Courses

The listing of a course description here does not guarantee a course’s being offered in a particular semester. Please refer to the published schedule of classes on the Student Link for confirmation a class is actually being taught and for specific course meeting dates and times.

• ENG BE 603: Partial Differential Equations
  This math module will focus on elliptical and parabolic PDEs associated with transport phenomenon problems in biomedical engineering. We will visit four PDE concepts: Separation of variables, integral transform solutions, superposition principles, and numerical approximations using finite-difference schemes. Topics include: 2D and 3D anisotropic Laplace's, Poisson's, and the heat equations in different coordinate systems, Fourier and Laplace transform solutions, 2D ADI methods, Green's functions, and the method of images. Prior exposure to linear algebra (BE 601 equivalent), ODEs (BE 602 or MA 226 equivalent), Fourier series, Fourier and Laplace transforms (BE 401 equivalent), and working knowledge of a programming language (Matlab, Python, etc.) is highly recommended.
• ENG BE 604: Statistics & Numerical Methods
  In the final math module, we will focus on how linear algebra, ODEs, statistics, and signals & systems techniques can be used to interrogate data from biological and engineering experiments. The lecture topics include: Jacobi, Gauss-Seidel, and SOR iterative solvers for large linear systems; Gauss-Newton iterations (nonlinear least-squares); the ANOVA table, multi- factor regression, and intro to the general linear model (GLM); data deconvolution; Monte Carlo, bootstrap, and kernel density estimation. Prior exposure to linear algebra (BE 601 equivalent), basic probability and statistics (BE 200 equivalent), and working knowledge of a programming language (Matlab, Python, etc.) is highly recommended.
• ENG BE 605: Molecular Bioengineering
  Provides engineering perspectives on the building blocks of living cells and materials for biotechnology. Focuses on origins and synthesis in life and the laboratory, including biological pathways for synthesis of DNA, RNA and proteins; transduction, transmission, storage and retrieval of biological information by macromolecules; polymerase chain reaction, restriction enzymes, DNA sequencing; energetics of protein folding and trafficking; mechanisms of enzymatic catalysts and receptor-ligand binding; cooperative proteins, multi- protein complexes and control of metabolic pathways; generation, storage, transmission and release of biomolecular energy; and methods for study and manipulation of molecules which will include isolation, purification, detection, chemical characterization, imaging and visualization of structure.
• ENG BE 606: Quantitative Physiology for Engineers
  Course in human physiology for biomedical engineering students. Fundamentals of cellular and systems physiology, including the nervous , muscular, cardiovascular, respiratory, renal, gastrointestinal, endocrine and immune systems. Quantitative and engineering approaches will be applied to understanding physiological concepts.
• ENG BE 694: Biomedical and Clinical Needs Finding
  This course requires students to directly observe clinical procedures in selected medical specialties in appropriate hospital settings. Students will document biomedical technologies associated with the current standard of care, evaluate clinical needs and identify opportunities for developing new biomedical technologies. This course compliments and requires co-registration in BE695: Advanced Biomedical Design and Development. Fall only.
• ENG BE 695: Advanced Biomedical Design and Development
  This two-semester 8-credit course is a required sequence for students enrolled in the BME Master of Engineering program. Students will work with leading clinicians to observe and identify unmet clinical challenges, design and develop innovative engineering solutions to those challenges, and explore the regulatory, intellectual property, and reimbursement pathways that will ultimately advance the standard of patient care through the deployment of their innovations. During the first semester, students will qualify for Medical Observer Status and the Boston Medical Center and project teams will conduct formal Needs Finding protocols, select projects, and design alternative solutions. During the second semester, project teams will develop their designs, and make multiple prototypes. Formal Design Control, Life Cycle, Risk Analysis, Project Management, and Intellectual Property Strategies will be introduced. Using formal Product Develop Protocols, students will prepare a detailed regulatory and implementation pathway analysis for completing the commercialization process needed to eventually bring their innovations into clinical practice. 8 credits over 2 semesters - must enroll for both semesters
• ENG BE 696: Advanced Deployment of Biomedical Innovations
  This three-credit course is complementary to BE 695 Advanced Biomedical Design and Development and provides an opportunity for QST Health Sector Management graduate students to work directly with graduate engineering students to develop technical, economic, and commercial implementation plans for medical technologies developed in BE 695. The course has limited enrollment and is restricted to SMG Health Sector MBA students. There are no prerequisites. Permission of instructor is required.
• ENG BE 700: Advanced Topics in Biomedical Engineering
  Advanced study of a specific research topic in biomedical engineering. Intended primarily for advanced graduate students. Variable cr.
• ENG BE 703: Numerical Methods and Modeling in Biomedical Engineering
  This course offers an advanced introduction to numerical methods for solving linear and nonlinear differential equations including ordinary differential equations and partial differential equations. Topics include numerical series, error analysis, interpolation, numerical integration and differentiation, Euler & Runge-Kutta methods, finite difference methods, finite element methods, and moving boundary problems. This course requires knowledge of multivariable calculus, linear algebra, and differential equations. Some knowledge in one computer programming language, such as MATLAB, is required.
• ENG BE 704: Cancer Biology and Oncology for Engineers
  This course is designed to be an introduction to cancer biology and oncology from the perspective of the engineer. The course will cover basic cancer biology including cancer genetics, tumor metabolism, angiogenesis, and the metastastic cascade, and then discuss how new technologies enable better diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment. The class will explore how engineering principles can be applied to the design and fabrication of new technologies for cancer care, with an emphasis on signal processing, image formation (i.e. tomography), and data analysis. There will be a strong imaging component relevant to both cancer biology and clinical treatment, including optical, MRI, mammography, and PET-CT modalities. The course will be a combination of traditional lectures, class discussions, and journal club, and each student will be expected to present several times during the semester.
• ENG BE 705: Single Molecule Approaches for Biophysics and Bioengineering - Fundamentals and Applications
  The emergence of single-molecule (SM) methods in biology and bioengineering in the past decade have revolutionized the way scientists approach the molecular biology of the cell. The ability to directly probe biomolecular process in real- time, in their native cellular environment, revealed the mechanism of fundamental processes in biology with unprecedented detail and accuracy. As SM methods are refined they are increasingly recruited by bioengineers to invent the future platforms for molecular diagnostics and analytical detection. This course covers experimental methods for investigating the molecular machinery of a living cell in vitro and in live cells, and novel tools for sensing biomolecules and their application in biotechnology. Fundamental principles underlying fluorescence of single molecules, force measurements of biomolecules, ion channel kinetics, and stochastic sensing, will be covered in the context of relevant biological and biotechnological examples. There will be an emphasis on fundamental physical concepts underlying these systems, coming from statistical mechanics of soft matter.
• ENG BE 707: Quantitative Studies of Excitable Cells
  Focuses on the properties of the membranes of nerve and muscle cells. Classical models of resting potentials, action potentials, synaptic transmission, and sensory receptors are treated. The structure and function of single ionic channels are characterized in detail from patch-clamp recordings, neuropharmacological studies, and molecular studies. Mechanisms of muscle contraction and other forms of cellular motility are also covered.
• ENG BE 709: From Cells to Tissue: Engineering Structure and Function
  This course is a primary literature-based course that will introduce students to engineering concepts in understanding and manipulating the behavior of biological cells. We will try to understand the interplay between cells, the extracellular environment, and intracellular signaling pathways in regulating cellular and multicellular structure and function. In particular, we will explore the use of modern experimental approaches to characterize and manipulate cells for bioengineering applications, and the concepts in scaling cellular engineering to functional issues. In this context, we will focus on several topics, including signal transduction and the molecular regulation of cell function, cellular microenvironment, cell adhesion and mecghanics, stem cells, multicellularity, and experimental models of tissue development. We will introduce both classic approaches and those that are still in early development. Due to the expansive nature of this area of science, we will only be able to introduce a sampling of the space.
• ENG BE 710: Neural Plasticity and Perceptual Learning
  This course explores the capacity of cortical sensory and motor maps in the adult brain to change as a result of alterations in the effectiveness of the input, direct damage, or practice. The lectures will describe and discuss (1) the physiology and anatomy underlying adult dynamics; (2) psychophysical methods and experimental paradigms that have been used to study cortical plasticity in the early stages of the sensory and motor pathways; (3) evidence for perceptual learning; and (4) biologically plausible computational models of learning. We will discuss applications of functional neuroimaging to study perceptual learning and restorative plasticity in the human brain.
• ENG BE 716: Quantitative Medical Imaging: Theory and Methods
  The theory of quantitative medical imaging is studied systematically using the pixel value equation as the unifying mathematical concept. The physics foundations of electromagnetism, quantum mechanics, and NMR dynamics are studied at an intermediate level thus providing a solid foundation for the development of quantitative techniques as applicable to x-ray CT and MRI.
• ENG BE 721: Continuum Mechanics
  Foundations of the classical theories of continuum mechanics: elasticity and fluid mechanics. A rigorous mathematical approach to kinematics, stress analysis, balance laws (mass, momentum, and energy), entropy inequality, and constitutive equations using vectors and tensors.
• ENG BE 722: Advanced Continuum Biomechanics and Biofluid Dynamics
  This is the second course in a two-semester sequence, which emphasizes the application of continuum mechanics to problems in physiology, biology, and medicine. Material will be presented through topical examples, which will employ the governing equations and field theory of continuum mechanics and illustrate how to apply these principles to formulate and solve problems in biomechanics and biofluid dynamics. Examples will be presented in the context of four three-week long modules. Utilizing various problem solving techniques (e.g., the finite element method, Monte Carlo simulation, perturbation methods, etc.), each module will take a multidisciplinary approach that will illustrate the necessity to incorporate concepts and tools from a variety of fields (e.g., chemistry, physical chemistry, thermodynamics, acoustics, electrostatics, molecular dynamics, etc.), and which might include non-continuum approaches (e.g., statistical physics, structural mechanics, etc.). Some modules will include wet/computer lab components.
• ENG BE 726: Fundamentals of Biomaterials
  Provides the chemistry and engineering skills needed to solve challenges in the biomaterials and tissue engineering area, concentrating on the fundamental principles in biomedical engineering, material science, and chemistry. Covers the structure and properties of hard materials (ceramics and metals) and soft materials (polymers and hydrogels). Same as ME/MS 726. Students may not receive credit for both. 4 cr
• ENG BE 727: Principles and Applications of Tissue Engineering
  Provides the chemistry and engineering skills needed to solve challenges in the biomaterials and tissue engineering area, concentrating on cell-biomaterial interactions, soft tissue mechanics and specific research topics. Students will write a NIH-style grant proposal on a specific research topic. Same as ME/MS 727. Students may not receive credit for both.
• ENG BE 736: Biomedical Transport Phenomena
  Students are introduced to the analysis and characterization of physiological systems and biomedical devices in which chemical reaction and the transport of mass and momentum play predominant roles. Fundamental scientific issues and analytical techniques are introduced and applied to case studies of specific engineering problems. Some knowledge of a high-level computer programming language is essential. A two-hour computer lab is required. Meets with ENGME736 and ENGMS736. Students may not receive credit for both.

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