BME OVERVIEW

BME is the application of engineering principles and design concepts to medicine and biology for healthcare purposes. BMT Biomedical technology is the application of engineering and technology principles to the domain of living or biological systems, with an emphasis on human health and diseases.
One of the differences between Biomedical Engineering and Biomedical Technology is; Biomedical Engineering through science and engineering creates viable designs useful as either diagnostic tools, implants or prostheses, While Biomedical Technology transforms these innovative designs and tools into usable devices. Although both fields work interchangeably.

Biomedical engineering Technology on the other hand combines both principles and practice of Biomedical Engineering and Biomedical Technology in the creation of innovative designs, working prototypes, medical equipment, devices, tools, software and biomaterials useful in the improvement, and sustainability of human health/life. The key difference between them is that while BME conducts original research into existing medical devices and biological processes. Biomedical engineering technology, Conduct original research into breakthrough/novel biomedical devices and biological processes.

Biomedical engineers differ from other engineering disciplines that have an influence on human health in that biomedical engineers use and apply an intimate knowledge of modern biological principles in their engineering design process. Aspects of mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, chemical engineering, materials science, chemistry, mathematics, and computer science and engineering are all integrated with human biology in biomedical engineering to improve human health, whether it be an advanced prosthetic limb or a breakthrough in identifying proteins within cells. For this reason, Biomedical engineering is unique and must be treated specially during national policy-making in relation to the standardisation of the profession.

There are many subdisciplines within biomedical engineering as seen below:

Science’s study of biological systems, particularly their structure and function, is known as biomechanics. This field of research uses techniques from mechanics, which is concerned with the impact of forces on the motion of bodies.
Biomechanics is a multidisciplinary field that integrates knowledge from the biological and medical sciences with experience from the physical and engineering sciences. Cardiovascular biomechanics, cell biomechanics, human movement biomechanics (particularly orthosedic biomechanics), occupational biomechanics, and sport biomechanics are just a few of the many subspecialties in biomechanics.As an example, sport biomechanics deals with performance improvement and injury prevention in athletes. In occupational biomechanics, biomechanical analysis is used to understand and optimize mechanical interaction of workers with the environment.

A biomaterial is any matter, surface, or construct that interacts with living systems. Biomaterial is a material that is designed with the purpose to interact with the body, i.e. it is designed to reside in a biological environment. Typically, the purpose of a biomaterial is to replace a missing piece of a body part, by replicating the structure that is no longer there, or to enhance function. Think of implants, such as hip joints, and heart valves, skin transplants, vascular grafts, and stents. Biomaterials are also used in less intrusive contexts, such as in contact lenses and wound care The study of biomaterials is called biomaterials science or biomaterials engineering. Biomaterials science encompasses elements of medicine, biology, chemistry, tissue engineering and materials science.

Biomedical optics refers to the interaction of biological tissue and light, and how this can be exploited for sensing, imaging, and treatment. Biomedical optics is a field that studies the basic principles of interaction between light and biological tissues, cells and molecules and develop new technologies for use in basic research and clinical applications. Biomedical optics is interdisciplinary since it covers all aspects of optical imaging and spectroscopy from subcellular length scales to large tissue volumes and attract researchers and users of optical physics, biophysics, biochemistry, engineering, biology, medicine, mathematics and computer science. In medicine it focuses on tissue and blood to detect, diagnose and treat diseases non-invasively.

Tissue engineering, like genetic engineering, is a major segment of biotechnology – which overlaps significantly with BME.
One of the goals of tissue engineering is to create artificial organs (via biological material) for patients that need organ transplants. Biomedical engineers are currently researching methods of creating such organs. Researchers have grown solid jawbones] and tracheas from human stem cells towards this end. Several artificial urinary bladders have been grown in laboratories and transplanted successfully into human patients. Bioartificial organs, which use both synthetic and biological component, are also a focus area in research, such as with hepatic assist devices that use liver cells within an artificial bioreactor construct.

Neural engineering (also known as neuroengineering) is a discipline that uses engineering techniques to understand, repair, replace, or enhance neural systems. Neural engineers are uniquely qualified to solve design problems at the interface of living neural tissue and non-living constructs.

Pharmaceutical engineering is an interdisciplinary science that includes drug engineering, novel drug delivery and targeting, pharmaceutical technology, unit operations of Chemical Engineering, and Pharmaceutical Analysis. It may be deemed as a part of pharmacy due to its focus on the use of technology on chemical agents in providing better medicinal treatment.

This is an extremely broad category—essentially covering all healthcare products that do not achieve their intended results through predominantly chemical (e.g., pharmaceuticals) or biological (e.g., vaccines) means, and do not involve metabolism.

A medical device is intended for use in:

• the diagnosis of disease or other conditions
• in the cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease.

Some examples include pacemakers, infusion pumps, heart-lung machines, dialysis machines, artificial organs, implants, artificial limbs, corrective lenses, cochlear implants, ocular prosthetics, facial prosthetics, somato prosthetics, and dental implants.
Medical devices are regulated and classified (in the US) as follows:

• Class I – low-risk level – The lowest level of regulation because of low risk to the patient except for sterile products. They are subject to the General Controls requirements. Declaration of conformity is accepted by the legal manufacturer.
• Class II – low-moderate risk level – Invasive in their interaction with the human body, but the methods of invasion are limited to natural body orifices. The category may also include therapeutic devices used in diagnosis or in wound management.
• Class III – high-moderate risk level – They are either partially or totally implantable within the human body and may modify the biological or chemical composition of body fluids.
• Class IV – high-risk level – Require design/clinical trial reviews, product certification and an assessed quality system involving clinical trials. These devices affect the functioning of vital organs and/or life-support systems. Devices are usually invasive, life-sustaining, life-supporting, or is used “in preventing impairment of human health or if the device presents a potential unreasonable risk of illness or injury”.

Medical imaging

Medical/biomedical imaging is a major segment of medical devices. This area deals with enabling clinicians to directly or indirectly “view” things not visible in plain sight (such as due to their size, and/or location). This can involve utilizing ultrasound, magnetism, UV, radiology, and other means.

Most complex equipment found in a hospital including: fluoroscopy, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), nuclear medicine, positron emission tomography (PET), PET-CT scans, projection radiography such as X-rays and CT scans, tomography, ultrasound, optical microscopy, and electron microscopy.

Implants

An implant is a kind of medical device made to replace and act as a missing biological structure (as compared with a transplant, which indicates transplanted biomedical tissue). The surface of implants that contact the body might be made of a biomedical material such as titanium, silicone or apatite depending on what is the most functional. In some cases, implants contain electronics, e.g. artificial pacemakers and cochlear implants. Some implants are bioactive, such as subcutaneous drug delivery devices in the form of implantable pills or drug-eluting stents.

Bionics

Artificial body part replacements are one of the many applications of bionics. Concerned with the intricate and thorough study of the properties and function of human body systems, bionics may be applied to solve some engineering problems. Careful study of the different functions and processes of the eyes, ears, and other organs paved the way for improved cameras, television, radio transmitters and receivers, and many other tools.

Biomedical sensors

In recent years biomedical sensors based in microwave technology have gained more attention. Different sensors can be manufactured for specific uses in both diagnosing and monitoring disease conditions, for example, microwave sensors can be used as a complementary technique to X-ray to monitor lower extremity trauma. The sensor monitors the dielectric properties and can thus notice changes in tissue (bone, muscle, fat etc.) under the skin so when measuring at different times during the healing process the response from the sensor will change as the trauma heals.

Clinical engineering is the branch of biomedical engineering dealing with the actual implementation of medical equipment and technologies in hospitals or other clinical settings. Major roles of clinical engineers include training and supervising biomedical equipment technicians (BMETs), selecting technological products/services and logistically managing their implementation, working with governmental regulators on inspections/audits, and serving as technological consultants for other hospital staff (e.g. physicians, administrators, I.T., etc.). Clinical engineers also advise and collaborate with medical device producers regarding prospective design improvements based on clinical experiences, as well as monitor the progression of the state of the art so as to redirect procurement patterns accordingly.

Their inherent focus is on the practical implementation of technology has tended to keep them oriented more towards incremental-level redesigns and reconfigurations, as opposed to revolutionary research & development or ideas that would be many years from clinical adoption; however, there is a growing effort to expand this time-horizon over which clinical engineers can influence the trajectory of biomedical innovation.
In their various roles, they form a “bridge” between the primary designers and the end-users, by combining the perspectives of being both close to the point-of-use, while also being trained in product and process engineering. The clinical engineering department is constructed with a manager, supervisor, engineer, and technician.

The medical device engineering area is among the most heavily regulated fields of engineering and practising biomedical engineers must routinely consult and cooperate with regulatory law attorneys and other experts. The National Agency for Food and Drug Control (NAFDAC) is the principal healthcare regulatory authority in Nigeria, having jurisdiction over medical devices, drugs, biologics, and combination products. The paramount objectives driving policy decisions by the agency are the safety and effectiveness of healthcare products that have to be assured through a quality system in place.

Education

Biomedical engineers require considerable knowledge of both engineering and biology, and typically have a Bachelor’s (B.Sc., B.S., B.Eng. or B.S.E.) or Master’s (M.S., M.Sc., M.S.E., or M.Eng.) or a doctoral (Ph.D.) degree in BME (Biomedical Engineering).

Graduate education is a particularly important aspect in BME. While many engineering fields (such as mechanical or electrical engineering) do not need graduate-level training to obtain an entry-level job in their field, the majority of BME positions do prefer or even require them. Since most BME-related professions involve scientific research, such as in pharmaceutical and medical device development, graduate education is almost a requirement (as undergraduate degrees typically do not involve sufficient research training and experience). This can be either a master’s or Doctoral level degree; while in certain specialities a Ph.D. is notably more common than in others, it is hardly ever the majority (except in academia). In fact, the perceived need for a graduate credential is so strong that some undergraduate BME programs will actively discourage students from majoring in BME without an expressed intention to also obtain a master’s degree.

Graduate programs in BME, like in other scientific fields, are highly varied, and programs may emphasize certain aspects within the field. They may also feature extensive collaborative efforts with programs in other fields (such as the university’s Medical School or other engineering divisions), owing again to the interdisciplinary nature of BME. M.S. and Ph.D. programs will typically require applicants to have an undergraduate degree in BME.

Licensure/certification

As with other learned professions, each country has certain requirements for becoming licensed as a registered Professional Biomedical Engineer (PBME). The Nigeria model requires both practicing Biomedical engineers offering engineering services that impact the public welfare, safety, safeguarding of life, health, or property to be licensed, and Biomedical engineers working in private industry without direct offering of engineering services to the public or other businesses, education, and government to be licensed.
Biomedical engineering is regulated in some countries, such as Nigeria, and registration is typically required.

Nigeria Medical Engineering Council should be the body responsible for licencing biomedical engineers especially those who work within the health care sector directly or indirectly.
In Nigeria, Biomedical engineers working in the areas of Medical Engineering, Bioengineering or Biomedical engineering can gain Chartered Biomedical Engineer status through the National Institute of Biomedical Engineers. The Institution can also run the Engineering in Medicine and Health Division. The National Institute of Physics and Engineering in Medicine (NIPEM) should have a panel for the accreditation of MSc courses in Biomedical Engineering and Chartered Engineering status can also be sought through NIPEM.

Biomedical engineers work in a wide variety of settings and disciplines. There are opportunities in the industry for innovating, designing, and developing new technologies; in academia furthering research and pushing the frontiers of what is medically possible as well as testing, implementing, and developing new diagnostic tools and medical equipment; and in government for establishing safety standards for medical devices. Many biomedical engineers find employment in cutting-edge start-up companies or as entrepreneurs themselves.

Tissue and stem cell engineers are working towards the artificial recreation of human organs, aiding in transplants and helping millions around the world live better lives. Experts in medical devices develop new implantable and external devices such as pacemakers, coronary stents, orthopaedic implants, prosthetics, dental products, and ambulatory devices. Clinical engineers work to ensure that medical equipment is safe and reliable for use in clinical settings. Biomedical engineering is an extremely broad field with many opportunities for specialization.

Biomedical engineers use their knowledge of engineering to create medical devices, equipment, and processes to heal, treat, or improve health conditions. While the exact duties a biomedical engineer performs day to day vary from project to project.

● University of Lagos, Akoka.
maturity year – 2026.

● University of Ilorin
maturity year – 2026

● Federal University of Technology, Oweri.
maturity year – 2022

● Federal University of Technology, Akure.
maturity year – 2023

● Bells University of Technology, Ota, Ogun state.
maturity year – 2023

● Achievers University, Owo.
maturity year – 2026

● Afe Babalola University, Ado Ekiti.
maturity year – 2026