ME471

Bio-Engineering
Day Time
Sunday 9 am
Monday 8 - 10 am

Sheikh Mohammad Shavik, PhD

Associate Professor
Dept. of ME, BUET
Office: Room no. ME419, ME Building
Email: shavik@[Link]

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Course Content
▪ Introduction to human musculoskeletal system; Biomechanics of
human movement: applications of engineering mechanics to the
movements of muscles, bones and skeletal joints; Material and
structural characteristics of bones, ligaments, muscle/tendons and
joints - alternative materials.

▪ Introduction to biomechanical fluid mechanics; Engineering approach

to the function of circulatory and respiratory systems involving fluid
dynamics.

▪ Introduction to biomedical instrumentation; Ultrasound, x-ray, laser,

microwave and ultra-violet rays - physics and technology of generation
- their use in diagnostic, therapeutic, and processing applications in
medicine and industry.

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Course Objectives
1. Identify the primary functions of muscles, bones, and skeletal joints from
engineering perspective
2. Apply engineering mechanics principles to analyze and quantify forces
and torques in human movement
3. Discuss the engineering perspective on the circulatory and respiratory
systems
4. Apply fluid mechanics principles to analyze the function of circulatory and
respiratory systems
5. Identify the various diagnostic and therapeutic applications of biomedical
instrumentation
6. Describe the physics and technology behind diagnostic tools such as
ultrasound, x-ray, laser, microwave, and ultra-violet rays.

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Course Outcomes
After successfully completing this course, students will be able to
▪ Identify the key components of muscles, bones, and skeletal joints
▪ Explain the interactions and coordination between muscles, bones, and
joints in human movement
▪ Apply principles of engineering mechanics to analyze and understand the
biomechanics of human movement
▪ Apply fluid mechanics principles to analyze the function of circulatory and
respiratory systems
▪ Explain the fundamental principles of biomedical instrumentation
▪ Explore the physics and technology behind diagnostic tools such as
ultrasound, x-ray, laser, microwave, ultra-violet rays

ME471 Department of Mechanical Engineering, BUET

Bioengineering vs. Biomedical Engineering
▪ Bioengineering: the study of applied engineering practices in general biology
• Bioengineers’ work often focuses on general theory that can be applied to
various areas of natural sciences to solve problems
• several branches that specialize in a specific element of biology and
engineering cohesion, such as agriculture, pharmaceuticals, natural
resources, foodstuffs etc.
• practices are applied across many different sectors, including health care,
technology, and the environment
▪ Biomedical engineering: specialized area of bioengineering that puts many of
the discipline’s principal theories into practice to improve human health
• focuses on the production of new tools and processes that can be used in
various healthcare contexts
• also work to advance the efficacy of natural processes through
biotechnology, such as tissue regeneration and cell diffusion
▪ By looking into course content, this course should have been named
“Biomedical Engineering” rather than “Bioengineering”

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Bioengineering
▪ Some focus areas:
• The development of improved species of plants and animals for food
production
• The invention of new medical diagnostic tests for diseases
• The production of synthetic vaccines from clone cells
• Bioenvironmental engineering to protect human, animal, and plant life from
toxicants and pollutants
• The study of protein-surface interactions
• Modeling of the growth kinetics of yeast and hybridoma cells
• Research in immobilized enzyme technology
• The development of therapeutic proteins and monoclonal antibodies

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Biomedical Engineering
▪BME = Medicine + Engineering

Medicine: Engineering
• Diagnosis • Identify the problem
• Prognosis • Define the constraints
• Treatment • Generate ideas
• Prevention • Select approach
• Develop design
• Test solution
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Biomedical Engineering
▪ Biomedical engineers apply electrical, chemical, optical, mechanical, and
other engineering principles to understand, modify, or control biological
(i.e., human and animal) systems.

Some focus areas of biomedical engineering

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Textbooks
▪ Introduction to Biomedical Engineering, John D. Enderle & Joseph D.
Bronzino
▪ Introductory Biomechanics: From Cells to Organisms, C. Ross Ethier & Craig A.
Simmons
▪ Basic Biomechanics of the Musculoskeletal system, M Nordin V Frankel
▪ Skeletal Tissue Mechanics, R Bruce Martin David B Burr Neil A Sharkey
▪ Medical Instrumentation: Application and Design, John G. Webster (Editor)
▪ Biomechanics: Mechanical Properties of Living Tissues, Y. C. Fung
▪ Biomechanics: Motion, Flow, Stress, Growth, Y. C. Fung
▪ Biomechanics: Circulation, Y. C. Fung
▪ Cardiovascular Solid Mechanics: Cells, Tissues, and Organs, Jay D. Humphrey

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Biomedical Engineering: Brief History
▪ Modern healthcare system – mostly established in 20th century
▪ 20th century had rapid advances in the basic sciences (chemistry, physics,
physiology, pharmacology and so on..)
▪ Discoveries in physical sciences – rapidly expanded medical research
▪ Electrocardiograph discovery – 1903, W. Einthoven – initiated the era of
cardiovascular medicine and electronic medicine

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Biomedical Engineering: Brief History
▪ X-ray – one of the most significant discoveries for clinical medicine

▪ W. K. Roentgen described his “new kinds of rays” (1895) - the human body
was opened to medical inspection

▪ Initially used for diagnosis of bone fractures an dislocations

▪ USA - x-ray machines used in most urban hospitals

▪ Separate departments of radiology were established - the influence of their

activities spread with almost every department of medicine (surgery,
gynecology, and so forth) advancing with the aid of this new tool

▪ By 1930s - x-ray visualization of practically all the organ systems of the body
was possible

▪ x-ray – helped to diagnose a wide variety of diseases and injuries accurately

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Biomedical Engineering: Brief History

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Biomedical Engineering: Brief History
▪ Sulfanilamide - mid-1930s and penicillin - early 1940s
• significantly reduced the main danger of hospitalization: cross-infection
among patients
• surgeons were able to perform their operations without prohibitive
morbidity and mortality due to infection
▪ Blood banks - 1930s, when technology provided adequate refrigeration
▪ Drinker respirator (Iron lung) – 1927
▪ Heart Lung bypass – 1939
▪ Cardiac catheterization and angiography (the use of a cannula threaded
through an arm vein and into the heart with the injection of radiopaque dye for
the x-ray visualization of lung and heart vessels and valves) - 1940
• Accurate diagnosis of congenital and acquired heart disease (mainly valve disorders
due to rheumatic fever) also became possible, and a new era of cardiac and vascular
surgery began

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Biomedical Engineering: Brief History
▪ Biomedical engineering discipline developed post-WWII
▪ Kidney dialysis -Willem Kolff (1940s)
▪ Polio vaccines -Jonas Salk (1940s and 50s)
▪ Artificial heart valve -Charles A. Hufnagel (1952)
▪ First external cardiac pacemaker (1958)

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Biomedical Engineering: Brief History
▪ Rapid growth: post World War II era

▪ Technology in the United States blossomed

▪ From 1900 to 1929: Nobel Prize winners in physiology or medicine came

primarily from Europe, with no American among them

▪ 1930 to 1944, just before the end of World War II: 19 Americans were
honored as Nobel Prize Laureates

▪ Postwar period (1945–1975): 102 American life scientists earned similar

honors

▪ 1975 – 2009: 191

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Biomedical Engineering: Brief History
▪ First biomedical engineering departments formed (late 1960s)
• University of Virginia
• Case Western Reserve University
• Johns Hopkins University
• Duke University
▪ Recombinant DNA technology (1970s)
▪ Robotic Surgery

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Bio/Biomedical Engineering: Brief History
▪ 1960s – electronic revolution
▪ Imaging technology – Computed tomography (CT), Magnetic Resonance
Imaging (MRI)

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Biomedical Engineering: Brief History

Stem cell research

Transplantations performed today

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Human Body is the “Ultimate Machine”
▪ The body is the “ultimate
machine”
• 650 skeletal muscles
• 206 bones
▪ Powered by the ultimate pump
• Heart
• circulates fluids and beats ~2.5
billion times in a lifetime
• Anticipates when you’ll be
active, capable of speeding up
/ slowing down to give you the
fuel you need

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Human Body is the “Ultimate Machine”
▪ Capable of self-repair
• Skin cells have a lifespan of 2-3 weeks
• Colon cells: 4 days

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Human Body is the “Ultimate Machine”
▪ Intelligent
• ~86 billion neurons (each capable of sending pulses of electricity to
other neurons)
• Each neuron makes ~1000 connections with other neurons (100
trillion connections in total)

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Human Body is the “Ultimate Machine”

▪ Powered by food
▪ Food is broken down into
smaller molecules:
• Proteins → amino acids
• Polysaccharides → sugars
• Lipids → fatty acids and
glycerol
▪ Smaller molecules generate
energy for your body

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Human Body is the “Ultimate Machine”
▪ Can sense its environment
• Sight: eyes detect single photons of light
• Dilate to let more light in
• High sensitivity range
• 3 different color sensitive photoreceptors (we can distinguish ~10
million colors)
• Smell: nose detects ~1000 different chemical compounds → 10,000
different odors

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But it’s not perfect...
▪ Susceptible to disease
• Viruses
• Bacteria
▪ Injuries
▪ Key genetic mutations
▪ Age

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What do biomedical engineers do?
▪ BME Focus Areas
• Biomechanics
• Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering
• Biomedical Devices
• Bioimaging and Signal Processing
• Cellular and Molecular Biotechnology
• Neuroengineering and more….

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How Engineers Approach Problems

Identify Define
Generate
the the
ideas
problem Constraints

Select Develop Test

approach design solution

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Identify the Problem

Engineering Medicine
▪ Identify the needs ▪ Identify the symptoms

▪ Create a problem statement ▪ Utilize diagnostic tests and

• Who has the problem/need? assessments to define the problem
• What is the problem/need? • Imaging tests
• Why is it important? • Physical exams
• Patient histories

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Define the Constraints

Engineering Medicine
▪ Describe conditions that must be ▪ Describe conditions that must be
met with design solution met with treatment method
▪ Limit design possibilities by ▪ Limit treatment options based on
excluding or requiring additional various factors
specifications • Cost
• Cost • Time
• Size • Patient values
• Weight • Medical expertise
• Material
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Generate ideas

Engineering Medicine
▪ Brainstorm multiple solutions ▪ Consider alternative treatment
▪ Study existing solutions methods
• Identify aspects of existing • Surgery vs. medications
solutions that can be utilized ▪ Examine existing treatments
or improved • Determine current downfalls
▪ Research ▪ Research

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Select approach

Engineering Medicine
▪ Describe advantages and ▪ Describe risks and benefits of each
disadvantages of all possible treatment option
solutions ▪ Ensure that treatment plan is
▪ Ensure that design criteria and appropriate for patient’s diagnosis
constraints are satisfied and prognosis
▪ Identify an optimal approach ▪ Identify an optimal treatment plan

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Develop design

Engineering Medicine
▪ Refine approach based on problem ▪ Refine approach based on patient
specifics specifics
▪ Establish design function and ▪ Establish treatment component
structure • Design device
• Build prototype • Develop pharmaceutical
• Create simulations

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Test solution

Engineering Medicine
▪ Iterate design process to improve ▪ Clinical trials to identify any
current work and identify any common flaws or dangers
remaining flaws associated with a treatment
▪ Continuously evaluate feedback ▪ Patient follow-ups post treatment
and possible improvements or to ensure successful individual
upgrades available for design therapy

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Ethics / Morals
From the Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES) Code of Ethics
▪ Professional Obligations
• Use knowledge, skills, and abilities to enhance the safety, health, and
welfare of the public
• Strive by action, example, and influence to increase the competence,
prestige, and honor of the the BME profession

▪ Health Care Obligations

• Regard responsibility toward and rights of patients, including those of
confidentiality and privacy as their primary concern
• Consider the larger consequences of their work in regard to cost,
availability, and delivery of healthcare

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Ethics / Morals
▪ Research Obligations
• Comply fully with legal, ethical, institutional, governmental, and other
applicable research guidelines, respecting the rights of and exercising
the responsibilities to colleagues, humans and animal subjects, and the
scientific and general public
• Publish and/or present properly credited results of research accurately
and clearly

▪ Training Obligations
• Honor the responsibility not only to train BME students in proper
professional conduction in performing research and publishing results,
but also to model such conduct before them
• Keep training methods and content free from inappropriate influence
from special interests

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References
▪ Introduction to Biomedical Engineering, John D. Enderle & Joseph D.
Bronzino
▪ Introductory Biomechanics: From Cells to Organisms, C. Ross Ethier &
Craig A. Simmons
▪ Gelfand Center, Biomedical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University,
[Link]/gelfand, [Link]/bme
▪ Biomedical Engineering Society Code of Ethics - BMES
▪ Stock images from different websites

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