Teaching >> Ongoing Courses | Taught Courses
BMEG2010 Biomedical Engineering Laboratory (2015-2016 2nd semester)
Hands-on experience in various aspects of biomedical engineering. Introduction to basic electronics, chemistry, molecular biology, microbiology, and electrophysiology laboratory techniques. Laboratory skills, experimental design, interpretation of data, technical writing and ethical issues relevant to laboratory work. Concludes with a student-driven design project.
BMEG4450 Bionanotechnology (co-taught with Prof Aaron HO) (2013-2016 2nd semester) [Syllabus] [Micro-Modules]
This course consists of two parts. The first half covers basic concepts in nanotechnology (e.g., length scales (<100 nm) effect on properties of materials and devices), and introduces techniques and tools for fabricating nanostructured and bioengineered materials: quantum dots, DNA, self-assembly and templating, surface patterning, and functionalization. The second half introduces three key applications of nanotechnology in biomedical research (i.e., diagnostics, in vivo imaging, and targeted drug delivery), and briefly discusses the process of translating laboratory discoveries to therapies applicable in clinical trials.
Basic Concepts and Applications in Nanomedicine (Globex 2014, Peking University)
Most commercially available healthcare products such as detergent, toothpaste and sunscreen, all contain nanoparticles in their formulation. At a fundamental level, the canonical biomolecules, including nucleic acids, sugars and proteins, also assume a size in the nanometer range. Due to enormous improvement in technologies that support the fabrication and manipulation of nanosized objects in the past two decades, increasing research efforts have focused on engineering biomolecules at the nanometer length scale. This emergent class of bionanomaterials forms the basis of numerous “nanomedicine” applications that are now under active investigation, and may provide promising solutions to some of the world’s most severe diseases and other healthcare problems.
This course will provide an overview of the field of nanomedicine. We will first articulate how “nano” as a length scale is relevant to biomedical applications. We will then explain the tools for the assembly and characterization of bionanomaterials frequently used in nanomedicine research. Next, we will present the three pillars of nanomedicine research: diagnostics, imaging and therapeutics, and illustrate the materials design considerations for creating nanoparticle-based agents involved in each of the pillar. We will conclude by delineating the process for translating nanomedicine products from laboratory discoveries to clinically relevant therapies.