BMESSENGER Spring 2013 - Biomedical Engineering

Biomedical Engineering at UC Davis, Spring 2013
Spring 2013
Table of Contents
Page 2
 Memoirs of a B(MED) Student
Page 5
 Biomedical Engineers in Sports
Page 6
 Getting Ready For Graduate School
Page 7
 Interview: Delsheen Dahbumed
Page 8
 Bay Area Medical Device Conference
Page 9
 The UC Berkeley BMES
Page 10
 By The Numbers
Page 11
 BME World News
Page 13
 BME Specializations
Page 15
 BME Crossword
Page 16
 Senior Design Team Highlight
Page 17
 Events Recap
1
Spring 2013
Why did biomedical engineering appeal to you
as a pre-med route as opposed to others?
Joseph Li and Matthew Lam
Memoirs of a B(MED) Student
By: Christian Pascual
As biomedical engineers, we bridge the
gap between engineering and medicine. The
different specializations are merely different
positions along this bridge; one can be geared
more towards either the engineering or
medical aspects of the major. However, one in
particular stands out for its difficulty: the PreMed specialization. Some may think of it
inadvisable to take on both the requirements of
an becoming an engineer and a doctor, but
despite this, there are some that have the drive
to pursue this venture.
Two UC Davis alumni of the BME
program, Matt Lam and Joseph Li have given
their time to talk about how biomedical
engineering has prepared them for medical
school.
2
Matt: My initial motivation for wanting to study
BME stemmed from a desire to do more in
college than just the basic sciences. And
personally for me, staying with BME had a huge
payoff. BME and general engineering courses
tend to revolve a set of unifying concepts or
equations. In turn, I found courses like BIM 106,
ENG 17 and even ENG 100 more intuitive
compared to BIS 101 and the CHE 118 series. I
had an easier time applying fundamental
concepts instead of recalling esoteric
information.
BME as an undergraduate major is
something I appreciate now in retrospect.
Einstein said it best in saying that “the value of
a college education is not the learning of many
facts but the training of the mind to think.” An
engineering degree cultivates problem-solving
skills. From a pragmatic point of view, a typical
pre-med would pick a major that would
maximize their GPA. For some, that’d be your
traditional biology or chemistry major. For me, I
was lucky it was BME.
Joseph: I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do yet
when I entered college, but I liked science and
math, so biomedical engineering appealed to
me as a major. I didn’t start out in the pre-med
track. Rather, I fell into it after realizing that
medicine was something I really wanted to do.
Do you feel your engineering classes gave you
any skills that were particularly valuable to
your medical school applications?
Matt: There was only one instance where an
engineering class helped me during the
application process. I took BIM 242 –
Introduction to Medical Imaging upon the
advice of the graduate students in the lab I
worked in. The required textbook was The
Essential Physics of Medical Imaging by Dr.
Spring 2013
Boone and Seibert, who also taught the course.
During one of my interviews, I noticed that the
very same textbook sat on my interviewer’s
bookshelf! This was a fact I proudly pointed out
during the interview, which left my interviewer
very impressed.
But aside from that isolated incidence,
many engineers apply to medical school so
simply studying engineering does not make you
unique as an applicant.
The strengths of a BME degree lie within
the opportunities and things we learn outside
of the formal classroom setting. For example,
BME
affords
many
unique
research
opportunities that allow you to collaborate
with clinicians. The senior design project we do
is also another item unique to UCD BME that
develops skills directly applicable to medicine.
The experience taught us how to recognize
situations when we were “in over our heads”
and to seek the advice of Dr. Passerini, Dr.
Louie, or a subject expert. Similarly, physicians
need to continue learning and keep up with the
newest management protocols. With the
evolution of healthcare from the lone physician
to physician-led interdisciplinary teams, it is
critical to know the role and how to employ the
strengths of all the nurses, physician assistants,
technicians, and pharmacists working in the
team.
Joseph: Taking BIM 106 was critical towards my
body of knowledge coming into medical school.
The equations and concepts that are learned
are directly used in medical school and actual
practice. When the Reynolds number came up
in one of our classes, only 4 of the 100 students
in my class knew what it was; they were all
engineers.
Learning to talk to a diverse set of
people is also extremely helpful. You’ll meet a
lot of MD’s and PhD’s that have vast, but
differing bodies of knowledge, so you must
know how to talk to each when going about the
process of self-teaching.
3
What kinds of extracurriculars did you
participate in during your undergraduate
years? Did any one of them play a big role in
your medical school applications?
Matt: BMES was a huge part of my time at UC
Davis. It gave many opportunities to work with
fellow classmates and wonderful people like
Rosalind who share the same work ethic and
passion for BME. These people were my best
friends in college and they remain my closest
friends today.
Involvement in the lab tours organized
by BMES was also the reason I got BME
research as an undergraduate. During a tour of
Marcu Lab, I met Jen, a graduate student, who
was more than happy to talk to students
interested in working in the lab. After reading
some of Dr. Marcu’s work on atherosclerosis, I
e-mailed Jen. The following week, she invited
me to their lab meeting where I was
immediately put under a post-doc to make a
model of blood vessels (i.e. a phantom) to help
characterize the performance of their imaging
system.
Joseph: A big part of applying to medical school
is your extracurriculars; engineers, with their
difficult classes and large time constraints,
more often than not have less developed
extracurriculars than say, an NPB major of the
same year and ability. I worked in the Student
Health Center over the summer. I did MRI brain
tracing for a year at the MIND Institute, and
after I graduated, I did some work on sodium
computations of cardiomyocytes and some
work on microscopy in the Marcu lab.
Engineers are encouraged to have research in
their repertoire. Did you emphasize research
or clinical experience, and why?
Matt: Medical school admission committees
generally expect candidates to have both
clinical and research experience. It is my
Spring 2013
personal experience that they place more
emphasis on meaningful experiences in the
former. If possible, I would encourage students
to be involved with one of the UCD School of
Medicine student-run clinics or shadow a
physician for an entire day for a week.
One would think it is very difficult to
simultaneously juggle clinic volunteering and
research obligations as an engineer, but the
advantage of BME research is the ability to do
both at once! I got to work in Marcu Lab during
the summer after sophomore year. The
research allowed us to work with surgeons and
pathologists. On a few occasions, we even got
to scrub in to observe surgery! The work
eventually led to several posters, presentations,
and peer reviewed papers. I am very thankful
for my experiences in Marcu Lab as I believe my
research experience was the strongest aspect
of my medical school application.
Joseph: I’ve met some people in medical school
that have focused more on research and others
that have focused more on the clinical aspect.
What’s important to medical schools is that you
have gained valuable experience and skills from
your experiences in either of these areas. I only
worked in clinic for three months, but I had two
years of research under my belt.
What’s something BME undergraduates
should pay special attention to while they are
in college?
Matt: The BME class with the greatest
relevance to medical school has been BIM 106
with Dr. Leach. The pharmacokinetics taught in
medical school pharmacology is essentially a
lighter version of fluid mechanics. The concepts
of laminar-turbulent flow and resistance in a
blood vessel with relationship to radius show
up more than a dozen times in medical school
pathophysiology. The two undergraduate
classes outside of BME I’ve
found
4
indispensable in medical school were CHA 101
and 101L – Gross Human Anatomy and NPB
101 -- Physiology. Personally, I found that these
two courses are taught very well at UC Davis
and provide a solid foundation for medical
school. A strong command of normal
physiology will help with the understanding
pathology and pharmacology.
Finally, I’d like to offer this word of
encouragement. Historically, students from
engineering tend to struggle more than others
during the preclinical basic science years in
medical school. This stems from the difference
in learning and teaching methods. We try hard
to look for unifying concepts to solve problems.
Yet in medicine, these central unifying concepts
do not exist or are insufficient. But nothing in
life – BME or medical school has ever been
easy. As long as you hold the reason for why
you want to be a doctor close to heart, all the
hard work and challenges will be justified.
Joseph: Knowing someone who is an English
major is extremely helpful towards preparing
your medical school applications. With the
amount of essays that you have to write, it’s
good to have someone well versed in giving
quality feedback. It’s also a good idea to gather
a small core of your friends to create a peer
revising group for your essays because any
feedback can only improve the quality of your
writing.
Another thing to watch out for is
developing your memorization skills. In your
engineering classes, you really emphasize
mastering a body of governing equations that
can be applied to a wide set of problems, but
unfortunately, there isn’t much of a parallel of
that in medical school. In order to be effective
physicians, you have to master incredible
amounts of detail and be able to recognize
them in any given situation. Many engineers
dislike having to memorize large amounts of
information, but for something as information
dense as medical school, it’s inevitable.
Spring 2013
Biomedical Engineers In Sports
By: Alexander Summers
The title "biomedical engineering"
may not seem conducive to anything besides
studying and attending class, but BME
undergraduates have a large representation
in UC Davis athletics. Over the past year,
more than sixty sophomore, junior, and
senior BME students participated in either
intramural, club, or even NCAA sports. BME
has at least three NCAA athletes, with even
more that could not be polled. In addition,
Part of the BMES Indoor Soccer Team
two biomedical engineering students
competed at the Collegiate National
Triathlon Championship and will be officers for the UC Davis Triathlon Club Team next year. With all
the requirements and pressures put on us to graduate, it is amazing that so many students find time to
train and compete in a variety of athletics.
Below are statistics about athletic participation of BME undergraduates, and scores from
BMES’s IM Sports games.
Biomedical Engineering Majors in Sports
Are you on a sports
Team?
Yes
Sophomore
Junior
Senior
25
25
13
No
20
40
19
BMES IM Inner Tube Water Polo Spring 2012
5
BMES IM Indoor Soccer Winter 2013
vs. TUBESQUAD
L 2-25
vs. Los Papichulos
L 0-10
@ Friendship is Magic!
L 2-20
@ In Memory of
Danny Alvarez
L 0-5
vs. Gregarious Goobers
L 0-16
@ Uniballers
L 1-10
@ Team Domination
L 2-31
vs. Coho's Got Balls
L 0-9
@ ByeNoGame
W 13-0
@ Kicks and Giggles
L 0-12
Spring 2013
Getting Ready For Graduate School
By: Nick Csicsery
So you have decided to apply to graduate school? Great! Here is a brief guide for things to consider as
you embark on your journey.
Timeline of Events
June-July
August-September
Early Summer
•
•
Plan for the GRE
Research Programs
Late Summer
•
•
Statement of Purpose
Resume
•
•
•
•
September-November
November-December
Early Fall
Late Fall
Contact Faculty
Start Applications
Request Letters of
Recommendation
Apply for Fellowships
Early Summer:
Plan for the GRE. You need to take the GRE to get into
graduate school, so sign-up for a date to take the exam
and start studying! We recommend taking the test early,
around July or August, so that you have time to retake it if
necessary.
Research Programs. Start to narrow down what work you
plan to do in graduate school (imaging, tissue
engineering, synthetic biology, etc.) and find which
schools have strong programs in that area. You may want
to ask faculty at UC Davis in your area of research to help
with your search.
•
Finish Applications
Late Summer:
Start Writing your Statement of Purpose
and Resume. All graduate school
applications are different, but most
require a statement of purpose and a
resume. Applications typically become
available in September, but starting in
the summer will free up a lot of time in
the fall. Keep in mind that each
statement of purpose will be a little
different, but the overall message will be
very similar.
Early Fall:
Contact Faculty. Make sure that there is a future for you at a school before applying. Contact faculty in
your field of interest and find out if they have room for graduate students and if they will be able to fund
you. Do your homework on each professor before making contact.
Start Applications. Begin your applications early and make sure you know the requirements and
deadlines for each.
Request Letters of Recommendation. Both you and your letter writers will be happy if you request
letters of recommendation with plenty of time to spare (at least one month before the deadline, if not
more). This will give your letter writer more time to write a good letter and will give you more time to
find alternative writers in a worst-case scenario. When asking for a letter of recommendation, it is
helpful to have your resume and personal statement available.
Apply for Fellowships. Your future program will be very happy if you enter with an external fellowship.
You will not regret applying for fellowships, such as the NSF or NDSEG.
End of Fall
Finish Applications. Most applications are due in December, and may even coincide with finals week. Be
aware of these deadlines during your early fall planning and be sure to submit all materials on time!
6
Spring 2013
asked if I was available to work in the summer,
and the rest is history!
Q: What does your research focus on?
I work in an inflammation biomechanics lab. In
particular, I work with a graduate student and I
am a co-author on a paper currently under
review. We were looking at the kinetics of how
neutrophils expand and go to the wound site to
stop infections.
Q: Wow that’s great! What was the process
like?
A lot of hard work! I had to wake up at 5 am
multiple times and work for 13-14 hours
straight. But, it was a lot of fun and I got a lot of
experience with the techniques and material. It
was also a great way to make new contacts,
since I often collaborated with other labs in
Tupper and GBSF.
Interview: Delsheen Dahmubed
By: Munira Bootwala
Delsheen Dahmubed is a 3rd year BME
specializing in cell and tissue engineering, and
currently works in Dr. Scott Simon’s lab. She
shares her experience doing research and her
future goals.
Q: How did you become involved in
undergraduate research?
I just started e-mailing a lot of professors and
even though some of them turned me down, I
kept at it. I reached out to Dr. Simon, whose lab
I was interested in working for, and though he
initially said his lab was full, he agreed to meet
with me. I spoke to him for about 20-30
minutes, during which he discussed his
research, asked about my interests, the classes
I liked, and my GPA. After our meeting, he
7
Q: I hear you have a grant for your own
project. Can you tell us more about that?
It is a research fellowship. My PI approached
me because he got an email from a company
saying they want to test out their Cytostim
flexor, which involves applying mechanical
strain and stress to tissue cultures. I applied for
the position and they did a short interview with
me. The process was new to me, because my
application involved writing a proposal. I am
now in the process of composing protocols to
start my new project this summer.
Q: Will you be collaborating with others on
your project? Or is it a solo venture?
I will be doing the work mostly. But, I will be
talking to my PI and graduate students regularly
for their advice and suggestions. I don’t have a
lot of knowledge on the immunology side of
things, so they will help me with that.
Spring 2013
I will also get a lot of help by reading many
published papers.
Q: Do you have any advice for other students
looking for research opportunities?
Q: Are there any classes that have helped you
with your lab work?
Put yourself out there! You can’t gain anything
if you’re not willing to try. Curiosity is also
important. Asking a lot of questions, not only
benefits you but enhances the project of the
grad student. Also enjoy what you do. Don’t go
to lab, just because you think it looks good on
your resume. Because honestly, if you have to
work 13-14 hour days and wake up at 5 am,
you’re not going to be happy unless you like it.
Since, I really enjoy what I do 14 hours days
aren’t that bad. I am engaged in what I am
doing and really enjoy it!
BIM 106 and BIM 109! I’ve referenced it
multiple times. I’ve also used a little bit of
Organic Chemistry and BIS 2A.
Q: How has your research experience shaped
your future goals?
It has definitely peaked my interest in Grad
School. At the moment, I am not sure about
getting a PhD, but a Master’s for sure in
translational medicine or bioengineering.
The Bay Area Biomedical Device Conference
By: Thao Ta
The 2013 Bay Area Biomedical
Device Conference took place during
Spring Break on March 27, 2013 at San
Jose State University. Speakers ranged
from medical device consultants to
academic researchers, including Dr.
Sanjay Joshi from U.C. Davis, who
shared his brain-muscle-computer
interface that picks up signals directly
from the brain to control external
devices. Topics presented by speakers
are broken into four categories:
photonics
in
medicine,
novel
The UC Davis attendees of the Conference
therapeutic applications of RF
ablation, FDA regulatory requirements, and brain-computer interface. Two hour-long panels were
held to discuss health care economics and the changing landscape for medical devices.
Topics discussed at the conference are nothing new for UC Davis students as many of these
topics have been covered in classes such as BIM189C with Don Chigazola and Dr. Tran, BIM173 with
Dr. Leach, and BIM110/Senior Design. Even BIM1 gives good background information for the
conference. For undergraduate BME students, this student-friendly conference is a good opportunity
to start networking inside the field. Many industry representatives were there, so coming to the
conference with a resume or business card does not hurt.
8
Spring 2013
The UC Berkeley BMES
By: Alexander Summers
The Biomedical Engineering Society at
UC Davis is a well-functioning club that puts on
several events per quarter and provides great
opportunities for its members. Our sister
organization at UC Berkeley also holds great
events and maintains a large member
population, so we decided to compare UC
Davis's and UC Berkeley's BMES chapters.
Both UC Davis's and UC Berkeley's BMES
hold several events each quarter focusing
on areas such as outreach, industry connections, academic help, and faculty connections.
Common events include industry tours, research fairs, and graduate school workshops. Our
officer team at UC Davis plans all the events. Berkeley BMES, on the other hand, has a committee
system that is responsible for planning events falling under the academic, publicity, corporate, and
outreach areas. An example of their outreach program is their Alumni Legacy Night that attracts 50
undergraduates and 15 alumni, while their corporate program has a Dinner with Genentech with 60
students and over 10 company representatives. Berkeley BMES and Davis BMES both have a
research-related event highlights the research done on campus as well as gives undergraduates the
chance to join a research lab. Additionally, Berkeley's BMES has influence in shaping the curriculum
for Berkeley's Bioengineering program, as they sit on the curriculum committee board. While the
ways each program plans events and expands their membership vary, both programs are doing great
things for their members.
9
Spring 2013
BME Undergrads: By the Numbers
By: Thao Ta
Sophomore Specializations
Other
10%
Junior Specializations
Cell and
Tissue
24%
Premed
6%
Systems
and
Synthetic
Biology
2%
Cell and
Tissue
32%
Biomech
18%
Systems
and
Synthetic
Biology
6%
Imaging
9%
Biomech
32%
Medical
Devices
24%
Medical
Devices
26%
Imaging
0%
Percentage of Students
Conducting Research in a
Lab on Campus
Senior Specializations
Other
9%
90
Cell and
Tissue
31%
Premed
12%
80
Systems
and
Synthetic
Biology
3%
Imaging
3%
Medical
Devices
12%
Percent of Students
70
Biomech
30%
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Yes
10
Other
7%
Premed
4%
Sophomores
Juniors
Seniors
18.8
62.9
84.8
Spring 2013
BME World News
By: Kenneth Chang
Imaging
Two-Photon Microscopy is a dye-based
imaging technique that uses highly focused
lasers to shoot a pair of photons through living
tissue. The combined energy of a pair of
photons, creates fluorescence in the visible
spectrum of light. The fluorescence of the dye
can reveal tiny structures in incredible
detail, such as blood capillaries in the
brain, and individual cells. This level of detail is
unmatched compared to other imaging
techniques such as MRI, which can only give
larger regions.
The main drawbacks of the technique
are the incredible costs associated with the
lasers that are needed to create the images. In
order to get usable images, femtosecond lasers
must be used, which are capable of shooting a
quadrillion photon pairs a second. A team from
the University of Pennsylvania lead by associate
professor Sergei Vinogradov, has developed a
new kind of dye that could reduce the cost of
the technique.
Other proposed solutions include using
lanthanide based nanoparticles to create a dye
that fluoresces more easily, up to a million to
10 million times higher than existing dyes.
Using lanthanides creates problems though, as
they aren’t soluble, and wrapping them in
polymers to increase solubility only worked
temporarily. Vinogradov and his colleagues
took a different approach, instead creating
dendritic polymers, which have multiple
branches attached to a core. Using their
dendritic polymers, they were able to create
images of the same detail while using a laser
that was million times weaker, and as such, also
much cheaper.
11
Systems and Synthetic
Biology
Malaria treatment currently consists of
a variety of cures. One of them is based off a
chemical extracted from the plant Artemesia
Annua,
called
Artemisinin.
Now
though, researchers from Berkeley led by
professor of chemical engineering Jay
Keasling, have developed a way to create a
semi-synthetic
version
of
the
compound, allowing for mass production by
pharmaceutical company Sanofi.
Traditionally, quality, supply and cost for the
extraction
of
artemisinin
has
been
inconsistent, and global demand continues to
rise after arteminsinin-based therapies were
identified by the World Health organization as
the most effective means of combating malaria.
The new process is based on a
genetically modified yeast strain, which allows
it to create the synthetic precursor of
arteminsinin. The precursor can then be
chemically modified into the active malarial
drug artesunate, which is used in Malaria
treatments around the world. The yeast strain
had a number of genes inserted, including a
combination of wormwood and yeast genes
that first allowed it to produce the precursor
artemisinic acid. Additional plant genes were
also inserted to boost artemisinic acid
production by a factor of fifteen. In
addition, Sanofi has also created a process to
phytochemcially convert the arteminic acid to
artemsinin. The semi-synthetic version can
substitute directly into, leading to the same
final product used in drug therapies.
Spring 2013
Cell and Tissue
Researchers from the Oregon Health
and Science University and the Oregon National
Primate Research Center have managed to
successfully reprogram human skin cells into
embryonic stem cells. The researcher team was
able to achieve this by using a process called
somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT). The
process involves transplanting the nucleus of
one cell into an egg cell that has had its DNA
removed. The egg can then develop and will
eventually produce stem cells.
This experiment represents a major
breakthrough for the stem cell research
community. SCNT stem cells have been shown
to be closer to “normal” embryonic stem cells
than induced pluripotent stem cells, reducing
the change of unwanted mutations. Current
limitations of the technique are from the need
include the availability of good quality human
eggs, which are essential for the process to
work smoothly. It is hoped though that in the
future, the stem cells produced from this
process can be used in regenerative
medicine, and help replace cells damaged by
injury or illness.
Biomechanics
A new laboratory method, called the
tension gauge tether (TGT) approach, detects
and measures the mechanics of single molecule
interactions of which many cell receptors are
activated from. The method was developed by
researchers at the University of Illinois.
Cells communicate by using specific
interactions between receptors located on the
cell membrane, and specific molecules that
bind to them.
The researchers used integrin, protein
that is activated during communication. Using
the TGT approach, they used repurposed DNA
as tethers for ligand molecules. This allowed
12
them to test the tension required to activate
cell adhesion through the integrin, which then
bonds to the ligand. Adhesion would then
happen only if the DNA tether system doesn’t
rupture.
Using this, and taking advantage of the
structure of DNA, researchers were able to
tune the strands to rupture at discrete levels of
molecular tension applied by the cells.
Researchers hope that this breakthrough in
the ability to define how a single molecular
force can make living cells behave may bring
them closer to a remedy for hard to cure
disease.
Medical Devices
Nanomachines that can be used to heal
all of the bodies problems used to be a fanciful
thought, but with a new development from
Stanford University, that dream may no longer
be simply be a thing of science fiction.
A team of surgeons from Stanford has
succeeded in creating a wireless self-propelled
device that can travel through the bloodstream.
It is hoped that eventually, these chips could be
developed
for
a
wide
range
of
applications, from diagnostics, delivering
drugs, and even minimally invasive surgeries.
In the past, implants have been
restricted by the need for batteries. All of these
posed additional risks, restricted device
development, and presented deployment
issues. But this new device, created by
electrical engineer Ada Poon, is different. A
radio transmitter outside of the body is used to
send signals inside to body to a receiver made
of an antenna of coiled wire. Both are
magnetically coupled so that any change in
current flow in the transmitter induces voltage
in the other wire. Essentially, power is
transferred wirelessly, allowing the electronics
on the device to run and propel itself through
the bloodstream.
Spring 2013
Biomedical Engineering Specializations
By: Jackie Lim and Judy Hsia
The Specializations
Imaging
Medical Devices
Imaging has an important role
in disease diagnosis, drug
development, and delivery. It
involves creating visuals of
parts of living organisms’
bodies not visible to the naked
human eye. This specialization
aims
to
improve
data
collection from ultrasounds, Xrays, MRIs, etc. One thing to
keep in mind is that imaging
may require a more advanced
degree, such as a PhD, before
going into the workforce. If
you’re
interested,
it’ll
definitely be worth it!
13
The
medical
devices
specialization focuses on
developing many different
products,
such
as
implants, apparatuses, or
machines to aid in the
treatment or diagnosis of
medical illness. Medical
device technologies can
involve both mechanical
devices with pharmaceuticals
to create new medical
treatments.
Cellular and Tissue
Cellular and tissue involves
the development of artificial
organs, controlling behavior
of certain genes, and protein
production. Many in this field
focus on figuring out ways to
prevent the body from
rejecting these foreign cells
that require integration into
the body. Quite often, the
ultimate goal is to treat a
disease, such as cancer. The
specialization requires a more
in-depth
knowledge
of
chemical
and
biological
processes.
Biomechanics
Systems and Synthetic Biology
Biomechanics involves a more indepth study of the anatomy of
biological systems and how they
function. It requires more focus
on
thermodynamics, mechanics, and
dynamics. This not only involves
the production of prosthetics, but
includes other focuses such as the
improvement of cardiovascular
devices and wheelchairs.
For
instance, if you want to give
mobility back a person who has
lost function of their limbs, then
this may be the specialization for
you!
Students in systems and
synthetic biology must have a
strong
understanding
of
biochemical and biomechanical
processes in order to create
models of natural and artificial
systems through mathematical
analysis.
Once analyzed
thoroughly, the models help
scientists visualize and develop
new ways to redirect normal
expression or correct expression
for both biotechnological and
therapeutic purposes. A more
in-depth study of programming
may be useful.
Spring 2013
Industry Options
Imaging
Medical Devices
Cellular and Tissue
Medical imaging is a field with
great
potential
with
industry, and UC Davis BME
alumni have moved on to
work in companies that utilize
imaging technology, such as
Volcano or PerkinElmer. There
is a great demand for
noninvasive
methods
of
diagnosing diseases and
investigating
injuries.
Developments in imaging
have clear applications, from
helping doctors detect tumors
earlier
and
more
accurately,
to producing
clear, 3-dimensional images
using ultrasound.
Medical devices are one of the
most prominent parts of
industry
for
biomedical
engineers, especially because
of market demands for novel
medical solutions. There are
well-established companies in
the field such as Medtronic and
Stryker. Additionally, there are
many startups trying to get
their products through the FDA
approval process. Expertise
from different professionals is
required for a medical device
to be designed, tested, and
released out to the market, so
someone getting into the
medical device industry has
many options.
Although tissue engineering is
a new and developing field, it
is not constrained to only
research
and
academia.
Industry activity in tissue
engineering
has
been
increasing in recent years.
Currently, many popular
products are bioactive bone
grafts and artificial skin grafts.
In 2002, only 5% of economic
activity
for
regenerative
medicine was in sales. Now
sales make up 60%. This
number is likely to increase as
new developments in the
field arise, and as even more
products
become
FDAapproved.
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Biomechanics
Systems and Synthetic Biology
As long as musculoskeletal injuries
exist, there will be the need for
biomedical engineers with knowledge
in biomechanics. One of the first
things people think of upon mention
of “biomechanics” is designing
prosthetics. There is also the option of
becoming a prosthetist, a professional
who re-designs and tweaks prosthetic
devices for each specific patient.
However, that is not all a BME with a
biomechanics background can do.
Another field to consider is injury
biomechanics,
which
involves
investigating
the
causes
of
accidents, and determining if an injury
is due to poor design, misuse, or
product failure.
Synthetic biology is new field, and has
only emerged in the early 2000’s. The
developments made in the field can
be utilized in many different
applications,
from
producing
pharmaceuticals to creating biofuels.
It is also worth nothing that the use of
synthetic biology tools in industry is
projected to substantially impact the
biotechnology industry in the near
future. New developments and a
better understanding of biological
systems allow for decreased costs and
better control of products. Some
examples of companies to watch out
for are Genencor and Synthetic
Genomics.
Spring 2013
Wordsearch: Biomedical Edition
By: The BMESsenger Committee
Try to find all of the Biomedical Engineering terms!
CAPSTONE
CLINICAL
NAVIER STOKES
RADIOGRAPH
CHEMOTAXIS
PET
CAT
PCR
MENISCUS
BIOREACTOR
STENT
YOUNGSMODULUS
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ORTHOPEDIC
OXIMETER
LAC REPRESSOR
DISSUSION
CONVECTION
CHONDROCYTE
CYCLOTRON
BIOFILM
STEREOISOMER
CHIRALITY
MEMBRANE
EQUILIBRIUM
ASSAY
DIALYSIS
DIFFERENTIAL
FLEXOR
LVAD
AORTA
TITRATION
FLUORESENCE
PROSTHETIC
Spring 2013
Senior Design Team Highlight
By: Judy Hsia
Do It Yourself Arm Mobility Device
Team: Taylor Masters, Kelsey Goodwin,
Amanda Johnston, Katharine Williams,
Thomas Karagianes
This team has worked in collaboration
with Easter Seals to help children with limited
arm movement. Current devices that address
this problem cost up to $30,000, which can be
difficult for many families to afford. Their
design, however, costs less than $500.
The device is purely mechanical and
features an overhead structure with passive
generation elements through the use of
constant force springs, and allows for all range
of movement in three planes. One of the
unique aspects of their project is that they will
clearly see the impact they are making, as they
are personally working with a twelve year old
muscular dystrophy patient, who will be the
first to use their device.
Another challenging aspect is that their
final product needs to be accessible and easy to
assemble, and so they must use pre-machined
parts that parents can easily purchase. The
design will be open-source, and so anyone will
be able to build and use it.
In the future, the team hopes to own
the intellectual property of their design, but
will ensure the information remains free for the
public.
The Do It Yourself Arm Mobility Device
The team responsible for the device
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Spring 2013
BMESenger Events Recap
Picnic Day
By: Alagu Chidambaram
A surgeon and his unfortunate patient
BMES once again pulled off an amazing House
of Horrors at Picnic Day 2013. Tickets sold out
for all the shows and the volunteers seemed to
be enjoying themselves as much as the
audience. The groups entered to a frightful
scene: a zombie attacking a human! They were
then guided through a “hospital” where
numerous BME- related procedures were
happening, including cartilage engineering, a
brain scan, and heart surgery. It was great to
see the spark of interest in science in all the
young children that attended with their
families. The House of Horrors is a great way to
get in touch with the local community and
inform them of what the UC Davis BME
program is accomplishing, as well as capture
the interest and imagination of a new
generation of engineers. As a volunteer, I had
an amazing time at Picnic Day, and I hope to
see all of you there next year!
Festival De Las Ciencias
By: Jasmine Chen
… Or simply put, “Science Festival” in Spanish!
The Festival de las Ciencias was held at César
Chávez Elementary School, and encouraged
young minds to have a never-ending curiosity
for science.
Several organizations hosted
booths throughout the school’s corridors and
were able to teach the students different
concepts in science. Our BMES members were
able to interact with students of grades 4
through 6. Figuratively speaking, it was like
going into a time machine and relapsing back to
the days when we first learned what a ‘cell’
was.
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Senior Thao Ta teaching the children
Spring 2013
BMES’ demonstration titled, “DNA in a Balloon Cell” gave the students a glimpse of what they
can achieve with synthetic biology. We had pink ribbon tied in a circle to represent the original DNA
of a bacteria cell (balloon). In order to incorporate a new DNA vector (shiny ribbon) into the original
DNA, we used scissors to cut the circular DNA and then used tape to anneal the ‘shiny’ DNA to the
‘original’, pink DNA. We explained to students that instead of using scissors and tape, we use
biological enzymes to perform these same tasks in a laboratory setting. The finalized DNA vector is
then put back into the bacteria cell and with further proliferation, the bacterial cell will show a new
characteristic.
The Festival de la Ciencias was BMES’ first official outreach event to a local school, and it
served all BMES members an enjoyable break from the busy mindset of a college student. But more
importantly, it was great to see BMES give back to the community and to educate the future students
that might fill our BMES shoes in the future. We’re definitely looking forward to hosting more
outreach events in the future! Gracias BMES! Buen trabajo, estudiantes de César Chávez!
Staff
Judy Hsia
Editor in Chief / Writer
Jasmine Chen
Writer / Editor
Jonathan Chen
Editor
Christian Pascual
Writer / Editor
Nick Csicsery
Writer / Editor
Munira Bootwala
Writer
Alexander Summers
Writer / Editor
Jackie Lim
Writer / Editor
Alagu Chidambaram
Writer
Kenneth Chang
Writer / Editor
Thao Ta
Writer / Editor
Thank you for taking the time out to read our newsletter! Stay tuned for our special
Summer Edition. The BMESSENGER newsletter is always looking for new committed
members! Email UCDBMES@gmail.com if you are interested in joining our team.
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