BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING

Recent progress in MEMS (microelectromechanical systems) technology has attracted great attention for its potential to address biomedical challenges, and, in turn, spawned a new field of research unto itself, known as BioMEMS. MEMS technology has enabled low-cost, high-functionality microdevices in some commonly used areas, such as inexpensive printer cartridges for ink jet printing and chip-based accelerometers responsible for deployment of automotive airbags.

The characteristics of batch fabrication, miniaturization, and integration with electronics, which are all inherent in MEMS technology, are particularly attractive for the development of next-generation, cost-effective tools for biomedical research and clinical medicine. This awareness in the potential of bioMEMS has resulted in a flurry of research activities, which, in turn, have culminated in some commercialization successes such as microarrays and lab-on-chip in vitro diagnostics. Furthermore, the feasibility of a variety of implantable bioMEMS devices for drug delivery, physiological monitoring, and tissue engineering, has been demonstrated within a research context. However, their translation into the clinical environment has been largely limited.

At the Cleveland Clinic, the BioMEMS Laboratory is developing MEMS for implantable medical applications with a multidisciplinary team comprised of biomedical engineers, basic scientists, and practising clinicians. This talk will present the state of clinical bioMEMS today and will provide examples of on-going research projects at the Cleveland Clinic including the development of microtransducers for intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) imaging, wireless pressure microsensors for in vivo biomechanics, and microtextured scaffolds for bone regeneration.