Engineers bring unique and important perspectives to the study of biology and biomedicine. Materials science and robotics are opening up new possibilities for tissue replacement and prosthetics.
Hard copies of the Breakthroughs in Bioscience and Horizons in Bioscience series are available upon request. Please include the desired article, quantity and purpose for the publication's use with your inquiry.
3D Bioprinting: A New Dimension in Tissue Engineering
Posted on: November 04, 2016
In 1984, Charles Hull patented a process he called “stereolithography.” Now called three-dimensional (3D) printing, this technology has been used to manufacture rocket engines, custom-fit athletic shoes, and other 3D printers. The medical field also has reaped the benefits of 3D printing. Imaging data from computed tomography (CT) scans, ultrasounds, or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can produce 3D images on a computer, and precise 3D-printed anatomical models can be used for teaching or to help in surgical planning. Download the PDF or listen to the podcast below:
Regenerative Medicine: Advances from the Convergence of Biology & Engineering
Posted on: November 01, 2016
Throughout history, medical experts have dreamed of healing untreatable wounds, replacing a disfiguring scar with healthy skin, growing replacement lungs in the laboratory, and replacing a leg lost to injury or disease. Today, regenerative medicine has the potential to heal damaged tissues and organs, offering hope for those who have lost organ function due to age, disease, or injuries. Download the PDF or listen to the podcast below:
‘Horizons in Bioscience’ Explores Organs-On-a-Chip
Posted on: December 02, 2015
Organs-on-a-chip: The Future of Drug Development and Study of Disease - Imagine if, before you ever took a drug, doctors could predict which drug would work best for you, because they already had information on how organs in your body were likely to respond. Organs-on-a-chip research is bringing that day closer. This emerging technology allows scientists to watch the cascade of events that takes place in organs in response to drugs or during disease. Organs-on-chips are 3-D biochips, no bigger than a computer memory stick, that contain living human cells from an organ or tissue. Engineered in layers and channels, substances such as air or blood can be delivered continuously, and the cells can interface with other living tissues as they do in the body. Download the PDF or listen to the podcast below:
Bone Buildings: The Science of Grafts, Biomaterials, and Bone Engineering
Posted on: March 15, 2009
Bone Buildings: The Science of Grafts, Biomaterials, and Bone Engineering - The science of bone grafting and bone biomaterials has provided extraordinary therapies for patients who have suffered bone loss through traumatic injury bone cancer or birth defects. Read more...
Building Electronic Bridges to Bionics: The Basic Science of Neural Prosthetics
Posted on: March 15, 2008
Building Electronic Bridges to Bionics: The Basic Science of Neural Prosthetics - The development of neural prosthetics which can help restore hearing sight and movement to those who have lost these functions is a culmination of centuries of basic research. Read more...