Biomedical Engineering

Define/ what is biomedical engineering - is the application of engineering principles and design concepts to medicine and biology. This field seeks to close the gap between engineering and medicine.

• It is the study of engineering principles and techniques that are applied in the medical field to develop new procedures or to conduct research required to solve clinical problems.

• We can also explain as a biomedical engineer has to be an expert in engineering sciences, biological sciences and medical sciences. They must be capable of defining a medical problem in engineering terms and find a solution that satisfies both engineering and clinical requirements.
• Artificial replacements for organs, pacemakers, contact lenses, cardiac valves, and surgical devices (such as magnetic resonance imaging machine and laser systems for eyes) are some of the innovations of this branch of engineering.
• The course is designed in such a way that a student can build a career in the biomedical world using influences from others streams such as bio-instrumentation, bio-materials, bio-mechanics, medical imaging, genetic engineering, orthopedic surgery, cellular, tissue engineering, and biotechnology, which are fairly new in India.
•  The field has gathered considerable momentum in the past decade and with the advent of sophisticated medical technologies, career opportunities are bound to grow rapidly.

Streams/Branches of biomedical engineering

• Design Engineers - Designing
• Development Engineers - deal with connecting all systems in a completed automobile
• Manufacturing Engineers - deal with activities like how to create and assemble the whole parts of automobiles

The specializations in biomedical engineering includes the areas like

• Biomechanics
• Bioelectricity
• Drug Delivery
• Functional Genomics: Microarray Technology,
• Integrated Systems, and Analysis Tools
• Imaging
• Instrumentation and Patient Monitoring

• Nanotechnology
• Informatics and Computational Methods
• Medical Implants: Sensors and Devices
• Rehabilitation and Prostheses
• Cell and Tissue Engineering
• Biomaterials
• Integrative Physiology and Biophysical Modeling

Career in biomedical engineering

• Biomedical engineering is one of the courses preferred by talented individuals in the field of engineering and medical sciences. There are enormous opportunities in this field.
• Biomedical engineers are employed in universities, in industry, in hospitals, in research faculties of educational and medical institutions, in teaching, and in government regulatory agencies.
• They often serve a coordinating or interfacing function, using their background in both the engineering and medical fields.In
• industry, they may create designs where an in-depth understanding of living systems and of technology is essential.
• They may be involved in performance testing of new or proposed products. Government positions often involve product testing and safety as well as establishing safety standards for devices.
• In the hospital, the biomedical engineer may provide advice on the selection and use of medical equipment, as well as supervising its performance testing and maintenance.
• They may also build customized devices for special health care or research needs. In research institutions, biomedical engineers supervise laboratories and equipment, and participate in or direct research activities in collaboration with other researchers with such backgrounds as medicine, physiology, and nursing.
• Some biomedical engineers are technical advisors for marketing departments of companies and some are in  management positions.
• Some biomedical engineers also have advanced training in other fields. For example, many biomedical engineers also have an M.D. degree, thereby combining an understanding of advanced technology with direct patient care or clinical research which further increases their job prospects. 

Followings are some of the employers in this field:

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On the Job

• Develop software to detect abnormal heart rhythms for use in a cardiac pacemaker.
• Design the next generation of hip implants using modern materials and mechanical design considerations.
• Investigate and perfect a novel drug delivery method to treat a chronic disease which requires constant blood levels of the particular medicine.
• Bring a product to market through the Food and Drug Administration's very involved pre-market approval process which requires extensive clinical testing.
• Manage a large hospital based group of biomedical equipment technicians and provide the hospital with engineering expertise in the evaluation of new and expensive technologies.
• Design and build a unique research device as part of a multidisciplinary research team to enable scientific discovery.
• Advance the state of the art one of the many modern imaging modalities (PET, MRI, CAT scans) either in the progression of current technology or the development of new ones.
• Develop an advanced coding/stimulation scheme for a cochlear implant which provides auditory inputs to people with significant hearing deficits.
• Analyze a special communications or mobility need of a handicapped patient and develop the appropriate enabling technology.

Courses

Under Graduate

• BE Biomedical Engineering

• B. Tech Biological Sciences and Bioengineering
• B. Tech Biomedical Engineering
• B. Tech Biomedical Instrumentation

Postgraduate

• M. Tech Bio Engineering
• M. Tech Biological Sciences and Bioengineering
• M. Tech Biomedical Engineering
• M. Tech Biomedical Instrumentation

 Diploma

Certificate Course

Colleges

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