The Department of Biomedical Engineering and the Entrepreneurship Program at IIT work very closely together. Dr. Eric Brey, Dr. David Gatchell, Dr. Jennifer Kang Derwent, and Dr. Vincent Turitto have been instrumental in developing an integrated biomedical engineering and entrepreneurship program. A series of biomedical entrepreneurship lectures is presented each year by Dr. Jianwen Liao and Dr. David Pistrui. These lectures are given in the BME 310: Biomaterials, BME 419: Introduction to Design Concepts in Biomedical Engineering, and BME 420: Design Concepts in Biomedical Engineering courses.
BME 310: Biomaterials seeks to provide students with an introduction to the field of biomaterials, focusing on the major classes of materials used in medical devices. This includes polymers, metals, ceramics, and natural materials. Issues covered will include material properties, chemistry, cell-substrate interactions, and host tissue responses to biomaterials. In addition, students are expected to consider the relationship between market opportunity and biomaterial design by incorporating entrepreneurial thinking and innovation assessment frameworks.
BME 419: Introduction to Design Concepts in Biomedical Engineering aims to educate students on the design, development, and technology transfer of potential biomedical products. Students learn best practices for designing a marketable medical device, including the design process from the clinical problem definition through prototype and clinical testing to market readiness.
BME 420: Design Concepts in Biomedical Engineering is a senior-level design laboratory class focused on introducing strategies and fundamental biomedical design criteria for the development of biomedical engineering systems and devices. Students are required to apply basic biology, physiology, mathematics, and engineering in order to design and build prototype biomedical devices.