Biomedical Engineering. Биомедицинская инженерия. Учебное пособие

3.2. Answer the questions:

1. What are the possibilities of contemporary biomedical engineering? 2. Why do career paths in biomedical engineering tend to be driven by

the interests of the individual?

3. What do biomedical engineers often combine?

4. What happens to medical diagnostics each year?

5. Where does innovation in BME originate from?

3.3. Study the grammar rule:

THE PASSIVE

Academic texts typically contain a mixture of active and passive verb forms. You can decide to use the passive for a number of reasons, including:

1.To keep the focus on the action, idea, object or event being described rather than who or what carries it out

2.To avoid saying who did the action because it is unnecessary, obvious, or unimportant:

The Present and the Past Simple are often used in academic writing:

Present Simple

active: clean(s)/see(s) Somebody cleans the room every day. I see him cleaning the room.

passive: am/is/are cleaned/seen The room is cleaned every day. He is seen cleaning the room.

Past Simple

active: cleaned/saw - Somebody cleaned the room yesterday. He saw somebody cleaning the room.

passive: was/were cleaned/seen - The room was cleaned yesterday. He was seen cleaning the room.

3.4. Rewrite the sentences using the verb phrases in the Passive Voice:

1.Somebody carries out experiments regularly.

2.Somebody uses the laboratory every day.

3.We often refer to poorer countries as "developing countries".

4.They illustrated these ideas.

5.People thought of power as a dangerous concept.

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6.This essay made clear some distinctions in the research.

7.The scientists create new virus in this laboratory.

8.They still use this old method of work.

9.This research reveals new opportunities for us.

10.The professor invites his students to the experiment.

3.5. Rewrite the following sentences in the Passive Voice:

Example:

Scientists use this material in electronic devices.

This material is used by scientists in electronic devices.

1.The scientists developed several types of medical devices.

2.They will inform you about the new discovery.

3.Solar batteries generate electricity.

4.The researcher carries out the experiments on prothesis.

5.The lecturer spoke about the latest works in the sphere of biomedical engineering

7.He showed me the articles from the latest magazine.

8.New data will support the results of our research.

9.These devices distribute the electric energy.

10.The engineer will check the apparatus in the lab.

11.Their laboratory occupies a separate part of the building.

12.Medical devices perform various treatment tasks.

3.6.Write 10 sentences using various forms of the Passive Voice.

3.7.Give the initial words of the following derivatives:

Example: different - to differ

Communication, technological, transformation, invisible, equipment, vibration, quickly, responsible, creation, innovation.

3.8.Write the summary of the text "The Future of Biomedical Engineering".

3.9.Make a presentation about career prospects of a biomedical engineer or future trends in BME.

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Unit 4. Trends in Biomedical Engineering

4.2. Make all possible word combinations:

4.3.Write 10 sentences with these word combinations.

4.4.Surf the Internet and find out, what are recent trends in Biomedical Engineering. Share with the class.

4.5 Read and translate the text:

Trends in Biomedical Engineering

Biomedical engineering is a relatively new branch of science that has the potential to transform healthcare – paving the way for further technological developments in prosthetics, surgical devices, diagnostics, imaging methods, etc.

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Bridging the gap between biological science, medicine and engineering, the interdisciplinary field of biomedical engineering is changing the way we interact with the world. From prosthetic limbs to medicine delivery technology, the pioneering research of biomedical engineers is shaking the foundations of traditional healthcare to its very core.

Biomedical engineering combines the design and problem-solving skills of engineering with medical biological sciences in order to improve healthcare treatment – including diagnosis, monitoring and therapy – and help people to live longer, better quality lives. The miniaturization of technology has also been a major breakthrough: facilitating the development of more advanced wearable technologies, microneedles for drug-delivery systems and sensors for brain-controlled prosthetics.

In late 2018, the European Parliament Interest Group met in Brussels to discuss the future of biomedical engineering. During the meeting, they outlined their intentions to see biomedical engineering recognised as an independent profession, which is especially important given that maintenance of machines in hospitals is essential for patient care.

While healthcare organisations and institutions are warming to the widespread implementation of biomedical technology, researchers are guiding us through previously uncharted waters. There are four major trends in biomedical engineering that are making waves in the world of science.

1) Wearable devices and implantable technologies

Proliferation of Wearable Health Devices and implantable technologies is one of the most visibly disruptive to the healthcare sector. These medical devices range from Fitbit, a direct-to-consumer fitness wearable that tracks weight and body fat percentage, to Medtronic’s Insertable Cardiac Monitor, a long-term implant just under the skin that provides patients (and their GPs) with real-time updates on heart rhythm and respiratory problems. The personalised, real-time element to such devices enables GPs to detect symptoms more quickly, aiding early diagnosis. By being able to monitor their patients remotely, GPs can save time and money by reducing unnecessary face-to-face consultations. GPs are also able to use real data from these devices to optimise treatment and tailor it towards the individual.

The use of implantables remains controversial – largely fuelled by fears they can cause infection or that microchip technology will be leveraged for surveillance. However, these fears are largely unfounded, especially as implanted devices such as pacemakers have been around for over half a century.

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2) Nanorobotics

Nanorobotics is an emerging field of technology that involves creating tiny surgical robots whose components are roughly the size of a nanometre (equivalent to one-billionth of a metre or one-millionth the length of an ant).

With their microscopic size, these technologies will enable scientists to manipulate biological matter at an atomic or molecular level – with seismic implications for our ability to effectively fight diseases.

In surgery, medical nanobots will be introduced into the body in a minimally invasive way via the vascular system or other cavities. Programmed or directed by a human surgeon, they would perform crucial functions such as searching for pathogens. Because nanobots are capable of recording vital signs such as temperature and blood pressure, this technique is thought to enable doctors to diagnose, test and monitor microorganisms, tissues and cells in the bloodstream.

Nanotechnological innovation in healthcare recently had a huge breakthrough: in 2018, researchers were able to shrink tumours in mice by using cancer-hunting nanobots to cut off the blood supply. If the technique gains approval for future use on humans, it could offer a less harmful and more successful alternative to chemotherapy.

3) Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs)

Brain-computer interfaces are devices that enable signals from the brain to direct external activity, such as moving a cursor or prosthetic limb. BCIs work by measuring the brain’s electrical activity using a monitoring method called electroencephalography (EEG), which involves placing electrodes on the scalp surface. Though brain-to-computer technology may sound futuristic, the first human to be successfully implanted with a BCI was in 2004, when a paralyzed patient received a device that allowed him to move a cursor across a screen.

The capabilities of modern BCIs have advanced to such an extent that a number of ethical questions have been raised, ranging from privacy to loss of humanity. For example, if a BCI device misreads an invasive thought and executes a harmful action – even if the user didn’t intend to fully through with the action – how much responsibility can we ascribe to the user?

Thankfully, in 2019, scientists developed the first-ever noninvasive brain-computer interface, which will benefit the lives of paralyzed patients and others with movement disorders. While BCIs are not particularly relia-

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ble in their current form, the ongoing work of biomedical engineers is helping to improve accuracy and safeguard the wellbeing of users.

As for the long-term impact of BCIs, the sky seems to be the limit. While these devices currently have the potential to do enormous good for people with serious motor disabilities, in the future, scientists believe they will be applied in the area of “human augmentation” – using the technology to improve human cognition as well as other abilities.

The combination of humans and technology could be more powerful than artificial intelligence. When we make decisions based on a combination of perception and reasoning, neurotechnologies could be used to augment our perception. This could help us in situations such as seeing a very blurry image from a security camera and having to decide whether to intervene or not.

4) 3D bioprinting

3D bioprinting describes the use of 3D-printing techniques to combine cells, growth factors (proteins or hormones) and biomaterials to create biomedical parts that precisely imitate natural tissue characteristics. This technology utilises a layer-by-layer method to deposit materials called bioinks and creates tissue-like structures that can later be used in the fields of medical and tissue engineering.

Israeli scientists have already created the world’s first 3D-printed heart using human cells. While this artificial heart doesn’t beat and is only the size of a rabbit’s, it represents a significant step in the ongoing efforts to improve treatment for heart disease — one of the biggest killers in the Western world. 3D bioprinting’s potential is enormous. In the near future, doctors may have the ability to print artificial skin cells.

4.6. Answer the questions:

1.Is biomedical engineering modern branch or an old one?

2.What are four major trends in biomedical engineering?

3What is 3D bioprinting?

4.What is the role of Brain-computer interfaces?

5.What are the perspectives of nanorobotics?

6.What are the uses of wearable devices and implantable technologies?

7.Why is the use of implantable technologies controversial?

8.What is human augmentation?

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9.What was the recent breakthrough in nanotechnological healthcare?

10.Why are real-time updates on heart rhythm and respiratory problems necessary to know?

4.7.Find the Passive forms in the text. Define the tense and translate them.

4.8.Choose one of the parts of the text and summarize it orally.

4.9.Write a summary of the whole text.

4.10. Choose one aspect of Biomedical engineering and make a presentation. Present it to the class.

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Unit 1. Tissue Engineering and Biomaterials

1.1. Answer the questions.

1.What do you know about the research areas of BME?

2.Where can they be applied?

3.What problems does tissue engineering solve?

4.What can be done with the help of biosensors?

5.What are the main achievements of biomedical optics?

1.2. Read and translate the text.

Tissue Engineering and Biomaterials

Throughout the past decade in the field of tissue engineering, novel cell sources, engineering materials, and tissue architecture techniques have provided engineering tissues that better restore, maintain, improve, or replace biological tissues.

Tissue engineering is a biomedical engineering discipline that uses a combination of cells, engineering, materials methods, and suitable biochemical and physicochemical factors to restore, maintain, improve, or replace different types of biological tissues. Tissue engineering often involves the use of cells placed on tissue scaffolds in the formation of new viable tissue for a medical purpose but is not limited to applications involving cells and tissue scaffolds. While it was once categorized as a sub-field of biomaterials, having grown in scope and importance it can be considered as a field in its own.

While most definitions of tissue engineering cover a broad range of applications, in practice the term is closely associated with applications that repair or replace portions of or whole tissues (i.e., bone, cartilage, blood vessels, bladder, skin, muscle etc.). Often, the tissues involved require certain mechanical and structural properties for proper functioning. The term has also been applied to efforts to perform specific biochemical functions using cells within an artificially-created support system (e.g. an artificial pancreas, or a bio artificial liver). The term regenerative medicine is often used synonymously with tissue engineering, although those involved in regenerative medicine place more emphasis on the use of stem cells or progenitor cells to produce tissues.

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1.5. Make up sentences with the terms from the table above. 1.6. Give the initial words of the following derivatives.

Example: actively-active; movement-move

Greatly, discharge, lecturer, successful, improvement, inventor, definition, equipment, supportive, synonymously, regenerative, artificially.

1.7.Write a summary of the text "Tissue Engineering and Biomaterials".

1.8.Make a report about the field of tissue engineering.

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