Why study Bioengineering at Keele University?
Course summary
There is an increasing demand for bioengineers whose knowledge of engineering, maths and the physical sciences serves society's desire to develop new technology, machinery, and the advanced treatment and therapies needed to combat rising health problems.
Bioengineering – also referred to as biomedical engineering – applies traditional engineering techniques to primarily solve medical and biological problems, inventing new equipment, materials, methods and processes to safely and accurately diagnose patients, improve medical treatment and its outcomes. It is responsible for innovations ranging from prosthetic limbs and heart valves, to tissue, stem cell research and gene modification.
This Master of Research (MRes) is a research-based programme of study, which enables you to develop advanced research skills and conduct in-depth research, under the supervision of one of our many leading experts in bio and medical engineering. From the outset, you will focus your studies by choosing one of two available pathways – Molecular, Cellular and Tissue Engineering (MCT) or Biomedical Engineering (BME).
By way of example, research by one previous MCT pathway student, under the supervision of Professor Nick Forsyth, involved mucous profiling of chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD) patient-derived small-airway models. Another BME pathway student, under the supervision of Professor Peter Ogrodnik, assisted the development of an experimental model of flexible walled blood vessels.
Based in the Guy Hilton Research Centre, A European Centre for Excellence in tissue engineering, gives you access to cell culture facility, bioreactor, confocal microscopy, flow cytometer, qPCR machines, DNA pyrosequencer, mass spectrometers, HPLC, FT-IR, Raman spectroscopy, contact angle measurement, 3D printer, and computerized topography.
Our proximity to the University Hospital means you’ll be able to see physiological monitors and diagnostic instrumentation being used and serviced. This could include anything from electroencephalograms (EEG), electrocardiograms (ECG) or electromyography (EMG) to anaesthetic machines or kidney dialysis.
You will be taught by staff with real world experience of developing and commercialising medical products, in particular, technological innovations that have improved the treatment of fractures and spinal injuries for thousands of patients.
Our active researchers are studying how tissue engineering can aid the treatment of cardiovascular diseases and the potential to use nanotechnology to control cell behaviour in neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson’s. And, as part of the Versus Arthritis Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Therapies Centre, our researchers are pioneering cell therapy treatments to regenerate damaged bones, joints and muscles in patients with osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.