ILAS Seminar-E2 :Introduction to Engineering in Biology and Medicine
| Numbering Code | U-LAS70 10002 SE50 | Year/Term | 2022 ・ First semester | |
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| Number of Credits | 2 | Course Type | seminar | |
| Target Year | Mainly 1st year students | Target Student | For all majors | |
| Language | English | Day/Period | Mon.5 | |
| Instructor name | OKEYO, Kennedy Omondi (Institute for Frontier Life and Medical Sciences Senior Lecturer) | |||
| Outline and Purpose of the Course |
Be it fighting cancer or global warming or poverty, solving current societal issues demands integrating ideas and taking a multifaceted approach. Integrating engineering, biology and medicine, this seminar aims at introducing students to on-going multidisciplinary approaches to understanding and/or solving complex issues(problems)in biology, medicine and/or engineering. Discussions will be centered on problem identification (either in biology or medicine), hypothesis setting, and formulation of a multidisciplinary approach toward solving the said problem by integrating knowledge and concepts from various disciplines (science, engineering and/or medicine). The ultimate goal of this seminar will be to enable students to nurture problem-solving ability through critical thinking, intuitiveness and multifaceted approach to solving open-ended problems in biology, medicine and/or engineering. |
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| Course Goals |
Through intensive discussions on challenging topics in biology and medicine, this seminar is intended to help students develop interest in knowledge integration by borrowing ideas from diverse scientific disciplines and applying them to specific societal problems. It will enable students to learn how to integrate knowledge and concepts learnt in class toward application to solving complex open-ended questions in biology, medicine and/or engineering. Through multidisciplinary discussions on some of the challenging medical problems in the society such as cancer, students will develop critical thinking and ability to fuse different ideas, knowledge and approaches in problem solving. |
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| Schedule and Contents |
This seminar will tackle selected topics related to application of engineering principles and knowledge to solving clinical problems, and/or elucidating known and unknown biological phenomena. Although the topics listed below are wide and varied, discussions will center on latest multidisciplinary research approaches expected to revolutionize the future of medicine. 1) Discussions on the present and future role of engineering in biology and medicine (3 weeks) We will discuss the importance of multidisciplinary research and highlight emerging technologies such as brain chips, wearable diagnostic devices that are promising to revolutionize traditional medicine, drug discovery, cancer research and personal disease management. On a rotational basis, students will each pick a topic of interest for discussion and presentation. Grading will be based on how well a topic is researched, presented and discussed. 2) Advances in biomedical engineering and applications (2 weeks) Rapid progress in micro/nano engineering have yielded small devices which are increasingly finding application in cell, DNA and protein analyses for disease diagnosis and drug screening. In this seminar, we will look at specific examples of new trends in biomedical engineering and specific application in areas such as cancer immunotherapy, detection of circulating tumor cells, DNA analysis, among others. 3) Engineering at the micro and nano scale and clinical applications (3 weeks) We will discuss the convergence of biology with micro/nano technology that have enabled the manipulation, analysis and detailed study of living systems including single cells, DNA molecules and other biological materials. Engineering techniques such as laser manipulation, micro/nanofluidics and their contributions to biology, medicine and drug development, including handling and analysis of single cells, DNA etc. will be discussed. 4) Advances in stem cell engineering and applications (3 weeks) The revolutionary discovery of pluripotent stem cells, in particular iPS cells, and the ability to culture them in the laboratory has heralded unprecedented opportunities in biology and medicine. Taking a look at concrete application examples, this segment will explore potential and practical applications of stem cells in medicine. 5) Introduction to emerging trends in engineering artificial organs/tissues (3 weeks) Fusion of engineering and biology has made it possible to realize constructs of organs or tissues which mimic the functions of native organs/tissues. One such technology is "organ-on-a-chip" which borrows from the semiconductor technology to fabricate organ or tissues models on a chip for disease modeling and drug development. Here, we will discuss emerging trends in fabricating on-chip body organs/tissues, and highlight the potential applications of this technology in disease modeling, drug development and basic biology. 6) Lecture review and student presentations (2 weeks) |
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| Evaluation Methods and Policy | Attendance and active class participation 60%, Discussions and Presentations: 40% | |||
| Course Requirements | None in particular. The seminar will be discussion-based, so prior preparation by way of reading about the above topics will be helpful in making the discussions lively. | |||
| Study outside of Class (preparation and review) | Prior reading of scientific papers on topics to be discussed is recommended to enhance understanding. | |||
| Textbooks | Textbooks/References | Presentation slides may be printed and given out as handouts. | ||
| References, etc. | Biochip Technologies-Principles and Applications, Yoshihiro Ito, (CMC Books), ISBN:9784781310794, Biodesign: The Process of Innovating Medical Technologies 2nd Edition by Paul G. Yock and others, ISBN-13: 978-1107087354 | |||
