Biomedical Engineering

Instructor: Diana M. Easton

Engineers must be equipped to answer the growing demands for new medical technologies. Introduction to Regulatory Science for Engineers teaches engineers how the regulated environment impacts the design, testing, and delivery of medical devices. It will equip students with the essential skills and tools to the practice of engineering in the medical device industry. In this course students will be exposed to the core concepts, processes, and tools surrounding the global medical device regulatory framework, and will gain foundational knowledge for the practical application of regulations throughout the product development lifecycle. From knowledge gained in the class, students will be expected to work in teams and use critical thinking, data analysis, and interpretation skills to research, evaluate, and present a scientific, technical, and legally justifiable approach for the global introduction of a new medical device. 

Instructor: Rama S. Madhurapantula
Extracellular Matrix (ECM) is a highly complex system in mammalian biology responsible for structural support and functional (biochemical) signals for physiology. Specific amino acid sequences on the various ECM elements are responsible to trigger intra- and extracellular cascades leading to cell division, proliferation, tissue regeneration, wound healing, and inflammation. This course will focus on the following key concepts: (a) Gene expression, structure, and function of various ECM proteins and complexes and the physiological processes; (b) Etiology and the molecular progression of diseases caused by abnormalities to ECM proteins; (c)  Mechanobiology of various ECM proteins; (d) Structure function and mechanical function of ECM interfaces with other tissues (muscle, bone, skin, etc.); and (e) Implications for tissue engineering and the development of novel biomimetic and biological ECM implants. 

Instructor: Ken Tichauer

This course provides an overview of molecular imaging, a subcategory of medical imaging that focuses on noninvasively imaging molecular pathways in living organisms. Topics include imaging systems, contrast agents, reporter genes and proteins, and tracer kinetic modeling. Pre-clinical and clinical applications will also be discussed with an emphasis on cancer and the central nervous system.

(Prerequisite: Math 252 or equivalent)