards in their community. Local government can and should be an active and fully informed partner in planning and emergency preparedness. In some cases this can reduce the regulatory burden on the biomedical research facility. In other cases it might simplify and expedite the permitting process or help the facility disseminate reliable information to the community. When a particular risk, real or perceived, is of special concern to the community, community members should be involved in the design, implementation, and evaluation of targeted risk assessment activities. Only by doing so will the community have confidence in the results of those activities. NIH has involved community members in joint efforts to deal with topics as varied as recycling and soil testing. These ad hoc efforts are more likely to succeed if community members and groups have also been included in larger and longer term advisory committees. These committees institutionalize the outreach process. This can provide the facility with vocal and influential allies who create an independent line of communication with the larger community.

Biomedical applications of tissue engineering technology: regulatory issues.

PubMed

Hellman, K B

1995-01-01

Novel emerging technologies such as tissue engineering, which utilize the approaches of molecular and cell biology, biotechnology, as well as materials science and engineering, are being used in the development of a wide range of biomedical products developed by industries regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The FDA's mission is to promote and protect the public health by ensuring the safety and effectiveness of pharmaceuticals and medical devices, including those manufactured by novel technology, as assessed by scientific principles and methods. Regulatory review is conducted on a product-by-product basis. To accomplish its mission over the wide range of products in its regulatory purview, the FDA has six centers, each staffed with the scientific and regulatory expertise to evaluate the products in the center's jurisdiction. Recent legislative and regulatory changes are designed to simplify and facilitate the administrative process for evaluating novel combination products emanating from such interdisciplinary technology as tissue engineering and to resolve questions of product regulatory jurisdiction. Under the new procedures, the FDA may designate a lead FDA center for product review based on the primary mode of action of the combination product, with additional center(s) designated to assist in the evaluation in a collaborative or consultative capacity. In addition, FDA centers have increased their cooperation and information sharing with regard to evolving interdisciplinary technology. The FDA InterCenter Tissue Engineering Initiative was established to develop information on intercenter efforts in the evaluation of tissue engineering applications and to identify areas for further consideration. The FDA InterCenter Tissue Engineering Working Group, comprised of staff from the Center for Biologies Evaluation and Research (CBER), Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH), Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER), and Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM) has developed a Draft Report considering recent developments in tissue engineering and scientific and regulatory issues in the product application areas. The Working Group has identified generic safety and effectiveness issues for consideration by the research and development community in its development of products. The FDA centers are using multiple approaches at their disposal in the evaluation of tissue engineered products including research, data and information monitoring, regulatory guidance, training and education, and cooperation with public and private groups.

How to teach artificial organs.

PubMed

Zapanta, Conrad M; Borovetz, Harvey S; Lysaght, Michael J; Manning, Keefe B

2011-01-01

Artificial organs education is often an overlooked field for many bioengineering and biomedical engineering students. The purpose of this article is to describe three different approaches to teaching artificial organs. This article can serve as a reference for those who wish to offer a similar course at their own institutions or incorporate these ideas into existing courses. Artificial organ classes typically fulfill several ABET (Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology) criteria, including those specific to bioengineering and biomedical engineering programs.

Rational engineering of physicochemical properties of nanomaterials for biomedical applications with nanotoxicological perspectives.

PubMed

Navya, P N; Daima, Hemant Kumar

2016-01-01

Innovative engineered nanomaterials are at the leading edge of rapidly emerging fields of nanobiotechnology and nanomedicine. Meticulous synthesis, unique physicochemical properties, manifestation of chemical or biological moieties on the surface of materials make engineered nanostructures suitable for a variety of biomedical applications. Besides, tailored nanomaterials exhibit entirely novel therapeutic applications with better functionality, sensitivity, efficiency and specificity due to their customized unique physicochemical and surface properties. Additionally, such designer made nanomaterials has potential to generate series of interactions with various biological entities including DNA, proteins, membranes, cells and organelles at nano-bio interface. These nano-bio interactions are driven by colloidal forces and predominantly depend on the dynamic physicochemical and surface properties of nanomaterials. Nevertheless, recent development and atomic scale tailoring of various physical, chemical and surface properties of nanomaterials is promising to dictate their interaction in anticipated manner with biological entities for biomedical applications. As a result, rationally designed nanomaterials are in extensive demand for bio-molecular detection and diagnostics, therapeutics, drug and gene delivery, fluorescent labelling, tissue engineering, biochemical sensing and other pharmaceuticals applications. However, toxicity and risk associated with engineered nanomaterials is rather unclear or not well understood; which is gaining considerable attention and the field of nanotoxicology is evolving promptly. Therefore, this review explores current knowledge of articulate engineering of nanomaterials for biomedical applications with special attention on potential toxicological perspectives.

Rational engineering of physicochemical properties of nanomaterials for biomedical applications with nanotoxicological perspectives

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Navya, P. N.; Daima, Hemant Kumar

2016-02-01

Innovative engineered nanomaterials are at the leading edge of rapidly emerging fields of nanobiotechnology and nanomedicine. Meticulous synthesis, unique physicochemical properties, manifestation of chemical or biological moieties on the surface of materials make engineered nanostructures suitable for a variety of biomedical applications. Besides, tailored nanomaterials exhibit entirely novel therapeutic applications with better functionality, sensitivity, efficiency and specificity due to their customized unique physicochemical and surface properties. Additionally, such designer made nanomaterials has potential to generate series of interactions with various biological entities including DNA, proteins, membranes, cells and organelles at nano-bio interface. These nano-bio interactions are driven by colloidal forces and predominantly depend on the dynamic physicochemical and surface properties of nanomaterials. Nevertheless, recent development and atomic scale tailoring of various physical, chemical and surface properties of nanomaterials is promising to dictate their interaction in anticipated manner with biological entities for biomedical applications. As a result, rationally designed nanomaterials are in extensive demand for bio-molecular detection and diagnostics, therapeutics, drug and gene delivery, fluorescent labelling, tissue engineering, biochemical sensing and other pharmaceuticals applications. However, toxicity and risk associated with engineered nanomaterials is rather unclear or not well understood; which is gaining considerable attention and the field of nanotoxicology is evolving promptly. Therefore, this review explores current knowledge of articulate engineering of nanomaterials for biomedical applications with special attention on potential toxicological perspectives.

Endovascular Device Testing with Particle Image Velocimetry Enhances Undergraduate Biomedical Engineering Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nair, Priya; Ankeny, Casey J.; Ryan, Justin; Okcay, Murat; Frakes, David H.

2016-01-01

We investigated the use of a new system, HemoFlow™, which utilizes state of the art technologies such as particle image velocimetry to test endovascular devices as part of an undergraduate biomedical engineering curriculum. Students deployed an endovascular stent into an anatomical model of a cerebral aneurysm and measured intra-aneurysmal flow…

[Flexible print circuit technology application in biomedical engineering].

PubMed

Jiang, Lihua; Cao, Yi; Zheng, Xiaolin

2013-06-01

Flexible print circuit (FPC) technology has been widely applied in variety of electric circuits with high precision due to its advantages, such as low-cost, high specific fabrication ability, and good flexibility, etc. Recently, this technology has also been used in biomedical engineering, especially in the development of microfluidic chip and microelectrode array. The high specific fabrication can help making microelectrode and other micro-structure equipment. And good flexibility allows the micro devices based on FPC technique to be easily packaged with other parts. In addition, it also reduces the damage of microelectrodes to the tissue. In this paper, the application of FPC technology in biomedical engineering is introduced. Moreover, the important parameters of FPC technique and the development trend of prosperous applications is also discussed.

One Mission-Centered, Market-Smart Globalization Response: A Case Study of the Georgia Tech-Emory University Biomedical Engineering Curricular Joint Venture

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burriss, Annie Hunt

2010-01-01

One innovative, higher-education response to globalization and changing fiscal realities is the curricular joint venture (CJV), a formal collaboration between academic institutions that leverages missions through new joint degrees and research not previously offered by collaborating institutions (Eckel, 2003). In 1997, a pioneering biomedical…

Using a Search Engine-Based Mutually Reinforcing Approach to Assess the Semantic Relatedness of Biomedical Terms

PubMed Central

Hsu, Yi-Yu; Chen, Hung-Yu; Kao, Hung-Yu

2013-01-01

Background Determining the semantic relatedness of two biomedical terms is an important task for many text-mining applications in the biomedical field. Previous studies, such as those using ontology-based and corpus-based approaches, measured semantic relatedness by using information from the structure of biomedical literature, but these methods are limited by the small size of training resources. To increase the size of training datasets, the outputs of search engines have been used extensively to analyze the lexical patterns of biomedical terms. Methodology/Principal Findings In this work, we propose the Mutually Reinforcing Lexical Pattern Ranking (ReLPR) algorithm for learning and exploring the lexical patterns of synonym pairs in biomedical text. ReLPR employs lexical patterns and their pattern containers to assess the semantic relatedness of biomedical terms. By combining sentence structures and the linking activities between containers and lexical patterns, our algorithm can explore the correlation between two biomedical terms. Conclusions/Significance The average correlation coefficient of the ReLPR algorithm was 0.82 for various datasets. The results of the ReLPR algorithm were significantly superior to those of previous methods. PMID:24348899

Global tissue engineering trends. A scientometric and evolutive study.

PubMed

Santisteban-Espejo, Antonio; Campos, Fernando; Martin-Piedra, Laura; Durand-Herrera, Daniel; Moral-Munoz, Jose A; Campos, Antonio; Martin-Piedra, Miguel Angel

2018-04-24

Tissue engineering is defined as a multidisciplinary scientific discipline with the main objective to develop artificial bioengineered living tissues in order to regenerate damaged or lost tissues. Since its appearance in 1988, tissue engineering has globally spreaded in order to improve current therapeutical approaches, entailing a revolution in clinical practice. The aim of this study is to analyze global research trends on tissue engineering publications in order to realize the scenario of tissue engineering research from 1991 to 2016 by using document retrieval from Web of Science database and bibliometric analysis. Document type, language, source title, authorship, countries and filiation centers and citation count were evaluated in 31,859 documents. Obtained results suggest a great multidisciplinary role of tissue engineering due to a wide spectrum -up to 51- of scientific research areas identified in the corpus of literature, being predominant technological disciplines as Material Sciences or Engineering, followed by biological and biomedical areas, as Cell Biology, Biotechnology or Biochemistry. Distribution of authorship, journals and countries revealed a clear imbalance in which a minority is responsible of a majority of documents. Such imbalance is notorious in authorship, where a 0.3% of authors are involved in the half of the whole production.

Photonics Applications and Web Engineering: WILGA 2017

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Romaniuk, Ryszard S.

2017-08-01

XLth Wilga Summer 2017 Symposium on Photonics Applications and Web Engineering was held on 28 May-4 June 2017. The Symposium gathered over 350 participants, mainly young researchers active in optics, optoelectronics, photonics, modern optics, mechatronics, applied physics, electronics technologies and applications. There were presented around 300 oral and poster papers in a few main topical tracks, which are traditional for Wilga, including: bio-photonics, optical sensory networks, photonics-electronics-mechatronics co-design and integration, large functional system design and maintenance, Internet of Things, measurement systems for astronomy, high energy physics experiments, and other. The paper is a traditional introduction to the 2017 WILGA Summer Symposium Proceedings, and digests some of the Symposium chosen key presentations. This year Symposium was divided to the following topical sessions/conferences: Optics, Optoelectronics and Photonics, Computational and Artificial Intelligence, Biomedical Applications, Astronomical and High Energy Physics Experiments Applications, Material Research and Engineering, and Advanced Photonics and Electronics Applications in Research and Industry.

Trends in Biomedical Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Peppas, Nicholas A.; Mallinson, Richard G.

1982-01-01

An analysis of trends in biomedical education within chemical education is presented. Data used for the analysis included: type/level of course, subjects taught, and textbook preferences. Results among others of the 1980 survey indicate that 28 out of 79 schools responding offer at least one course in biomedical engineering. (JN)

USNCTAM perspectives on mechanics in medicine.

PubMed

Bao, Gang; Bazilevs, Yuri; Chung, Jae-Hyun; Decuzzi, Paolo; Espinosa, Horacio D; Ferrari, Mauro; Gao, Huajian; Hossain, Shaolie S; Hughes, Thomas J R; Kamm, Roger D; Liu, Wing Kam; Marsden, Alison; Schrefler, Bernhard

2014-08-06

Over decades, the theoretical and applied mechanics community has developed sophisticated approaches for analysing the behaviour of complex engineering systems. Most of these approaches have targeted systems in the transportation, materials, defence and energy industries. Applying and further developing engineering approaches for understanding, predicting and modulating the response of complicated biomedical processes not only holds great promise in meeting societal needs, but also poses serious challenges. This report, prepared for the US National Committee on Theoretical and Applied Mechanics, aims to identify the most pressing challenges in biological sciences and medicine that can be tackled within the broad field of mechanics. This echoes and complements a number of national and international initiatives aiming at fostering interdisciplinary biomedical research. This report also comments on cultural/educational challenges. Specifically, this report focuses on three major thrusts in which we believe mechanics has and will continue to have a substantial impact. (i) Rationally engineering injectable nano/microdevices for imaging and therapy of disease. Within this context, we discuss nanoparticle carrier design, vascular transport and adhesion, endocytosis and tumour growth in response to therapy, as well as uncertainty quantification techniques to better connect models and experiments. (ii) Design of biomedical devices, including point-of-care diagnostic systems, model organ and multi-organ microdevices, and pulsatile ventricular assistant devices. (iii) Mechanics of cellular processes, including mechanosensing and mechanotransduction, improved characterization of cellular constitutive behaviour, and microfluidic systems for single-cell studies. © 2014 The Author(s) Published by the Royal Society. All rights reserved.

An intelligent monitoring and management system for cross-enterprise biomedical data sharing platform

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Tusheng; Yang, Yuanyuan; Zhang, Jianguo

2013-03-01

In order to enable multiple disciplines of medical researchers, clinical physicians and biomedical engineers working together in a secured, efficient, and transparent cooperative environment, we had designed an e-Science platform for biomedical imaging research and application cross multiple academic institutions and hospitals in Shanghai by using grid-based or cloud-based distributed architecture and presented this work in SPIE Medical Imaging conference held in San Diego in 2012. However, when the platform integrates more and more nodes over different networks, the first challenge is that how to monitor and maintain all the hosts and services operating cross multiple academic institutions and hospitals in the e-Science platform, such as DICOM and Web based image communication services, messaging services and XDS ITI transaction services. In this presentation, we presented a system design and implementation of intelligent monitoring and management which can collect system resource status of every node in real time, alert when node or service failure occurs, and can finally improve the robustness, reliability and service continuity of this e-Science platform.

Annual Conference Abstracts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Journal of Engineering Education, 1972

1972-01-01

Includes abstracts of papers presented at the 80th Annual Conference of the American Society for Engineering Education. The broad areas include aerospace, affiliate and associate member council, agricultural engineering, biomedical engineering, continuing engineering studies, chemical engineering, civil engineering, computers, cooperative…

The retrospective analysis of bibliographical trends for nine biomedical engineering journals from 1999 to 2007.

PubMed

Foo, Jong Yong Abdiel

2009-07-01

For academic research outcomes, there is an increasing emphasis on the bibliometric scorings like the journal impact factor (JIF) when assessment of the quality of research is required. Currently, no known study has been conducted to explore the bibliographical trends of the biomedical engineering journals indexed by the annual Journal Citation Reports of the Thomson Scientific. In this study, the trends of nine reputable journals were selected and analyzed over a 9-year period (year 1999 to year 2007). The results show that the JIF rose exponentially for some journals (up to 597.0%) while for others, it shrank (down to -19.5%). A similar trend is observed for the citations trend over the same period and there was a significant increase in the number of citable articles published (> or =23.6%) in all the selected journals using year 1999 as the base year. However, journals which published significant more non-research articles (> or =10%) saw favorable subsequent effects on their citations. It is postulated that the changes in bibliographical trends can be classified as editorial and non-editorial influences. The retrospective impacts of these influences on the nine selected journals over the 9-year period were also discussed in this study.

eHealth and IMIA's Strategic Planning Process - IMIA conference introductory address.

PubMed

Murray, Peter; Haux, Reinhold; Lorenzi, Nancy

2008-01-01

The International Medical Informatics Association (IMIA) is the only organization in health and biomedical informatics which is fully international in scope, bridging the academic, health practice, education, and health industry worlds through conferences, working groups, special interest groups and publications. Authored by the IMIA Interim Vice President for Strategic Planning Implementation and co-authored by the current IMIA President and the IMIA Past-President, the intention of this paper is to introduce IMIA's current strategic planning process and to set this process in relation to 'eHealth: Combining Health Telematics, Telemedicine, Biomedical Engineering and Bioinformatics to the Edge', the theme of this conference. From the viewpoint of an international organization such as IMIA, an eHealth strategy needs to be considered in a comprehensive way, including broadly stimulating high-quality health and biomedical informatics research and education, as well as providing support to bridging outcomes towards a new practice of health care in a changing world.

Dynamic tables: an architecture for managing evolving, heterogeneous biomedical data in relational database management systems.

PubMed

Corwin, John; Silberschatz, Avi; Miller, Perry L; Marenco, Luis

2007-01-01

Data sparsity and schema evolution issues affecting clinical informatics and bioinformatics communities have led to the adoption of vertical or object-attribute-value-based database schemas to overcome limitations posed when using conventional relational database technology. This paper explores these issues and discusses why biomedical data are difficult to model using conventional relational techniques. The authors propose a solution to these obstacles based on a relational database engine using a sparse, column-store architecture. The authors provide benchmarks comparing the performance of queries and schema-modification operations using three different strategies: (1) the standard conventional relational design; (2) past approaches used by biomedical informatics researchers; and (3) their sparse, column-store architecture. The performance results show that their architecture is a promising technique for storing and processing many types of data that are not handled well by the other two semantic data models.

Engineering artificial machines from designable DNA materials for biomedical applications.

PubMed

Qi, Hao; Huang, Guoyou; Han, Yulong; Zhang, Xiaohui; Li, Yuhui; Pingguan-Murphy, Belinda; Lu, Tian Jian; Xu, Feng; Wang, Lin

2015-06-01

Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) emerges as building bricks for the fabrication of nanostructure with complete artificial architecture and geometry. The amazing ability of DNA in building two- and three-dimensional structures raises the possibility of developing smart nanomachines with versatile controllability for various applications. Here, we overviewed the recent progresses in engineering DNA machines for specific bioengineering and biomedical applications.

Computer Assisted Learning for Biomedical Engineering Education: Tools

DTIC Science & Technology

2001-10-25

COMPUTER ASSISTED LEARNING FOR BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING EDUCATION : TOOLS Ayhan ÝSTANBULLU1 Ýnan GÜLER2 1 Department of Electronic...of Technical Education , Gazi University, 06500 Ankara, Türkiye Abstract- Interactive multimedia learning environment is being proposed...Assisted Learning (CAL) are given and some tools used in this area are explained. Together with the developments in the area of distance education

Engineering Artificial Machines from Designable DNA Materials for Biomedical Applications

PubMed Central

Huang, Guoyou; Han, Yulong; Zhang, Xiaohui; Li, Yuhui; Pingguan-Murphy, Belinda; Lu, Tian Jian; Xu, Feng

2015-01-01

Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) emerges as building bricks for the fabrication of nanostructure with complete artificial architecture and geometry. The amazing ability of DNA in building two- and three-dimensional structures raises the possibility of developing smart nanomachines with versatile controllability for various applications. Here, we overviewed the recent progresses in engineering DNA machines for specific bioengineering and biomedical applications. PMID:25547514

Engineering Stem Cells for Biomedical Applications.

PubMed

Yin, Perry T; Han, Edward; Lee, Ki-Bum

2016-01-07

Stem cells are characterized by a number of useful properties, including their ability to migrate, differentiate, and secrete a variety of therapeutic molecules such as immunomodulatory factors. As such, numerous pre-clinical and clinical studies have utilized stem cell-based therapies and demonstrated their tremendous potential for the treatment of various human diseases and disorders. Recently, efforts have focused on engineering stem cells in order to further enhance their innate abilities as well as to confer them with new functionalities, which can then be used in various biomedical applications. These engineered stem cells can take on a number of forms. For instance, engineered stem cells encompass the genetic modification of stem cells as well as the use of stem cells for gene delivery, nanoparticle loading and delivery, and even small molecule drug delivery. The present Review gives an in-depth account of the current status of engineered stem cells, including potential cell sources, the most common methods used to engineer stem cells, and the utilization of engineered stem cells in various biomedical applications, with a particular focus on tissue regeneration, the treatment of immunodeficiency diseases, and cancer. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

A survey of the Australasian clinical medical physics and biomedical engineering workforce.

PubMed

Round, W H

2007-03-01

A survey of the medical physics and biomedical engineering workforce was carried out in 2006. 495 positions (equivalent to 478 equivalent full time (EFT) positions) were captured by the survey. Of these 268 EFT were in radiation oncology physics, 36 EFT were in radiology physics, 44 were in nuclear medicine physics, 101 EFT were in biomedical engineering and 29 EFT were attributed to other activities. The survey reviewed the experience profile, the salary levels and the number of vacant positions in the workforce for the different disciplines in each Australian state and in New Zealand. Analysis of the data identifies staffing shortfalls in the various disciplines and demonstrates the difficulties that will occur in trying to train sufficient physicists to raise staffing to an acceptable level.

Silk Materials Functionalized via Genetic Engineering for Biomedical Applications.

PubMed

Deptuch, Tomasz; Dams-Kozlowska, Hanna

2017-12-12

The great mechanical properties, biocompatibility and biodegradability of silk-based materials make them applicable to the biomedical field. Genetic engineering enables the construction of synthetic equivalents of natural silks. Knowledge about the relationship between the structure and function of silk proteins enables the design of bioengineered silks that can serve as the foundation of new biomaterials. Furthermore, in order to better address the needs of modern biomedicine, genetic engineering can be used to obtain silk-based materials with new functionalities. Sequences encoding new peptides or domains can be added to the sequences encoding the silk proteins. The expression of one cDNA fragment indicates that each silk molecule is related to a functional fragment. This review summarizes the proposed genetic functionalization of silk-based materials that can be potentially useful for biomedical applications.

A 2009 survey of the Australasian clinical medical physics and biomedical engineering workforce.

PubMed

Round, W Howell

2010-06-01

A survey of the Australasian clinical medical physics and biomedical engineering workforce was carried out in 2009 following on from a similar survey in 2006. 621 positions (equivalent to 575 equivalent full time (EFT) positions) were captured by the survey. Of these 330 EFT were in radiation oncology physics, 45 EFT were in radiology physics, 42 EFT were in nuclear medicine physics, 159 EFT were in biomedical engineering and 29 EFT were attributed to other activities. The survey reviewed the experience profile, the salary levels and the number of vacant positions in the workforce for the different disciplines in each Australian state and in New Zealand. Analysis of the data shows the changes to the workforce over the preceding 3 years and identifies shortfalls in the workforce.

The Annals of Biomedical Engineering: inception to signature journal.

PubMed

Fagette, Paul

2012-03-01

The Annals of Biomedical Engineering, the flagship journal of the Biomedical Engineering Society, developed through four distinct stages. Once an editorial infrastructure was in place and a publisher was secured, a long-lived struggle for sufficient manuscripts and financial stability ensued. The journal achieved a degree of stableness by the mid-1980s. Electronic communication and on-line publishing in the 1990s allowed more rapid turn around but the increased acceptance of quality manuscripts created pressures from insufficient available pages. The journal finally turned to self-publication. The Board of Directors and the Publications Board carefully nurtured the journal over the years with financial support and policy. Still, the bulk of the effort was carried by the editors. They dealt with an ever increasing complex publishing process that now supports three Society journals.

Some Thoughts on Interdisciplinary Science *

PubMed Central

Stannard, J. Newell

1966-01-01

The development of the “new biology” is largely a story of developments in interdisciplinary science. This paper considers a few of these of special interest to the author and active at the University of Rochester; namely, dental research, biophysics, radiation biology, health physics, biomedical engineering, and space biology. Rochester pioneered advanced academic training in radiation biology, a field which, despite some earlier tendencies to become associated with techniques rather than scientific problems, is now clearly a substantive discipline. Using biophysics as an example, the paper points to the futility of trying to define in detail the exact nature of each new “interdisciplinary discipline,” yet it also decries the coining of new names without due cause. Health physics and its related field, radiological health, are described as centered on problems of radiation protection and as professional in their overtones. The interrelationships between engineering and bioscience are seen most clearly in biomedical engineering and the growing programs in space biology which require complete cooperation and mutual understanding between engineers and bioscientists for their ultimate success. After presenting some implications for medical libraries, the paper closes with a plea that the developers of new interdisciplinary fields and their powerful tools maintain historical perspective, simplicity of approach, and respect for nature's infinite resourcefulness. PMID:5910383

Controlling the Porosity and Microarchitecture of Hydrogels for Tissue Engineering

PubMed Central

Annabi, Nasim; Nichol, Jason W.; Zhong, Xia; Ji, Chengdong; Koshy, Sandeep; Khademhosseini, Ali

2010-01-01

Tissue engineering holds great promise for regeneration and repair of diseased tissues, making the development of tissue engineering scaffolds a topic of great interest in biomedical research. Because of their biocompatibility and similarities to native extracellular matrix, hydrogels have emerged as leading candidates for engineered tissue scaffolds. However, precise control of hydrogel properties, such as porosity, remains a challenge. Traditional techniques for creating bulk porosity in polymers have demonstrated success in hydrogels for tissue engineering; however, often the conditions are incompatible with direct cell encapsulation. Emerging technologies have demonstrated the ability to control porosity and the microarchitectural features in hydrogels, creating engineered tissues with structure and function similar to native tissues. In this review, we explore the various technologies for controlling the porosity and microarchitecture within hydrogels, and demonstrate successful applications of combining these techniques. PMID:20121414

US (United States) Army Aeromedical Research Laboratory Annual Progress Report, FY 1982.

DTIC Science & Technology

1982-10-01

A’D-li29 854 US(U! TESES ARMY AEROMEDICAL RESEARSH LABORAT ORY 1/2 INNUARGRESS REPORT FY 1982(U RMY NERONEDICRI U Lh RESEARCH4 LAB FORT RUCKER AL...groiath in atl iareas Of suIpport for the 1laborataory , mo Ii of hiich was d iInec tIYnt ie to the mave to the new facilities. Biomedical Engineering ...i L I II 1- C1 : l It0j. I I Office of the Building Engineer ’IA II ’ , the J i rector, I tLS f)iv isi o , SLICC SS CL11 I Il V lez t IA tC Acd CLI

Designing a hands-on brain computer interface laboratory course.

PubMed

Khalighinejad, Bahar; Long, Laura Kathleen; Mesgarani, Nima

2016-08-01

Devices and systems that interact with the brain have become a growing field of research and development in recent years. Engineering students are well positioned to contribute to both hardware development and signal analysis techniques in this field. However, this area has been left out of most engineering curricula. We developed an electroencephalography (EEG) based brain computer interface (BCI) laboratory course to educate students through hands-on experiments. The course is offered jointly by the Biomedical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, and Computer Science Departments of Columbia University in the City of New York and is open to senior undergraduate and graduate students. The course provides an effective introduction to the experimental design, neuroscience concepts, data analysis techniques, and technical skills required in the field of BCI.

DataMed - an open source discovery index for finding biomedical datasets.

PubMed

Chen, Xiaoling; Gururaj, Anupama E; Ozyurt, Burak; Liu, Ruiling; Soysal, Ergin; Cohen, Trevor; Tiryaki, Firat; Li, Yueling; Zong, Nansu; Jiang, Min; Rogith, Deevakar; Salimi, Mandana; Kim, Hyeon-Eui; Rocca-Serra, Philippe; Gonzalez-Beltran, Alejandra; Farcas, Claudiu; Johnson, Todd; Margolis, Ron; Alter, George; Sansone, Susanna-Assunta; Fore, Ian M; Ohno-Machado, Lucila; Grethe, Jeffrey S; Xu, Hua

2018-01-13

Finding relevant datasets is important for promoting data reuse in the biomedical domain, but it is challenging given the volume and complexity of biomedical data. Here we describe the development of an open source biomedical data discovery system called DataMed, with the goal of promoting the building of additional data indexes in the biomedical domain. DataMed, which can efficiently index and search diverse types of biomedical datasets across repositories, is developed through the National Institutes of Health-funded biomedical and healthCAre Data Discovery Index Ecosystem (bioCADDIE) consortium. It consists of 2 main components: (1) a data ingestion pipeline that collects and transforms original metadata information to a unified metadata model, called DatA Tag Suite (DATS), and (2) a search engine that finds relevant datasets based on user-entered queries. In addition to describing its architecture and techniques, we evaluated individual components within DataMed, including the accuracy of the ingestion pipeline, the prevalence of the DATS model across repositories, and the overall performance of the dataset retrieval engine. Our manual review shows that the ingestion pipeline could achieve an accuracy of 90% and core elements of DATS had varied frequency across repositories. On a manually curated benchmark dataset, the DataMed search engine achieved an inferred average precision of 0.2033 and a precision at 10 (P@10, the number of relevant results in the top 10 search results) of 0.6022, by implementing advanced natural language processing and terminology services. Currently, we have made the DataMed system publically available as an open source package for the biomedical community. © The Author 2018. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Medical Informatics Association. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com

Advanced Pediatric Brain Imaging Research and Training Program

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-10-01

post assessment scores (combined pretest AVG =59.58% to combined post test AVG=96.78%). In 2016, the Pretest Mean result was 6.3 and Posttest mean...Sestokas (instructional designer) worked closely with the SME to continue developing e-learning courseware on the fundamental principles and...neonatology, neurology, critical care medicine, radiology, biomedical engineering, nursing, psychiatry and psychology participated. A detailed update on

How You Can Help Save a Life | Poster

Cancer.gov

By Carolynne Keenan, Contributing Writer Kevin Zecher, a maintenance mechanic in Facilities Maintenance and Engineering, Leidos Biomedical Research, Inc., hasn’t missed a double-red cell donation at a blood drive at NCI at Frederick in four years. He marks the time by his first granddaughter’s birth—that’s when he first decided to donate more than whole blood.

How Nanotechnology and Biomedical Engineering Are Supporting the Identification of Predictive Biomarkers in Neuro-Oncology.

PubMed

Ganau, Mario; Paris, Marco; Syrmos, Nikolaos; Ganau, Laura; Ligarotti, Gianfranco K I; Moghaddamjou, Ali; Prisco, Lara; Ambu, Rossano; Chibbaro, Salvatore

2018-02-26

The field of neuro-oncology is rapidly progressing and internalizing many of the recent discoveries coming from research conducted in basic science laboratories worldwide. This systematic review aims to summarize the impact of nanotechnology and biomedical engineering in defining clinically meaningful predictive biomarkers with a potential application in the management of patients with brain tumors. Data were collected through a review of the existing English literature performed on Scopus, MEDLINE, MEDLINE in Process, EMBASE, and/or Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials: all available basic science and clinical papers relevant to address the above-stated research question were included and analyzed in this study. Based on the results of this systematic review we can conclude that: (1) the advances in nanotechnology and bioengineering are supporting tremendous efforts in optimizing the methods for genomic, epigenomic and proteomic profiling; (2) a successful translational approach is attempting to identify a growing number of biomarkers, some of which appear to be promising candidates in many areas of neuro-oncology; (3) the designing of Randomized Controlled Trials will be warranted to better define the prognostic value of those biomarkers and biosignatures.

Biomedical, Artificial Intelligence, and DNA Computing Photonics Applications and Web Engineering, Wilga, May 2012

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Romaniuk, Ryszard S.

2012-05-01

This paper is the fifth part (out of five) of the research survey of WILGA Symposium work, May 2012 Edition, concerned with Biomedical, Artificial Intelligence and DNA Computing technologies. It presents a digest of chosen technical work results shown by young researchers from different technical universities from this country during the Jubilee XXXth SPIE-IEEE Wilga 2012, May Edition, symposium on Photonics and Web Engineering. Topical tracks of the symposium embraced, among others, nanomaterials and nanotechnologies for photonics, sensory and nonlinear optical fibers, object oriented design of hardware, photonic metrology, optoelectronics and photonics applications, photonics-electronics co-design, optoelectronic and electronic systems for astronomy and high energy physics experiments, JET tokamak and pi-of-the sky experiments development. The symposium is an annual summary in the development of numerable Ph.D. theses carried out in this country in the area of advanced electronic and photonic systems. It is also a great occasion for SPIE, IEEE, OSA and PSP students to meet together in a large group spanning the whole country with guests from this part of Europe. A digest of Wilga references is presented [1-270].

Engineering behaviour change in an epidemic: the epistemology of NIH-funded HIV prevention science.

PubMed

Green, Adam; Kolar, Kat

2015-05-01

Social scientific and public health literature on National Institutes of Health-funded HIV behavioural prevention science often assumes that this body of work has a strong biomedical epistemological orientation. We explore this assumption by conducting a systematic content analysis of all NIH-funded HIV behavioural prevention grants for men who have sex with men between 1989 and 2012. We find that while intervention research strongly favours a biomedical orientation, research into the antecedents of HIV risk practices favours a sociological, interpretive and structural orientation. Thus, with respect to NIH-funded HIV prevention science, there exists a major disjunct in the guiding epistemological orientations of how scientists understand HIV risk, on the one hand, and how they engineer behaviour change in behavioural interventions, on the other. Building on the extant literature, we suggest that the cause of this disjunct is probably attributable not to an NIH-wide positivist orientation, but to the specific standards of evidence used to adjudicate HIV intervention grant awards, including randomised controlled trials and other quantitative measures of intervention efficacy. © 2015 The Authors. Sociology of Health & Illness © 2015 Foundation for the Sociology of Health & Illness/John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Photoreconfigurable polymers for biomedical applications: chemistry and macromolecular engineering.

PubMed

Zhu, Congcong; Ninh, Chi; Bettinger, Christopher J

2014-10-13

Stimuli-responsive polymers play an important role in many biomedical technologies. Light responsive polymers are particularly desirable because the parameters of irradiated light and diverse photoactive chemistries produce a large number of combinations between functional materials and associated stimuli. This Review summarizes recent advances in utilizing photoactive chemistries in macromolecules for prospective use in biomedical applications. Special focus is granted to selection criterion when choosing photofunctional groups. Synthetic strategies to incorporate these functionalities into polymers and networks with different topologies are also highlighted herein. Prospective applications of these materials are discussed including programmable matrices for controlled release, dynamic scaffolds for tissue engineering, and functional coatings for medical devices. The article concludes by summarizing the state of the art in photoresponsive polymers for biomedical applications including current challenges and future opportunities.

[Research progress of mammalian synthetic biology in biomedical field].

PubMed

Yang, Linfeng; Yin, Jianli; Wang, Meiyan; Ye, Haifeng

2017-03-25

Although still in its infant stage, synthetic biology has achieved remarkable development and progress during the past decade. Synthetic biology applies engineering principles to design and construct gene circuits uploaded into living cells or organisms to perform novel or improved functions, and it has been widely used in many fields. In this review, we describe the recent advances of mammalian synthetic biology for the treatment of diseases. We introduce common tools and design principles of synthetic gene circuits, and then we demonstrate open-loop gene circuits induced by different trigger molecules used in disease diagnosis and close-loop gene circuits used for biomedical applications. Finally, we discuss the perspectives and potential challenges of synthetic biology for clinical applications.

Recent advances in the use of gelatin in biomedical research.

PubMed

Su, Kai; Wang, Chunming

2015-11-01

The biomacromolecule, gelatin, has increasingly been used in biomedicine-beyond its traditional use in food and cosmetics. The appealing advantages of gelatin, such as its cell-adhesive structure, low cost, off-the-shelf availability, high biocompatibility, biodegradability and low immunogenicity, among others, have made it a desirable candidate for the development of biomaterials for tissue engineering and drug delivery. Gelatin can be formulated in the form of nanoparticles, employed as size-controllable porogen, adopted as surface coating agent and mixed with synthetic or natural biopolymers forming composite scaffolds. In this article, we review recent advances in the versatile applications of gelatin within biomedical context and attempt to draw upon its advantages and potential challenges.

KSC-04pd1496

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-07-07

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - A boat returns to the dock in Key Largo from a training session offshore at NASA’s undersea research station, named Aquarius. At left is Marc Reagan, lead on the NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations 6 (NEEMO-6) mission. In the bow is astronaut John Herrington, mission commander. The others are support personnel. Members of the team also include astronauts Doug Wheelock and Nick Patrick, and biomedical engineer Tara Ruttley. To prepare for their 10-day stay, the team had dive training twice a day. While stationed in Aquarius, the team conducted spacewalk-like diving excursions and field-testing a variety of biomedical equipment designed to help astronauts living aboard the International Space Station.

Biomedical applications of nanodiamond (Review)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Turcheniuk, K.; Mochalin, Vadym N.

2017-06-01

The interest in nanodiamond applications in biology and medicine is on the rise over recent years. This is due to the unique combination of properties that nanodiamond provides. Small size (∼5 nm), low cost, scalable production, negligible toxicity, chemical inertness of diamond core and rich chemistry of nanodiamond surface, as well as bright and robust fluorescence resistant to photobleaching are the distinct parameters that render nanodiamond superior to any other nanomaterial when it comes to biomedical applications. The most exciting recent results have been related to the use of nanodiamonds for drug delivery and diagnostics—two components of a quickly growing area of biomedical research dubbed theranostics. However, nanodiamond offers much more in addition: it can be used to produce biodegradable bone surgery devices, tissue engineering scaffolds, kill drug resistant microbes, help us to fight viruses, and deliver genetic material into cell nucleus. All these exciting opportunities require an in-depth understanding of nanodiamond. This review covers the recent progress as well as general trends in biomedical applications of nanodiamond, and underlines the importance of purification, characterization, and rational modification of this nanomaterial when designing nanodiamond based theranostic platforms.

Knowledge engineering for health: a new discipline required to bridge the "ICT gap" between research and healthcare.

PubMed

Beck, Tim; Gollapudi, Sirisha; Brunak, Søren; Graf, Norbert; Lemke, Heinz U; Dash, Debasis; Buchan, Iain; Díaz, Carlos; Sanz, Ferran; Brookes, Anthony J

2012-05-01

Despite vast amount of money and research being channeled toward biomedical research, relatively little impact has been made on routine clinical practice. At the heart of this failure is the information and communication technology "chasm" that exists between research and healthcare. A new focus on "knowledge engineering for health" is needed to facilitate knowledge transmission across the research-healthcare gap. This discipline is required to engineer the bidirectional flow of data: processing research data and knowledge to identify clinically relevant advances and delivering these into healthcare use; conversely, making outcomes from the practice of medicine suitably available for use by the research community. This system will be able to self-optimize in that outcomes for patients treated by decisions that were based on the latest research knowledge will be fed back to the research world. A series of meetings, culminating in the "I-Health 2011" workshop, have brought together interdisciplinary experts to map the challenges and requirements for such a system. Here, we describe the main conclusions from these meetings. An "I4Health" interdisciplinary network of experts now exists to promote the key aims and objectives, namely "integrating and interpreting information for individualized healthcare," by developing the "knowledge engineering for health" domain. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Recent advances in engineering topography mediated antibacterial surfaces

PubMed Central

Hasan, Jafar

2015-01-01

The tendency of bacterial cells to adhere and colonize a material surface leading to biofilm formation is a fundamental challenge underlying many different applications including microbial infections associated with biomedical devices and products. Although, bacterial attachment to surfaces has been extensively studied in the past, the effect of surface topography on bacteria–material interactions has received little attention until more recently. We review the recent progress in surface topography based approaches for engineering antibacterial surfaces. Biomimicry of antibacterial surfaces in nature is a popular strategy. Whereas earlier endeavors in the field aimed at minimizing cell attachment, more recent efforts have focused on developing bactericidal surfaces. However, not all such topography mediated bactericidal surfaces are necessarily cytocompatible thus underscoring the need for continued efforts for research in this area for developing antibacterial and yet cytocompatible surfaces for use in implantable biomedical applications. This mini-review provides a brief overview of the current strategies and challenges in the emerging field of topography mediated antibacterial surfaces. PMID:26372264

Recent advances in engineering topography mediated antibacterial surfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hasan, Jafar; Chatterjee, Kaushik

2015-09-01

The tendency of bacterial cells to adhere and colonize a material surface leading to biofilm formation is a fundamental challenge underlying many different applications including microbial infections associated with biomedical devices and products. Although, bacterial attachment to surfaces has been extensively studied in the past, the effect of surface topography on bacteria-material interactions has received little attention until more recently. We review the recent progress in surface topography based approaches for engineering antibacterial surfaces. Biomimicry of antibacterial surfaces in nature is a popular strategy. Whereas earlier endeavors in the field aimed at minimizing cell attachment, more recent efforts have focused on developing bactericidal surfaces. However, not all such topography mediated bactericidal surfaces are necessarily cytocompatible thus underscoring the need for continued efforts for research in this area for developing antibacterial and yet cytocompatible surfaces for use in implantable biomedical applications. This mini-review provides a brief overview of the current strategies and challenges in the emerging field of topography mediated antibacterial surfaces.

Biomedical imaging graduate curricula and courses: report from the 2005 Whitaker Biomedical Engineering Educational Summit.

PubMed

Louie, Angelique; Izatt, Joseph; Ferrara, Katherine

2006-02-01

We present an overview of graduate programs in biomedical imaging that are currently available in the US. Special attention is given to the emerging technologies of molecular imaging and biophotonics. Discussions from the workshop on Graduate Imaging at the 2005 Whitaker Educational Summit meeting are summarized.

77 FR 54584 - National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering; Notice of Closed Meeting

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-09-05

... Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering; Notice of Closed Meeting Pursuant to section 10(d) of the Federal... clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy. Name of Committee: National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering Special Emphasis Panel, ZEB1 OSR-D(J2) P Tissue Engineering Resource Center...

2014 Space Human Factors Engineering Standing Review Panel

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Steinberg, Susan

2014-01-01

The 2014 Space Human Factors Engineering (SHFE) Standing Review Panel (from here on referred to as the SRP) participated in a WebEx/teleconference with members of the Space Human Factors and Habitability (SHFH) Element, representatives from the Human Research Program (HRP), the National Space Biomedical Research Institute (NSBRI), and NASA Headquarters on November 17, 2014 (list of participants is in Section XI of this report). The SRP reviewed the updated research plans for the Risk of Incompatible Vehicle/Habitat Design (HAB Risk) and the Risk of Performance Errors Due to Training Deficiencies (Train Risk). The SRP also received a status update on the Risk of Inadequate Critical Task Design (Task Risk), the Risk of Inadequate Design of Human and Automation/Robotic Integration (HARI Risk), and the Risk of Inadequate Human-Computer Interaction (HCI Risk).

An Ultra-Low Power Turning Angle Based Biomedical Signal Compression Engine with Adaptive Threshold Tuning

PubMed Central

Zhou, Jun; Wang, Chao

2017-01-01

Intelligent sensing is drastically changing our everyday life including healthcare by biomedical signal monitoring, collection, and analytics. However, long-term healthcare monitoring generates tremendous data volume and demands significant wireless transmission power, which imposes a big challenge for wearable healthcare sensors usually powered by batteries. Efficient compression engine design to reduce wireless transmission data rate with ultra-low power consumption is essential for wearable miniaturized healthcare sensor systems. This paper presents an ultra-low power biomedical signal compression engine for healthcare data sensing and analytics in the era of big data and sensor intelligence. It extracts the feature points of the biomedical signal by window-based turning angle detection. The proposed approach has low complexity and thus low power consumption while achieving a large compression ratio (CR) and good quality of reconstructed signal. Near-threshold design technique is adopted to further reduce the power consumption on the circuit level. Besides, the angle threshold for compression can be adaptively tuned according to the error between the original signal and reconstructed signal to address the variation of signal characteristics from person to person or from channel to channel to meet the required signal quality with optimal CR. For demonstration, the proposed biomedical compression engine has been used and evaluated for ECG compression. It achieves an average (CR) of 71.08% and percentage root-mean-square difference (PRD) of 5.87% while consuming only 39 nW. Compared to several state-of-the-art ECG compression engines, the proposed design has significantly lower power consumption while achieving similar CRD and PRD, making it suitable for long-term wearable miniaturized sensor systems to sense and collect healthcare data for remote data analytics. PMID:28783079

An Ultra-Low Power Turning Angle Based Biomedical Signal Compression Engine with Adaptive Threshold Tuning.

PubMed

Zhou, Jun; Wang, Chao

2017-08-06

Intelligent sensing is drastically changing our everyday life including healthcare by biomedical signal monitoring, collection, and analytics. However, long-term healthcare monitoring generates tremendous data volume and demands significant wireless transmission power, which imposes a big challenge for wearable healthcare sensors usually powered by batteries. Efficient compression engine design to reduce wireless transmission data rate with ultra-low power consumption is essential for wearable miniaturized healthcare sensor systems. This paper presents an ultra-low power biomedical signal compression engine for healthcare data sensing and analytics in the era of big data and sensor intelligence. It extracts the feature points of the biomedical signal by window-based turning angle detection. The proposed approach has low complexity and thus low power consumption while achieving a large compression ratio (CR) and good quality of reconstructed signal. Near-threshold design technique is adopted to further reduce the power consumption on the circuit level. Besides, the angle threshold for compression can be adaptively tuned according to the error between the original signal and reconstructed signal to address the variation of signal characteristics from person to person or from channel to channel to meet the required signal quality with optimal CR. For demonstration, the proposed biomedical compression engine has been used and evaluated for ECG compression. It achieves an average (CR) of 71.08% and percentage root-mean-square difference (PRD) of 5.87% while consuming only 39 nW. Compared to several state-of-the-art ECG compression engines, the proposed design has significantly lower power consumption while achieving similar CRD and PRD, making it suitable for long-term wearable miniaturized sensor systems to sense and collect healthcare data for remote data analytics.

Encouraging entrepreneurship in university labs: Research activities, research outputs, and early doctorate careers

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

This paper investigates how the encouragement of entrepreneurship within university research labs relates with research activities, research outputs, and early doctorate careers. Utilizing a panel survey of 6,840 science & engineering doctoral students at 39 R1 research universities, this study shows that entrepreneurship is widely encouraged across university research labs, ranging from 54% in biomedical engineering to 18% in particle physics, while only a small share of labs openly discourage entrepreneurship, from approximately 3% in engineering to approximately 12% in the life sciences. Within fields, there is no difference between labs that encourage entrepreneurship and those that do not with respect to basic research activity and the number of publications. At the same time, labs that encourage entrepreneurship are significantly more likely to report invention disclosures, particularly in engineering where such labs are 41% more likely to disclose inventions. With respect to career pathways, PhDs students in labs that encourage entrepreneurship do not differ from other PhDs in their interest in academic careers, but they are 87% more likely to be interested in careers in entrepreneurship and 44% more likely to work in a startup after graduation. These results persist even when accounting for individuals’ pre-PhD interest in entrepreneurship and the encouragement of other non-academic industry careers. PMID:28178270

Encouraging entrepreneurship in university labs: Research activities, research outputs, and early doctorate careers.

PubMed

Roach, Michael

2017-01-01

This paper investigates how the encouragement of entrepreneurship within university research labs relates with research activities, research outputs, and early doctorate careers. Utilizing a panel survey of 6,840 science & engineering doctoral students at 39 R1 research universities, this study shows that entrepreneurship is widely encouraged across university research labs, ranging from 54% in biomedical engineering to 18% in particle physics, while only a small share of labs openly discourage entrepreneurship, from approximately 3% in engineering to approximately 12% in the life sciences. Within fields, there is no difference between labs that encourage entrepreneurship and those that do not with respect to basic research activity and the number of publications. At the same time, labs that encourage entrepreneurship are significantly more likely to report invention disclosures, particularly in engineering where such labs are 41% more likely to disclose inventions. With respect to career pathways, PhDs students in labs that encourage entrepreneurship do not differ from other PhDs in their interest in academic careers, but they are 87% more likely to be interested in careers in entrepreneurship and 44% more likely to work in a startup after graduation. These results persist even when accounting for individuals' pre-PhD interest in entrepreneurship and the encouragement of other non-academic industry careers.

Otto Schmitt's contributions to basic and applied biomedical engineering and to the profession.

PubMed

Patterson, Robert

2009-01-01

Otto Schmitt was one of the early giants in biomedical engineering. Best known in engineering circles for the Schmitt Trigger, he also made many other significant scientific contributions. Besides his scientific work Otto was involved in early organizational activities, which included the first large professional BME meeting in Minneapolis in 1958. A description of his many contributions will be presented along with a short video of Schmitt giving a tour of his laboratory, including the original Schmitt Trigger and the model he used to develop his vector ECG system.

Engineering Technology Education: Bibliography 1989.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dyrud, Marilyn A., Comp.

1990-01-01

Over 200 references divided into 24 different areas are presented. Topics include administration, aeronautics, architecture, biomedical technology, CAD/CAM, civil engineering, computers, curriculum, electrical/electronics engineering, industrial engineering, industry and employment, instructional technology, laboratories, lasers, liberal studies,…

Silk Materials Functionalized via Genetic Engineering for Biomedical Applications

PubMed Central

Deptuch, Tomasz

2017-01-01

The great mechanical properties, biocompatibility and biodegradability of silk-based materials make them applicable to the biomedical field. Genetic engineering enables the construction of synthetic equivalents of natural silks. Knowledge about the relationship between the structure and function of silk proteins enables the design of bioengineered silks that can serve as the foundation of new biomaterials. Furthermore, in order to better address the needs of modern biomedicine, genetic engineering can be used to obtain silk-based materials with new functionalities. Sequences encoding new peptides or domains can be added to the sequences encoding the silk proteins. The expression of one cDNA fragment indicates that each silk molecule is related to a functional fragment. This review summarizes the proposed genetic functionalization of silk-based materials that can be potentially useful for biomedical applications. PMID:29231863

A 2012 survey of the Australasian clinical medical physics and biomedical engineering workforce.

PubMed

Round, W H

2013-06-01

A survey of the medical physics and biomedical engineering workforce in Australia and New Zealand was carried out in 2012 following on from similar surveys in 2009 and 2006. 761 positions (equivalent to 736 equivalent full time (EFT) positions) were captured by the survey. Of these, 428 EFT were in radiation oncology physics, 63 EFT were in radiology physics, 49 EFT were in nuclear medicine physics, 150 EFT were in biomedical engineering and 46 EFT were attributed to other activities. The survey reviewed the experience profile, the salary levels and the number of vacant positions in the workforce for the different disciplines in each Australian state and in New Zealand. Analysis of the data shows the changes to the workforce over the preceding 6 years and identifies shortfalls in the workforce.

Modeling and Simulation of Microelectrode-Retina Interactions

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Beckerman, M

2002-11-30

The goal of the retinal prosthesis project is the development of an implantable microelectrode array that can be used to supply visually-driven electrical input to cells in the retina, bypassing nonfunctional rod and cone cells, thereby restoring vision to blind individuals. This goal will be achieved through the study of the fundamentals of electrical engineering, vision research, and biomedical engineering with the aim of acquiring the knowledge needed to engineer a high-density microelectrode-tissue hybrid sensor that will restore vision to millions of blind persons. The modeling and simulation task within this project is intended to address the question how bestmore » to stimulate, and communicate with, cells in the retina using implanted microelectrodes.« less

Teaching biomedical design through a university-industry partnership.

PubMed

Khuon, Lunal; Zum, Karl R; Zurn, Jane B; Herrera, Gerald M

2016-08-01

This paper describes a course that, as a result of a university-industry partnership, emphasizes bringing industry experts into the classroom to teach biomedical design. Full-time faculty and industry engineers and entrepreneurs teach the senior technical elective course, Biomedical System Design. This hands-on senior course in biomedical system design places varied but connected emphasis on understanding the biological signal source, electronics design, safety, patient use, medical device qualifications, and good manufacturing practices.

Applications of aerospace technology in biology and medicine

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brown, J. N.

1974-01-01

The results of the medically related activities of the NASA Application Team Program at the Research Triangle Institute are presented. The RTI team, a multidisciplinary team of scientists and engineers, acted as an information and technology interface between NASA and individuals, institutions, and agencies involved in biomedical research and clinical medicine. The Team has identified 40 new problems for investigation, has accomplished 7 technology applications, 6 potential technology application, 4 impacts, has closed 54 old problems, and has a total of 47 problems under active investigation.

Biofuel cells for biomedical applications: colonizing the animal kingdom.

PubMed

Falk, Magnus; Narváez Villarrubia, Claudia W; Babanova, Sofia; Atanassov, Plamen; Shleev, Sergey

2013-07-22

Interdisciplinary research has combined the efforts of many scientists and engineers to gain an understanding of biotic and abiotic electrochemical processes, materials properties, biomedical, and engineering approaches for the development of alternative power-generating and/or energy-harvesting devices, aiming to solve health-related issues and to improve the quality of human life. This review intends to recapitulate the principles of biofuel cell development and the progress over the years, thanks to the contribution of cross-disciplinary researchers that have combined knowledge and innovative ideas to the field. The emergence of biofuel cells, as a response to the demand of electrical power devices that can operate under physiological conditions, are reviewed. Implantable biofuel cells operating inside living organisms have been envisioned for over fifty years, but few reports of implanted devices have existed up until very recently. The very first report of an implanted biofuel cell (implanted in a grape) was published only in 2003 by Adam Heller and his coworkers. This work was a result of earlier scientific efforts of this group to "wire" enzymes to the electrode surface. The last couple of years have, however, seen a multitude of biofuel cells being implanted and operating in different living organisms, including mammals. Herein, the evolution of the biofuel concept, the understanding and employment of catalyst and biocatalyst processes to mimic biological processes, are explored. These potentially green technology biodevices are designed to be applied for biomedical applications to power nano- and microelectronic devices, drug delivery systems, biosensors, and many more. Copyright © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Annual tendency of research papers used ICR mice as experimental animals in biomedical research fields.

PubMed

Kim, Ji Eun; Nam, Jung Hoon; Cho, Joon Young; Kim, Kil Soo; Hwang, Dae Youn

2017-06-01

Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) mice have been widely used in various research fields including toxicology, oncology, pharmacology, and pharmaceutical product safety testing for decades. However, annual tendency of research papers involving ICR mice in various biomedical fields has not been previously analyzed. In this study, we examined the numbers of papers that used ICR mice as experimental animals in the social science, natural science, engineering, medicine-pharmacy, marine agriculture-fishery, and art-kinesiology fields by analyzing big data. Numbers of ICR mouse-used papers gradually increased from 1961 to 2014, but small decreases were observed in 2015 and 2016. The largest number of ICR-used papers were published in the medicine-pharmacy field, followed by natural science and art-kinesiology fields. There were no ICR mouse-used papers in other fields. Furthermore, ICR mice have been widely employed in cell biology studies within the natural science field as well as in biochemistry and pathology in the medicine-pharmacy field. Few ICR mouse-used papers were published in exercise biochemistry and exercise nutrition in the art-kinesiology field. Regardless in most fields, the total numbers of published papers involving ICR mice were higher in 2014 than in other years, although the numbers in some fields including dentistry, veterinary science, and dermatology were high in 2016. Taken together, the present study shows that various ICR stocks, including Korl:ICR mice, are widely employed as experimental animals in various biomedical research fields.

Annual tendency of research papers used ICR mice as experimental animals in biomedical research fields

PubMed Central

Kim, Ji Eun; Nam, Jung Hoon; Cho, Joon Young; Kim, Kil Soo

2017-01-01

Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) mice have been widely used in various research fields including toxicology, oncology, pharmacology, and pharmaceutical product safety testing for decades. However, annual tendency of research papers involving ICR mice in various biomedical fields has not been previously analyzed. In this study, we examined the numbers of papers that used ICR mice as experimental animals in the social science, natural science, engineering, medicine-pharmacy, marine agriculture-fishery, and art-kinesiology fields by analyzing big data. Numbers of ICR mouse-used papers gradually increased from 1961 to 2014, but small decreases were observed in 2015 and 2016. The largest number of ICR-used papers were published in the medicine-pharmacy field, followed by natural science and art-kinesiology fields. There were no ICR mouse-used papers in other fields. Furthermore, ICR mice have been widely employed in cell biology studies within the natural science field as well as in biochemistry and pathology in the medicine-pharmacy field. Few ICR mouse-used papers were published in exercise biochemistry and exercise nutrition in the art-kinesiology field. Regardless in most fields, the total numbers of published papers involving ICR mice were higher in 2014 than in other years, although the numbers in some fields including dentistry, veterinary science, and dermatology were high in 2016. Taken together, the present study shows that various ICR stocks, including Korl:ICR mice, are widely employed as experimental animals in various biomedical research fields. PMID:28747984

How to locate & hire clinical/biomedical engineers, supervisors, managers & biomedical equipment technicians.

PubMed

Pacela, A F; Brush, L C

1993-01-01

This article has described the process and the resources available for locating and hiring clinical/biomedical engineers, supervisors, managers, and biomedical equipment technicians. First, the employer must determine the qualifications for the position, including job titles, descriptions, pay scales, and certification requirements. Next, the employer must find qualified applicants. The most common way to do this is to use "outside" contacts, such as help-wanted advertising, specialized job placement agencies, schools and colleges, military resources, regional biomedical societies, and nationwide societies. An "inside" search involves limited internal advertising of the position and using personal referrals for candidates. Finally, the employer must screen the applicants. The position description is the obvious first step in this process, but there are other pre-screening techniques, such as employment testing. Interviewing is the most common way to hire for job positions, but the interviewer needs to know about the position and ask the right questions. Post-interview screening is a final step to help determine the best job-person match.

Clinical engineering in Romania. The coming of age.

PubMed

Naianu, B P; Negoescu, R

Biomedical engineering (BME) includes clinical engineering and bioengineering. Bioengineering is academically oriented towards theory and research in biology using the methods of exact sciences such as maths and physics, while clinical engineering (CE) has a rather practical orientation focusing on the general management of clinic/hospital equipment and providing aid to the medical staff in the use of advanced technologies for diagnosis and therapy purposes. The Romanian physiological community has been closely involved in the growth of BME that has now come of age in this country. Radu Vrâncianu's great intuition in opening the door to this science and its practical application in an institution created by Daniel Danielopolu definitely represented a good chance for Romanian public health. Recently, both clinical engineering and medical bioengineering have been introduced into the Romanian Classification of Occupations.

Graphene-based materials for tissue engineering.

PubMed

Shin, Su Ryon; Li, Yi-Chen; Jang, Hae Lin; Khoshakhlagh, Parastoo; Akbari, Mohsen; Nasajpour, Amir; Zhang, Yu Shrike; Tamayol, Ali; Khademhosseini, Ali

2016-10-01

Graphene and its chemical derivatives have been a pivotal new class of nanomaterials and a model system for quantum behavior. The material's excellent electrical conductivity, biocompatibility, surface area and thermal properties are of much interest to the scientific community. Two-dimensional graphene materials have been widely used in various biomedical research areas such as bioelectronics, imaging, drug delivery, and tissue engineering. In this review, we will highlight the recent applications of graphene-based materials in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. In particular, we will discuss the application of graphene-based materials in cardiac, neural, bone, cartilage, skeletal muscle, and skin/adipose tissue engineering. We will also discuss the potential risk factors of graphene-based materials in tissue engineering. In conclusion, we will outline the opportunities in the usage of graphene-based materials for clinical applications. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Computer-aided design of microvasculature systems for use in vascular scaffold production.

PubMed

Mondy, William Lafayette; Cameron, Don; Timmermans, Jean-Pierre; De Clerck, Nora; Sasov, Alexander; Casteleyn, Christophe; Piegl, Les A

2009-09-01

In vitro biomedical engineering of intact, functional vascular networks, which include capillary structures, is a prerequisite for adequate vascular scaffold production. Capillary structures are necessary since they provide the elements and compounds for the growth, function and maintenance of 3D tissue structures. Computer-aided modeling of stereolithographic (STL) micro-computer tomographic (micro-CT) 3D models is a technique that enables us to mimic the design of vascular tree systems containing capillary beds, found in tissues. In our first paper (Mondy et al 2009 Tissue Eng. at press), using micro-CT, we studied the possibility of using vascular tissues to produce data capable of aiding the design of vascular tree scaffolding, which would help in the reverse engineering of a complete vascular tree system including capillary bed structures. In this paper, we used STL models of large datasets of computer-aided design (CAD) data of vascular structures which contained capillary structures that mimic those in the dermal layers of rabbit skin. Using CAD software we created from 3D STL models a bio-CAD design for the development of capillary-containing vascular tree scaffolding for skin. This method is designed to enhance a variety of therapeutic protocols including, but not limited to, organ and tissue repair, systemic disease mediation and cell/tissue transplantation therapy. Our successful approach to in vitro vasculogenesis will allow the bioengineering of various other types of 3D tissue structures, and as such greatly expands the potential applications of biomedical engineering technology into the fields of biomedical research and medicine.

Engineering perceptions of female and male K-12 students: effects of a multimedia overview on elementary, middle-, and high-school students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Johnson, Amy M.; Ozogul, Gamze; DiDonato, Matt D.; Reisslein, Martin

2013-10-01

Computer-based multimedia presentations employing animated agents (avatars) can positively impact perceptions about engineering; the current research advances our understanding of this effect to pre-college populations, the main target for engineering outreach. The study examines the effectiveness of a brief computer-based intervention with animated agents in improving perceptions about engineering. Five hundred sixty-five elementary, middle-, and high-school students in the southwestern USA viewed a short computer-based multimedia overview of four engineering disciplines (electrical, chemical, biomedical, and environmental) with embedded animated agents. Students completed identical surveys measuring five subscales of engineering perceptions immediately before and after the intervention. Analyses of pre- and post-surveys demonstrated that the computer presentation significantly improved perceptions for each student group, and that effects were stronger for elementary school students, compared to middle- and high-school students.

Discovering Beaten Paths in Collaborative Ontology-Engineering Projects using Markov Chains

PubMed Central

Walk, Simon; Singer, Philipp; Strohmaier, Markus; Tudorache, Tania; Musen, Mark A.; Noy, Natalya F.

2014-01-01

Biomedical taxonomies, thesauri and ontologies in the form of the International Classification of Diseases as a taxonomy or the National Cancer Institute Thesaurus as an OWL-based ontology, play a critical role in acquiring, representing and processing information about human health. With increasing adoption and relevance, biomedical ontologies have also significantly increased in size. For example, the 11th revision of the International Classification of Diseases, which is currently under active development by the World Health Organization contains nearly 50, 000 classes representing a vast variety of different diseases and causes of death. This evolution in terms of size was accompanied by an evolution in the way ontologies are engineered. Because no single individual has the expertise to develop such large-scale ontologies, ontology-engineering projects have evolved from small-scale efforts involving just a few domain experts to large-scale projects that require effective collaboration between dozens or even hundreds of experts, practitioners and other stakeholders. Understanding the way these different stakeholders collaborate will enable us to improve editing environments that support such collaborations. In this paper, we uncover how large ontology-engineering projects, such as the International Classification of Diseases in its 11th revision, unfold by analyzing usage logs of five different biomedical ontology-engineering projects of varying sizes and scopes using Markov chains. We discover intriguing interaction patterns (e.g., which properties users frequently change after specific given ones) that suggest that large collaborative ontology-engineering projects are governed by a few general principles that determine and drive development. From our analysis, we identify commonalities and differences between different projects that have implications for project managers, ontology editors, developers and contributors working on collaborative ontology-engineering projects and tools in the biomedical domain. PMID:24953242

Discovering beaten paths in collaborative ontology-engineering projects using Markov chains.

PubMed

Walk, Simon; Singer, Philipp; Strohmaier, Markus; Tudorache, Tania; Musen, Mark A; Noy, Natalya F

2014-10-01

Biomedical taxonomies, thesauri and ontologies in the form of the International Classification of Diseases as a taxonomy or the National Cancer Institute Thesaurus as an OWL-based ontology, play a critical role in acquiring, representing and processing information about human health. With increasing adoption and relevance, biomedical ontologies have also significantly increased in size. For example, the 11th revision of the International Classification of Diseases, which is currently under active development by the World Health Organization contains nearly 50,000 classes representing a vast variety of different diseases and causes of death. This evolution in terms of size was accompanied by an evolution in the way ontologies are engineered. Because no single individual has the expertise to develop such large-scale ontologies, ontology-engineering projects have evolved from small-scale efforts involving just a few domain experts to large-scale projects that require effective collaboration between dozens or even hundreds of experts, practitioners and other stakeholders. Understanding the way these different stakeholders collaborate will enable us to improve editing environments that support such collaborations. In this paper, we uncover how large ontology-engineering projects, such as the International Classification of Diseases in its 11th revision, unfold by analyzing usage logs of five different biomedical ontology-engineering projects of varying sizes and scopes using Markov chains. We discover intriguing interaction patterns (e.g., which properties users frequently change after specific given ones) that suggest that large collaborative ontology-engineering projects are governed by a few general principles that determine and drive development. From our analysis, we identify commonalities and differences between different projects that have implications for project managers, ontology editors, developers and contributors working on collaborative ontology-engineering projects and tools in the biomedical domain. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Lightweight Portable Plasma Medical Device - Plasma Engineering Research Laboratory

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-10-01

cut fruit surfaces contaminated with migrating microorganisms," Journal of Food Protection, vol. 71, pp. 1619-1625, Aug 2008. [31] H. L. Chen, et...foodborne and opportunistic nosocomial pathogens is a major problem in food industry, biomedical and hospital applications, respectively. The resistive...source is very efficient in decontaminating wide range of infection and contamination causing bacteria. The direct and indirect exposure of the RBP

Engineering ultrasmall water-soluble gold and silver nanoclusters for biomedical applications.

PubMed

Luo, Zhentao; Zheng, Kaiyuan; Xie, Jianping

2014-05-25

Gold and silver nanoclusters or Au/Ag NCs with core sizes smaller than 2 nm have been an attractive frontier of nanoparticle research because of their unique physicochemical properties such as well-defined molecular structure, discrete electronic transitions, quantized charging, and strong luminescence. As a result of these unique properties, ultrasmall size, and good biocompatibility, Au/Ag NCs have great potential for a variety of biomedical applications, such as bioimaging, biosensing, antimicrobial agents, and cancer therapy. In this feature article, we will first discuss some critical biological considerations, such as biocompatibility and renal clearance, of Au/Ag NCs that are applied for biomedical applications, leading to some design criteria for functional Au/Ag NCs in the biological settings. According to these biological considerations, we will then survey some efficient synthetic strategies for the preparation of protein- and peptide-protected Au/Ag NCs with an emphasis on our recent contributions in this fast-growing field. In the last part, we will highlight some potential biomedical applications of these protein- and peptide-protected Au/Ag NCs. It is believed that with continued efforts to understand the interactions of biomolecule-protected Au/Ag NCs with the biological systems, scientists can largely realize the great potential of Au/Ag NCs for biomedical applications, which could finally pave their way towards clinical use.

iDASH: integrating data for analysis, anonymization, and sharing

PubMed Central

Bafna, Vineet; Boxwala, Aziz A; Chapman, Brian E; Chapman, Wendy W; Chaudhuri, Kamalika; Day, Michele E; Farcas, Claudiu; Heintzman, Nathaniel D; Jiang, Xiaoqian; Kim, Hyeoneui; Kim, Jihoon; Matheny, Michael E; Resnic, Frederic S; Vinterbo, Staal A

2011-01-01

iDASH (integrating data for analysis, anonymization, and sharing) is the newest National Center for Biomedical Computing funded by the NIH. It focuses on algorithms and tools for sharing data in a privacy-preserving manner. Foundational privacy technology research performed within iDASH is coupled with innovative engineering for collaborative tool development and data-sharing capabilities in a private Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)-certified cloud. Driving Biological Projects, which span different biological levels (from molecules to individuals to populations) and focus on various health conditions, help guide research and development within this Center. Furthermore, training and dissemination efforts connect the Center with its stakeholders and educate data owners and data consumers on how to share and use clinical and biological data. Through these various mechanisms, iDASH implements its goal of providing biomedical and behavioral researchers with access to data, software, and a high-performance computing environment, thus enabling them to generate and test new hypotheses. PMID:22081224

iDASH: integrating data for analysis, anonymization, and sharing.

PubMed

Ohno-Machado, Lucila; Bafna, Vineet; Boxwala, Aziz A; Chapman, Brian E; Chapman, Wendy W; Chaudhuri, Kamalika; Day, Michele E; Farcas, Claudiu; Heintzman, Nathaniel D; Jiang, Xiaoqian; Kim, Hyeoneui; Kim, Jihoon; Matheny, Michael E; Resnic, Frederic S; Vinterbo, Staal A

2012-01-01

iDASH (integrating data for analysis, anonymization, and sharing) is the newest National Center for Biomedical Computing funded by the NIH. It focuses on algorithms and tools for sharing data in a privacy-preserving manner. Foundational privacy technology research performed within iDASH is coupled with innovative engineering for collaborative tool development and data-sharing capabilities in a private Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)-certified cloud. Driving Biological Projects, which span different biological levels (from molecules to individuals to populations) and focus on various health conditions, help guide research and development within this Center. Furthermore, training and dissemination efforts connect the Center with its stakeholders and educate data owners and data consumers on how to share and use clinical and biological data. Through these various mechanisms, iDASH implements its goal of providing biomedical and behavioral researchers with access to data, software, and a high-performance computing environment, thus enabling them to generate and test new hypotheses.

Creating a pipeline of talent for informatics: STEM initiative for high school students in computer science, biology, and biomedical informatics

PubMed Central

Dutta-Moscato, Joyeeta; Gopalakrishnan, Vanathi; Lotze, Michael T.; Becich, Michael J.

2014-01-01

This editorial provides insights into how informatics can attract highly trained students by involving them in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) training at the high school level and continuing to provide mentorship and research opportunities through the formative years of their education. Our central premise is that the trajectory necessary to be expert in the emergent fields in front of them requires acceleration at an early time point. Both pathology (and biomedical) informatics are new disciplines which would benefit from involvement by students at an early stage of their education. In 2009, Michael T Lotze MD, Kirsten Livesey (then a medical student, now a medical resident at University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC)), Richard Hersheberger, PhD (Currently, Dean at Roswell Park), and Megan Seippel, MS (the administrator) launched the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute (UPCI) Summer Academy to bring high school students for an 8 week summer academy focused on Cancer Biology. Initially, pathology and biomedical informatics were involved only in the classroom component of the UPCI Summer Academy. In 2011, due to popular interest, an informatics track called Computer Science, Biology and Biomedical Informatics (CoSBBI) was launched. CoSBBI currently acts as a feeder program for the undergraduate degree program in bioinformatics at the University of Pittsburgh, which is a joint degree offered by the Departments of Biology and Computer Science. We believe training in bioinformatics is the best foundation for students interested in future careers in pathology informatics or biomedical informatics. We describe our approach to the recruitment, training and research mentoring of high school students to create a pipeline of exceptionally well-trained applicants for both the disciplines of pathology informatics and biomedical informatics. We emphasize here how mentoring of high school students in pathology informatics and biomedical informatics will be critical to assuring their success as leaders in the era of big data and personalized medicine. PMID:24860688

Creating a pipeline of talent for informatics: STEM initiative for high school students in computer science, biology, and biomedical informatics.

PubMed

Dutta-Moscato, Joyeeta; Gopalakrishnan, Vanathi; Lotze, Michael T; Becich, Michael J

2014-01-01

This editorial provides insights into how informatics can attract highly trained students by involving them in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) training at the high school level and continuing to provide mentorship and research opportunities through the formative years of their education. Our central premise is that the trajectory necessary to be expert in the emergent fields in front of them requires acceleration at an early time point. Both pathology (and biomedical) informatics are new disciplines which would benefit from involvement by students at an early stage of their education. In 2009, Michael T Lotze MD, Kirsten Livesey (then a medical student, now a medical resident at University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC)), Richard Hersheberger, PhD (Currently, Dean at Roswell Park), and Megan Seippel, MS (the administrator) launched the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute (UPCI) Summer Academy to bring high school students for an 8 week summer academy focused on Cancer Biology. Initially, pathology and biomedical informatics were involved only in the classroom component of the UPCI Summer Academy. In 2011, due to popular interest, an informatics track called Computer Science, Biology and Biomedical Informatics (CoSBBI) was launched. CoSBBI currently acts as a feeder program for the undergraduate degree program in bioinformatics at the University of Pittsburgh, which is a joint degree offered by the Departments of Biology and Computer Science. We believe training in bioinformatics is the best foundation for students interested in future careers in pathology informatics or biomedical informatics. We describe our approach to the recruitment, training and research mentoring of high school students to create a pipeline of exceptionally well-trained applicants for both the disciplines of pathology informatics and biomedical informatics. We emphasize here how mentoring of high school students in pathology informatics and biomedical informatics will be critical to assuring their success as leaders in the era of big data and personalized medicine.

Effects of unique biomedical education programs for engineers: REDEEM and ESTEEM projects.

PubMed

Matsuki, Noriaki; Takeda, Motohiro; Yamano, Masahiro; Imai, Yohsuke; Ishikawa, Takuji; Yamaguchi, Takami

2009-06-01

Current engineering applications in the medical arena are extremely progressive. However, it is rather difficult for medical doctors and engineers to discuss issues because they do not always understand one another's jargon or ways of thinking. Ideally, medical engineers should become acquainted with medicine, and engineers should be able to understand how medical doctors think. Tohoku University in Japan has managed a number of unique reeducation programs for working engineers. Recurrent Education for the Development of Engineering Enhanced Medicine has been offered as a basic learning course since 2004, and Education through Synergetic Training for Engineering Enhanced Medicine has been offered as an advanced learning course since 2006. These programs, which were developed especially for engineers, consist of interactive, modular, and disease-based lectures (case studies) and substantial laboratory work. As a result of taking these courses, all students obtained better objective outcomes, on tests, and subjective outcomes, through student satisfaction. In this article, we report on our unique biomedical education programs for engineers and their effects on working engineers.

Bringing Hearing to the Deaf--Cochlear Implants: a Technical and Personal Account

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shipsey, Ian

2006-04-01

Cochlear implants are the first device to successfully restore neural function. They have instigated a popular but controversial revolution in the treatment of deafness, and they serve as a model for research in neuroscience and biomedical engineering. In this talk the physiology of natural hearing will be reviewed from the perspective of a physicist, and the function of cochlear implants will be described in the context of historical treatments, electrical engineering, psychophysics, clinical evaluation of efficacy and personal experience. The social implications of cochlear implantation and the future outlook for auditory prostheses will also be discussed.

A Review of Cellularization Strategies for Tissue Engineering of Whole Organs

PubMed Central

Scarritt, Michelle E.; Pashos, Nicholas C.; Bunnell, Bruce A.

2015-01-01

With the advent of whole organ decellularization, extracellular matrix scaffolds suitable for organ engineering were generated from numerous tissues, including the heart, lung, liver, kidney, and pancreas, for use as alternatives to traditional organ transplantation. Biomedical researchers now face the challenge of adequately and efficiently recellularizing these organ scaffolds. Herein, an overview of whole organ decellularization and a thorough review of the current literature for whole organ recellularization are presented. The cell types, delivery methods, and bioreactors employed for recellularization are discussed along with commercial and clinical considerations, such as immunogenicity, biocompatibility, and Food and Drug Administartion regulation. PMID:25870857

Designing a Hands-On Brain Computer Interface Laboratory Course

PubMed Central

Khalighinejad, Bahar; Long, Laura Kathleen; Mesgarani, Nima

2017-01-01

Devices and systems that interact with the brain have become a growing field of research and development in recent years. Engineering students are well positioned to contribute to both hardware development and signal analysis techniques in this field. However, this area has been left out of most engineering curricula. We developed an electroencephalography (EEG) based brain computer interface (BCI) laboratory course to educate students through hands-on experiments. The course is offered jointly by the Biomedical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, and Computer Science Departments of Columbia University in the City of New York and is open to senior undergraduate and graduate students. The course provides an effective introduction to the experimental design, neuroscience concepts, data analysis techniques, and technical skills required in the field of BCI. PMID:28268946

Role of Physicochemical Properties in Nanoparticle Toxicity

PubMed Central

Shin, Seung Won; Song, In Hyun; Um, Soong Ho

2015-01-01

With the recent rapid growth of technological comprehension in nanoscience, researchers have aimed to adapt this knowledge to various research fields within engineering and applied science. Dramatic advances in nanomaterials marked a new epoch in biomedical engineering with the expectation that they would have huge contributions to healthcare. However, several questions regarding their safety and toxicity have arisen due to numerous novel properties. Here, recent studies of nanomaterial toxicology will be reviewed from several physiochemical perspectives. A variety of physiochemical properties such as size distribution, electrostatics, surface area, general morphology and aggregation may significantly affect physiological interactions between nanomaterials and target biological areas. Accordingly, it is very important to finely tune these properties in order to safely fulfill a bio-user’s purpose. PMID:28347068

Summer Biomedical Engineering Institute 1972

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Deloatch, E. M.

1973-01-01

The five problems studied for biomedical applications of NASA technology are reported. The studies reported are: design modification of electrophoretic equipment, operating room environment control, hematological viscometry, handling system for iridium, and indirect blood pressure measuring device.

Development of Concept-Based Physiology Lessons for Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nelson, Regina K.; Chesler, Naomi C.; Strang, Kevin T.

2013-01-01

engineering curriculum. In one or two introductory physiology courses, engineering students must learn physiology sufficiently to support learning in their subsequent engineering courses and careers. As preparation for future learning, physiology instruction centered on concepts may…

SciRide Finder: a citation-based paradigm in biomedical literature search.

PubMed

Volanakis, Adam; Krawczyk, Konrad

2018-04-18

There are more than 26 million peer-reviewed biomedical research items according to Medline/PubMed. This breadth of information is indicative of the progress in biomedical sciences on one hand, but an overload for scientists performing literature searches on the other. A major portion of scientific literature search is to find statements, numbers and protocols that can be cited to build an evidence-based narrative for a new manuscript. Because science builds on prior knowledge, such information has likely been written out and cited in an older manuscript. Thus, Cited Statements, pieces of text from scientific literature supported by citing other peer-reviewed publications, carry significant amount of condensed information on prior art. Based on this principle, we propose a literature search service, SciRide Finder (finder.sciride.org), which constrains the search corpus to such Cited Statements only. We demonstrate that Cited Statements can carry different information to this found in titles/abstracts and full text, giving access to alternative literature search results than traditional search engines. We further show how presenting search results as a list of Cited Statements allows researchers to easily find information to build an evidence-based narrative for their own manuscripts.

Convergence of regenerative medicine and synthetic biology to develop standardized and validated models of human diseases with clinical relevance.

PubMed

Hutmacher, Dietmar Werner; Holzapfel, Boris Michael; De-Juan-Pardo, Elena Maria; Pereira, Brooke Anne; Ellem, Stuart John; Loessner, Daniela; Risbridger, Gail Petuna

2015-12-01

In order to progress beyond currently available medical devices and implants, the concept of tissue engineering has moved into the centre of biomedical research worldwide. The aim of this approach is not to replace damaged tissue with an implant or device but rather to prompt the patient's own tissue to enact a regenerative response by using a tissue-engineered construct to assemble new functional and healthy tissue. More recently, it has been suggested that the combination of Synthetic Biology and translational tissue-engineering techniques could enhance the field of personalized medicine, not only from a regenerative medicine perspective, but also to provide frontier technologies for building and transforming the research landscape in the field of in vitro and in vivo disease models. Crown Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Recent trends for practical rehabilitation robotics, current challenges and the future.

PubMed

Yakub, Fitri; Md Khudzari, Ahmad Zahran; Mori, Yasuchika

2014-03-01

This paper presents and studies various selected literature primarily from conference proceedings, journals and clinical tests of the robotic, mechatronics, neurology and biomedical engineering of rehabilitation robotic systems. The present paper focuses of three main categories: types of rehabilitation robots, key technologies with current issues and future challenges. Literature on fundamental research with some examples from commercialized robots and new robot development projects related to rehabilitation are introduced. Most of the commercialized robots presented in this paper are well known especially to robotics engineers and scholars in the robotic field, but are less known to humanities scholars. The field of rehabilitation robot research is expanding; in light of this, some of the current issues and future challenges in rehabilitation robot engineering are recalled, examined and clarified with future directions. This paper is concluded with some recommendations with respect to rehabilitation robots.

Challenges of Maintaining Good Clinical Laboratory Practices in Low-Resource Settings:  A Health Program Evaluation Framework Case Study From East Africa.

PubMed

Zhang, Helen L; Omondi, Michael W; Musyoka, Augustine M; Afwamba, Isaac A; Swai, Remigi P; Karia, Francis P; Muiruri, Charles; Reddy, Elizabeth A; Crump, John A; Rubach, Matthew P

2016-08-01

Using a clinical research laboratory as a case study, we sought to characterize barriers to maintaining Good Clinical Laboratory Practice (GCLP) services in a developing world setting. Using a US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention framework for program evaluation in public health, we performed an evaluation of the Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre-Duke University Health Collaboration clinical research laboratory sections of the Kilimanjaro Clinical Research Institute in Moshi, Tanzania. Laboratory records from November 2012 through October 2014 were reviewed for this analysis. During the 2-year period of study, seven instrument malfunctions suspended testing required for open clinical trials. A median (range) of 9 (1-55) days elapsed between instrument malfunction and biomedical engineer service. Sixteen (76.1%) of 21 suppliers of reagents, controls, and consumables were based outside Tanzania. Test throughput among laboratory sections used a median (range) of 0.6% (0.2%-2.7%) of instrument capacity. Five (55.6%) of nine laboratory technologists left their posts over 2 years. These findings demonstrate that GCLP laboratory service provision in this setting is hampered by delays in biomedical engineer support, delays and extra costs in commodity procurement, low testing throughput, and high personnel turnover. © American Society for Clinical Pathology, 2016. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Technology-induced errors. The current use of frameworks and models from the biomedical and life sciences literatures.

PubMed

Borycki, E M; Kushniruk, A W; Bellwood, P; Brender, J

2012-01-01

The objective of this paper is to examine the extent, range and scope to which frameworks, models and theories dealing with technology-induced error have arisen in the biomedical and life sciences literature as indexed by Medline®. To better understand the state of work in the area of technology-induced error involving frameworks, models and theories, the authors conducted a search of Medline® using selected key words identified from seminal articles in this research area. Articles were reviewed and those pertaining to frameworks, models or theories dealing with technology-induced error were further reviewed by two researchers. All articles from Medline® from its inception to April of 2011 were searched using the above outlined strategy. 239 citations were returned. Each of the abstracts for the 239 citations were reviewed by two researchers. Eleven articles met the criteria based on abstract review. These 11 articles were downloaded for further in-depth review. The majority of the articles obtained describe frameworks and models with reference to theories developed in other literatures outside of healthcare. The papers were grouped into several areas. It was found that articles drew mainly from three literatures: 1) the human factors literature (including human-computer interaction and cognition), 2) the organizational behavior/sociotechnical literature, and 3) the software engineering literature. A variety of frameworks and models were found in the biomedical and life sciences literatures. These frameworks and models drew upon and extended frameworks, models and theoretical perspectives that have emerged in other literatures. These frameworks and models are informing an emerging line of research in health and biomedical informatics involving technology-induced errors in healthcare.

Adding dimension to cellular mechanotransduction: Advances in biomedical engineering of multiaxial cell-stretch systems and their application to cardiovascular biomechanics and mechano-signaling.

PubMed

Friedrich, O; Schneidereit, D; Nikolaev, Y A; Nikolova-Krstevski, V; Schürmann, S; Wirth-Hücking, A; Merten, A L; Fatkin, D; Martinac, B

2017-11-01

Hollow organs (e.g. heart) experience pressure-induced mechanical wall stress sensed by molecular mechano-biosensors, including mechanosensitive ion channels, to translate into intracellular signaling. For direct mechanistic studies, stretch devices to apply defined extensions to cells adhered to elastomeric membranes have stimulated mechanotransduction research. However, most engineered systems only exploit unilateral cellular stretch. In addition, it is often taken for granted that stretch applied by hardware translates 1:1 to the cell membrane. However, the latter crucially depends on the tightness of the cell-substrate junction by focal adhesion complexes and is often not calibrated for. In the heart, (increased) hemodynamic volume/pressure load is associated with (increased) multiaxial wall tension, stretching individual cardiomyocytes in multiple directions. To adequately study cellular models of chronic organ distension on a cellular level, biomedical engineering faces challenges to implement multiaxial cell stretch systems that allow observing cell reactions to stretch during live-cell imaging, and to calibrate for hardware-to-cell membrane stretch translation. Here, we review mechanotransduction, cell stretch technologies from uni-to multiaxial designs in cardio-vascular research, and the importance of the stretch substrate-cell membrane junction. We also present new results using our IsoStretcher to demonstrate mechanosensitivity of Piezo1 in HEK293 cells and stretch-induced Ca 2+ entry in 3D-hydrogel-embedded cardiomyocytes. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Preliminary comparison of the Essie and PubMed search engines for answering clinical questions using MD on Tap, a PDA-based program for accessing biomedical literature.

PubMed

Sutton, Victoria R; Hauser, Susan E

2005-01-01

MD on Tap, a PDA application that searches and retrieves biomedical literature, is specifically designed for use by mobile healthcare professionals. With the goal of improving the usability of the application, a preliminary comparison was made of two search engines (PubMed and Essie) to determine which provided most efficient path to the desired clinically-relevant information.

Perspectives of hyperpolarized noble gas MRI beyond 3He

PubMed Central

Lilburn, David M.L.; Pavlovskaya, Galina E.; Meersmann, Thomas

2013-01-01

Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) studies with hyperpolarized (hp) noble gases are at an exciting interface between physics, chemistry, materials science and biomedical sciences. This paper intends to provide a brief overview and outlook of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with hp noble gases other than hp 3He. A particular focus are the many intriguing experiments with 129Xe, some of which have already matured to useful MRI protocols, while others display high potential for future MRI applications. Quite naturally for MRI applications the major usage so far has been for biomedical research but perspectives for engineering and materials science studies are also provided. In addition, the prospects for surface sensitive contrast with hp 83Kr MRI is discussed. PMID:23290627

Peptide nanostructures in biomedical technology.

PubMed

Feyzizarnagh, Hamid; Yoon, Do-Young; Goltz, Mark; Kim, Dong-Shik

2016-09-01

Nanostructures of peptides have been investigated for biomedical applications due to their unique mechanical and electrical properties in addition to their excellent biocompatibility. Peptides may form fibrils, spheres and tubes in nanoscale depending on the formation conditions. These peptide nanostructures can be used in electrical, medical, dental, and environmental applications. Applications of these nanostructures include, but are not limited to, electronic devices, biosensing, medical imaging and diagnosis, drug delivery, tissue engineering and stem cell research. This review offers a discussion of basic synthesis methods, properties and application of these nanomaterials. The review concludes with recommendations and future directions for peptide nanostructures. WIREs Nanomed Nanobiotechnol 2016, 8:730-743. doi: 10.1002/wnan.1393 For further resources related to this article, please visit the WIREs website. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

PhysioNet: physiologic signals, time series and related open source software for basic, clinical, and applied research.

PubMed

Moody, George B; Mark, Roger G; Goldberger, Ary L

2011-01-01

PhysioNet provides free web access to over 50 collections of recorded physiologic signals and time series, and related open-source software, in support of basic, clinical, and applied research in medicine, physiology, public health, biomedical engineering and computing, and medical instrument design and evaluation. Its three components (PhysioBank, the archive of signals; PhysioToolkit, the software library; and PhysioNetWorks, the virtual laboratory for collaborative development of future PhysioBank data collections and PhysioToolkit software components) connect researchers and students who need physiologic signals and relevant software with researchers who have data and software to share. PhysioNet's annual open engineering challenges stimulate rapid progress on unsolved or poorly solved questions of basic or clinical interest, by focusing attention on achievable solutions that can be evaluated and compared objectively using freely available reference data.

Challenges and Opportunities in Interdisciplinary Materials Research Experiences for Undergraduates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vohra, Yogesh; Nordlund, Thomas

2009-03-01

The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) offer a broad range of interdisciplinary materials research experiences to undergraduate students with diverse backgrounds in physics, chemistry, applied mathematics, and engineering. The research projects offered cover a broad range of topics including high pressure physics, microelectronic materials, nano-materials, laser materials, bioceramics and biopolymers, cell-biomaterials interactions, planetary materials, and computer simulation of materials. The students welcome the opportunity to work with an interdisciplinary team of basic science, engineering, and biomedical faculty but the challenge is in learning the key vocabulary for interdisciplinary collaborations, experimental tools, and working in an independent capacity. The career development workshops dealing with the graduate school application process and the entrepreneurial business activities were found to be most effective. The interdisciplinary university wide poster session helped student broaden their horizons in research careers. The synergy of the REU program with other concurrently running high school summer programs on UAB campus will also be discussed.

Examining the need & potential for biomedical engineering to strengthen health care delivery for displaced populations & victims of conflict.

PubMed

Nadkarni, Devika; Elhajj, Imad; Dawy, Zaher; Ghattas, Hala; Zaman, Muhammad H

2017-01-01

Conflict and the subsequent displacement of populations creates unique challenges in the delivery of quality health care to the affected population. Equitable access to quality care demands a multi-pronged strategy with a growing need, and role, for technological innovation to address these challenges. While there have been significant contributions towards alleviating the burden of conflict via data informatics and analytics, communication technology, and geographic information systems, little has been done within biomedical engineering. This article elaborates on the causes for gaps in biomedical innovation for refugee populations affected by conflict, tackles preconceived notions, takes stock of recent developments in promising technologies to address these challenges, and identifies tangible action items to create a stronger and sustainable pipeline for biomedical technological innovation to improve the health and well-being of an increasing group of vulnerable people around the world.

Semantic biomedical resource discovery: a Natural Language Processing framework.

PubMed

Sfakianaki, Pepi; Koumakis, Lefteris; Sfakianakis, Stelios; Iatraki, Galatia; Zacharioudakis, Giorgos; Graf, Norbert; Marias, Kostas; Tsiknakis, Manolis

2015-09-30

A plethora of publicly available biomedical resources do currently exist and are constantly increasing at a fast rate. In parallel, specialized repositories are been developed, indexing numerous clinical and biomedical tools. The main drawback of such repositories is the difficulty in locating appropriate resources for a clinical or biomedical decision task, especially for non-Information Technology expert users. In parallel, although NLP research in the clinical domain has been active since the 1960s, progress in the development of NLP applications has been slow and lags behind progress in the general NLP domain. The aim of the present study is to investigate the use of semantics for biomedical resources annotation with domain specific ontologies and exploit Natural Language Processing methods in empowering the non-Information Technology expert users to efficiently search for biomedical resources using natural language. A Natural Language Processing engine which can "translate" free text into targeted queries, automatically transforming a clinical research question into a request description that contains only terms of ontologies, has been implemented. The implementation is based on information extraction techniques for text in natural language, guided by integrated ontologies. Furthermore, knowledge from robust text mining methods has been incorporated to map descriptions into suitable domain ontologies in order to ensure that the biomedical resources descriptions are domain oriented and enhance the accuracy of services discovery. The framework is freely available as a web application at ( http://calchas.ics.forth.gr/ ). For our experiments, a range of clinical questions were established based on descriptions of clinical trials from the ClinicalTrials.gov registry as well as recommendations from clinicians. Domain experts manually identified the available tools in a tools repository which are suitable for addressing the clinical questions at hand, either individually or as a set of tools forming a computational pipeline. The results were compared with those obtained from an automated discovery of candidate biomedical tools. For the evaluation of the results, precision and recall measurements were used. Our results indicate that the proposed framework has a high precision and low recall, implying that the system returns essentially more relevant results than irrelevant. There are adequate biomedical ontologies already available, sufficiency of existing NLP tools and quality of biomedical annotation systems for the implementation of a biomedical resources discovery framework, based on the semantic annotation of resources and the use on NLP techniques. The results of the present study demonstrate the clinical utility of the application of the proposed framework which aims to bridge the gap between clinical question in natural language and efficient dynamic biomedical resources discovery.

Biomedical imaging and sensing using flatbed scanners.

PubMed

Göröcs, Zoltán; Ozcan, Aydogan

2014-09-07

In this Review, we provide an overview of flatbed scanner based biomedical imaging and sensing techniques. The extremely large imaging field-of-view (e.g., ~600-700 cm(2)) of these devices coupled with their cost-effectiveness provide unique opportunities for digital imaging of samples that are too large for regular optical microscopes, and for collection of large amounts of statistical data in various automated imaging or sensing tasks. Here we give a short introduction to the basic features of flatbed scanners also highlighting the key parameters for designing scientific experiments using these devices, followed by a discussion of some of the significant examples, where scanner-based systems were constructed to conduct various biomedical imaging and/or sensing experiments. Along with mobile phones and other emerging consumer electronics devices, flatbed scanners and their use in advanced imaging and sensing experiments might help us transform current practices of medicine, engineering and sciences through democratization of measurement science and empowerment of citizen scientists, science educators and researchers in resource limited settings.

Magnetic hydroxyapatite: a promising multifunctional platform for nanomedicine application

PubMed Central

Mondal, Sudip; Manivasagan, Panchanathan; Bharathiraja, Subramaniyan; Santha Moorthy, Madhappan; Kim, Hye Hyun; Seo, Hansu; Lee, Kang Dae; Oh, Junghwan

2017-01-01

In this review, specific attention is paid to the development of nanostructured magnetic hydroxyapatite (MHAp) and its potential application in controlled drug/gene delivery, tissue engineering, magnetic hyperthermia treatment, and the development of contrast agents for magnetic resonance imaging. Both magnetite and hydroxyapatite materials have excellent prospects in nanomedicine with multifunctional therapeutic approaches. To date, many research articles have focused on biomedical applications of nanomaterials because of which it is very difficult to focus on any particular type of nanomaterial. This study is possibly the first effort to emphasize on the comprehensive assessment of MHAp nanostructures for biomedical applications supported with very recent experimental studies. From basic concepts to the real-life applications, the relevant characteristics of magnetic biomaterials are patented which are briefly discussed. The potential therapeutic and diagnostic ability of MHAp-nanostructured materials make them an ideal platform for future nanomedicine. We hope that this advanced review will provide a better understanding of MHAp and its important features to utilize it as a promising material for multifunctional biomedical applications. PMID:29200851

Publications in biomedical and environmental sciences programs, 1981

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Moody, J.B.

1982-07-01

This bibliography contains 698 references to articles in journals, books, and reports published in the subject area of biomedical and environmental sciences during 1981. There are 520 references to articles published in journals and books and 178 references to reports. Staff members in the Biomedical and Environmental Sciences divisions have other publications not included in this bibliography; for example, theses, book reviews, abstracts published in journals or symposia proceedings, pending journal publications and reports such as monthly, bimonthly, and quarterly progress reports, contractor reports, and reports for internal distribution. This document is sorted by the division, and then alphabetically bymore » author. The sorting by divisions separates the references by subject area in a simple way. The divisions represented in the order that they appear in the bibliography are Analytical Chemistry, Biology, Chemical Technology, Information R and D, Health and Safety Research, Instrumentation and Controls, Computer Sciences, Energy, Engineering Technology, Solid State, Central Management, Operations, and Environmental Sciences. Indexes are provided by author, title, and journal reference.« less

Biomedical Imaging and Sensing using Flatbed Scanners

PubMed Central

Göröcs, Zoltán; Ozcan, Aydogan

2014-01-01

In this Review, we provide an overview of flatbed scanner based biomedical imaging and sensing techniques. The extremely large imaging field-of-view (e.g., ~600–700 cm2) of these devices coupled with their cost-effectiveness provide unique opportunities for digital imaging of samples that are too large for regular optical microscopes, and for collection of large amounts of statistical data in various automated imaging or sensing tasks. Here we give a short introduction to the basic features of flatbed scanners also highlighting the key parameters for designing scientific experiments using these devices, followed by a discussion of some of the significant examples, where scanner-based systems were constructed to conduct various biomedical imaging and/or sensing experiments. Along with mobile phones and other emerging consumer electronics devices, flatbed scanners and their use in advanced imaging and sensing experiments might help us transform current practices of medicine, engineering and sciences through democratization of measurement science and empowerment of citizen scientists, science educators and researchers in resource limited settings. PMID:24965011

Biomedical information retrieval across languages.

PubMed

Daumke, Philipp; Markü, Kornél; Poprat, Michael; Schulz, Stefan; Klar, Rüdiger

2007-06-01

This work presents a new dictionary-based approach to biomedical cross-language information retrieval (CLIR) that addresses many of the general and domain-specific challenges in current CLIR research. Our method is based on a multilingual lexicon that was generated partly manually and partly automatically, and currently covers six European languages. It contains morphologically meaningful word fragments, termed subwords. Using subwords instead of entire words significantly reduces the number of lexical entries necessary to sufficiently cover a specific language and domain. Mediation between queries and documents is based on these subwords as well as on lists of word-n-grams that are generated from large monolingual corpora and constitute possible translation units. The translations are then sent to a standard Internet search engine. This process makes our approach an effective tool for searching the biomedical content of the World Wide Web in different languages. We evaluate this approach using the OHSUMED corpus, a large medical document collection, within a cross-language retrieval setting.

An Overview of SBIR Phase 2 Physical Sciences and Biomedical Technologies in Space

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nguyen, Hung D.; Steele, Gynelle C.

2015-01-01

Technological innovation is the overall focus of NASA's Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program. The program invests in the development of innovative concepts and technologies to help NASA's mission directorates address critical research and development needs for agency projects. This report highlights innovative SBIR Phase II projects from 2007-2012 specifically addressing areas in physical sciences and biomedical technologies in space, which is one of six core competencies at NASA Glenn Research Center. There are twenty two technologies featured with emphasis on a wide spectrum of applications such as reusable handheld electrolyte, sensor for bone markers, wideband single crystal transducer, mini treadmill for musculoskeletal, and much more. Each article in this report describes an innovation, technical objective, and highlights NASA commercial and industrial applications. This report serves as an opportunity for NASA personnel including engineers, researchers, and program managers to learn of NASA SBIR's capabilities that might be crosscutting into this technology area. As the result, it would cause collaborations and partnerships between the small companies and NASA Programs and Projects resulting in benefit to both SBIR companies and NASA.

Applicability Analysis of Validation Evidence for Biomedical Computational Models

DOE PAGES

Pathmanathan, Pras; Gray, Richard A.; Romero, Vicente J.; ...

2017-09-07

Computational modeling has the potential to revolutionize medicine the way it transformed engineering. However, despite decades of work, there has only been limited progress to successfully translate modeling research to patient care. One major difficulty which often occurs with biomedical computational models is an inability to perform validation in a setting that closely resembles how the model will be used. For example, for a biomedical model that makes in vivo clinically relevant predictions, direct validation of predictions may be impossible for ethical, technological, or financial reasons. Unavoidable limitations inherent to the validation process lead to challenges in evaluating the credibilitymore » of biomedical model predictions. Therefore, when evaluating biomedical models, it is critical to rigorously assess applicability, that is, the relevance of the computational model, and its validation evidence to the proposed context of use (COU). However, there are no well-established methods for assessing applicability. In this paper, we present a novel framework for performing applicability analysis and demonstrate its use with a medical device computational model. The framework provides a systematic, step-by-step method for breaking down the broad question of applicability into a series of focused questions, which may be addressed using supporting evidence and subject matter expertise. The framework can be used for model justification, model assessment, and validation planning. While motivated by biomedical models, it is relevant to a broad range of disciplines and underlying physics. Finally, the proposed applicability framework could help overcome some of the barriers inherent to validation of, and aid clinical implementation of, biomedical models.« less

Applicability Analysis of Validation Evidence for Biomedical Computational Models

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Pathmanathan, Pras; Gray, Richard A.; Romero, Vicente J.

Computational modeling has the potential to revolutionize medicine the way it transformed engineering. However, despite decades of work, there has only been limited progress to successfully translate modeling research to patient care. One major difficulty which often occurs with biomedical computational models is an inability to perform validation in a setting that closely resembles how the model will be used. For example, for a biomedical model that makes in vivo clinically relevant predictions, direct validation of predictions may be impossible for ethical, technological, or financial reasons. Unavoidable limitations inherent to the validation process lead to challenges in evaluating the credibilitymore » of biomedical model predictions. Therefore, when evaluating biomedical models, it is critical to rigorously assess applicability, that is, the relevance of the computational model, and its validation evidence to the proposed context of use (COU). However, there are no well-established methods for assessing applicability. In this paper, we present a novel framework for performing applicability analysis and demonstrate its use with a medical device computational model. The framework provides a systematic, step-by-step method for breaking down the broad question of applicability into a series of focused questions, which may be addressed using supporting evidence and subject matter expertise. The framework can be used for model justification, model assessment, and validation planning. While motivated by biomedical models, it is relevant to a broad range of disciplines and underlying physics. Finally, the proposed applicability framework could help overcome some of the barriers inherent to validation of, and aid clinical implementation of, biomedical models.« less

COEUS: “semantic web in a box” for biomedical applications

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background As the “omics” revolution unfolds, the growth in data quantity and diversity is bringing about the need for pioneering bioinformatics software, capable of significantly improving the research workflow. To cope with these computer science demands, biomedical software engineers are adopting emerging semantic web technologies that better suit the life sciences domain. The latter’s complex relationships are easily mapped into semantic web graphs, enabling a superior understanding of collected knowledge. Despite increased awareness of semantic web technologies in bioinformatics, their use is still limited. Results COEUS is a new semantic web framework, aiming at a streamlined application development cycle and following a “semantic web in a box” approach. The framework provides a single package including advanced data integration and triplification tools, base ontologies, a web-oriented engine and a flexible exploration API. Resources can be integrated from heterogeneous sources, including CSV and XML files or SQL and SPARQL query results, and mapped directly to one or more ontologies. Advanced interoperability features include REST services, a SPARQL endpoint and LinkedData publication. These enable the creation of multiple applications for web, desktop or mobile environments, and empower a new knowledge federation layer. Conclusions The platform, targeted at biomedical application developers, provides a complete skeleton ready for rapid application deployment, enhancing the creation of new semantic information systems. COEUS is available as open source at http://bioinformatics.ua.pt/coeus/. PMID:23244467

COEUS: "semantic web in a box" for biomedical applications.

PubMed

Lopes, Pedro; Oliveira, José Luís

2012-12-17

As the "omics" revolution unfolds, the growth in data quantity and diversity is bringing about the need for pioneering bioinformatics software, capable of significantly improving the research workflow. To cope with these computer science demands, biomedical software engineers are adopting emerging semantic web technologies that better suit the life sciences domain. The latter's complex relationships are easily mapped into semantic web graphs, enabling a superior understanding of collected knowledge. Despite increased awareness of semantic web technologies in bioinformatics, their use is still limited. COEUS is a new semantic web framework, aiming at a streamlined application development cycle and following a "semantic web in a box" approach. The framework provides a single package including advanced data integration and triplification tools, base ontologies, a web-oriented engine and a flexible exploration API. Resources can be integrated from heterogeneous sources, including CSV and XML files or SQL and SPARQL query results, and mapped directly to one or more ontologies. Advanced interoperability features include REST services, a SPARQL endpoint and LinkedData publication. These enable the creation of multiple applications for web, desktop or mobile environments, and empower a new knowledge federation layer. The platform, targeted at biomedical application developers, provides a complete skeleton ready for rapid application deployment, enhancing the creation of new semantic information systems. COEUS is available as open source at http://bioinformatics.ua.pt/coeus/.

Integrin Clustering Matters: A Review of Biomaterials Functionalized with Multivalent Integrin-Binding Ligands to Improve Cell Adhesion, Migration, Differentiation, Angiogenesis, and Biomedical Device Integration.

PubMed

Karimi, Fatemeh; O'Connor, Andrea J; Qiao, Greg G; Heath, Daniel E

2018-03-25

Material systems that exhibit tailored interactions with cells are a cornerstone of biomaterial and tissue engineering technologies. One method of achieving these tailored interactions is to biofunctionalize materials with peptide ligands that bind integrin receptors present on the cell surface. However, cell biology research has illustrated that both integrin binding and integrin clustering are required to achieve a full adhesion response. This biophysical knowledge has motivated researchers to develop material systems biofunctionalized with nanoscale clusters of ligands that promote both integrin occupancy and clustering of the receptors. These materials have improved a wide variety of biological interactions in vitro including cell adhesion, proliferation, migration speed, gene expression, and stem cell differentiation; and improved in vivo outcomes including increased angiogenesis, tissue healing, and biomedical device integration. This review first introduces the techniques that enable the fabrication of these nanopatterned materials, describes the improved biological effects that have been achieved, and lastly discusses the current limitations of the technology and where future advances may occur. Although this technology is still in its nascency, it will undoubtedly play an important role in the future development of biomaterials and tissue engineering scaffolds for both in vitro and in vivo applications. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Synthesis, properties, and biomedical applications of gelatin methacryloyl (GelMA) hydrogels

PubMed Central

Yue, Kan; Santiago, Grissel Trujillo-de; Alvarez, Mario Moisés; Tamayol, Ali; Annabi, Nasim; Khademhosseini, Ali

2015-01-01

Gelatin methacryloyl (GelMA) hydrogels have been widely used for various biomedical applications due to their suitable biological properties and tunable physical characteristics. Three dimensional (3D) GelMA hydrogels closely resemble some essential properties of native extracellular matrix (ECM) due to the presence of cell-attaching and matrix metalloproteinase responsive peptide motifs, which allow cells to proliferate and spread in GelMA-based scaffolds. GelMA is also versatile from a processing perspective. It crosslinks when exposed to light irradiation to form hydrogels with tunable mechanical properties which mimic the native ECM. It can also be microfabricated using different methodologies including micromolding, photomasking, bioprinting, self-assembly, and microfluidic techniques to generate constructs with controlled architectures. Hybrid hydrogel systems can also be formed by mixing GelMA with nanoparticles such as carbon nanotubes and graphene oxide, and other polymers to form networks with desired combined properties and characteristics for specific biological applications. Recent research has demonstrated the proficiency of GelMA-based hydrogels in a wide range of applications including engineering of bone, cartilage, cardiac, and vascular tissues, among others. Other applications of GelMA hydrogels, besides tissue engineering, include fundamental single-single cell research, cell signaling, drug and gene delivery, and bio-sensing. PMID:26414409

Construction of human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived oriented bone matrix microstructure by using in vitro engineered anisotropic culture model.

PubMed

Ozasa, Ryosuke; Matsugaki, Aira; Isobe, Yoshihiro; Saku, Taro; Yun, Hui-Suk; Nakano, Takayoshi

2018-02-01

Bone tissue has anisotropic microstructure based on collagen/biological apatite orientation, which plays essential roles in the mechanical and biological functions of bone. However, obtaining an appropriate anisotropic microstructure during the bone regeneration process remains a great challenging. A powerful strategy for the control of both differentiation and structural development of newly-formed bone is required in bone tissue engineering, in order to realize functional bone tissue regeneration. In this study, we developed a novel anisotropic culture model by combining human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) and artificially-controlled oriented collagen scaffold. The oriented collagen scaffold allowed hiPSCs-derived osteoblast alignment and further construction of anisotropic bone matrix which mimics the bone tissue microstructure. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report showing the construction of bone mimetic anisotropic bone matrix microstructure from hiPSCs. Moreover, we demonstrated for the first time that the hiPSCs-derived osteoblasts possess a high level of intact functionality to regulate cell alignment. © 2017 The Authors Journal of Biomedical Materials Research Part A Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A: 106A: 360-369, 2018. © 2017 The Authors Journal of Biomedical Materials Research Part A Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Datasets2Tools, repository and search engine for bioinformatics datasets, tools and canned analyses

PubMed Central

Torre, Denis; Krawczuk, Patrycja; Jagodnik, Kathleen M.; Lachmann, Alexander; Wang, Zichen; Wang, Lily; Kuleshov, Maxim V.; Ma’ayan, Avi

2018-01-01

Biomedical data repositories such as the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) enable the search and discovery of relevant biomedical digital data objects. Similarly, resources such as OMICtools, index bioinformatics tools that can extract knowledge from these digital data objects. However, systematic access to pre-generated ‘canned’ analyses applied by bioinformatics tools to biomedical digital data objects is currently not available. Datasets2Tools is a repository indexing 31,473 canned bioinformatics analyses applied to 6,431 datasets. The Datasets2Tools repository also contains the indexing of 4,901 published bioinformatics software tools, and all the analyzed datasets. Datasets2Tools enables users to rapidly find datasets, tools, and canned analyses through an intuitive web interface, a Google Chrome extension, and an API. Furthermore, Datasets2Tools provides a platform for contributing canned analyses, datasets, and tools, as well as evaluating these digital objects according to their compliance with the findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable (FAIR) principles. By incorporating community engagement, Datasets2Tools promotes sharing of digital resources to stimulate the extraction of knowledge from biomedical research data. Datasets2Tools is freely available from: http://amp.pharm.mssm.edu/datasets2tools. PMID:29485625

Datasets2Tools, repository and search engine for bioinformatics datasets, tools and canned analyses.

PubMed

Torre, Denis; Krawczuk, Patrycja; Jagodnik, Kathleen M; Lachmann, Alexander; Wang, Zichen; Wang, Lily; Kuleshov, Maxim V; Ma'ayan, Avi

2018-02-27

Biomedical data repositories such as the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) enable the search and discovery of relevant biomedical digital data objects. Similarly, resources such as OMICtools, index bioinformatics tools that can extract knowledge from these digital data objects. However, systematic access to pre-generated 'canned' analyses applied by bioinformatics tools to biomedical digital data objects is currently not available. Datasets2Tools is a repository indexing 31,473 canned bioinformatics analyses applied to 6,431 datasets. The Datasets2Tools repository also contains the indexing of 4,901 published bioinformatics software tools, and all the analyzed datasets. Datasets2Tools enables users to rapidly find datasets, tools, and canned analyses through an intuitive web interface, a Google Chrome extension, and an API. Furthermore, Datasets2Tools provides a platform for contributing canned analyses, datasets, and tools, as well as evaluating these digital objects according to their compliance with the findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable (FAIR) principles. By incorporating community engagement, Datasets2Tools promotes sharing of digital resources to stimulate the extraction of knowledge from biomedical research data. Datasets2Tools is freely available from: http://amp.pharm.mssm.edu/datasets2tools.

The real world: BME graduates reflect on whether universities are providing adequate preparation for a career in industry.

PubMed

Berglund, Jennifer

2015-01-01

Let's face it: In the United States, a college degree isn't what it used to be. These days, 46% of recent college graduates consider themselves underemployed and in jobs that do not require their college degrees--degrees that have already cost many of these grads and their families hundreds of thousands of dollars in student loans, with no promise of a job and salary to pay those loans back. But engineering majors are said to be outliers. Engineering as a field is widely considered one of, if not the most, lucrative academic paths for students seeking well-paid employment immediately following college. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics indicates that nearly 40% of the 45 most highly paid professions that require only a bachelor's degree are in engineering. Salaries for all biomedical engineers, entry level or not, are among the highest, with a median pay of US$86,960. And engineering departments at colleges are not shy to advertise these numbers: the Biomedical Engineering Department at the University of Texas, Austin, declares on its Web page that, "electing to graduate with a major in biomedical engineering opens the door to an ever-growing amount of job opportunities," citing a 72%, ten-year job growth forecast. Boston University's program cites U.S. News and World Report's claim that BME is the country's fastest-growing occupation.

A natural fit: home healthcare and biomedical engineering.

PubMed

Damasco, Nestor; Abe, Chris

2010-01-01

The involvement of Biomed in management of home care equipment has become a natural fit for Rady Children's Hospital. Managing all aspects of home care equipment through an in-house biomedical engineering department is cost-effective, efficient, provides excellent customer service, and enhances the relationship with the clinical staff and patients. It develops a sense of security for patients and staff that home care equipment is tested and maintained in a stringent manner that promotes safety.

Preliminary comparison of the Essie and PubMed search engines for answering clinical questions using MD on Tap, a PDA-based program for accessing biomedical literature

PubMed Central

Sutton, Victoria R.; Hauser, Susan E.

2005-01-01

MD on Tap, a PDA application that searches and retrieves biomedical literature, is specifically designed for use by mobile healthcare professionals. With the goal of improving the usability of the application, a preliminary comparison was made of two search engines (PubMed and Essie) to determine which provided most efficient path to the desired clinically-relevant information. PMID:16779415

Recommendations to Sustain the Academic Mission Ecosystem at U.S. Medical Schools.

PubMed

Kerschner, Joseph E; Hedges, Jerris R; Antman, Karen; Abraham, Edward; Colón Negrón, Edgar; Jameson, J Larry

2018-07-01

Academic medical center (AMC) faculty, administrators, and leaders have the critical tasks of teaching and training the next generation of health care providers and biomedical researchers, as well as generating new knowledge that improves the health of all. In the United States, medical schools and their affiliated hospitals train remarkably high-quality physicians and scientists, and the research conducted at these institutions results in advances in health. To that end, AMCs have become essential engines for driving better health in the United States and the rest of the world; they also have become essential engines driving the economies of their respective communities and regions. The education and research missions, however, require subsidization because tuition and extramural grant funding do not cover the costs of these endeavors. This subsidization largely has come from revenues generated by AMCs' clinical endeavors. The viability of this cross-subsidization, however, is increasingly threatened in the current clinical environment. The authors of this Perspective discuss these issues in depth and provide some concrete recommendations to address these challenges. They hope to stimulate discussion and, ultimately, ensure the financial viability of U.S. AMCs-a national resource of utmost importance. Recommendations to sustain research include creating strategic biomedical research plans, developing a defined and sustained model to support National Institutes of Health funding that keeps pace with inflation, and evolving funding mechanisms. Recommendations to sustain medical education include limiting student debt, creating more cost-effective curricula, and ensuring that clinical training opportunities that meet national standards are available to students.

Expose Mechanical Engineering Students to Biomechanics Topics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shen, Hui

2011-01-01

To adapt the focus of engineering education to emerging new industries and technologies nationwide and in the local area, a biomechanics module has been developed and incorporated into a mechanical engineering technical elective course to expose mechanical engineering students at ONU (Ohio Northern University) to the biomedical engineering topics.…

Strategies in biomimetic surface engineering of nanoparticles for biomedical applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gong, Yong-Kuan; Winnik, Françoise M.

2012-01-01

Engineered nanoparticles (NPs) play an increasingly important role in biomedical sciences and in nanomedicine. Yet, in spite of significant advances, it remains difficult to construct drug-loaded NPs with precisely defined therapeutic effects, in terms of release time and spatial targeting. The body is a highly complex system that imposes multiple physiological and cellular barriers to foreign objects. Upon injection in the blood stream or following oral administation, NPs have to bypass numerous barriers prior to reaching their intended target. A particularly successful design strategy consists in masking the NP to the biological environment by covering it with an outer surface mimicking the composition and functionality of the cell's external membrane. This review describes this biomimetic approach. First, we outline key features of the composition and function of the cell membrane. Then, we present recent developments in the fabrication of molecules that mimic biomolecules present on the cell membrane, such as proteins, peptides, and carbohydrates. We present effective strategies to link such bioactive molecules to the NPs surface and we highlight the power of this approach by presenting some exciting examples of biomimetically engineered NPs useful for multimodal diagnostics and for target-specific drug/gene delivery applications. Finally, critical directions for future research and applications of biomimetic NPs are suggested to the readers.

Systems engineering principles for the design of biomedical signal processing systems.

PubMed

Faust, Oliver; Acharya U, Rajendra; Sputh, Bernhard H C; Min, Lim Choo

2011-06-01

Systems engineering aims to produce reliable systems which function according to specification. In this paper we follow a systems engineering approach to design a biomedical signal processing system. We discuss requirements capturing, specification definition, implementation and testing of a classification system. These steps are executed as formal as possible. The requirements, which motivate the system design, are based on diabetes research. The main requirement for the classification system is to be a reliable component of a machine which controls diabetes. Reliability is very important, because uncontrolled diabetes may lead to hyperglycaemia (raised blood sugar) and over a period of time may cause serious damage to many of the body systems, especially the nerves and blood vessels. In a second step, these requirements are refined into a formal CSP‖ B model. The formal model expresses the system functionality in a clear and semantically strong way. Subsequently, the proven system model was translated into an implementation. This implementation was tested with use cases and failure cases. Formal modeling and automated model checking gave us deep insight in the system functionality. This insight enabled us to create a reliable and trustworthy implementation. With extensive tests we established trust in the reliability of the implementation. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Emerging Engineering Fields: New Jobs in an Old Profession.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Martin, Gail M.

1980-01-01

Discusses career opportunities, educational requirements, and information sources in these emerging professions: environmental, biomedical, fire protection, ocean, energy, ceramic, and plastics engineering. (SK)

Fabrication of functional PLGA-based electrospun scaffolds and their applications in biomedical engineering.

PubMed

Zhao, Wen; Li, Jiaojiao; Jin, Kaixiang; Liu, Wenlong; Qiu, Xuefeng; Li, Chenrui

2016-02-01

Electrospun PLGA-based scaffolds have been applied extensively in biomedical engineering, such as tissue engineering and drug delivery system. Due to lack of the recognition sites on cells, hydropholicity and single-function, the applications of PLGA fibrous scaffolds are limited. In order to tackle these issues, many works have been done to obtain functional PLGA-based scaffolds, including surface modifications, the fabrication of PLGA-based composite scaffolds and drug-loaded scaffolds. The functional PLGA-based scaffolds have significantly improved cell adhesion, attachment and proliferation. Moreover, the current study has summarized the applications of functional PLGA-based scaffolds in wound dressing, vascular and bone tissue engineering area as well as drug delivery system. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Education Highlights: Synthetic Nanoparticles

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gambacorta, Francesca; Michalska, Martyna

Argonne intern Francesca Gambacorta from University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign worked with Argonne mentor Phil Laible and Postdoctoral mentor Martyna Michalska to study how black silicon, a synthetic nanomaterial, kills bacteria. This research will help scientists predict other applications of this material in the biomedical field. Argonne aims to develop the next generation of scientists, researchers, and engineers by mentoring over 300 undergraduate and graduate students a year from over 40 STEM majors in over 15 different career development programs. Students come from over 160 colleges and universities in 41 states and 15 countries.

Semantic similarity measure in biomedical domain leverage web search engine.

PubMed

Chen, Chi-Huang; Hsieh, Sheau-Ling; Weng, Yung-Ching; Chang, Wen-Yung; Lai, Feipei

2010-01-01

Semantic similarity measure plays an essential role in Information Retrieval and Natural Language Processing. In this paper we propose a page-count-based semantic similarity measure and apply it in biomedical domains. Previous researches in semantic web related applications have deployed various semantic similarity measures. Despite the usefulness of the measurements in those applications, measuring semantic similarity between two terms remains a challenge task. The proposed method exploits page counts returned by the Web Search Engine. We define various similarity scores for two given terms P and Q, using the page counts for querying P, Q and P AND Q. Moreover, we propose a novel approach to compute semantic similarity using lexico-syntactic patterns with page counts. These different similarity scores are integrated adapting support vector machines, to leverage the robustness of semantic similarity measures. Experimental results on two datasets achieve correlation coefficients of 0.798 on the dataset provided by A. Hliaoutakis, 0.705 on the dataset provide by T. Pedersen with physician scores and 0.496 on the dataset provided by T. Pedersen et al. with expert scores.

A retrospective analysis of 10-year authorship trends in biomedical engineering journals.

PubMed

Foo, Jong Yong Abdiel

2011-03-01

Studies have indicated that academic research has become increasingly complex and multidisciplinary. There seems to be an increasing trend of multiple author articles published across most journals. As the field of biomedical engineering also encompasses multidisciplinary-based knowledge, it is interesting to understand the authorship trend over time. In this study, six journals were carefully chosen from the Journal Citation Report of the Thomson Scientific based on predefined criteria (year 1999 to 2008). The data pertaining to authorships for the articles published in these journals were then acquired from the PubMed database. The results show that there is a general upward trend for the number of author per article, but it is not significant (p > .01) despite a 64.5% increase in the total number of article published in the six chosen journals. Thus, the expected increase is not observed in this field, and it may be due to the stringent guidelines by journals in defining the contributions of an author. Particularly, contributing factors like the impact of authorship irregularities is discussed herein.

Biomimicry at the nanoscale: current research and perspectives of two-photon polymerization.

PubMed

Marino, Attilio; Filippeschi, Carlo; Mattoli, Virgilio; Mazzolai, Barbara; Ciofani, Gianni

2015-02-21

Living systems such as cells and tissues are extremely sensitive to their surrounding physico-chemical microenvironment. In the field of regenerative medicine and tissue engineering, the maintenance of culture conditions suitable for the formation of proliferation niches, for the self-renewal maintenance of stem cells, or for the promotion of a particular differentiation fate is an important issue that has been addressed using different strategies. A number of investigations suggests that a particular cell behavior can be in vitro resembled by mimicking the corresponding in vivo conditions. In this context, several biomimetic environments have been designed in order to control cell phenotypes and functions. In this review, we will analyze the most recent examples of the control of the in vitro physical micro/nano-environment by exploiting an innovative technique of high resolution 3D photolithography, the two-photon polymerization (2pp). The biomedical applications of this versatile and disruptive computer assisted design/manufacturing technology are very wide, and range from the fabrication of biomimetic and nanostructured scaffolds for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, to the microfabrication of biomedical devices, like ossicular replacement prosthesis and microneedles.

Biomimicry at the nanoscale: current research and perspectives of two-photon polymerization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marino, Attilio; Filippeschi, Carlo; Mattoli, Virgilio; Mazzolai, Barbara; Ciofani, Gianni

2015-02-01

Living systems such as cells and tissues are extremely sensitive to their surrounding physico-chemical microenvironment. In the field of regenerative medicine and tissue engineering, the maintenance of culture conditions suitable for the formation of proliferation niches, for the self-renewal maintenance of stem cells, or for the promotion of a particular differentiation fate is an important issue that has been addressed using different strategies. A number of investigations suggests that a particular cell behavior can be in vitro resembled by mimicking the corresponding in vivo conditions. In this context, several biomimetic environments have been designed in order to control cell phenotypes and functions. In this review, we will analyze the most recent examples of the control of the in vitro physical micro/nano-environment by exploiting an innovative technique of high resolution 3D photolithography, the two-photon polymerization (2pp). The biomedical applications of this versatile and disruptive computer assisted design/manufacturing technology are very wide, and range from the fabrication of biomimetic and nanostructured scaffolds for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, to the microfabrication of biomedical devices, like ossicular replacement prosthesis and microneedles.

Building a more diverse biomedical engineering workforce: Biomedical engineering at the university of the district of Columbia, a historically black college & university.

PubMed

Thompson, Lara A; Adebayo, A Segun; Nian Zhang; Haghani, Sasan; Dowell, Kathleen; Shetty, Devdas

2016-08-01

Biomedical Engineering (BME) is a new, multidisciplinary, and rapidly growing field, however, the BME Workforce suffers from limited ethnic and gender diversity. Despite the demand and growth of this new field due to its public health importance, only 4 out of the 107 Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) nationwide offers a Bachelor's of Science (B.S.) in Bio-Engineering related fields. In order to contribute to a growing BME Workforce, HBCUs need to react and offer more degree-programs relevant to BME. At the University of the District of Columbia (UDC), an HBCU and the District's only public institution for higher learning, we have recently established a new, degree program: Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering (B.S. in BME) full-board approved in Fall 2014, with program activities initiated in Fall 2015. The educational goal of this program is to enhance the quality and diversity of the BME Workforce via student professional development, new and relevant BME courses, and BME scholarly activities (e.g., guest lectures and journal club sessions), ultimately to increase the number of ethnic minorities pursuing careers and degrees in BME. Through our program activities, we are aiming to meet the nation's demand to contribute to a diverse BME workforce, directed towards solving problems in human health. A secondary, but related goal, is to increase the diversity of STEM-related fields. This paper summarizes our initial, but encouraging, BME activity-related findings. However, this study will be longitudinal (on a multiple year time period) to observe the true outcomes of our initiative.

Bottom-Up Engineering of Well-Defined 3D Microtissues Using Microplatforms and Biomedical Applications.

PubMed

Lee, Geon Hui; Lee, Jae Seo; Wang, Xiaohong; Lee, Sang Hoon

2016-01-07

During the last decades, the engineering of well-defined 3D tissues has attracted great attention because it provides in vivo mimicking environment and can be a building block for the engineering of bioartificial organs. In this Review, diverse engineering methods of 3D tissues using microscale devices are introduced. Recent progress of microtechnologies has enabled the development of microplatforms for bottom-up assembly of diverse shaped 3D tissues consisting of various cells. Micro hanging-drop plates, microfluidic chips, and arrayed microwells are the typical examples. The encapsulation of cells in hydrogel microspheres and microfibers allows the engineering of 3D microtissues with diverse shapes. Applications of 3D microtissues in biomedical fields are described, and the future direction of microplatform-based engineering of 3D micro-tissues is discussed. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Promising iron oxide-based magnetic nanoparticles in biomedical engineering.

PubMed

Tran, Phuong Ha-Lien; Tran, Thao Truong-Dinh; Vo, Toi Van; Lee, Beom-Jin

2012-12-01

For the past few decades biomedical engineering has imprinted its significant impact on the map of science through its wide applications on many other fields. An important example obviously proving this fact is the versatile application of magnetic nanoparticles in theranostics. Due to preferable properties such as biocompatibility, non-toxicity compared to other metal derivations, iron oxide-based magnetic nanoparticles was chosen to be addressed in this review. Aim of this review is to give the readers a whole working window of these magnetic nanoparticles in the current context of science. Thus, preparation of magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles with the so-far techniques, methods of characterizing the nanoparticles as well as their most recent biomedical applications will be stated.

Biomedical Biopolymers, their Origin and Evolution in Biomedical Sciences: A Systematic Review

PubMed Central

Yadav, Harsh; Shah, Veena Gowri; Shah, Gaurav; Dhaka, Gaurav

2015-01-01

Biopolymers provide a plethora of applications in the pharmaceutical and medical applications. A material that can be used for biomedical applications like wound healing, drug delivery and tissue engineering should possess certain properties like biocompatibility, biodegradation to non-toxic products, low antigenicity, high bio-activity, processability to complicated shapes with appropriate porosity, ability to support cell growth and proliferation and appropriate mechanical properties, as well as maintaining mechanical strength. This paper reviews biodegradable biopolymers focusing on their potential in biomedical applications. Biopolymers most commonly used and most abundantly available have been described with focus on the properties relevant to biomedical importance. PMID:26501034

search.bioPreprint: a discovery tool for cutting edge, preprint biomedical research articles

PubMed Central

Iwema, Carrie L.; LaDue, John; Zack, Angela; Chattopadhyay, Ansuman

2016-01-01

The time it takes for a completed manuscript to be published traditionally can be extremely lengthy. Article publication delay, which occurs in part due to constraints associated with peer review, can prevent the timely dissemination of critical and actionable data associated with new information on rare diseases or developing health concerns such as Zika virus. Preprint servers are open access online repositories housing preprint research articles that enable authors (1) to make their research immediately and freely available and (2) to receive commentary and peer review prior to journal submission. There is a growing movement of preprint advocates aiming to change the current journal publication and peer review system, proposing that preprints catalyze biomedical discovery, support career advancement, and improve scientific communication. While the number of articles submitted to and hosted by preprint servers are gradually increasing, there has been no simple way to identify biomedical research published in a preprint format, as they are not typically indexed and are only discoverable by directly searching the specific preprint server websites. To address this issue, we created a search engine that quickly compiles preprints from disparate host repositories and provides a one-stop search solution. Additionally, we developed a web application that bolsters the discovery of preprints by enabling each and every word or phrase appearing on any web site to be integrated with articles from preprint servers. This tool, search.bioPreprint, is publicly available at http://www.hsls.pitt.edu/resources/preprint. PMID:27508060

Agile methods in biomedical software development: a multi-site experience report.

PubMed

Kane, David W; Hohman, Moses M; Cerami, Ethan G; McCormick, Michael W; Kuhlmman, Karl F; Byrd, Jeff A

2006-05-30

Agile is an iterative approach to software development that relies on strong collaboration and automation to keep pace with dynamic environments. We have successfully used agile development approaches to create and maintain biomedical software, including software for bioinformatics. This paper reports on a qualitative study of our experiences using these methods. We have found that agile methods are well suited to the exploratory and iterative nature of scientific inquiry. They provide a robust framework for reproducing scientific results and for developing clinical support systems. The agile development approach also provides a model for collaboration between software engineers and researchers. We present our experience using agile methodologies in projects at six different biomedical software development organizations. The organizations include academic, commercial and government development teams, and included both bioinformatics and clinical support applications. We found that agile practices were a match for the needs of our biomedical projects and contributed to the success of our organizations. We found that the agile development approach was a good fit for our organizations, and that these practices should be applicable and valuable to other biomedical software development efforts. Although we found differences in how agile methods were used, we were also able to identify a set of core practices that were common to all of the groups, and that could be a focus for others seeking to adopt these methods.

Agile methods in biomedical software development: a multi-site experience report

PubMed Central

Kane, David W; Hohman, Moses M; Cerami, Ethan G; McCormick, Michael W; Kuhlmman, Karl F; Byrd, Jeff A

2006-01-01

Background Agile is an iterative approach to software development that relies on strong collaboration and automation to keep pace with dynamic environments. We have successfully used agile development approaches to create and maintain biomedical software, including software for bioinformatics. This paper reports on a qualitative study of our experiences using these methods. Results We have found that agile methods are well suited to the exploratory and iterative nature of scientific inquiry. They provide a robust framework for reproducing scientific results and for developing clinical support systems. The agile development approach also provides a model for collaboration between software engineers and researchers. We present our experience using agile methodologies in projects at six different biomedical software development organizations. The organizations include academic, commercial and government development teams, and included both bioinformatics and clinical support applications. We found that agile practices were a match for the needs of our biomedical projects and contributed to the success of our organizations. Conclusion We found that the agile development approach was a good fit for our organizations, and that these practices should be applicable and valuable to other biomedical software development efforts. Although we found differences in how agile methods were used, we were also able to identify a set of core practices that were common to all of the groups, and that could be a focus for others seeking to adopt these methods. PMID:16734914

Chromatin regulation at the frontier of synthetic biology.

PubMed

Keung, Albert J; Joung, J Keith; Khalil, Ahmad S; Collins, James J

2015-03-01

As synthetic biology approaches are extended to diverse applications throughout medicine, biotechnology and basic biological research, there is an increasing need to engineer yeast, plant and mammalian cells. Eukaryotic genomes are regulated by the diverse biochemical and biophysical states of chromatin, which brings distinct challenges, as well as opportunities, over applications in bacteria. Recent synthetic approaches, including 'epigenome editing', have allowed the direct and functional dissection of many aspects of physiological chromatin regulation. These studies lay the foundation for biomedical and biotechnological engineering applications that could take advantage of the unique combinatorial and spatiotemporal layers of chromatin regulation to create synthetic systems of unprecedented sophistication.

Chromatin regulation at the frontier of synthetic biology

PubMed Central

Keung, Albert J.; Joung, J. Keith; Khalil, Ahmad S.; Collins, James J.

2016-01-01

As synthetic biology approaches are extended to diverse applications throughout medicine, biotechnology and basic biological research, there is an increasing need to engineer yeast, plant and mammalian cells. Eukaryotic genomes are regulated by the diverse biochemical and biophysical states of chromatin, which brings distinct challenges, as well as opportunities, over applications in bacteria. Recent synthetic approaches, including `epigenome editing', have allowed the direct and functional dissection of many aspects of physiological chromatin regulation. These studies lay the foundation for biomedical and biotechnological engineering applications that could take advantage of the unique combinatorial and spatiotemporal layers of chromatin regulation to create synthetic systems of unprecedented sophistication. PMID:25668787

Human Centered Hardware Modeling and Collaboration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stambolian Damon; Lawrence, Brad; Stelges, Katrine; Henderson, Gena

2013-01-01

In order to collaborate engineering designs among NASA Centers and customers, to in clude hardware and human activities from multiple remote locations, live human-centered modeling and collaboration across several sites has been successfully facilitated by Kennedy Space Center. The focus of this paper includes innovative a pproaches to engineering design analyses and training, along with research being conducted to apply new technologies for tracking, immersing, and evaluating humans as well as rocket, vehic le, component, or faci lity hardware utilizing high resolution cameras, motion tracking, ergonomic analysis, biomedical monitoring, wor k instruction integration, head-mounted displays, and other innovative human-system integration modeling, simulation, and collaboration applications.

Advanced Biomedical Computing Center (ABCC) | DSITP

Cancer.gov

The Advanced Biomedical Computing Center (ABCC), located in Frederick Maryland (MD), provides HPC resources for both NIH/NCI intramural scientists and the extramural biomedical research community. Its mission is to provide HPC support, to provide collaborative research, and to conduct in-house research in various areas of computational biology and biomedical research.

Evaluation of research in biomedical ontologies

PubMed Central

Dumontier, Michel; Gkoutos, Georgios V.

2013-01-01

Ontologies are now pervasive in biomedicine, where they serve as a means to standardize terminology, to enable access to domain knowledge, to verify data consistency and to facilitate integrative analyses over heterogeneous biomedical data. For this purpose, research on biomedical ontologies applies theories and methods from diverse disciplines such as information management, knowledge representation, cognitive science, linguistics and philosophy. Depending on the desired applications in which ontologies are being applied, the evaluation of research in biomedical ontologies must follow different strategies. Here, we provide a classification of research problems in which ontologies are being applied, focusing on the use of ontologies in basic and translational research, and we demonstrate how research results in biomedical ontologies can be evaluated. The evaluation strategies depend on the desired application and measure the success of using an ontology for a particular biomedical problem. For many applications, the success can be quantified, thereby facilitating the objective evaluation and comparison of research in biomedical ontology. The objective, quantifiable comparison of research results based on scientific applications opens up the possibility for systematically improving the utility of ontologies in biomedical research. PMID:22962340

Biomedical and Biochemical Engineering for K-12 Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Madihally, Sundararajan V.; Maase, Eric L.

2006-01-01

REACH (Reaching Engineering and Architectural Career Heights) is a weeklong summer academy outreach program for high school students interested in engineering, architecture, or technology. Through module-­based instruction, students are introduced to various engineering fields. This report describes one of the modules focused on introducing…

State-of-the-Art Opportunities. Hispanic Special Report: Careers in Engineering.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Heller, Michele

1992-01-01

Although the demand for electrical, defense, and computer science engineers has dropped sharply, opportunities exist for Hispanics in computer communication and integration, miniaturization of electronic components, environmental, and genetic and biomedical engineering. Engineers should diversify their skills to adapt to the changing field. (KS)

Designing, Implementing and Maintaining a First Year Project Course in Electrical Engineering

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lillieskold, J.; Ostlund, S.

2008-01-01

Being a modern electrical engineer does not only require state of the art skills in areas such as transfer and processing of information, electronics, systems engineering, and biomedical electrical engineering; it also requires generic engineering skills such as oral and written communication, team building, interpersonal skills, and the ability…

Trust me, I'm a researcher!: The role of trust in biomedical research.

PubMed

Kerasidou, Angeliki

2017-03-01

In biomedical research lack of trust is seen as a great threat that can severely jeopardise the whole biomedical research enterprise. Practices, such as informed consent, and also the administrative and regulatory oversight of research in the form of research ethics committees and Institutional Review Boards, are established to ensure the protection of future research subjects and, at the same time, restore public trust in biomedical research. Empirical research also testifies to the role of trust as one of the decisive factors in research participation and lack of trust as a barrier for consenting to research. However, what is often missing is a clear definition of trust. This paper seeks to address this gap. It starts with a conceptual analysis of the term trust. It compares trust with two other related terms, those of reliance and trustworthiness, and offers a defence of Baier's attribute of 'good will' a basic characteristic of trust. It, then, proceeds to consider trust in the context of biomedical research by examining two questions: First, is trust necessary in biomedical research?; and second, do increases in regulatory oversight of biomedical research also increase trust in the field? This paper argues that regulatory oversight is important for increasing reliance in biomedical research, but it does not improve trust, which remains important for biomedical research. It finishes by pointing at professional integrity as a way of promoting trust and trustworthiness in this field.

42 CFR 52c.1 - Applicability.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES GRANTS MINORITY BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH... Biomedical Research Support Program) awarded in accordance with section 301(a)(3) of the Public Health... investigators engaged in biomedical research, and to broaden the opportunities for participation in biomedical...

42 CFR 52c.1 - Applicability.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES GRANTS MINORITY BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH... Biomedical Research Support Program) awarded in accordance with section 301(a)(3) of the Public Health... investigators engaged in biomedical research, and to broaden the opportunities for participation in biomedical...

42 CFR 52c.1 - Applicability.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES GRANTS MINORITY BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH... Biomedical Research Support Program) awarded in accordance with section 301(a)(3) of the Public Health... investigators engaged in biomedical research, and to broaden the opportunities for participation in biomedical...

42 CFR 52c.1 - Applicability.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES GRANTS MINORITY BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH... Biomedical Research Support Program) awarded in accordance with section 301(a)(3) of the Public Health... investigators engaged in biomedical research, and to broaden the opportunities for participation in biomedical...

42 CFR 52c.1 - Applicability.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES GRANTS MINORITY BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH... Biomedical Research Support Program) awarded in accordance with section 301(a)(3) of the Public Health... investigators engaged in biomedical research, and to broaden the opportunities for participation in biomedical...

Critical Contexts for Biomedical Research in a Native American Community: Health Care, History, and Community Survival

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sahota, Puneet Chawla

2012-01-01

Native Americans have been underrepresented in previous studies of biomedical research participants. This paper reports a qualitative interview study of Native Americans' perspectives on biomedical research. In-depth interviews were conducted with 53 members of a Southwest tribal community. Many interviewees viewed biomedical research studies as a…

CRISPR Editing in Biological and Biomedical Investigation.

PubMed

Ju, Xing-Da; Xu, Jing; Sun, Zhong Sheng

2018-01-01

The CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat)-Cas (CRISPR-associated protein) system, a prokaryotic RNA-based adaptive immune system against viral infection, is emerging as a powerful genome editing tool in broad research areas. To further improve and expand its functionality, various CRISPR delivery strategies have been tested and optimized, and key CRISPR system components such as Cas protein have been engineered with different purposes. Benefiting from more in-depth understanding and further development of CRISPR, versatile CRISPR-based platforms for genome editing have been rapidly developed to advance investigations in biology and biomedicine. In biological research area, CRISPR has been widely adopted in both fundamental and applied research fields, such as genomic and epigenomic modification, genome-wide screening, cell and animal research, agriculture transforming, livestock breeding, food manufacture, industrial biotechnology, and gene drives in disease agents control. In biomedical research area, CRISPR has also shown its extensive applicability in the establishment of animal models for genetic disorders, generation of tissue donors, implementation of antimicrobial and antiviral studies, identification and assessment of new drugs, and even treatment for clinical diseases. However, there are still several problems to consider, and the biggest concerns are the off-target effects and ethical issues of this technology. In this prospect article, after highlighting recent development of CRISPR systems, we outline different applications and current limitations of CRISPR in biological and biomedical investigation. Finally, we provide a perspective on future development and potential risks of this multifunctional technology. J. Cell. Biochem. 119: 52-61, 2018. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Marine polysaccharide-based nanomaterials as a novel source of nanobiotechnological applications.

PubMed

Manivasagan, Panchanathan; Oh, Junghwan

2016-01-01

Research on marine polysaccharide-based nanomaterials is emerging in nanobiotechnological fields such as drug delivery, gene delivery, tissue engineering, cancer therapy, wound dressing, biosensors, and water treatment. Important properties of the marine polysaccharides include biocompatibility, biodegradability, nontoxicity, low cost, and abundance. Most of the marine polysaccharides are derived from natural sources such as fucoidan, alginates, carrageenan, agarose, porphyran, ulvan, mauran, chitin, chitosan, and chitooligosaccharide. Marine polysaccharides are very important biological macromolecules that widely exist in marine organisms. Marine polysaccharides exhibit a vast variety of structures and are still under-exploited and thus should be considered as a novel source of natural products for drug discovery. An enormous variety of polysaccharides can be extracted from marine organisms such as algae, crustaceans, and microorganisms. Marine polysaccharides have been shown to have a variety of biological and biomedical properties. Recently, research and development of marine polysaccharide-based nanomaterials have received considerable attention as one of the major resources for nanotechnological applications. This review highlights the recent research on marine polysaccharide-based nanomaterials for biotechnological and biomedical applications. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Genetically engineered pigs as models for human disease

PubMed Central

Perleberg, Carolin; Kind, Alexander

2018-01-01

ABSTRACT Genetically modified animals are vital for gaining a proper understanding of disease mechanisms. Mice have long been the mainstay of basic research into a wide variety of diseases but are not always the most suitable means of translating basic knowledge into clinical application. The shortcomings of rodent preclinical studies are widely recognised, and regulatory agencies around the world now require preclinical trial data from nonrodent species. Pigs are well suited to biomedical research, sharing many similarities with humans, including body size, anatomical features, physiology and pathophysiology, and they already play an important role in translational studies. This role is set to increase as advanced genetic techniques simplify the generation of pigs with precisely tailored modifications designed to replicate lesions responsible for human disease. This article provides an overview of the most promising and clinically relevant genetically modified porcine models of human disease for translational biomedical research, including cardiovascular diseases, cancers, diabetes mellitus, Alzheimer's disease, cystic fibrosis and Duchenne muscular dystrophy. We briefly summarise the technologies involved and consider the future impact of recent technical advances. PMID:29419487

Character-level neural network for biomedical named entity recognition.

PubMed

Gridach, Mourad

2017-06-01

Biomedical named entity recognition (BNER), which extracts important named entities such as genes and proteins, is a challenging task in automated systems that mine knowledge in biomedical texts. The previous state-of-the-art systems required large amounts of task-specific knowledge in the form of feature engineering, lexicons and data pre-processing to achieve high performance. In this paper, we introduce a novel neural network architecture that benefits from both word- and character-level representations automatically, by using a combination of bidirectional long short-term memory (LSTM) and conditional random field (CRF) eliminating the need for most feature engineering tasks. We evaluate our system on two datasets: JNLPBA corpus and the BioCreAtIvE II Gene Mention (GM) corpus. We obtained state-of-the-art performance by outperforming the previous systems. To the best of our knowledge, we are the first to investigate the combination of deep neural networks, CRF, word embeddings and character-level representation in recognizing biomedical named entities. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Interdisciplinary innovations in biomedical and health informatics graduate education.

PubMed

Demiris, G

2007-01-01

Biomedical and health informatics (BHI) is a rapidly growing domain that relies on the active collaboration with diverse disciplines and professions. Educational initiatives in BHI need to prepare students with skills and competencies that will allow them to function within and even facilitate interdisciplinary teams (IDT). This paper describes an interdisciplinary educational approach introduced into a BHI graduate curriculum that aims to prepare informatics researchers to lead IDT research. A case study of the "gerontechnology" research track is presented which highlights how the curriculum fosters collaboration with and understanding of the disciplines of Nursing, Engineering, Computer Science, and Health Administration. Gerontechnology is a new interdisciplinary field that focuses on the use of technology to support aging. Its aim is to explore innovative ways to use information technology and develop systems that support independency and increase quality of life for senior citizens. As a result of a large research group that explores "smart home" technologies and the use of information technology, we integrated this new domain into the curriculum providing a platform for computer scientists, engineers, nurses and physicians to explore challenges and opportunities with our informatics students and faculty. The interdisciplinary educational model provides an opportunity for health informatics students to acquire the skills for communication and collaboration with other disciplines. Numerous graduate and postgraduate students have already participated in this initiative. The evaluation model of this approach is presented. Interdisciplinary educational models are required for health informatics graduate education. Such models need to be innovative and reflect the needs and trends in the domains of health care and information technology.

Clinical Immersion and Biomedical Engineering Design Education: "Engineering Grand Rounds".

PubMed

Walker, Matthew; Churchwell, André L

2016-03-01

Grand Rounds is a ritual of medical education and inpatient care comprised of presenting the medical problems and treatment of a patient to an audience of physicians, residents, and medical students. Traditionally, the patient would be in attendance for the presentation and would answer questions. Grand Rounds has evolved considerably over the years with most sessions being didactic-rarely having a patient present (although, in some instances, an actor will portray the patient). Other members of the team, such as nurses, nurse practitioners, and biomedical engineers, are not traditionally involved in the formal teaching process. In this study we examine the rapid ideation in a clinical setting to forge a system of cross talk between engineers and physicians as a steady state at the praxis of ideation and implementation.

Purpose-driven biomaterials research in liver-tissue engineering.

PubMed

Ananthanarayanan, Abhishek; Narmada, Balakrishnan Chakrapani; Mo, Xuejun; McMillian, Michael; Yu, Hanry

2011-03-01

Bottom-up engineering of microscale tissue ("microtissue") constructs to recapitulate partially the complex structure-function relationships of liver parenchyma has been realized through the development of sophisticated biomaterial scaffolds, liver-cell sources, and in vitro culture techniques. With regard to in vivo applications, the long-lived stem/progenitor cell constructs can improve cell engraftment, whereas the short-lived, but highly functional hepatocyte constructs stimulate host liver regeneration. With regard to in vitro applications, microtissue constructs are being adapted or custom-engineered into cell-based assays for testing acute, chronic and idiosyncratic toxicities of drugs or pathogens. Systems-level methods and computational models that represent quantitative relationships between biomaterial scaffolds, cells and microtissue constructs will further enable their rational design for optimal integration into specific biomedical applications. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Engineering microbial consortia to enhance biomining and bioremediation.

PubMed

Brune, Karl D; Bayer, Travis S

2012-01-01

In natural environments microorganisms commonly exist as communities of multiple species that are capable of performing more varied and complicated tasks than clonal populations. Synthetic biologists have engineered clonal populations with characteristics such as differentiation, memory, and pattern formation, which are usually associated with more complex multicellular organisms. The prospect of designing microbial communities has alluring possibilities for environmental, biomedical, and energy applications, and is likely to reveal insight into how natural microbial consortia function. Cell signaling and communication pathways between different species are likely to be key processes for designing novel functions in synthetic and natural consortia. Recent efforts to engineer synthetic microbial interactions will be reviewed here, with particular emphasis given to research with significance for industrial applications in the field of biomining and bioremediation of acid mine drainage.

Engineering microbial consortia to enhance biomining and bioremediation

PubMed Central

Brune, Karl D.; Bayer, Travis S.

2012-01-01

In natural environments microorganisms commonly exist as communities of multiple species that are capable of performing more varied and complicated tasks than clonal populations. Synthetic biologists have engineered clonal populations with characteristics such as differentiation, memory, and pattern formation, which are usually associated with more complex multicellular organisms. The prospect of designing microbial communities has alluring possibilities for environmental, biomedical, and energy applications, and is likely to reveal insight into how natural microbial consortia function. Cell signaling and communication pathways between different species are likely to be key processes for designing novel functions in synthetic and natural consortia. Recent efforts to engineer synthetic microbial interactions will be reviewed here, with particular emphasis given to research with significance for industrial applications in the field of biomining and bioremediation of acid mine drainage. PMID:22679443

Alliance for Computational Science Collaboration HBCU Partnership at Fisk University. Final Report 2001

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Collins, W. E.

2004-08-16

Computational Science plays a big role in research and development in mathematics, science, engineering and biomedical disciplines. The Alliance for Computational Science Collaboration (ACSC) has the goal of training African-American and other minority scientists in the computational science field for eventual employment with the Department of Energy (DOE). The involvements of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) in the Alliance provide avenues for producing future DOE African-American scientists. Fisk University has been participating in this program through grants from the DOE. The DOE grant supported computational science activities at Fisk University. The research areas included energy related projects, distributed computing,more » visualization of scientific systems and biomedical computing. Students' involvement in computational science research included undergraduate summer research at Oak Ridge National Lab, on-campus research involving the participation of undergraduates, participation of undergraduate and faculty members in workshops, and mentoring of students. These activities enhanced research and education in computational science, thereby adding to Fisk University's spectrum of research and educational capabilities. Among the successes of the computational science activities are the acceptance of three undergraduate students to graduate schools with full scholarships beginning fall 2002 (one for master degree program and two for Doctoral degree program).« less

Synthesis and optimization of chitosan nanoparticles: Potential applications in nanomedicine and biomedical engineering.

PubMed

Ghadi, Arezou; Mahjoub, Soleiman; Tabandeh, Fatemeh; Talebnia, Farid

2014-01-01

Chitosan nanoparticles have become of great interest for nanomedicine, biomedical engineering and development of new therapeutic drug release systems with improved bioavailability, increased specificity and sensitivity, and reduced pharmacological toxicity. The aim of the present study was to synthesis and optimize of the chitosan nanoparticles for industrial and biomedical applications. Fe3O4 was synthesized and optimized as magnetic core nanoparticles and then chitosan covered this magnetic core. The size and morphology of the nano-magnetic chitosan was analyzed by scanning electron microscope (SEM). Topography and size distribution of the nanoparticles were shown with two-dimensional and three-dimensional images of atomic force microscopy (AFM). The nanoparticles were analyzed using transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The chitosan nanoparticles prepared in the experiment exhibited white powder shape. The SEM micrographs of the nano-magnetic chitosan showed that they were approximately uniform spheres. The unmodified chitosan nanoparticles composed of clusters of nanoparticles with sizes ranging from 10 nm to 80 nm. AFM provides a three-dimensional surface profile. The TEM image showed physical aggregation of the chitosan nanoparticles. The results show that a novel chitosan nanoparticle was successfully synthesized and characterized. It seems that this nanoparticle like the other chitosan nano particles has potential applications for nanomedicine, biomedical engineering, industrial and pharmaceutical fields.

Personnel Needs and Training for Biomedical and Behavioral Research. The 1985 Report of the Committee on National Needs for Biomedical and Behavioral Research Personnel.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Institute of Medicine (NAS), Washington, DC.

Designed to provide assistance in the assessment of the need for biomedical and behavioral research personnel, this report presents research findings related to specific medical careers. The review includes an examination of the system under which biomedical and behavioral scientists are trained for research careers and the United States…

Project-based learning with international collaboration for training biomedical engineers.

PubMed

Krishnan, Shankar

2011-01-01

Training biomedical engineers while effectively keeping up with the fast paced scientific breakthroughs and the growth in technical innovations poses arduous challenges for educators. Traditional pedagogical methods are employed for coping with the increasing demands in biomedical engineering (BME) training and continuous improvements have been attempted with some success. Project-based learning (PBL) is an academic effort that challenges students by making them carry out interdisciplinary projects aimed at accomplishing a wide range of student learning outcomes. PBL has been shown to be effective in the medical field and has been adopted by other fields including engineering. The impact of globalization in healthcare appears to be steadily increasing which necessitates the inclusion of awareness of relevant international activities in the curriculum. Numerous difficulties are encountered when the formation of a collaborative team is tried, and additional difficulties occur as the collaboration team is extended to international partners. Understanding and agreement of responsibilities becomes somewhat complex and hence the collaborative project has to be planned and executed with clear understanding by all partners and participants. A model for training BME students by adopting PBL with international collaboration is proposed. The results of previous BME project work with international collaboration fit partially into the model. There were many logistic issues and constraints; however, the collaborative projects themselves greatly enhanced the student learning outcomes. This PBL type of learning experience tends to promote long term retention of multidisciplinary material and foster high-order cognitive activities such as analysis, synthesis and evaluation. In addition to introducing the students to experiences encountered in the real-life workforce, the proposed approach enhances developing professional contracts and global networking. In conclusion, despite initial challenges, adopting project-based learning with international collaboration has strong potentials to be valuable in the training of biomedical engineering students.

A pilot biomedical engineering course in rapid prototyping for mobile health.

PubMed

Stokes, Todd H; Venugopalan, Janani; Hubbard, Elena N; Wang, May D

2013-01-01

Rapid prototyping of medically assistive mobile devices promises to fuel innovation and provides opportunity for hands-on engineering training in biomedical engineering curricula. This paper presents the design and outcomes of a course offered during a 16-week semester in Fall 2011 with 11 students enrolled. The syllabus covered a mobile health design process from end-to-end, including storyboarding, non-functional prototypes, integrated circuit programming, 3D modeling, 3D printing, cloud computing database programming, and developing patient engagement through animated videos describing the benefits of a new device. Most technologies presented in this class are open source and thus provide unlimited "hackability". They are also cost-effective and easily transferrable to other departments.

The Ten Outstanding Engineering Achievements of the Past 50 Years.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hightower, George

1984-01-01

Describes the outstanding achievement in each of 10 major engineering categories. These categories include synthetic fibers, nuclear energy, computers, solid state electronics, jet aircraft, biomedical engineering, lasers, communications satellites, the United States space program, and automation and control systems. (JN)

Microgravity

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-01-31

Arn Harris Hoover of Lockheed Martin Company demonstrates an engineering mockup of the Human Research Facility (HRF) that will be installed in Destiny, the U.S. Laboratory Module on the International Space Station (ISS). Using facilities similar to research hardware available in laboratories on Earth, the HRF will enable systematic study of cardiovascular, musculoskeletal, neurosensory, pulmonary, radiation, and regulatory physiology to determine biomedical changes resulting from space flight. Research results obtained using this facility are relevant to the health and the performance of the astronaut as well as future exploration of space. Because this is a mockup, the actual flight hardware may vary as desings are refined. (Credit: NASA/Marshall Space Flight Center)

Genetically engineered silk-collagen-like copolymer for biomedical applications: production, characterization and evaluation of cellular response.

PubMed

Włodarczyk-Biegun, Małgorzata K; Werten, Marc W T; de Wolf, Frits A; van den Beucken, Jeroen J J P; Leeuwenburgh, Sander C G; Kamperman, Marleen; Cohen Stuart, Martien A

2014-08-01

Genetically engineered protein polymers (GEPP) are a class of multifunctional materials with precisely controlled molecular structure and property profile. Representing a promising alternative for currently used materials in biomedical applications, GEPP offer multiple benefits over natural and chemically synthesized polymers. However, producing them in sufficient quantities for preclinical research remains challenging. Here, we present results from an in vitro cellular response study of a recombinant protein polymer that is soluble at low pH but self-organizes into supramolecular fibers and physical hydrogels at neutral pH. It has a triblock structure denoted as C2S(H)48C2, which consists of hydrophilic collagen-inspired and histidine-rich silk-inspired blocks. The protein was successfully produced by the yeast Pichia pastoris in laboratory-scale bioreactors, and it was purified by selective precipitation. This efficient and inexpensive production method provided material of sufficient quantities, purity and sterility for cell culture study. Rheology and erosion studies showed that it forms hydrogels exhibiting long-term stability, self-healing behavior and tunable mechanical properties. Primary rat bone marrow cells cultured in direct contact with these hydrogels remained fully viable; however, proliferation and mineralization were relatively low compared to collagen hydrogel controls, probably because of the absence of cell-adhesive motifs. As biofunctional factors can be readily incorporated to improve material performance, our approach provides a promising route towards biomedical applications. Copyright © 2014 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Publishing priorities of biomedical research funders

PubMed Central

Collins, Ellen

2013-01-01

Objectives To understand the publishing priorities, especially in relation to open access, of 10 UK biomedical research funders. Design Semistructured interviews. Setting 10 UK biomedical research funders. Participants 12 employees with responsibility for research management at 10 UK biomedical research funders; a purposive sample to represent a range of backgrounds and organisation types. Conclusions Publicly funded and large biomedical research funders are committed to open access publishing and are pleased with recent developments which have stimulated growth in this area. Smaller charitable funders are supportive of the aims of open access, but are concerned about the practical implications for their budgets and their funded researchers. Across the board, biomedical research funders are turning their attention to other priorities for sharing research outputs, including data, protocols and negative results. Further work is required to understand how smaller funders, including charitable funders, can support open access. PMID:24154520

EFOMP project on the role of biomedical physics in the education of healthcare professionals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Caruana, Carmel J.; Wasilewska-Radwanska, M.; Aurengo, A.; Dendy, P. P.; Karenauskaite, V.; Malisan, M. R.; Meijer, J. H.; Mornstein, V.; Rokita, E.; Vano, E.; Wucherer, M.

2009-01-01

The policy statements describing the role of the medical physicist (and engineer) published by organizations representing medical physics (and engineering) in Europe include the responsibility of providing a contribution to the education of healthcare professionals (physicians and paramedical professions). As a consequence, medical physicists and engineers provide educational services in most Faculties of Medicine / Health Science in Europe. In 2005, the EFOMP council took the decision to set up a Special Interest Group to develop the role of the medical physics educator in such faculties and to work with other healthcare professional groups to produce updated European curricula for them. The effort of the group would provide a base for the progress of the role, its relevance to contemporary healthcare professional education and provide input for future EFOMP policy documents regarding this important aspect of the role of the medical physicist. The present communication will present the group, summarise its latest research and indicate future research directions.

Designing multifunctional quantum dots for bioimaging, detection, and drug delivery

PubMed Central

Zrazhevskiy, Pavel; Sena, Mark; Gao, Xiaohu

2011-01-01

The emerging field of bionanotechnology aims at revolutionizing biomedical research and clinical practice via introduction of nanoparticle-based tools, expanding capabilities of existing investigative, diagnostic, and therapeutic techniques as well as creating novel instruments and approaches for addressing challenges faced by medicine. Quantum dots (QDs), semiconductor nanoparticles with unique photo-physical properties, have become one of the dominant classes of imaging probes as well as universal platforms for engineering of multifunctional nanodevices. Possessing versatile surface chemistry and superior optical features, QDs have found initial use in a variety of in vitro and in vivo applications. However, careful engineering of QD probes guided by application-specific design criteria is becoming increasingly important for successful transition of this technology from proof-of-concept studies towards real-life clinical applications. This review outlines the major design principles and criteria, from general ones to application-specific, governing the engineering of novel QD probes satisfying the increasing demands and requirements of nanomedicine and discusses the future directions of QD-focused bionanotechnology research (critical review, 201 references). PMID:20697629

Generation of a conditional analog-sensitive kinase in human cells using CRISPR/Cas9-mediated genome engineering.

PubMed

Moyer, Tyler C; Holland, Andrew J

2015-01-01

The ability to rapidly and specifically modify the genome of mammalian cells has been a long-term goal of biomedical researchers. Recently, the clustered, regularly interspaced, short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/Cas9 system from bacteria has been exploited for genome engineering in human cells. The CRISPR system directs the RNA-guided Cas9 nuclease to a specific genomic locus to induce a DNA double-strand break that may be subsequently repaired by homology-directed repair using an exogenous DNA repair template. Here we describe a protocol using CRISPR/Cas9 to achieve bi-allelic insertion of a point mutation in human cells. Using this method, homozygous clonal cell lines can be constructed in 5-6 weeks. This method can also be adapted to insert larger DNA elements, such as fluorescent proteins and degrons, at defined genomic locations. CRISPR/Cas9 genome engineering offers exciting applications in both basic science and translational research. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Digital design of scaffold for mandibular defect repair based on tissue engineering*

PubMed Central

Liu, Yun-feng; Zhu, Fu-dong; Dong, Xing-tao; Peng, Wei

2011-01-01

Mandibular defect occurs more frequently in recent years, and clinical repair operations via bone transplantation are difficult to be further improved due to some intrinsic flaws. Tissue engineering, which is a hot research field of biomedical engineering, provides a new direction for mandibular defect repair. As the basis and key part of tissue engineering, scaffolds have been widely and deeply studied in regards to the basic theory, as well as the principle of biomaterial, structure, design, and fabrication method. However, little research is targeted at tissue regeneration for clinic repair operations. Since mandibular bone has a special structure, rather than uniform and regular structure in existing studies, a methodology based on tissue engineering is proposed for mandibular defect repair in this paper. Key steps regarding scaffold digital design, such as external shape design and internal microstructure design directly based on triangular meshes are discussed in detail. By analyzing the theoretical model and the measured data from the test parts fabricated by rapid prototyping, the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed methodology are properly verified. More works about mechanical and biological improvements need to be done to promote its clinical application in future. PMID:21887853

Digital design of scaffold for mandibular defect repair based on tissue engineering.

PubMed

Liu, Yun-feng; Zhu, Fu-dong; Dong, Xing-tao; Peng, Wei

2011-09-01

Mandibular defect occurs more frequently in recent years, and clinical repair operations via bone transplantation are difficult to be further improved due to some intrinsic flaws. Tissue engineering, which is a hot research field of biomedical engineering, provides a new direction for mandibular defect repair. As the basis and key part of tissue engineering, scaffolds have been widely and deeply studied in regards to the basic theory, as well as the principle of biomaterial, structure, design, and fabrication method. However, little research is targeted at tissue regeneration for clinic repair operations. Since mandibular bone has a special structure, rather than uniform and regular structure in existing studies, a methodology based on tissue engineering is proposed for mandibular defect repair in this paper. Key steps regarding scaffold digital design, such as external shape design and internal microstructure design directly based on triangular meshes are discussed in detail. By analyzing the theoretical model and the measured data from the test parts fabricated by rapid prototyping, the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed methodology are properly verified. More works about mechanical and biological improvements need to be done to promote its clinical application in future.

[Main characteristics of current biomedical research, in Chile].

PubMed

Valdés S, Gloria; Armas M, Rodolfo; Reyes B, Humberto

2012-04-01

Biomedical research is a fundamental tool for the development of a country, requiring human and financial resources. To define some current characteristics of biomedical research, in Chile. Data on entities funding bio-medical research, participant institutions, and the number of active investigators for the period 2007-2009 were obtained from institutional sources; publications indexed in PubMed for 2008-2009 were analysed. Most financial resources invested in biomedical research projects (approximately US$ 19 million per year) came from the "Comisión Nacional de Investigación Científica y Tecnológica" (CONICYT), a state institution with 3 independent Funds administering competitive grant applications open annually to institutional or independent investigators in Chile. Other sources and universities raised the total amount to US$ 26 million. Since 2007 to 2009, 408 investigators participated in projects funded by CONICYT. The main participant institutions were Universidad de Chile and Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, both adding up to 84% of all funded projects. Independently, in 2009,160 research projects -mainly multi centric clinical trials- received approximately US$ 24 million from foreign pharmaceutical companies. Publications listed in PubMed were classified as "clinical research" (n = 879, including public health) or "basic biomedical research" (n = 312). Biomedical research in Chile is mainly supported by state funds and university resources, but clinical trials also obtained an almost equivalent amount from foreign resources. Investigators are predominantly located in two universities. A small number of MD-PhD programs are aimed to train and incorporate new scientists. Only a few new Medical Schools participate in biomedical research. A National Registry of biomedical research projects, including the clinical trials, is required among other initiatives to stimulate research in biomedical sciences in Chile.

The NIDDK Information Network: A Community Portal for Finding Data, Materials, and Tools for Researchers Studying Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases

PubMed Central

Whetzel, Patricia L.; Grethe, Jeffrey S.; Banks, Davis E.; Martone, Maryann E.

2015-01-01

The NIDDK Information Network (dkNET; http://dknet.org) was launched to serve the needs of basic and clinical investigators in metabolic, digestive and kidney disease by facilitating access to research resources that advance the mission of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK). By research resources, we mean the multitude of data, software tools, materials, services, projects and organizations available to researchers in the public domain. Most of these are accessed via web-accessible databases or web portals, each developed, designed and maintained by numerous different projects, organizations and individuals. While many of the large government funded databases, maintained by agencies such as European Bioinformatics Institute and the National Center for Biotechnology Information, are well known to researchers, many more that have been developed by and for the biomedical research community are unknown or underutilized. At least part of the problem is the nature of dynamic databases, which are considered part of the “hidden” web, that is, content that is not easily accessed by search engines. dkNET was created specifically to address the challenge of connecting researchers to research resources via these types of community databases and web portals. dkNET functions as a “search engine for data”, searching across millions of database records contained in hundreds of biomedical databases developed and maintained by independent projects around the world. A primary focus of dkNET are centers and projects specifically created to provide high quality data and resources to NIDDK researchers. Through the novel data ingest process used in dkNET, additional data sources can easily be incorporated, allowing it to scale with the growth of digital data and the needs of the dkNET community. Here, we provide an overview of the dkNET portal and its functions. We show how dkNET can be used to address a variety of use cases that involve searching for research resources. PMID:26393351

Sensitive magnetic sensors without cooling in biomedical engineering.

PubMed

Nowak, H; Strähmel, E; Giessler, F; Rinneberg, G; Haueisen, J

2003-01-01

Magnetic field sensors are used in various fields of technology. In the past few years a large variety of magnetic field sensors has been established and the performance of these sensors has been improved enormously. In this review article all recent developments in the area of sensitive magnetic field sensory analysis (resolution better than 1 nT) are presented and examined regarding their parameters. This is mainly done under the aspect of application fields in biomedical engineering. A comparison of all commercial and available sensitive magnetic field sensors shows current and prospective ranges of application.

Biofunctionalization of surfaces by energetic ion implantation: Review of progress on applications in implantable biomedical devices and antibody microarrays

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bilek, Marcela M. M.

2014-08-01

Despite major research efforts in the field of biomaterials, rejection, severe immune responses, scar tissue and poor integration continue to seriously limit the performance of today's implantable biomedical devices. Implantable biomaterials that interact with their host via an interfacial layer of active biomolecules to direct a desired cellular response to the implant would represent a major and much sought after improvement. Another, perhaps equally revolutionary, development that is on the biomedical horizon is the introduction of cost-effective microarrays for fast, highly multiplexed screening for biomarkers on cell membranes and in a variety of analyte solutions. Both of these advances will rely on effective methods of functionalizing surfaces with bioactive molecules. After a brief introduction to other methods currently available, this review will describe recently developed approaches that use energetic ions extracted from plasma to facilitate simple, one-step covalent surface immobilization of bioactive molecules. A kinetic theory model of the immobilization process by reactions with long-lived, mobile, surface-embedded radicals will be presented. The roles of surface chemistry and microstructure of the ion treated layer will be discussed. Early progress on applications of this technology to create diagnostic microarrays and to engineer bioactive surfaces for implantable biomedical devices will be reviewed.

Nanotechnology, nanotoxicology, and neuroscience

PubMed Central

Suh, Won Hyuk; Suslick, Kenneth S.; Stucky, Galen D.; Suh, Yoo-Hun

2009-01-01

Nanotechnology, which deals with features as small as a 1 billionth of a meter, began to enter into mainstream physical sciences and engineering some 20 years ago. Recent applications of nanoscience include the use of nanoscale materials in electronics, catalysis, and biomedical research. Among these applications, strong interest has been shown to biological processes such as blood coagulation control and multimodal bioimaging, which has brought about a new and exciting research field called nanobiotechnology. Biotechnology, which itself also dates back ∼30 years, involves the manipulation of macroscopic biological systems such as cells and mice in order to understand why and how molecular level mechanisms affect specific biological functions, e.g., the role of APP (amyloid precursor protein) in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). This review aims (1) to introduce key concepts and materials from nanotechnology to a non-physical sciences community; (2) to introduce several state-of-the-art examples of current nanotechnology that were either constructed for use in biological systems or that can, in time, be utilized for biomedical research; (3) to provide recent excerpts in nanotoxicology and multifunctional nanoparticle systems (MFNPSs); and (4) to propose areas in neuroscience that may benefit from research at the interface of neurobiologically important systems and nanostructured materials. PMID:18926873

Fluorescence detection, enumeration and characterization of single circulating cells in vivo: technology, applications and future prospects.

PubMed

Hartmann, Carolin; Patil, Roshani; Lin, Charles P; Niedre, Mark J

2017-11-08

There are many diseases and biological processes that involve circulating cells in the bloodstream, such as cancer metastasis, immune reaction/inflammation, reproductive medicine, and stem cell therapies. This has driven significant interest in new technologies for the study of circulating cells in small animal research models and clinically. Most currently used methods require drawing and enriching blood samples from the body, but these suffer from a number of limitations. In contrast, "in vivo flow cytometry" (IVFC) refers to set of technologies that allow study of cells directly in the bloodstream of the organism in vivo. In recent years the IVFC field has grown significantly and new techniques have been developed, including fluorescence microscopy, multi-photon, photo-acoustic, and diffuse fluorescence IVFC. In this paper we review recent technical advances in IVFC, with emphasis on instrumentation, contrast mechanisms, and detection sensitivity. We also describe key applications in biomedical research, including cancer research and immunology. Last, we discuss future directions for IVFC, as well as prospects for broader adoption by the biomedical research community and translation to humans clinically. © 2017 Institute of Physics and Engineering in Medicine.

Biomedical Research, Development, and Engineering at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory Annual Report, October 1, 1975-September 30, 1976

DTIC Science & Technology

1976-09-01

Holographic Stress Testing of the surgicai. cornea, B. F. Hochheimer (APL) and J. .. Calkins (JHMI) §37 Constant Pressure Tonography, L. J. Viernatein...September 1976 HOLOGRAPHIC STRESS TESTING OF SUMMARY AND DISCUSSION THE SURGICAL CORNEA We have successfully demonstrated that holographic interferometry is...recording me- stress testing of corneal wounds in several thodology suitable for performing do sle-pulsed postoperative patients. The only stress used

Use of lecithin to control fiber morphology in electrospun poly (ɛ-caprolactone) scaffolds for improved tissue engineering applications.

PubMed

Coverdale, Benjamin D M; Gough, Julie E; Sampson, William W; Hoyland, Judith A

2017-10-01

We elucidate the effects of incorporating surfactants into electrospun poly (ɛ-caprolactone) (PCL) scaffolds on network homogeneity, cellular adherence and osteogenic differentiation. Lecithin was added with a range of concentrations to PCL solutions, which were electrospun to yield functionalized scaffolds. Addition of lecithin yielded a dose-dependent reduction in scaffold hydrophobicity, whilst reducing fiber width and hence increasing specific surface area. These changes in scaffold morphology were associated with increased cellular attachment of Saos-2 osteoblasts 3-h postseeding. Furthermore, cells on scaffolds showed comparable proliferation over 14 days of incubation to TCP controls. Through model-based interpretation of image analysis combined with gravimetric estimates of porosity, lecithin is shown to reduce scaffold porosity and mean pore size. Additionally, lecithin incorporation is found to reduce fiber curvature, resulting in increased scaffold specific elastic modulus. Low concentrations of lecithin were found to induce upregulation of several genes associated with osteogenesis in primary mesenchymal stem cells. The results demonstrate that functionalization of electrospun PCL scaffolds with lecithin can increase the biocompatibility and regenerative potential of these networks for bone tissue engineering applications. © 2017 The Authors Journal of Biomedical Materials Research Part A Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A: 105A: 2865-2874, 2017. © 2017 The Authors Journal of Biomedical Materials Research Part A Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Fabricating biomedical origami: a state-of-the-art review

PubMed Central

Johnson, Meredith; Chen, Yue; Hovet, Sierra; Xu, Sheng; Wood, Bradford; Ren, Hongliang; Tokuda, Junichi; Tse, Zion Tsz Ho

2018-01-01

Purpose Origami-based biomedical device design is an emerging technology due to its ability to be deployed from a minimal foldable pattern to a larger volume. This paper aims to review state-of-the-art origami structures applied in the medical device field. Methods Publications and reports of origami structure related to medical device design from the past 10 years are reviewed and categorized according to engineering specifications, including the application field, fabrication material, size/volume, deployment method, manufacturability, and advantages. Results This paper presents an overview of the biomedical applications of devices based on origami structures, including disposable sterilization covers, cardiac catheterization, stent grafts, encapsulation and microsurgery, gastrointestinal microsurgery, laparoscopic surgical grippers, microgrippers, microfluidic devices, and drug delivery. Challenges in terms of materials and fabrication, assembly, modeling and computation design, and clinical adoptability are discussed at the end of this paper to provide guidance for future origami-based design in the medical device field. Conclusion Concepts from origami can be used to design and develop novel medical devices. Origami-based medical device design is currently progressing, with researchers improving design methods, materials, fabrication techniques, and folding efficiency. PMID:28260164

Fabricating biomedical origami: a state-of-the-art review.

PubMed

Johnson, Meredith; Chen, Yue; Hovet, Sierra; Xu, Sheng; Wood, Bradford; Ren, Hongliang; Tokuda, Junichi; Tse, Zion Tsz Ho

2017-11-01

Origami-based biomedical device design is an emerging technology due to its ability to be deployed from a minimal foldable pattern to a larger volume. This paper aims to review state-of-the-art origami structures applied in the medical device field. Publications and reports of origami structure related to medical device design from the past 10 years are reviewed and categorized according to engineering specifications, including the application field, fabrication material, size/volume, deployment method, manufacturability, and advantages. This paper presents an overview of the biomedical applications of devices based on origami structures, including disposable sterilization covers, cardiac catheterization, stent grafts, encapsulation and microsurgery, gastrointestinal microsurgery, laparoscopic surgical grippers, microgrippers, microfluidic devices, and drug delivery. Challenges in terms of materials and fabrication, assembly, modeling and computation design, and clinical adoptability are discussed at the end of this paper to provide guidance for future origami-based design in the medical device field. Concepts from origami can be used to design and develop novel medical devices. Origami-based medical device design is currently progressing, with researchers improving design methods, materials, fabrication techniques, and folding efficiency.

A Course in Medicine and Clinical Engineering for Engineers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Webster, John G.

A biomedical engineering course at the University of Wisconsin is described. The course is a comprehensive survey designed to develop the student's ability to participate in the solution of medical problems, particularly in areas involving technology. Course objectives and lecture outlines are provided. (MLH)

An engineering paradigm in the biomedical sciences: Knowledge as epistemic tool.

PubMed

Boon, Mieke

2017-10-01

In order to deal with the complexity of biological systems and attempts to generate applicable results, current biomedical sciences are adopting concepts and methods from the engineering sciences. Philosophers of science have interpreted this as the emergence of an engineering paradigm, in particular in systems biology and synthetic biology. This article aims at the articulation of the supposed engineering paradigm by contrast with the physics paradigm that supported the rise of biochemistry and molecular biology. This articulation starts from Kuhn's notion of a disciplinary matrix, which indicates what constitutes a paradigm. It is argued that the core of the physics paradigm is its metaphysical and ontological presuppositions, whereas the core of the engineering paradigm is the epistemic aim of producing useful knowledge for solving problems external to the scientific practice. Therefore, the two paradigms involve distinct notions of knowledge. Whereas the physics paradigm entails a representational notion of knowledge, the engineering paradigm involves the notion of 'knowledge as epistemic tool'. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Supplementing Resident Research Funding Through a Partnership With Local Industry.

PubMed

Skube, Steven J; Arsoniadis, Elliot G; Jahansouz, Cyrus; Novitsky, Sherri; Chipman, Jeffrey G

2018-01-17

To develop a model for the supplementation of resident research funding through a resident-hosted clinical immersion with local industry. Designated research residents hosted multiple groups of engineers and business professionals from local industry in general surgery-focused clinical immersion weeks. The participants in these week-long programs are educated about general surgery and brought to the operating room to observe a variety of surgeries. This study was performed at the University of Minnesota, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, at a tertiary medical center. Ten designated research residents hosted general surgery immersion programs. Fifty-seven engineers and business professionals from 5 different local biomedical firms have participated in this program. General surgery research residents (in collaboration with the University of Minnesota's Institute for Engineering in Medicine) have hosted 9 clinical immersion programs since starting the collaborative in 2015. Immersion participant response to the experiences was very positive. Two full-time resident research positions can be funded annually through participation in this program. With decreasing funding available for surgical research, particularly resident research, innovative ways to fund resident research are needed. The general surgery clinical immersion program at the University of Minnesota has proven its value as a supplement for resident research funding and may be a sustainable model for the future. Copyright © 2018 Association of Program Directors in Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Engineering Human Neural Tissue by 3D Bioprinting.

PubMed

Gu, Qi; Tomaskovic-Crook, Eva; Wallace, Gordon G; Crook, Jeremy M

2018-01-01

Bioprinting provides an opportunity to produce three-dimensional (3D) tissues for biomedical research and translational drug discovery, toxicology, and tissue replacement. Here we describe a method for fabricating human neural tissue by 3D printing human neural stem cells with a bioink, and subsequent gelation of the bioink for cell encapsulation, support, and differentiation to functional neurons and supporting neuroglia. The bioink uniquely comprises the polysaccharides alginate, water-soluble carboxymethyl-chitosan, and agarose. Importantly, the method could be adapted to fabricate neural and nonneural tissues from other cell types, with the potential to be applied for both research and clinical product development.

The potential of tissue engineering for developing alternatives to animal experiments: a systematic review.

PubMed

de Vries, Rob B M; Leenaars, Marlies; Tra, Joppe; Huijbregtse, Robbertjan; Bongers, Erik; Jansen, John A; Gordijn, Bert; Ritskes-Hoitinga, Merel

2015-07-01

An underexposed ethical issue raised by tissue engineering is the use of laboratory animals in tissue engineering research. Even though this research results in suffering and loss of life in animals, tissue engineering also has great potential for the development of alternatives to animal experiments. With the objective of promoting a joint effort of tissue engineers and alternative experts to fully realise this potential, this study provides the first comprehensive overview of the possibilities of using tissue-engineered constructs as a replacement of laboratory animals. Through searches in two large biomedical databases (PubMed, Embase) and several specialised 3R databases, 244 relevant primary scientific articles, published between 1991 and 2011, were identified. By far most articles reviewed related to the use of tissue-engineered skin/epidermis for toxicological applications such as testing for skin irritation. This review article demonstrates, however, that the potential for the development of alternatives also extends to other tissues such as other epithelia and the liver, as well as to other fields of application such as drug screening and basic physiology. This review discusses which impediments need to be overcome to maximise the contributions that the field of tissue engineering can make, through the development of alternative methods, to the reduction of the use and suffering of laboratory animals. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Histochemistry in biology and medicine: a message from the citing journals.

PubMed

Pellicciari, Carlo

2015-12-23

Especially in recent years, biomedical research has taken advantage of the progress in several disciplines, among which microscopy and histochemistry. To assess the influence of histochemistry in the biomedical field, the articles published during the period 2011-2015 have been selected from different databases and grouped by subject categories: as expected, biological and biomedical studies where histochemistry has been used as a major experimental approach include a wide of basic and applied researches on both humans and other animal or plant organisms. To better understand the impact of histochemical publications onto the different biological and medical disciplines, it was useful to look at the journals where the articles published in a multidisciplinary journal of histochemistry have been cited: it was observed that, in the five-years period considered, 20% only of the citations were in histochemical periodicals, the remaining ones being in journals of Cell & Tissue biology,  general and experimental Medicine, Oncology, Biochemistry & Molecular biology, Neurobiology, Anatomy & Morphology, Pharmacology & Toxicology, Reproductive biology, Veterinary sciences, Physiology, Endocrinology, Tissue engineering & Biomaterials,  as well as in multidisciplinary journals.It is easy to foresee that also in the future the histochemical journals will be an attended forum for basic and applied scientists in the biomedical field. It will be crucial that these journals be open to an audience as varied as possible, publishing articles on the application of refined techniques to very different experimental models: this will stimulate non-histochemist scientists to approach histochemistry whose application horizon could expand to novel and possibly exclusive subjects.

Histochemistry in Biology and Medicine: A Message From the Citing Journals

PubMed Central

2015-01-01

Especially in recent years, biomedical research has taken advantage of the progress in several disciplines, among which microscopy and histochemistry. To assess the influence of histochemistry in the biomedical field, the articles published during the period 2011-2015 have been selected from different databases and grouped by subject categories. As expected, biological and biomedical studies where histochemistry has been used as a major experimental approach include a wide range of basic and applied researches on both humans and other animal or plant organisms. To better understand the impact of histochemical publications onto the different biological and medical disciplines, it was useful to look at the journals where the articles published in a multidisciplinary journal of histochemistry have been cited: it was observed that, in the five-years period considered, 20% only of the citations were in histochemical periodicals, the remaining ones being in journals of Cell & Tissue biology, general and experimental Medicine, Oncology, Biochemistry & Molecular biology, Neurobiology, Anatomy & Morphology, Pharmacology & Toxicology, Reproductive biology, Veterinary sciences, Physiology, Endocrinology, Tissue engineering & Biomaterials, as well as in multidisciplinary journals. It is easy to foresee that also in the future the histochemical journals will be an attended forum for basic and applied scientists in the biomedical field. It will be crucial that these journals be open to an audience as varied as possible, publishing articles on the application of refined techniques to very different experimental models: this will stimulate non-histochemist scientists to approach histochemistry whose application horizon could expand to novel and possibly exclusive subjects. PMID:26708189

Putting Electrospun Nanofibers to Work for Biomedical Research

PubMed Central

Xie, Jingwei; Li, Xiaoran; Xia, Younan

2009-01-01

Electrospinning has been exploited for almost one century to process polymers and related materials into nanofibers with controllable compositions, diameters, porosities, and porous structures for a variety of applications. Owing to its high porosity and large surface area, a non-woven mat of electrospun nanofibers can serve as an ideal scaffold to mimic the extracellular matrix for cell attachment and nutrient transportation. The nanofiber itself can also be functionalized through encapsulation or attachment of bioactive species such as extracellular matrix proteins, enzymes, and growth factors. In addition, the nanofibers can be further assembled into a variety of arrays or architectures by manipulating their alignment, stacking, or folding. All these attributes make electrospinning a powerful tool for generating nanostructured materials for a range of biomedical applications that include controlled release, drug delivery, and tissue engineering. PMID:20011452

KSC-04pd1498

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-07-07

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Disembarking from the boat in Key Largo are Otto Rutten and Marc Reagan, participating in the NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations 6 (NEEMO-6) mission at the NOAA Aquarius underwater station offshore. Rutten is director for the National Underwater Research Center; Reagan is mission lead. The NEEMO-6 mission involves exposing an astronaut/scientist crew to a real mission experience in an extreme environment to prepare for future space flight. Spacewalk-like diving excursions and field-tests on a variety of biomedical equipment are designed to help astronauts living aboard the International Space Station. The NEEMO-6 team comprises astronaut John Herrington, mission commander, astronauts Doug Wheelock and Nick Patrick, and biomedical engineer Tara Ruttley. To prepare for their 10-day stay, the team had dive training twice a day at the Life Support Buoy, anchored above Aquarius.

PERSPECTIVE: Consideration of user priorities when developing neural prosthetics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anderson, Kim D.

2009-10-01

For too long there has been separation of basic science, biomedical engineering, clinical science and the people these disciplines are serving. A key ingredient to understanding the real-life consequences of many neurologic disorders that produce physical disabilities, such as spinal cord injury, is to obtain valuable information from the individuals that are actually living with the disorders everyday. This information can be obtained in an objective and usable format, which can then be used to direct biomedical research in a manner that is meaningful to the intended beneficiaries. In particular, the field of neural prosthetics for spinal cord injury can make great strides if user input is obtained throughout the stages of development. Presented here is the perspective of a scientist who also has 20 years of experience living with a cervical spinal cord injury.

Bioresponsive materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lu, Yue; Aimetti, Alex A.; Langer, Robert; Gu, Zhen

2017-01-01

'Smart' bioresponsive materials that are sensitive to biological signals or to pathological abnormalities, and interact with or are actuated by them, are appealing therapeutic platforms for the development of next-generation precision medications. Armed with a better understanding of various biologically responsive mechanisms, researchers have made innovations in the areas of materials chemistry, biomolecular engineering, pharmaceutical science, and micro- and nanofabrication to develop bioresponsive materials for a range of applications, including controlled drug delivery, diagnostics, tissue engineering and biomedical devices. This Review highlights recent advances in the design of smart materials capable of responding to the physiological environment, to biomarkers and to biological particulates. Key design principles, challenges and future directions, including clinical translation, of bioresponsive materials are also discussed.

A Course in Medicine for Engineers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pimmel, Russell; Weed, H. R.

1974-01-01

Describes a course planned for bio-medical engineering students. Intended outcomes of the course include an understanding of medical problems, their courses, diagnosis and treatment, and an awareness of the physician's philosophy and approach. (GS)

Implementation and management of a biomedical observation dictionary in a large healthcare information system.

PubMed

Vandenbussche, Pierre-Yves; Cormont, Sylvie; André, Christophe; Daniel, Christel; Delahousse, Jean; Charlet, Jean; Lepage, Eric

2013-01-01

This study shows the evolution of a biomedical observation dictionary within the Assistance Publique Hôpitaux Paris (AP-HP), the largest European university hospital group. The different steps are detailed as follows: the dictionary creation, the mapping to logical observation identifier names and codes (LOINC), the integration into a multiterminological management platform and, finally, the implementation in the health information system. AP-HP decided to create a biomedical observation dictionary named AnaBio, to map it to LOINC and to maintain the mapping. A management platform based on methods used for knowledge engineering has been put in place. It aims at integrating AnaBio within the health information system and improving both the quality and stability of the dictionary. This new management platform is now active in AP-HP. The AnaBio dictionary is shared by 120 laboratories and currently includes 50 000 codes. The mapping implementation to LOINC reaches 40% of the AnaBio entries and uses 26% of LOINC records. The results of our work validate the choice made to develop a local dictionary aligned with LOINC. This work constitutes a first step towards a wider use of the platform. The next step will support the entire biomedical production chain, from the clinician prescription, through laboratory tests tracking in the laboratory information system to the communication of results and the use for decision support and biomedical research. In addition, the increase in the mapping implementation to LOINC ensures the interoperability allowing communication with other international health institutions.

Kennedy's Biomedical Laboratory Makes Multi-Tasking Look Easy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dunn, Carol Anne

2009-01-01

If it is one thing that Florida has in abundance, it is sunshine and with that sunshine heat and humidity. For workers at the Kennedy Space Center that have to work outside in the heat and humidity, heat exhaustion/stroke is a real possibility. It might help people to know that Kennedy's Biomedical Laboratory has been testing some new Koolvests(Trademark) that can be worn underneath SCAPE suits. They have also been working on how to block out high noise levels; in fact, Don Doerr, chief of the Biomedical Lab, says, "The most enjoyable aspect is knowing that the Biomedical Lab and the skills of its employees have been used to support safe space flight, not only for the astronaut flight crew, but just as important for the ground processing personnel as well." The NASA Biomedical Laboratory has existed in the John F. Kennedy's Operations and Checkout Building since the Apollo Program. The primary mission of this laboratory has been the biomedical support to major, manned space programs that have included Apollo, Apollo-Soyuz, Skylab, and Shuttle. In this mission, the laboratory has been responsible in accomplishing much of the technical design, planning, provision, fabrication, and maintenance of flight and ground biomedical monitoring instrumentation. This includes the electronics in the launch flight suit and similar instrumentation systems in the spacecraft. (Note: The Lab checked out the system for STS-128 at Pad A using Firing room 4 and ground support equipment in the lab.) During Apollo, there were six engineers and ten technicians in the facility. This has evolved today to two NASA engineers and two NASA technicians, a Life Science Support contract physiologist and part-time support from an LSSC nurse and physician. Over the years, the lab has enjoyed collaboration with outside agencies and investigators. These have included on-site support to the Ames Research Center bed rest studies (seven years) and the European Space Agency studies in Toulouse, France (two years). The lab has also actively collaborated with the US Army Institute for Surgical Research, the USAF School of Aerospace Medicine, and the USN Naval Experimental Diving Unit. Because the lab often evaluates various forms of commercial-off-the-shelf life support equipment, the laboratory works closely with private companies, both domestic and foreign. The European companies seem to be more proactive and participatory with the advancement of personal protective equipment. Because these companies have viewed the space program's unique need for advanced forms of personal protective equipment, some have responded with new designs based on the prediction that these advances will soon find markets in the commercial sector. Using much of the same skills and equipment, the laboratory also addresses physiological testing of humans by supporting flight experiments and personnel involved with ground processing. While Johnson Space Center is primarily responsible for flight experiments, the Kennedy's Biomedical Lab provides the local support. However, as stated above, there are many challenges facing KSC workers that gain the attention of this lab in the measurement of the problem and the selection and testing of countermeasures. These include respiratory protection, whole body suits, hearing protection and heat stress, among many others.

Optimization of Parameters for Manufacture Nanopowder Bioceramics at Machine Pulverisette 6 by Taguchi and ANOVA Method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Van Hoten, Hendri; Gunawarman; Mulyadi, Ismet Hari; Kurniawan Mainil, Afdhal; Putra, Bismantoloa dan

2018-02-01

This research is about manufacture nanopowder Bioceramics from local materials used Ball Milling for biomedical applications. Source materials for the manufacture of medicines are plants, animal tissues, microbial structures and engineering biomaterial. The form of raw material medicines is a powder before mixed. In the case of medicines, research is to find sources of biomedical materials that will be in the nanoscale powders can be used as raw material for medicine. One of the biomedical materials that can be used as raw material for medicine is of the type of bioceramics is chicken eggshells. This research will develop methods for manufacture nanopowder material from chicken eggshells with Ball Milling using the Taguchi method and ANOVA. Eggshell milled using a variation of Milling rate on 150, 200 and 250 rpm, the time variation of 1, 2 and 3 hours and variations the grinding balls to eggshell powder weight ratio (BPR) 1: 6, 1: 8, 1: 10. Before milled with Ball Milling crushed eggshells in advance and calcinate to a temperature of 900°C. After the milled material characterization of the fine powder of eggshell using SEM to see its size. The result of this research is optimum parameter of Taguchi Design analysis that is 250 rpm milling rate, 3 hours milling time and BPR is 1: 6 with the average eggshell powder size is 1.305 μm. Milling speed, milling time and ball to powder weight of ratio have contribution successively equal to 60.82%, 30.76% and 6.64% by error equal to 1.78%.

Utility and translatability of mathematical modeling, cell culture and small and large animal models in magnetic nanoparticle hyperthermia cancer treatment research

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hoopes, P. J.; Petryk, Alicia A.; Misra, Adwiteeya; Kastner, Elliot J.; Pearce, John A.; Ryan, Thomas P.

2015-03-01

For more than 50 years, hyperthermia-based cancer researchers have utilized mathematical models, cell culture studies and animal models to better understand, develop and validate potential new treatments. It has been, and remains, unclear how and to what degree these research techniques depend on, complement and, ultimately, translate accurately to a successful clinical treatment. In the past, when mathematical models have not proven accurate in a clinical treatment situation, the initiating quantitative scientists (engineers, mathematicians and physicists) have tended to believe the biomedical parameters provided to them were inaccurately determined or reported. In a similar manner, experienced biomedical scientists often tend to question the value of mathematical models and cell culture results since those data typically lack the level of biologic and medical variability and complexity that are essential to accurately study and predict complex diseases and subsequent treatments. Such quantitative and biomedical interdependence, variability, diversity and promise have never been greater than they are within magnetic nanoparticle hyperthermia cancer treatment. The use of hyperthermia to treat cancer is well studied and has utilized numerous delivery techniques, including microwaves, radio frequency, focused ultrasound, induction heating, infrared radiation, warmed perfusion liquids (combined with chemotherapy), and, recently, metallic nanoparticles (NP) activated by near infrared radiation (NIR) and alternating magnetic field (AMF) based platforms. The goal of this paper is to use proven concepts and current research to address the potential pathobiology, modeling and quantification of the effects of treatment as pertaining to the similarities and differences in energy delivered by known external delivery techniques and iron oxide nanoparticles.

Integrated interdisciplinary training in the radiological sciences.

PubMed

Brenner, D J; Vazquez, M; Buonanno, M; Amundson, S A; Bigelow, A W; Garty, G; Harken, A D; Hei, T K; Marino, S A; Ponnaiya, B; Randers-Pehrson, G; Xu, Y

2014-02-01

The radiation sciences are increasingly interdisciplinary, both from the research and the clinical perspectives. Beyond clinical and research issues, there are very real issues of communication between scientists from different disciplines. It follows that there is an increasing need for interdisciplinary training courses in the radiological sciences. Training courses are common in biomedical academic and clinical environments, but are typically targeted to scientists in specific technical fields. In the era of multidisciplinary biomedical science, there is a need for highly integrated multidisciplinary training courses that are designed for, and are useful to, scientists who are from a mix of very different academic fields and backgrounds. We briefly describe our experiences running such an integrated training course for researchers in the field of biomedical radiation microbeams, and draw some conclusions about how such interdisciplinary training courses can best function. These conclusions should be applicable to many other areas of the radiological sciences. In summary, we found that it is highly beneficial to keep the scientists from the different disciplines together. In practice, this means not segregating the training course into sections specifically for biologists and sections specifically for physicists and engineers, but rather keeping the students together to attend the same lectures and hands-on studies throughout the course. This structure added value to the learning experience not only in terms of the cross fertilization of information and ideas between scientists from the different disciplines, but also in terms of reinforcing some basic concepts for scientists in their own discipline.

The Emergence of a Community of Practice in Engineering Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kolikant, Yifat Ben-David; McKenna, Ann; Yalvac, Bugrahan

2006-01-01

This chapter describes how engineering faculty and learning scientists developed a collective wisdom--shared language, capabilities, and world view--in order to work together to achieve a common goal of developing course materials in the domain of biomedical engineering. (Contains 1 table and 1 figure.)

New roles & responsibilities of hospital biomedical engineering.

PubMed

Frisch, P H; Stone, B; Booth, P; Lui, W

2014-01-01

Over the last decade the changing healthcare environment has required hospitals and specifically Biomedical Engineering to critically evaluate, optimize and adapt their operations. The focus is now on new technologies, changes to the environment of care, support requirements and financial constraints. Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC), an NIH-designated comprehensive cancer center, has been transitioning to an increasing outpatient care environment. This transition is driving an increase in-patient acuity coupled with the need for added urgency of support and response time. New technologies, regulatory requirements and financial constraints have impacted operating budgets and in some cases, resulted in a reduction in staffing. Specific initiatives, such as the Joint Commission's National Patient Safety Goals, requirements for an electronic medical record, meaningful use and ICD10 have caused institutions to reevaluate their operations and processes including requiring Biomedical Engineering to manage new technologies, integrations and changes in the electromagnetic environment, while optimizing operational workflow and resource utilization. This paper addresses the new and expanding responsibilities and approach of Biomedical Engineering organizations, specifically at MSKCC. It is suggested that our experience may be a template for other organizations facing similar problems. Increasing support is necessary for Medical Software - Medical Device Data Systems in the evolving wireless environment, including RTLS and RFID. It will be necessary to evaluate the potential impact on the growing electromagnetic environment, on connectivity resulting in the need for dynamic and interactive testing and the growing demand to establish new and needed operational synergies with Information Technology operations and other operational groups within the institution, such as nursing, facilities management, central supply, and the user departments.

Exploration of Global Trend on Biomedical Application of Polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA): A Patent Survey.

PubMed

Ponnaiah, Paulraj; Vnoothenei, Nagiah; Chandramohan, Muruganandham; Thevarkattil, Mohamed Javad Pazhayakath

2018-01-30

Polyhydroxyalkanoates are bio-based, biodegradable naturally occurring polymers produced by a wide range of organisms, from bacteria to higher mammals. The properties and biocompatibility of PHA make it possible for a wide spectrum of applications. In this context, we analyze the potential applications of PHA in biomedical science by exploring the global trend through the patent survey. The survey suggests that PHA is an attractive candidate in such a way that their applications are widely distributed in the medical industry, drug delivery system, dental material, tissue engineering, packaging material as well as other useful products. In our present study, we explored patents associated with various biomedical applications of polyhydroxyalkanoates. Patent databases of European Patent Office, United States Patent and Trademark Office and World Intellectual Property Organization were mined. We developed an intensive exploration approach to eliminate overlapping patents and sort out significant patents. We demarcated the keywords and search criterions and established search patterns for the database request. We retrieved documents within the recent 6 years, 2010 to 2016 and sort out the collected data stepwise to gather the most appropriate documents in patent families for further scrutiny. By this approach, we retrieved 23,368 patent documents from all the three databases and the patent titles were further analyzed for the relevance of polyhydroxyalkanoates in biomedical applications. This ensued in the documentation of approximately 226 significant patents associated with biomedical applications of polyhydroxyalkanoates and the information was classified into six major groups. Polyhydroxyalkanoates has been patented in such a way that their applications are widely distributed in the medical industry, drug delivery system, dental material, tissue engineering, packaging material as well as other useful products. There are many avenues through which PHA & PHB could be used. Our analysis shows patent information can be used to identify various applications of PHA and its representatives in the biomedical field. Upcoming studies can focus on the application of PHA in the different field to discover the related topics and associate to this study. We believe that this approach of analysis and findings can initiate new researchers to undertake similar kind of studies in their represented field to fill the gap between the patent articles and researchpublications. Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.org.

FAQ's | College of Engineering & Applied Science

Science.gov Websites

zipped (compressed) format. This will help when the file is very large or created by one of the high end Milwaukee Engineer People Faculty and Staff Biomedical Engineering Civil & Environmental Engineering Computer Labs Technical Questions The labs are generally open 24/7, how will I know when a lab/system

Laser direct writing of combinatorial libraries of idealized cellular constructs: Biomedical applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schiele, Nathan R.; Koppes, Ryan A.; Corr, David T.; Ellison, Karen S.; Thompson, Deanna M.; Ligon, Lee A.; Lippert, Thomas K. M.; Chrisey, Douglas B.

2009-03-01

The ability to control cell placement and to produce idealized cellular constructs is essential for understanding and controlling intercellular processes and ultimately for producing engineered tissue replacements. We have utilized a novel intra-cavity variable aperture excimer laser operated at 193 nm to reproducibly direct write mammalian cells with micrometer resolution to form a combinatorial array of idealized cellular constructs. We deposited patterns of human dermal fibroblasts, mouse myoblasts, rat neural stem cells, human breast cancer cells, and bovine pulmonary artery endothelial cells to study aspects of collagen network formation, breast cancer progression, and neural stem cell proliferation, respectively. Mammalian cells were deposited by matrix assisted pulsed laser evaporation direct write from ribbons comprised of a UV transparent quartz coated with either a thin layer of extracellular matrix or triazene as a dynamic release layer using CAD/CAM control. We demonstrate that through optical imaging and incorporation of a machine vision algorithm, specific cells on the ribbon can be laser deposited in spatial coherence with respect to geometrical arrays and existing cells on the receiving substrate. Having the ability to direct write cells into idealized cellular constructs can help to answer many biomedical questions and advance tissue engineering and cancer research.

An attention-based BiLSTM-CRF approach to document-level chemical named entity recognition.

PubMed

Luo, Ling; Yang, Zhihao; Yang, Pei; Zhang, Yin; Wang, Lei; Lin, Hongfei; Wang, Jian

2018-04-15

In biomedical research, chemical is an important class of entities, and chemical named entity recognition (NER) is an important task in the field of biomedical information extraction. However, most popular chemical NER methods are based on traditional machine learning and their performances are heavily dependent on the feature engineering. Moreover, these methods are sentence-level ones which have the tagging inconsistency problem. In this paper, we propose a neural network approach, i.e. attention-based bidirectional Long Short-Term Memory with a conditional random field layer (Att-BiLSTM-CRF), to document-level chemical NER. The approach leverages document-level global information obtained by attention mechanism to enforce tagging consistency across multiple instances of the same token in a document. It achieves better performances with little feature engineering than other state-of-the-art methods on the BioCreative IV chemical compound and drug name recognition (CHEMDNER) corpus and the BioCreative V chemical-disease relation (CDR) task corpus (the F-scores of 91.14 and 92.57%, respectively). Data and code are available at https://github.com/lingluodlut/Att-ChemdNER. yangzh@dlut.edu.cn or wangleibihami@gmail.com. Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.

Considerations of education in the field of biophotonics in engineering: the experience of the subject fundamentals of biophotonics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fanjul-Vélez, F.; Arce-Diego, J. L.

2017-12-01

Education in the field of photonics is usually somehow complex due to the fact that most of the programs include just a few subjects on the field, apart from specific Master programs in Photonics. There are also specific doctorate programs dealing with photonics. Apart from the problems shared with photonics in education in general, biophotonics specifically needs an interdisciplinary approach between biomedical and technical or scientific fields. In this work, we present our education experience in teaching the subject Fundamentals of Biophotonics, intended preferentially to engineering Bachelor and Master degrees students, but also to science and medicine students. First it was necessary to join a teaching group coming from the scientific technical and medical fields, working together in the subject. This task was easier as our research group, the Applied Optical Techniques group, had previous contacts and experience in working with medicine professors and medical doctors at hospitals. The orientation of the subject, intended for both technical and medical students, has to be carefully selected. All this information could be employed by other education institutions willing to implement studies on biomedical optics.

Fabrication and Characterization of Electrospun PCL-MgO-Keratin-Based Composite Nanofibers for Biomedical Applications

PubMed Central

Boakye, Maame A. D.; Rijal, Nava P.; Adhikari, Udhab; Bhattarai, Narayan

2015-01-01

Polymeric nanofibers are of great interest in biomedical applications, such as tissue engineering, drug delivery and wound healing, due to their ability to mimic and restore the function of natural extracellular matrix (ECM) found in tissues. Electrospinning has been heavily used to fabricate nanofibers because of its reliability and effectiveness. In our research, we fabricated poly(ε-caprolactone)-(PCL), magnesium oxide-(MgO) and keratin (K)-based composite nanofibers by electrospinning a blend solution of PCL, MgO and/or K. The electrospun nanofibers were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), mechanical tensile testing and inductively-coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES). Nanofibers with diameters in the range of 0.2–2.2 µm were produced by using different ratios of PCL/MgO and PCL-K/MgO. These fibers showed a uniform morphology with suitable mechanical properties; ultimate tensile strength up to 3 MPa and Young’s modulus 10 MPa. The structural integrity of nanofiber mats was retained in aqueous and phosphate buffer saline (PBS) medium. This study provides a new composite material with structural and material properties suitable for potential application in tissue engineering. PMID:28793426

Molecular Imaging in Synthetic Biology, and Synthetic Biology in Molecular Imaging.

PubMed

Gilad, Assaf A; Shapiro, Mikhail G

2017-06-01

Biomedical synthetic biology is an emerging field in which cells are engineered at the genetic level to carry out novel functions with relevance to biomedical and industrial applications. This approach promises new treatments, imaging tools, and diagnostics for diseases ranging from gastrointestinal inflammatory syndromes to cancer, diabetes, and neurodegeneration. As these cellular technologies undergo pre-clinical and clinical development, it is becoming essential to monitor their location and function in vivo, necessitating appropriate molecular imaging strategies, and therefore, we have created an interest group within the World Molecular Imaging Society focusing on synthetic biology and reporter gene technologies. Here, we highlight recent advances in biomedical synthetic biology, including bacterial therapy, immunotherapy, and regenerative medicine. We then discuss emerging molecular imaging approaches to facilitate in vivo applications, focusing on reporter genes for noninvasive modalities such as magnetic resonance, ultrasound, photoacoustic imaging, bioluminescence, and radionuclear imaging. Because reporter genes can be incorporated directly into engineered genetic circuits, they are particularly well suited to imaging synthetic biological constructs, and developing them provides opportunities for creative molecular and genetic engineering.

Biomedical Research Division significant accomplishments for FY 1983

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Martello, N. V.

1984-01-01

Various research and technology activities of Ames Research Center's Biomedical Research Division are described. Contributions to the Space Administration's goals in the life sciences include research in operational medicine, cardiovascular deconditioning, motion sickness, bone alterations, muscle atrophy, fluid and electrolyte changes, radiation effects and protection, human behavior and performance, general biomedical research, and gravitational biology.

A knowledge representation view on biomedical structure and function.

PubMed Central

Schulz, Stefan; Hahn, Udo

2002-01-01

In biomedical ontologies, structural and functional considerations are of outstanding importance, and concepts which belong to these two categories are highly interdependent. At the representational level both axes must be clearly kept separate in order to support disciplined ontology engineering. Furthermore, the biaxial organization of physical structure (both by a taxonomic and partonomic order) entails intricate patterns of inference. We here propose a layered encoding of taxonomic, partonomic and functional aspects of biomedical concepts using description logics. PMID:12463912

United States Air Force Graduate Student Summer Support Program 1986. Program Technical Report. Volume 2

DTIC Science & Technology

1986-12-01

Engineering University of Wisconsin- Madison Mechanics, 1985 Dept. of Engineering Mechanics Specialty: Engineering Mechanics 1415 Johnson Drive Assigned: RPL... Madison , WI 53706 (608) 262-3990 Brian J. Doherty Degree: B.S.E., Bioenginnering, 1984 Duke University Specialty: Bloengineering Biomedical Engineering...Assigned: ML Kent, OH 44242 (216) 672-2246 Gregory L. Walker Degree: B.S., Engineering University of Wisconsin- Madison Mechanics, 1985 Engineering