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Biological engineering

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A bioengineered leaf to convert sunlight into liquid fuel

Biological engineering or bioengineering is the application of principles of biology and the tools of engineering to create usable, tangible, economically viable products that support health care.[1][2][3] Biological engineering applies knowledge and expertise from various basic and applied sciences, including biomechanics, bioinformatics, thermodynamics, polymer science, medical imaging, and tissue engineering, among others.[1][3] One source defined bioengineering as advancing the "fundamental understanding of how biological systems operate and to develop effective biology-based technologies for applications across a wide spectrum of societal needs including breakthroughs in diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease."[3]

Generally, biological engineers attempt to mimic biological systems to create products or modify and control biological systems. Bioengineers use traditional engineering principles and techniques to address biological processes, including ways to replace, augment, sustain, or predict chemical and mechanical processes.[4]

History

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Some biological machines

Biological engineering is a science-based discipline founded upon the biological sciences in the same way that chemical engineering, electrical engineering, and mechanical engineering.[5] It can be based upon chemistry, electricity and magnetism, and classical mechanics, respectively.[6]

Biological engineering or "bioengineering" was coined by British scientist and broadcaster Heinz Wolff in 1954 at the National Institute for Medical Research. Wolff graduated that year and became the Division of Biological Engineering director at Oxford University.[7]

When engineers and life scientists started working together, they recognized that the engineers did not know enough about the actual biology behind their work. To resolve this problem, engineers who wanted to get into biological engineering, devoted more time to studying biology, psychology, agriculture and medicine.[8]

More recently, the term biological engineering has been applied to environmental modifications such as surface soil protection, slope stabilization, water course and shoreline protection, windbreaks, vegetation barriers including noise barriers and visual screens, and the ecological enhancement of an area. Because other engineering disciplines also address living organisms, the term biological engineering can be applied more broadly to include agricultural engineering.[citation needed]

The first biological engineering program in the United States was started at University of California, San Diego in 1966.[9] More recent programs have been launched at MIT[10] and Utah State University.[11] Many old agricultural engineering departments in universities over the world have re-branded themselves as agricultural and biological engineering or agricultural and biosystems engineering. According to Professor Doug Lauffenburger of MIT,[10][12] biological engineering has a broad base which applies engineering principles to an enormous range of size and complexities of systems, ranging from the molecular level (molecular biology, biochemistry, microbiology, pharmacology, protein chemistry, cytology, immunology, neurobiology and, neuroscience) to cellular and tissue-based systems (including devices and sensors), to whole macroscopic organisms (plants, animals), and even to biomes and ecosystems.[citation needed]

Education

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The average length of study is three to five years, and the completed degree is signified as a bachelor of engineering (B.S. in engineering).[citation needed] Fundamental courses include thermodynamics, biomechanics, biology, genetic engineering, fluid and mechanical dynamics, chemical and enzyme kinetics, electronics, and materials properties.[13][14]

Sub-disciplines

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Modeling of the spread of disease using Cellular Automata and Nearest Neighbor Interactions

Depending on the institution and particular definitional boundaries employed, some major branches of bioengineering may be categorized as (note these may overlap):

Organizations

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  • Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET),[21] the U.S.-based accreditation board for engineering B.S. programs, makes a distinction between biomedical engineering and biological engineering, though there is much overlap (see above).
  • American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) is made up of 1,500 members. Their main goal is to educate the public about the value biological engineering has in our world, as well as invest in research and other programs to advance the field. They give out awards to those dedicated to innovation in the field, and awards of achievement in the field. (They do not have a direct contribution to biological engineering; they recognize those who do and encourage the public to continue that forward movement).[22]
  • Institute of Biological Engineering (IBE) is a non-profit organization that runs on donations alone. They aim to encourage the public to learn and to continue advancements in biological engineering. (Like AIMBE, they do not perform research directly; however, they offer scholarships to students who show promise in the field).[23]
  • Society for Biological Engineering (SBE) is a technological community associated with the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE). SBE hosts international conferences, and is a global organization of leading engineers and scientists dedicated to advancing the integration of biology with engineering.[24]
  • MediUnite Journal is a medical awareness campaign and newspaper that has often published biomedical findings and has cited biomedicine in various research papers.[25]

See also

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References

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  1. 1 2 "What is Bioengineering?". Berkeley Bioengineering, University of California at Berkeley. 2026. Retrieved 28 August 2026.
  2. ↑ Abramovitz M (2015). Biological engineering. ABDO Publishing Company. p. 10. ISBN 978-1-62968-526-7.
  3. 1 2 3 Riley MR (October 2007). "Introducing Journal of Biological Engineering". Journal of Biological Engineering. 1: 1. doi:10.1186/1754-1611-1-1. PMC 2227944. PMID 18271979.
  4. ↑ Pasotti L, Zucca S (3 August 2014). "Advances and Computational Tools towards Predictable Design in Biological Engineering". Computational and Mathematical Methods in Medicine. 2014 369681. doi:10.1155/2014/369681. PMC 4137594. PMID 25161694.
  5. 1 2 Abramovitz M (2015). Biological Engineering. Gale Virtual Reference Library. p. 18. ISBN 978-1-62968-526-7.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  6. ↑ Cuello JC, Engineering to biology and biology to engineering, The bi-directional connection between engineering and biology in biological engineering design, Int J Engng Ed 2005, 21, 1-7
  7. ↑ Medical & biological engineering. Oxford; New York: Pergamon Press. 1966–1976.
  8. ↑ Naik GR, ed. (2012). Applied biological engineering: principles and practice. Rijeka: InTech. ISBN 978-953-51-0412-4.
  9. ↑ "Founder of UCSD Bioengineering Program". jacobsschool.ucsd.edu. 1 March 2004. Retrieved 22 May 2018.
  10. 1 2 "MIT, Department of Biological Engineering". Retrieved 16 April 2015.
  11. ↑ "Utah State University, Department of Biological Engineering". be.usu.edu. Retrieved 13 November 2011.
  12. ↑ "MIT Directory, Doug Lauffenburger". Retrieved 15 April 2015.
  13. ↑ Linsenmeier RA, Defining the Undergraduate Biomedical Engineering Curriculum
  14. ↑ Johnson AT, Phillips WM (1995). "Philosophical foundations of biological engineering". Journal of Engineering Education. 1995 (84): 311–318. doi:10.1002/j.2168-9830.1995.tb00185.x.
  15. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Bioengineering". Encyclopedia Britannica.
  16. ↑ "Convention on Biological Diversity". 13 May 2016. Retrieved 27 April 2018.
  17. ↑ Vincent JF, Bogatyreva OA, Bogatyrev NR, et al. (2006). "Biomimetics: its practice and theory". Journal of the Royal Society Interface. 3 (9): 471–482. doi:10.1098/rsif.2006.0127. PMC 1664643. PMID 16849244. Archived from the original on 5 July 2014. Retrieved 13 April 2018.
  18. ↑ "Biomechanical Engineering FAQ | Mechanical Engineering". me.stanford.edu. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
  19. ↑ "Bioprinting". Retrieved 1 May 2018.
  20. ↑ "Systems biology | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
  21. ↑ ABET Accreditation, accessed 9/8/2010.
  22. ↑ "About AIMBE - AIMBE".
  23. ↑ "Institute of Biological Engineering". Retrieved 20 April 2018.
  24. ↑ "The Society for Biological Engineering". 28 February 2012. Retrieved 21 August 2019.
  25. ↑ "MediUnite". www.mediunite.ca. Retrieved 7 September 2023.
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