Biomedical Engineering with Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering

Postgraduate Open Event

Join us online for our Postgraduate Open Event - Wednesday 26 October to find out more about our taught programmes and discover why you should study your Masters with us.

The module is an intensive research module that spans all three MSc semesters. It draws together the knowledge and skills from the taught component to address a research challenge of significant scope to be undertaken independently, under supervision. It focuses on the technical, project management and communication skills needed to successfully execute academic- and/or industry-oriented research. The project entails to apply research methods to solve original problems of fundamental or applied nature.

This module provides an introduction to applied medical ethics and law related to the development of new products in the field of bioengineering. It provides knowledge of the regulatory mechanisms of approval of products for clinical use in the UK, the EU and the US, risk management and design processes.

This specialised module covers a range of topics in Tissue Engineering. It will develop the knowledge base of the student with emphasis on the current research directions of this rapidly emerging topic supported by skills developed in the laboratory. The students will understand the multidisciplinary principles underpinning tissue engineering, They will appreciate principles that underlie behind a series of strategies to repair both tissues and organs. They will be able to apply their engineering background to biological systems. They will develop skills to enable them to be fully conversant with current research.

This module will define and describe nanostructures and nanomaterials. it will include how they are manufactured, appropriate characterisation technologies and a description of their application in a range of fields. In particular the application and challenges in the use of nanotechnology in medicine will be considered, including the regulatory issues to be considered, the use of nanomaterials for drug delivery and the development of lab in a chip technologies.

Introducing material selection concepts including processing constraints in design. An appreciation of the interaction of processing and material related cost considerations and the need to adopt a simultaneous engineering approach. The use of design guides such as Ashby diagrams is a key skill developed in the module.

This module will give students a thorough understanding and knowledge of state-of-the-art technologies for macromolecular engineering. It will focus on key areas for industrial applications and help students draw structure-property relationships and link these to synthetic approaches. Specifically, macromolecular engineering in the fields of high performance materials, tissue engineering and biotechnologies, sensors, materials for energy production and in the micro-electronics area will be discussed and applied. The module will cover advanced polymer synthesis techniques and their application to the design of conjugated polymers, the application of these concepts to macromolecular engineering in microfabrication and 3D printing and the design of biomaterials and hydrogels, and their biofunctionalisation. The module will present state-of-the-art platforms for solid phase synthesis of peptides, oligonucleotides, and recombinant protein production.

This module will provide a comprehensive understanding of the concepts related to biocompatibility. It will cover topics including proteins and protein adsorption, cells and tissue interactions (attachment, fluid shear and mechanotransduction), biomaterial blood and cell interactions, Inflammation, wound healing and foreign body response and Toxicity, hypersensitivity and infection. The In vitro testing of biomaterials will be considered with respect to - chemical exchange and degradation - cell response (proliferation vs differentiation) - evaluation of material compatibility - evaluation of device functionality (biomechanics, remodelling/adaptation) Matters related to clinical trials and regulatory approval will be considered including clean manufacturing, microbiology, packaging and sterility assurance.

This module is concerned with natural biological materials and how design is optimised for appropriate function. It reviews the structure and composition of natural biological materials and their resulting mechanical properties, before covering how these build to make the wide range of biological structures we see in nature. The methods by which structures are able to function effectively within their natural load environment are also covered, in addition to how they may change with age, disease or damage. It brings this together considering the current methods for characterizing and investigating structure-function in tissues and the latest understanding and thinking which is driving the field.

This module will provide an understanding of biopotentials and other biological signals, and identify mechanisms and principles by which they can be measured via sensors. It will offer a detailed understanding of the fundamental principals associated with transducers and sensors, and a comprehensive review of the most widely used techniques for the diagnosis and treatment of disease states alongside the problems of sensing in a biological environment.