Running head: Engineer better medicine

Engineer Better Medicine and Medical Treatment

Luis Portillo
University Of Texas at El Paso
RWS 1302: Research Report

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Abstract

This research paper conducted by Luis Portillo is to fulfill the requirements of his RWS 2
class for the fall 2015 semester. His concentration is to do research on the Grand Challenge of
Engineering Better Medicine. He defines what a biomedical engineer is, what concentration
areas exist and what he does in the medical field as well as differentiating a doctor and an
engineer. He also researched specific areas and plans that biomedical engineers have for the
enhancement of health care. Interesting topics he found include Artificial Skin, technology to
diagnose new born babies in intensive care, heart scans into surgical models and sensors you can
swallow. Luis Portillo personally interviewed Dr. Boland the director of the Biomedical Program
at UTEP and he attended a seminar where graduate students talk about their research (also
conducted by Dr. Boland). It is a research paper to broaden your knowledge of a biomedical
engineer and trending topics of Engineering Better Medicine and Medical Treatment.

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Introduction

In 2008, engineers got together to come with a list of challenges/problems that is keeping
humans from improving life. One of those challenges is to engineer better medicines. However,
it is difficult or unusual to think that engineers can get involve in generating better medicine and
better methods to make medication/treatment more efficient. People dont think that engineers
can contribute to the medical field. It is understandable. Engineers are often seen as those math
geeks who like to invent and construct things for the industrial and technological society. To
some extent it is true. There is civil, industrial, electrical, computer science and mechanical
engineering, which are the ones that have been around for quite a period of time, as a tittle
(actual degree). Likewise, the exercise of biomedical engineering has been around for a long
time as well. As proof, they found a wood and leather prosthetic toe on a 3,000-year-old
Egyptian mummy (Lucas, 2014). Theyd might not had the technology we have today, but it was
the application of engineering and health care put together to enhance the way of life-care.
Moreover, how do you think that all of those medical devices that are around right now came to
be? Many technology used by the medical field has been done by biomedical engineers. The
tittle of being a biomedical engineer has not been around as much, but it is something that is
emerging and plans to stay and make as much as any of the other type of engineering.
Biomedical engineer is now an actual degree. Theyve already done amazing advances for health
such as prosthetics, pacemakers (for cardiac problems), robotic and laser surgery, imaging
methods (X-rays, ultrasound, etc.), radiation therapy, and even wearable tech for physical
therapy. However, they feel like they are not satisfied, like if theyre not performing and
executing at the level they can. A lot of other engineers felt the same way so they called for a
convention where engineers gathered and they discussed about problems that has kept the 21st

Engineer better medicine

century behind. They came up with a list of challenges for themselves known as The 14 Grand
Challenges of Engineering. One of the challenges engineers agreed on is that they need to focus
in creating/innovating better medicine. Like Dr. Charles M. Vest said, In the past engineers were
limited to invent things like, artificial limbs or an artificial heart, but now the medicine/medical
field is now gripping towards the genetic and molecular level, and engineers too. This challenge
of creating better medicine and medical treatment has giving rise to Luis Portillo to do research
on some questions: What specifically is it that engineers do in the medical filed? To what extent
can an engineer help a doctor? What specific areas are they looking into? How is our local
community (UTEP) integrated in engineering better medicine and better methods of treatment?
These research questions are all with the purpose of finding out how can biomedical engineering
can fulfill their grand challenge.

What is it specifically that engineer does in the medical field?

An engineer in the medical field uses its knowledge of engineering and applies it to the
field of biology and health care. They work with doctors, therapists and researchers to develop
systems, equipment and devices in order to solve clinical problems (Lucas, 2014). Figure 1
clearly shows how the application of an engineer and the practice of biology come together to
perform as a biomedical engineer. It is like putting two minds together to innovate in the medical
field. Going back to the research question, specifically biomedical engineers can suggest medical
equipment and it can also supervise its testing and its maintenance. They can also customize
devices for research or specific health care. A biomedical engineer is constantly involved in
research. Therefore, they often supervise laboratories/equipment. With these degree they can also
become technical advisors for marketing departments of companies or simply be in a

Engineer better medicine

management position. Not to mention, some of these engineers with a M.D. degree can work
directly with a patients care. Like many other degrees, biomedical engineer have specialization
areas. Bioinstrumentation is the specialization where they develop devices for diagnosis and

Figure 1 Bioengineering custom microbes, genetic engineering,

bioremediation,bioprocess,biomedical engineering

treatment disease. Biomechanics, like the name implies, is the study of the mechanism of the
body. Biomaterials involves all the research of humans tissue. It is critical to understand living
tissue to develop implantations. Systems physiology is in charge of comprehending the function
of living organisms, including bacteria. An area that always works directly with medical staff are
clinical engineers. They are in charge of keeping record of purchases and maintaining computer
database of medical instrumentation and equipment. Engineers in the rehab area seek to expand
and improve the quality of life of individuals with physical impairments. Although all these
specializations differ in a way, they all work together to enhance life.
What is the line that separates ones job from another between a doctor and an engineer in
the medical field and to what extent can the engineer help a medic?
None is less than the other in the medical field. Both are very helpful to each other since
both observe issues from different perspectives. A doctor can identify issues with the help of
engineered devices. While engineers can develops their devices based off of the research of a

Engineer better medicine

doctor. An engineer and a doctor put together is great combination of minds to have in a medical
field for better performance. These two career are often seen as the best and hardest careers there
can be, but they are also criticized to one be best than the other. The truth is that both are as
important as the other. Many things that are crucial now a days like cars, bridges, phones, utility
companies, computer technology have probably been innovated by a type of engineer. More
specifically, for the research question, how important is the tools generated by a biomedical
engineer to a doctor. For example, robotic surgery to be more precise or imaging technology for
a doctor to perform its research. From the perspective of a doctor, can an engineer be skillful
enough to work directly with a patient or to have the knowledge to conduct a research of a
molecular level. That is why this emerging area of engineering is so important (biomedical).
Combining knowledge of both is crucial to the medical field.
What specific areas are they looking into and what plans do they have?
For engineers, the idea of creating artificial limbs and artificial hearts (Dr. Charles
M. Vest) are both from the past, something that they have accomplished something. Although
both or in general everything they have created are amazing accomplishments, they now want to
move into the cellular and molecular level within the medical field. The engineering of better
medicine is looking forward to develop personalized medication. In other words, methods to
understand and adjust to individual differences. Presently, Medication/treatment has been
standardized for the many, rather than the few (Engineering Challenges/Engineer Better
Medicines). Basically, one single chemical letter of code in a strand of DNA makes it possible
for humans to be unique in identity. Once more, specifically for the purpose of the research
question, the difference of code in a DNA strand of an individual causes considerable differences
in the relationship of how they react to medical treatment. To personalize medicine doctors must

Engineer better medicine

be able to combine genetic information with clinical data to ideally adjust drugs and doses to
meet unique needs of an individual patient. The benefit of developing personalized medicine is to
reduce trial-and-error treatment. By reducing trial-and-error, diseases can be cured faster or
prevented, and they can even reduce costs in some cases. The big challenge of making
personalized medicine is the absence of system and medical devices (cheap) to rapidly assess a
patients genetic data. New methods to distribute medication quicker and to specific areas of the
body are also needed- efficiency. The reason it is so hard to develop these devices is because they
are hard to minimize for them to evade the immune system. Not to mention, drug resistant
infections. Medication that is not appropriate can sometimes kill agents that are helpful rather
than the drug resistant strains. This leads to a greater problem because it strengthens the
resistance of the enemy. Therefore, engineers need to develop more effective tools and
techniques for faster/accurate diagnostics that will lead to better appliances of treatment.
In an article by Dexter Johnston, Zhenan Bao at Stanford University is aiming to create a
more advanced prosthetic limb that grips into the genetic level. Her goal is to use optogenetics to
be capable of providing the sense of touch directly into the brain cells. Another important
advance that has been made is the innovation of hardware and software in intensive care units of
babies for pediatricians to be able to analyze genetic disorders faster to prevent death of newborn
babies. Moreover, M.I.T. and Boston Childrens hospital researchers generated a new system of
3D printing to model MRI scans of the heart into a physical model. This greatly facilitates
surgeries for doctors. Another potential device thought by Christopher Bettinger is ingestible
sensors that can consist of nutrient batteries that run on stomach juices. This sensors can help in
multiple ways: they could detect early signs of infectious bacteria, signs of gastrointestinal

Engineer better medicine

disorders, monitor the uptake of medication, or simply just study the microbiome living inside
people.
How is our local community (UTEP) integrated in engineering better medicine and
better methods of treatment?
In his research, Luis Portillo had the opportunity to interview the director of UTEPs
Biomedical Engineering Program, Dr. Thomas Boland. He possesses a Ph.D. in Chemical
Engineering from the University of Washington, Seattle. The graduate program of Biomedical
Engineering is almost new to UTEP, it only has 3 years old and a minors program that is only 2
years old. The minor program is open to all science majors and it only requires an extra 16 credit
hours. Dr. Boland currently teaches the Fundamentals of Biomedical Engineering (minor). For
the graduate program, he teaches Translations of Biomedical Engineering, Research Cause and
Entrepreneurship Cause. He said that a trending topic is tissue regeneration. We are looking
into regenerating better skin by adding melanocytes ( Boland, 2015). Luis Portillo also had the
opportunity to observe at a seminar also conducted by Dr. Boland. Basically, at every seminar,
two graduate students present their progress in their research to the class. On Monday October
12, 2015, Carlos Serna and Jesus de Pablo presented in the seminar. Carlos Serna is conducting
research supervised by Dr. Boland on the Chagas Disease. It is a disease commonly found on
third developed countries where there is a lot of poverty. It is transmitted through the Reduviid
Bug (parasite). The problem with this disease is that there is currently only one cure and it needs
to be ingested for a long period of time, which it can be costly. Carlos Sernas aim is to Develop
hydrogel nanoparticles and characterization of drug encapsulation. He is looking into producing
a nasal spray as a medical treatment.

Engineer better medicine

Jesus de Pablo is not really deep into the molecular level, but he is looking into
developing a wireless system for Photoplethysmography or a PPG. A PPG is an optical
instrument to measure blood volume changes. The fact that it will be wireless will reduce cost, it
will become simpler and portable. He is also looking into making it more advanced to be able to
detect cardiovascular diseases.
Conclusion
Like engineers named it, a challenge, to engineer better medicine is very difficult and
time consuming to do all the research needed. People who depend on these better medical
treatments can just hope and support biomedical engineers to develop these treatments. It will
surely take time to arrive to the solutions, but they are surely working hard on it. Whether it is
students, doctors, engineers, universities, hospitals or scientists, they will fulfill the challenge of
engineering better medicine.

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References

Bioengineering custom microbes, genetic engineering,bioremediation,bioprocess,biomedical

engineering. (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://www.slideshare.net/sancharimaity/bioengineering-custom-microbes-geneticengineeringbioremediationbioprocessbiomedical-engineering
Engineer Better Medicines. (n.d.). Retrieved September 19, 2015, from
http://www.engineeringchallenges.org/challenges/medicines.aspx
Engineer better medicines. (2015, March 23). Retrieved September 7, 2015, from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RrFWN5XnaRg
IEEE Spectrum. (n.d.). Biomedical News & Articles - IEEE Spectrum. Retrieved from
http://spectrum.ieee.org/biomedical
In Brennan, A. B., In Kirschner, C. M., & Society for Biomaterials. (2014). Bio-inspired
materials for biomedical engineering.
Lucas, J. (2014, September 25). What Is Biomedical Engineering? Retrieved from
http://www.livescience.com/48001-biomedical-engineering.html
Richards-Kortum, R. (2010). Biomedical engineering for global health.
The Catholic University of America. (2011, June 8). Biomedical Engineering Specialization
Areas. Retrieved from http://biomedical.cua.edu/overview/specialty.cfm