Biology for Engineers (BM-101)

Introduction: Engineering and Biology [Friends in need]

Dr. Bodhisatwa Das

Assistant Professor
Department of Biomedical Engineering, IIT Ropar
A special note of thanks to Prof J N Agrewala for sharing
wonderful study materials for this course
Textbooks
The most important and beautiful thing in life is……life itself
 Signs of Life: Birth → Growth→ Reproduction→ Death

Animals

Plants
Scales of living biological units

Levels of engineering in biology

 Nature is the best engineer…..!! [believe or not]
Nature’s law for engineering and design is governed by:
Energy optimization from atoms to macromolecules to structures
Some examples of Nature’s Bioengineering
Cell Membrane: Remember 8th Standard Biology

Major chemistry: protein: lipid: protein

Polar: Nonpolar: Polar
 ΔV=-40 to—80mV

Remember this equation works for cellular systems too. Except the circuit is
a bit more complicated
Cell Membrane works as RC circuit

Cellular Impedance is frequency dependent

Capacitance depends upon membrane

composition, size and shape of cells
Skin and Wound Healing
Design of Musculo Skeletal System
Mechanical properties of Tissues: Bone
Viscoelastic property of soft tissues: Cartilage, Tendons

Macro fracture of
Microfracture ligament/tendon
of fibers
Cartilages: The cushion
Muscles: The actuators
Long-arm advantage or disadvantage
 M= 𝑟 × 𝐹
M= Moment generated
r= muscle’s moment arm length
F= force generated by arm
Hill-Muscle Mechanics Model
Skeletal system is a combination of levers:

• Class 1
• Class 2
• Class 3
Levers in body
Leg curl exercise

Bone muscle contact

Mechanical
disadvantage
Optical signal processing: Sensory and
motor system coupling
 How Biological Signals Work??

A B

How A to B transition happened??

Signal Acquisition
 Band pass filter

Linear
filtering

Amplifier

Cutting off base

signal/Improved signal to noise
ratio Central Nervous
System(CNS)
EPSP: Excitation Signal
IPSP: Inhibitory Signal
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-79891-x
Now the digital signal arrives for “Motor” control
DC Motor
Study link: http://www.vce.bioninja.com.au/aos-2-detecting-and-respond/coordination--regulation/nervous-system.html
 A B

100ms<Ʈ<500ms Shoaib Akhtar: 160km/h or 44m/s; cricket pitch 20m

Alveolar mass transport system
Diffusion controlled mass
transport limit: 150-200 µm
What does ventilator do?

• Enhanced respiration rate assistance

• Enhanced partial pressure of oxygen

Role of Engineers in biology: We
learn and use that too on nature..
 Pacemaker

ECG

Defibrillator: Restart Button

Irreversible Electroporation: Nanoknife
Cells have:
• Transport process: microfilament
• Engine: Mitochondria
• Internal circuit: Plasma membrane, ion channels, Ribosomes and microtubules
• Fuel tank: Vacuole, Glyooxysomes
• Self renewal: DNA
• Self destruction: Lysosome, Peroxisome
• Structure modification: Golgi apparatus
• Performance modification according to energy modification: Mitochondria cytoplasm
energy cycle switch

Microbots
Aren’t we…….Biological Cyborgs????