Biology for Engineers (CSE)
Module -5
TRENDS IN BIOENGINEERING
Skeletal muscle architecture is one of the most important
properties that determine a muscle’s force and excursion
capability,
Muscles have a range of functions from pumping blood and
supporting movement to lifting heavy weights or giving birth.
Muscles work by either contracting or relaxing to cause
movement.
It's estimated that there are over 650 named skeletal muscles in
your body.
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Biology for Engineers (CSE)
The largest muscle in the body is the gluteus maximus. Located
at the back of the hip, it is also known as the buttocks.
The stapedius muscle is the smallest muscle of the human body,
measuring approximately 6 millimeters in length. It is located in
the tympanic cavity in the middle ear
Bones, muscles and joints make up the musculoskeletal system,
along with cartilage, tendons, ligaments and connective tissue.
This system gives your body its structure and support and lets
you move around.
The parts of the musculoskeletal system grow and change
throughout life.
Skeletal system, whose main component is the bone.
Mobility. The muscular system's main function is to allow
movement. ...
Stability. Muscle tendons stretch over joints and contribute to
joint stability. ...
Posture. ...
Circulation. ...
Respiration. ...
Digestion. ...
Urination. ...
Childbirth.
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Biology for Engineers (CSE)
The goal of tissue engineering is to assemble functional constructs that restore,
maintain, or improve damaged tissues or whole organs.
Artificial skin and cartilage are examples of engineered tissues that have been
approved by the FDA; however, currently they have limited use in human
patients.
Scaffolds, typically made of polymeric biomaterials, provide the
structural support for cell attachment and subsequent tissue development.
Scaffolds for tissue engineering are devices or constructions with specific
and complex physical and biological functions that interact through
biochemical and physical signals with cells and, when implanted, with the
body environment.
Generally, groups of cells make and secrete their own support structures,
called extra-cellular matrix. This matrix, or scaffold, does more than just
support the cells; it also acts as a relay station for various signaling
molecules.
Dystrophy is the degeneration of tissue, due to disease or malnutrition,
most likely due to heredity.
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Biology for Engineers (CSE)
Muscular dystrophies (MD) are a genetically and clinically heterogeneous
group of rare neuromuscular diseases that cause progressive weakness
and breakdown of skeletal muscles over time.
Muscular dystrophies are caused by mutations in genes, usually those
involved in making muscle [Link] is no cure for any disorder
from the muscular dystrophy group.
Duchenne muscular dystrophy is associated with an increased risk of
bone fragility due to the adverse effects of prolonged glucocorticoid
therapy and progressive muscle weakness on bone strength.
Bioprinting techniques and materials:
Bioprinting refers specifically to the printing of live cellular material, usually
mixed in with a polymer (i.e. biomaterial) of choice.
Bioprinting is a method of tissue replication that uses 'bioinks' that are
engineered to print artificial living tissues like skin.
Bioprinting temporarily or permanently supports and nurtures living cells.
There are several different bioprinting methods that can be used to pattern
biomaterials with cells to create 3D tissue models. The most popular methods
include 2D and 3D, inkjet-, laser-, or extrusion-based bioprinting.
The ink used in bioprinting…
Since fast gelation leads to good printability, bioprinting mainly utilizes
alginate, modified alginate alone or alginate blended with other biomaterials.
Alginate has become the most widely used natural polymer for bioprinting and
is most likely the most common material of choice for in vivo studies.
While a wide variety of materials are used for bioinks, the most popular
materials include gelatin methacrylol (GelMA), collagen, poly(ethylene glycol)
(PEG), Pluronic®, alginate, and decellularized extracellular matrix (ECM)-
based materials
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Biology for Engineers (CSE)
3D printing of ear:
The cultured living cells were put into a “bioink” made of collagen. A 3D printer then
deposits the bioink layer after layer to create the right shape — a mirror image of the ear. A
final biodegradable shell shields the implant while it generates cartilage.
AuriNovo, the 3-D-printed ear, is patient-specific and is intended to be used for
surgical reconstruction in humans born with microtia. The ear keeps regenerating cartilage
over patients' lifetimes, and because it is made from their own cells, it's less likely to be
rejected.
3D printing allows for higher quality custom size earbuds which means that they will
fit better and function better. Print tiny hearing aids, or large ear moulds in just a few hours to
bring high-quality low-cost printing to Audiology.
3D printing of bone:
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Biology for Engineers (CSE)
Patients requiring skeletal augmentation, for example those with facial asymmetry
resulting from either trauma or congenital defects, would be helped best with a bony implant
made to match their anatomy. Typical bone augmentation implants are made from alloplastic
materials (like PEEK or titanium) or the patient’s own bone is cut and repositioned.
3D printing of bone:
After taking a CT-scan of the patient, a patient-specific implant is designed by our
biomedical engineers in collaboration with the surgeon. This design perfectly fits on the
anatomy of the patient, ensuring good bone-to-implant contact and facilitating bony
ingrowth. The design is 3D printed in calcium phosphate, the main constituent of natural
bone.
The 3D printing process has a very high accuracy, resulting in implants that fit perfectly onto
the bone of the patient, as designed. Even very complex shapes and designs can be 3D
printed; for example 3D printing enables the production of implants with engineered
(controlled) porosity, similar to natural bone.
3D printing of skin:
A research team from Pohang University of Science and Technology and Pusan National
University 3D printed an in vitro artificial skin model to better observe skin diseases suffered
by diabetic patients, while Pennsylvania State University researchers developed a 3D
bioprinting process capable of printing hard and soft tissue simultaneously to repair skin and
bone injuries.
3D bioprinting has previously been deployed to help heal burn wounds, with researchers from
the University of Toronto and Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre developing a handheld
bioprinter that can print sheets of “skin”. The deposited bioink sheets cover the wound and
help to accelerate the skin’s healing process, and could potentially be seen within a clinical
setting in the next few years
3D printed foods:
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Biology for Engineers (CSE)
Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM) consists of constructing a food model by extruding food
layer-by-layer from the nozzle with constant pressure and the nozzle may be heated. It is
believed that this method is easily effortless and a wide range of food products are fabricated.
The preliminary material of FDM consists of paste, liquid based, powder based, with low
viscosity.
n this technique, the material is loaded and subsequently extruded through nozzle, followed by
heating either by laser or hot air) and cooling that leads to solidification or hydrogel- forming
extrusion.
Sugar cookies, lemon juice gel, fish surimi gel, pasta and chocolate were prepared by using
this technique of 3D food printing.
Electronic Tongue ( E-Tongue):
The electronic tongue uses taste sensors to receive information from chemicals on the tongue
and send it to a pattern recognition system. The result is the detection of the tastes that
compose the human palate.
The types of taste that are generated are divided into five categories sourness, saltiness,
bitterness, sweetness, and umami (savoriness).
Sourness, which includes hydrogen chloride, acetic acid, and citric acid, is created by
hydrogen ions.
Saltiness is registered as sodium chloride,
Sweetness by sugars,
Bitterness, which includes chemicals such as quinine and caffeine is detected through
magnesium chloride, and
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Biology for Engineers (CSE)
Umami by monosodium glutamate from seaweed, or disodium guanylate in
meat/fish/mushrooms.
sour, bitter, and salty are mostly related to electrical stimulation.
The taste sensors for e-tongues are non-specific, low selective chemical sensors with cross-
sensitivity to different components in solution.
e-tongue instruments do not give information on sample composition, but rather give a digital
fingerprint through pattern recognition.
The most evident application of potentiometric e-tongue is the quality control in the
foodstuffs industry including taste assessment, evaluation of taste masking effect,
discrimination of liquid food (e.g., beer, honey, and teas) from different brands and types, and
classification of oils.
Electrical nose in food science:
An electronic nose is a device intended to detect odors or flavors.
Electronic noses, or eNoses, provide an easy and inexpensive way to analyze gas samples.
Thus, this device may be used for diagnosis, monitoring or phenotyping diseases according to
specific breathprints (breath profile).
In the E-nose system, the olfactory receptor section consists of the odor delivery unit
(including the pipes, pumps and valves), which creates a path for aroma delivery into the
sensor chamber.
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Biology for Engineers (CSE)
Metal oxide semiconductor (MOS), conducting polymer, and surface acoustic wave
(transducers) are the most common e-nose sensors.
Numerous gas sensors, a so-called sensor array, are the heart and most important component
of the olfactory receptor.
The electronic (Electric) nose often consists of non-selective sensors that interact with
volatile molecules that result in a physical or chemical change that sends a signal to a
computer which makes a classification based on a calibration and training process leading to
pattern recognition.
Electronic Nose Working Principle:
The sample delivery system: The sample delivery system enables the generation of headspace
of sample or volatile compounds which is a fraction analyzed. The system then sends this
head space into the detection system of the electronic nose.
The detection system: The detection system which consists of a group of sensors is the
reactive part of the instrument. When in contact with volatile compounds at that time the
sensors reacts causing changes in electrical characteristics.
The Computing system: In most electronic noses each sensor is sensitive to all molecules in
their specific way. However in bioelectric noses the receptor proteins which respond to
specific smell molecules are used. Most of electronic noses use sensor arrays that react to
volatile compounds. Whenever the sensors sense any smell , a specific response is recorded
that signal is transmitted into the digital value.
Application of Electronic Nose:
Medical diagnostics and health monitoring
Environmental monitoring
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Biology for Engineers (CSE)
Application in food industry
Detection of explosive
Space applications (NASA)
Research and development industries
Quality control laboratories
The process and production department
Detection of drug smells
Detection of harmful bacteria
Advantages:
Solution is offered by electronic noses, is the possibility of holistic analysis of the gas
sample, allow estimation of the odor intensity of the gas mixture.
Inhale almost seven per cent fewer pollutants than smaller ones, and also act as a barrier to
deflect germs away from the mouth.
Detects the smell more effectively then the human sense of smell.
Electronic nose consists of a mechanism for chemical detection.
Bioimaging and Artificial Intelligence for disease diagnosis:
The Artificial Intelligence in Biomedical Imaging Laboratory (AIBIL) focuses on
development and application of machine learning and image analysis methods towards
establishing imaging signatures of various diseases and disorders.
It helps in precision diagnosis and predictive modeling.
The lab’s long standing record on use of machine learning in neuroimaging includes imaging
signatures of brain aging, Alzheimer’s Disease, schizophrenia, and brain cancer, as well as of
functional connectivity.
The application of artificial intelligence (AI) in the assessment of medical images has led to
accurate evaluations being performed automatically, which in turn has reduced the workload
of physicians, decreased errors and times in diagnosis, and improved performance in the
prediction and detection of various diseases.
It helps physicians to screen patients for genetic conditions and diagnose rare [Link] is
also being used to develop personalized treatment plans for individual patients and used more
and more in the medical field to improve the accuracy and efficiency of diagnoses and
treatments.
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Biology for Engineers (CSE)
Self-healing Bioconcrete:
Bio-concrete is a self-healing form of concrete designed to repair its own cracks. It was
developed by Dutch researcher and microbiologist Hendrik Jonkers using an extra ingredient
acting as a healing agent and requires no human intervention to be repaired once placed.
The main benefit of bioconcrete is going to be the creation of maintenance-free structures
such as bridges, tunnels, and roads, etc. This will cut down billions of annual maintenance
fees.
Jonkers chose bacteria (Bacillus pseudormus and B. cohnii), that are able to produce
limestone on a biological basis. The positive side-effect of this property is the bacteria
consume oxygen, which in turn prevents the internal corrosion of reinforced concrete.
Bacterial spores are encapsulated within two-to four-millimeter wide clay pellets and added
to the cement mix with separate nitrogen, phosphorous and a nutrient agent. This innovative
approach ensures that bacteria can remain dormant in the concrete for up to 200 years.
Bacterial self-healing is an innovative technology allowing repairing open micro-cracks in
concrete by CaCO3 precipitation.
Bioremediation:
Bioremediation can be defined as any process that uses bacteria, fungi, green plants or their
enzymes to return the environment altered by contaminants to its original condition. Bacteria
that can degrade some soil contaminants such as chlorinated hydrocarbons are used in
bioremediation. (or)
Bioremediation is the process of using biological microorganisms to breakdown hazardous
materials and substances into less toxic or nontoxic products. There are several branches of
bioremediation, including contaminated soil, oil spill cleanup, and crime scene cleanup.
Bioremediation is the use of microbes to clean up contaminated soil and groundwater.
Bioremediation stimulates the growth of certain microbes that use contaminants as a source
of food and energy. Bioremediation can be carried out using bacteria, fungi, algae, etc
Bioremediation is a branch of biotechnology that employs the use of living organisms in the
removal of contaminants, pollutants, and toxins from soil, water, and other environments.
These organisms can include microbes and bacteria.
Bioremediation uses microorganisms to degrade organic contaminants in soil, groundwater,
sludge, and solids.
Some of the most common types of bioremediation are microbial bioremediation,
phytoremediation, and mycoremediation.
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Biology for Engineers (CSE)
Microbial bioremediation uses microorganisms to break down contaminants by
using them as a food source.
Phytoremediation uses plants to bind, extract, and clean up pollutants such as
pesticides, petroleum hydrocarbons, metals, and chlorinated solvents.
Mycoremediation uses fungi’s digestive enzymes to break down contaminants such
as pesticides, hydrocarbons, and heavy metals.
Examples of Bioremediation
Crime scene cleanup. Bioremediation in this sense involves the cleanup of blood and bodily
fluids that can pose health risks such as hepatitis, HIV, and MRSA. ...
The cleanup of contaminated soil. ...
Oil spill cleanup.
Biomining:
Bioleaching (or biomining) is a process in mining and biohydrometallurgy (natural processes
of interactions between microbes and minerals) that extracts valuable metals from a low-
grade ore with the help of microorganisms such as bacteria or archaea.
The key difference between biomining and bioleaching is that biomining is the technique of
using prokaryotes or fungi to extract metals from minerals whereas bioleaching is the
technique of using bacteria to extract metals from minerals.
The use of microorganisms in mineral processing technology is called biomining.
Bioleaching, biooxidation, bioflotation and bioremediation are examples of technologies
applied in biomining. Acidithibacillus ferroxidans was the first bacterium found to be
involved in mineral leaching processes.
It can be used for wastewater treatment to industrial waste. It can be used for hydrocarbon
contamination (PCB, Pentachlorophenol, and Trichloroethylene etc.). It can be used for
storage tanks and pipes, landfills and pesticides and herbicides.
Bioleaching—a biomining process—uses direct metabolism or byproducts of microbial
processes to solubilize a metal sulfidic ore or waste into an aqueous solution, and it is used at
commercial scale for the extraction of base metals, for example, copper, tin, or zinc
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