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BME 602 Principles of Biomedical Engineering II

Course Overview:
BME 602 is the second of two 3 credit graduate level courses introducing a variety of elementary principles in biomedical engineering. While BME 601 is not a prerequisite for BME 602 students new to biomedical engineering should consult with either instructor.

Biomaterials Module:
Course discusses principles of biomaterial design, synthesis, and evaluation for various tissues/organs of the body including orthopedic/dental, cardiovascular, kidney, liver, lung, skin, nerve, and brain. Topics include fundamentals of materials science and engineering such as atomic bonding, crystal structure, imperfections in crystal structure, mechanical properties of materials, stress-strain behavior, mechanical failure, viscoelasticity, phase diagrams, material strengthening mechanisms, surface properties, electrical properties, density and porosity, and diffusion properties. Strong emphasis will be placed on use of metals, ceramics, polymers, and composites thereof, as biomaterials in various organs of the body. For this purpose, structure-property relationships of biological materials such as proteins, polysaccharides will also be discussed. Throughout the course, tissue and cellular responses to materials will be stressed through such topics as normal wound healing process, body response to implants, blood compatibility, and carcinogenicity. In this manner, strong emphasis on current prostheses research illustrating engineering principles pertaining to biomaterial design, synthesis, and evaluation will be discussed with active student participation.

Experimental and Computational Neuroscience Module:
This module covers engineering issues related to experimental neuroscience, including the use of biologically realistic mathematical models of ion channels, synaptic junctions and small systems of neural circuits. The course material and lectures will focus upon how fundamental principles of neurobiology impact the design and application of electrophysiological instruments, experimental animal models and preparations, recording protocols and computational models. The course material is broadly organized into three sections. The first section covers fundamental biophysical principles of ion channels along with the instruments and mathematical models used for experimental investigation. The second section covers the functional and molecular aspects of the super families of voltage- and time-dependent Na⁺, Ca⁺² and K⁺ ion channels in the mammalian nervous system. The third section covers cell-to-cell communication via neurotransmission and mechanisms of extracellular and intracellular neuromodulation. Refer to the lecture schedule for specific topics and dates.

Required textbooks for BME 602:
Biomaterials module: none
Neuroscience module: Ion Channels of Excitable Membranes (3rd Edition) by Bertil Hille Sinauer Associates; ISBN: 0878933212; 3^rd edition (July 1, 2001)
Handouts consisting of course notes and journal articles will be distributed throughout the semester for both modules.

Reference Materials for the Biomaterials Module:

1. Park JB and Lakes RS: Biomaterials an Introduction. Plenum Press, New York, 1992.

2. Ratner BD, Hoffman AS, Schoen FJ, Lemons JE: Biomaterials Science: An Introduction to Materials in Medicine. Academic Press, NY, 1996.

3. Hudson JB: Surface Science. Butterworth-Heinemann, Boston, 1992.

4. Simon SR: Orthopaedic Basic Science. American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, Rosemont, IL, 1994.

5. Fung YC: Biomechanics: Mechanical Properties of Living Tissues. Springer-Verlag, New York, 1993.

6. Guyton AC and Hall JE: Textbook of Medical Physiology. W.B. Saunders Company, Philadelphia, 1996.

Reference Materials for the Neuroscience Module:

1. The Axon Guide for Electrophysiology & Biophysics: Laboratory Techniques. (save a tree and just read this one on-line)

2. Levitan, IB & Kaczmarek, LK: The Neuron, cell and molecular biology. Oxford University Press, 3rd edition (2002) ISBN 0-19-514523-2

3. Bailey, JE & Ollis, DF: Biochemical Engineering Fundamentals. Second edition, McGraw-Hill, Inc. ISBN 0-07-003212-2

4. Kandel, ER & Schwartz, JH: Principles of Neuroscience. Second through fourth editions, Elsevier. ISBN 0838577016

5. Berne, RM (Editor), Levy, MN, Koeppen, BM & Stanton: Physiology. Fourth edition, Mosby, ISBN 0815109520

6. Bronzino, JD (Editor), The Biomedical Engineering Handbook, CRC Press, ISBN 0849383463

7. Smith, CM: Biology of Sensory Systems, Wiley & Sons, LTD, ISBN 0-471-85461-1