Biomedical Engineering Research Research Articles

Building Biomedical Engineering Education, Research, and Innovation at HBCUs (NIBIB)

Building Biomedical Engineering Education, Research, and Innovation at HBCUs (NIBIB)

Integrated FEM-Multibody Co-Simulation of Additively Manufactured Hip Prosthesis containing cracks.

The increase in life expectancy and attention to the quality of life of elderly people spurred the need, in the last decades, to increase the capabilities of medical and surgical techniques. Among these, the development of prosthetic implants has been a staple of biomedical engineering research since the 70’s. In order to satisfy the challenging demands, the latest novelties in industrial engineering are being tested in their applicability to subjects. The 3D printing of metal alloys can produce a highly customizable product, which, after the proper heat treatments, can possess adequate mechanical properties to ensure a satisfactory component life. Defective products are often the results of wrong or absent post-processing treatments which may cause an uncontrolled crack propagation and a premature total failure of the implant. The behavior of such a product, with various critical crack conditions, was investigated by an integrated MBD-FEM co-simulation environment, focused on a femur subjected to total hip replacement. It was concluded that the Stress Intensity Factor (SIF) computed by the model is compatible with the premature failures experienced by patients, and as such, this model opens the possibility for further analyses aimed at understanding the role of defects on the durability of prothesis

Prediction of directional solidification in freeze casting of biomaterial scaffolds using physics-informed neural networks

Freeze casting, a manufacturing technique widely applied in biomedical fields for fabricating biomaterial scaffolds, poses challenges for predicting directional solidification due to its highly nonlinear behavior and complex interplay of process parameters. Conventional numerical methods, such as computational fluid dynamics (CFD), require adequate and accurate boundary condition knowledge, limiting their utility in real-world transient solidification applications due to technical limitations. In this study, we address this challenge by developing a physics-informed neural networks (PINNs) model to predict directional solidification in freeze-casting processes. The PINNs model integrates physical constraints with neural network predictions, requiring significantly fewer predetermined boundary conditions compared to CFD. Through a comparison with CFD simulations, the PINNs model demonstrates comparable accuracy in predicting temperature distribution and solidification patterns. This promising model achieves such a performance with only 5000 data points in space and time, equivalent to 250,000 timesteps, showcasing its ability to predict solidification dynamics with high accuracy. The study’s major contributions lie in providing insights into solidification patterns during freeze-casting scaffold fabrication, facilitating the design of biomaterial scaffolds with finely tuned microstructures essential for various tissue engineering applications. Furthermore, the reduced computational demands of the PINNs model offer potential cost and time savings in scaffold fabrication, promising advancements in biomedical engineering research and development.

Two-phase magnetohydrodynamic blood flow through curved porous artery

Blood arteries are important part of our cardiovascular system. A comprehensive study of shape and anatomy of blood arteries allows to elucidate the dynamics of blood flow in these arteries. Typically, the arteries are a curved-tube like structure, with arterial walls exhibiting a composition of various porous layers. The current study embarks on a theoretical exploration of a two-fluid model of blood flow and heat transfer through the curved artery under an influence of a magnetic field. The artery walls are composed of Brinkman and Darcy layers. The blood flows through a curved artery exerts centrifugal forces on the arterial walls that leads to change the blood flow patterns. The significant effects of curvature along with the intensity of an applied magnetic field on the blood flow patterns, heat transfer, and resistance impedance in curved artery have been investigated in the present work. The mathematical model of the proposed work is tackled by the homotopy analysis method using physically relevant boundary and interface conditions. The significant outcome of the present work is that the heat transfer rate increases with the increase in the curvature parameter, and it reduces on raising the couple stress parameter and Hartmann number. The novelty of this work lies in the consideration blood flow and heat transfer in inner endothelial layers of curved porous artery. The result presented in this work is vital to assess the condition of atherosclerosis, aneurysms, vasculties, blood clot, etc.; beyond this, the present model can be extended for medical diagnostics, treatment planning, medical device design, drug delivery optimization, and biomedical engineering research. This study can ultimately contribute for improved patient care and outcomes in cardiovascular medicine.

Construction, Features and Regulatory Aspects of Organ-chip for Drug Delivery Applications: Advances and Prospective

: Organ-on-chip is an innovative technique that emerged from tissue engineering and microfluidic technologies. Organ-on-chip devices (OoCs) are anticipated to provide efficient explanations for dealing with challenges in pharmaceutical advancement and individualized illness therapies. Organ-on-chip is an advanced method that can replicate human organs' physiological conditions and functions on a small chip. It possesses the capacity to greatly transform the drug development process by enabling the simulation of diseases and the testing of drugs. Effective integration of this advanced technical platform with common pharmaceutical and medical contexts is still a challenge. Microfluidic technology, a micro-level technique, has become a potent tool for biomedical engineering research. As a result, it has revolutionized disciplines, including physiological material interpreting, compound detection, cell-based assay, tissue engineering, biological diagnostics, and pharmaceutical identification. This article aims to offer an overview of newly developed organ-on-a-chip systems. It includes single-organ platforms, emphasizing the most researched organs, including the heart, liver, blood arteries, and lungs. Subsequently, it provides a concise overview of tumor-on-a-chip systems and emphasizes their use in evaluating anti-cancer medications.

Influence of proteins on the dielectric characteristics of 5CB and 8CB liquid crystals

ABSTRACT In this paper, we study the influence of the protein Bovine Serum Albumin (BSA) on the dielectric properties of liquid crystals (LCs) such as 4-cyano-4-pentyl biphenyl (5CB) and Octyl-4-biphenylcarbonitrile (8CB). Studying the effect of proteins on the dielectric properties of LC is essential for both fundamental research and practical applications in material science, biomedical engineering, biotechnology, and optoelectronic devices. It helps understand the protein behaviour on the surface of LCs, which offers an opportunity to develop novel sensing platforms. A polarising optical microscope (POM) was used to examine the correlation between textures formed by LCs interacting with different concentrations of BSA. In the dielectric studies, dielectric parameters such as impedance (Z), real (Z’) and imaginary (Z’’) parts of the impedance, and the tangential loss (tan δ) were measured. The investigation involved analysing relaxation times using the collected data, revealing distinct behaviours between 5CB and 8CB liquid crystals. Bode and Nyquist’s plots were constructed and analysed to investigate the changes LCs undergo while interacting with BSA. An equivalent electrical circuit (EEC) was constructed using Bode and Nyquist data, from which circuit element values were successfully extracted. The results obtained from the POM studies and the interferences drawn from the EIS can help enhance the performance of protein-based liquid crystal devices.

Breaking piezoelectric limits of molecules for biodegradable implants

AbstractIn the quest for optimizing biodegradable implants, the exploration of piezoelectric materials stands at the forefront of biomedical engineering research. Traditional piezoelectric materials often suffer from limitations in biocompatibility and biodegradability, significantly impeding their in vivo study and further biomedical application. By leveraging molecular engineering and structural design, a recent innovative approach transcends the conventional piezoelectric limits of the molecules designed for biodegradable implants. The biodegradable molecular piezoelectric implants may open new avenues for their applications in bioenergy harvesting/sensing, implanted electronics, transient medical devices and tissue regeneration.

A technique of a “lab-on-a-chip” for developing a novel biosensor in viewpoint of health-care (PHC) applications and biological regulator sensors

Purpose Recently, powerful instruments for biomedical engineering research studies, including disease modeling, drug designing and nano-drug delivering, have been extremely investigated by researchers. Particularly, investigation in various microfluidics techniques and novel biomedical approaches for microfluidic-based substrate have progressed in recent years, and therefore, various cell culture platforms have been manufactured for these types of approaches. These microinstruments, known as tissue chip platforms, mimic in vivo living tissue and exhibit more physiologically similar vitro models of human tissues. Using lab-on-a-chip technologies in vitro cell culturing quickly caused in optimized systems of tissues compared to static culture. These chipsets prepare cell culture media to mimic physiological reactions and behaviors. Design/methodology/approach The authors used the application of lab chip instruments as a versatile tool for point of health-care (PHC) applications, and the authors applied a current progress in various platforms toward biochip DNA sensors as an alternative to the general bio electrochemical sensors. Basically, optical sensing is related to the intercalation between glass surfaces containing biomolecules with fluorescence and, subsequently, its reflected light that arises from the characteristics of the chemical agents. Recently, various techniques using optical fiber have progressed significantly, and researchers apply highlighted remarks and future perspectives of these kinds of platforms for PHC applications. Findings The authors assembled several microfluidic chips through cell culture and immune-fluorescent, as well as using microscopy measurement and image analysis for RNA sequencing. By this work, several chip assemblies were fabricated, and the application of the fluidic routing mechanism enables us to provide chip-to-chip communication with a variety of tissue-on-a-chip. By lab-on-a-chip techniques, the authors exhibited that coating the cell membrane via poly-dopamine and collagen was the best cell membrane coating due to the monolayer growth and differentiation of the cell types during the differentiation period. The authors found the artificial membrane, through coating with Collagen-A, has improved the growth of mouse podocytes cells-5 compared with the fibronectin-coated membrane. Originality/value The authors could distinguish the differences across the patient cohort when they used a collagen-coated microfluidic chip. For instance, von Willebrand factor, a blood glycoprotein that promotes hemostasis, can be identified and measured through these type-coated microfluidic chips.

A Bibliometric Analysis of Value Creation and Capture in Biomedical Engineering Research

The field of biomedical engineering has brought about a paradigm shift in healthcare, revolutionizing the creation and appropriation of value within the medical sector. This study delves into this transformative phenomenon by conducting a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of the biomedical engineering literature, aiming to elucidate the landscape of value creation and capture. Utilizing bibliometric tools and VOSviewer, we analyzed data from the Scopus database spanning from 2000 to 2024. Through citation analysis and keyword co-occurrence, we identified key authors, articles, journals, countries, and emerging trends in the realm of value creation and capture in biomedical engineering. Our findings not only shed light on the current state of research but also pinpoint areas for future investigation, thus contributing to the advancement of knowledge in this field. This paper serves as a roadmap for researchers, providing valuable insights into the dynamics of value creation and capture in biomedical engineering, and paving the way for future research endeavors

Openable Double‐Microtube Structure Driven by Pneumatic Balloon Actuator Arrays for Tubular Organ‐on‐a‐Chip

Microfluidic platforms have revolutionized research in biomedical engineering, enabling efficient and controlled experimentation. Here, we present a novel microfluidic device, the double‐microtube, which offers parallel flow of different fluids. The device is fabricated by transforming a flat structure on a substrate using pneumatic balloon actuator arrays. The inner and outer tubes of the device can be independently controlled, allowing for individual opening and closing of each tubular structure. The inner and outer tubes have diameters of 1 mm and 3 mm, respectively. The device has been successfully tested for cell culture, showcasing its potential application for tubular organ‐on‐a‐chip studies, such as blood vessels and the small intestine. The presented double‐microtube structure promises a new level of control for microfluidic studies, offering exciting opportunities for researchers in the field of biomedical engineering. © 2024 Institute of Electrical Engineer of Japan and Wiley Periodicals LLC.

Biomedical Engineering Education in Nigeria

In the past five decades, Nigeria has witnessed a range of Biomedical Engineering (BME) and technology activities within private and public hospitals, research institutions, and a limited number of universities. These have mainly centred on the procurement, installation, and maintenance of medical equipment and devices. Trained technologists and technicians, equipped with relevant skills and certification, have primarily spearheaded these efforts. Consequently, the country has made a minimal contribution to the global knowledge base in BME research. However, academic programmes leading to degrees and dedicated research in BME have recently emerged within Nigerian universities. This article assesses the current state of BME education in the country, including the milestones achieved, ongoing challenges, and prospects for future development. It draws on a critical analysis of the existing literature on BME practices and education in Nigeria as well as the author’s informed perspective. The findings highlight that BME education in Nigeria is yet to match international standards. To further develop these programmes, it recommends that attention focus on seven key areas that have proven instrumental in the development of similar university programmes in developed nations. Strategies are also proposed to foster collaboration among universities, researchers, the health sector, and government entities that would promote interdisciplinary BME education, ultimately enhancing the healthcare delivery system, and research and development (R&D) in Nigeria.

Biomedical Engineering Research Based on Computer Propagation Technology: Treatment of neurodigestive diseases

With the support of the Institute of Cancer Hospital of Chifeng University, Sarkov and Markov Memorial Health Informatics Laboratory designed a new working concept of innovative Nursing by using neural network and Brain–computer interface technology. The research team proposed a direct connection between human or animal brain (or brain cell culture) and external equipment. In the case of one-way Brain–computer interface, the computer may accept commands from the brain. Using this point to detect the emotion of patients after surgery and carry out necessary gourds, a two-way information exchange method and model of two-way Brain–computer interface are also proposed. The potential non-invasive Brain–computer interface designed by us has been deeply studied, mainly because of its good time resolution, ease of use, portability and relatively low price. Especially in the specific application and working practice of EEG (Electroencephalography), our achievements directly meet the application of clinical institutions.

Using collaborative autoethnography to investigate mentoring relationships for novice engineering education researchers

Abstract Background The National Science Foundation Research Initiation in Engineering Formation (RIEF) program aims to increase research capacity in the field by providing funding for technical engineering faculty to learn to conduct engineering education research through mentorship by an experienced social science researcher. We use collaborative autoethnography to study the tripartite RIEF mentoring relationship between Julie, an experienced engineering education researcher, and two novice education researchers who have backgrounds in biomedical engineering—Paul, a biomedical engineering faculty member and major professor to the second novice, Deepthi, a graduate student. We ground our work in the cognitive apprenticeship model and Eby and colleagues’ mentoring model. Results Using data from written reflections and interviews, we explored the role of instrumental and psychosocial supports in our mentoring relationship. In particular, we noted how elements of cognitive apprenticeship such as scaffolding and gradual fading of instrumental supports helped Paul and Deepthi learn qualitative research skills that differed drastically from their biomedical engineering research expertise. We initially conceptualized our tripartite relationship as one where Julie mentored Paul and Paul subsequently mentored Deepthi. Ultimately, we realized that this model was unrealistic because Paul did not yet possess the social science research expertise to mentor another novice. As a result, we changed our model so that Julie mentored both Paul and Deepthi directly. While our mentoring relationship was overall very positive, it has included many moments of miscommunication and misunderstanding. We draw on Lent and Lopez’s idea of relation-inferred self-efficacy to explain some of these missed opportunities for communication and understanding. Conclusions This paper contributes to the literature on engineering education capacity building by studying mentoring as a mechanism to support technically trained researchers in learning to conduct engineering education research. Our initial mentoring model failed to take into account how challenging it is for mentees to make the paradigm shift from technical engineering to social science research and how that would affect Paul’s ability to mentor Deepthi. Our experiences have implications for expanding research capacity because they raise practical and conceptual issues for experienced and novice engineering education researchers to consider as they form mentoring relationships.

YOLO‐UNet Architecture for Detecting and Segmenting the Localized MRI Brain Tumor Image

Brain tumor detection and segmentation are the main issues in biomedical engineering research fields, and it is always challenging due to its heterogeneous shape and location in MRI. The quality of the MR images also plays an important role in providing a clear sight of the shape and boundary of the tumor. The clear shape and boundary of the tumor will increase the probability of safe medical surgery. Analysis of this different scope of image types requires refined computerized quantification and visualization tools. This paper employed deep learning to detect and segment brain tumor MRI images by combining the convolutional neural network (CNN) and fully convolutional network (FCN) methodology in serial. The fundamental finding is to detect and localize the tumor area with YOLO‐CNN and segment it with the FCN‐UNet architecture. This analysis provided automatic detection and segmentation as well as the location of the tumor. The segmentation using the UNet is run under four scenarios, and the best one is chosen by the minimum loss and maximum accuracy value. In this research, we used 277 images for training, 69 images for validation, and 14 images for testing. The validation is carried out by comparing the segmentation results with the medical ground truth to provide the correct classification ratio (CCR). This study succeeded in the detection of brain tumors and provided a clear area of the brain tumor with a high CCR of about 97%.

Hydrogels with brain tissue-like mechanical properties in complex environments

In surgical training and experimental research, brain tissues immersed in cerebrospinal fluid often exhibit complex deformation and strain rate effects that can compromise their reliability and stability. Therefore, it is essential to develop a high-fidelity human brain tissue simulant material that serves as a physical surrogate model to understand its mechanical behavior, such as traumatic brain injury (TBI). However, the existing simulant materials have failed to meet the required mechanical properties. This study presents a composite hydrogel consisting of both a rigid polysaccharides network (Sodium alginate and Pectin) and a flexible polyacrylamide network, exhibiting brain tissue-like mechanical properties under various solution environments and strain rates. The results show that nonlinear mechanical behavior and good similarity under various external environments (artificial cerebrospinal fluid, normal saline, deionized water, and air environments) and different strain rates (0.001 s−1,900 s−1,1700 s−1). By analyzing the experimental data and theoretical analysis, we examine the effects of complex environments on the mechanical behavior of composite hydrogel and porcine brain tissue. Given that the properties of human brain tissue resemble those of porcine brain tissue, our work has significant reference value in realizing surgical training and advancing related research in biomedical engineering.

The Need for Biomedical Engineering Research and Innovation in Preterm Birth Prevention and Management

The Need for Biomedical Engineering Research and Innovation in Preterm Birth Prevention and Management

EDL transport of blood-infusing tetra-hybrid nano-additives through a cilia-layered endoscopic arterial path

Electrokinetics has gotten much attention in bioengineering, biomedical sciences, and microfluidics systems. Due to its impactful applications, many researchers are now studying electrokinetic phenomena in hemodynamics. This article is aimed to set up a theoretical framework for the analysis of electric double-layer (EDL) induced dynamics of conducting blood infused with tetra-hybrid nanoparticles via an endoscopic arterial path with a ciliary wall at a slanting position. The thermal analysis is performed by taking the effects of thermal conditions on the artery’s wall in addition to the heat source and Joule heating. How nanoparticles’ structures (spherical, brick, cylindrical, and platelet) affect the streaming and thermal process is examined. Debye-Hückel hypothesis is endorsed to access the Boltzmann distribution of electric potential across an EDL. The arising non-linear model equations are linearized by assuming the lubrication constraints. The compact-form solutions of the succeeding model equations are tracked by employing an analytical strategy. The graphical formats are utilized to assess the hemodynamical behaviour of worthy model factors upon the flow entities. Elevating blood movement through the endoscopic annulus is associated with lower Debye-Hückel length. Blood gets cooled in the ciliated arterial conduit with a larger cilia length. The addition of nanoparticles can regulate excessive heat generation during the blood flow. The platelet shape nanoparticles are more efficient in transferring heat than spheres, bricks and cylinders. The streaming topology is publicized via streamlines. A novel finding in our study is that a longer cilia length can lead to a reduction in blood boluses in the artery with a ciliated wall. This result differs from previous studies. The study has the potential to shape advancements in biomedical engineering, medical devices, and cardiovascular research, such as medications, localized drug delivery, improved endoscopic tools and techniques, tracking therapy progress, etc. It lays the groundwork for innovative applications and paves the way for future research in this exciting field.

Emerging trends in materials and devices‐based electric stimulation therapy for tumors

AbstractElectrical stimulation (ES), as one of the physical therapy modalities for tumors, has attracted extensive attention of researchers due to its promising efficacy. With the continuous development of material science, nanotechnology, and micro/nano processing techniques, novel electroactive nanomaterials and delicately designed devices have emerged to realize innovative ES therapies, which provide more possibilities and approaches for tumor treatment. Meanwhile, exploring the molecular biological mechanisms underlying different ES modalities affecting tumor cells and their immune microenvironment is also an unresolved hotspot emerging from the current biomedical engineering research. Focusing on the above research interests, in this review, we systematically summarized the effects of different ES parameters on the subcellular structure of tumor cells and the tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) in conjunction with the involved signaling pathways. In addition, we also reviewed the latest progress in novel self‐powered devices and electroactive nanomaterials for tumor therapy. Finally, the prospects for the development of electrostimulation tumor therapy are also discussed, bringing inspiration for the development of new physical therapy strategies in the future.

Independent Component Analysis with Functional Neuroscience Data Analysis

Independent Component Analysis (ICA) is the most common and standard technique used in functional neuroscience data analysis. In this study, two of the significant functional brain techniques are introduced as a model for neuroscience data analysis. In this experimental and analytical study, Electroencephalography (EEG) signal and functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) were analyzed and managed by the developed tool. The introduced package combines Independent Component Analysis (ICA) to recognize significant dimensions of the data in neuroscience. This study combines EEG and fMRI in the same package for analysis and comparison results. The findings of this study indicated the performance of the ICA, which can be dealt with the presented easy-to-use and learn intuitive toolbox. The user can deal with EEG and fMRI data in the same module. Thus, all outputs were analyzed and compared at the same time; the users can then import the neurofunctional datasets easily and select the desired portions of the functional biosignal for further processing using the ICA method. A new toolbox and functional graphical user interface, running in cross-platform MATLAB, was presented and applied to biomedical engineering research centers.

Physiological and Biomechanical Monitoring in American Football Players: A Scoping Review.

American football is the sport with the highest rates of concussion injuries. Biomedical engineering applications may support athletes in monitoring their injuries, evaluating the effectiveness of their equipment, and leading industrial research in this sport. This literature review aims to report on the applications of biomedical engineering research in American football, highlighting the main trends and gaps. The review followed the PRISMA guidelines and gathered a total of 1629 records from PubMed (n = 368), Web of Science (n = 665), and Scopus (n = 596). The records were analyzed, tabulated, and clustered in topics. In total, 112 studies were selected and divided by topic in the biomechanics of concussion (n = 55), biomechanics of footwear (n = 6), biomechanics of sport-related movements (n = 6), the aerodynamics of football and catch (n = 3), injury prediction (n = 8), heat monitoring of physiological parameters (n = 8), and monitoring of the training load (n = 25). The safety of players has fueled most of the research that has led to innovations in helmet and footwear design, as well as improvements in the understanding and prevention of injuries and heat monitoring. The other important motivator for research is the improvement of performance, which has led to the monitoring of training loads and catches, and studies on the aerodynamics of football. The main gaps found in the literature were regarding the monitoring of internal loads and the innovation of shoulder pads.