Module Catalogue 2025/26

Pre Requisite Comment

This module is for students who are either part of the MRes programme, and the MSc in Biomedical Engineering.

Co Requisite Comment

N/A

Aims

To be able to describe and apply concepts on (M1):

• Additive manufacturing and biofabrication technologies.
• Bioprinting processes, specifically the techniques by which cells and other biological materials are processed together.
• Biomaterials and relevant functionalization techniques, specifically how to select and evaluate biomaterials for a given application.
• Medical devices, therapeutic products and the ethics and regulations associated with them.
• Employ the abovementioned knowledge, to develop a new medical device, including its commercialization route, applying sustainability principles (M2, M4, M5, M6, M7, M16, M17).
• To evaluate the potential and limitations of the idealized medical device, comparing it with the current solutions (commercial or in pre-clinical stage)
• To design and create a prototype of a medical device
• To operate and apply biomedical CAD/CAM software to process medical images (M1, M3, M17).

Outline Of Syllabus

The module covers subjects like Additive Manufacturing and Bioprinting for Biomedical Applications, Biomaterials and Surface modifications, Medical Devices, Therapeutic Products and Regulatory Processes, Biofabrication and Bioprinting. The module will also cover product life-cycle and sustainability within the biomedical field.

On the practical side, students will learn about Biomedical CAD/CAM and be trained in the use of a commercial biomedical CAD/CAM software package (MIMICS by Materialise).

The module also accounts for an introductory lecture where module contents and expected outcomes are presented and explained. This also covers assessment, and important dates, and reveals the structure of the teaching.

The subjects will be delivered as lectures and computer labs, and the learning assessed in three forms:

• An individual computer-based biomedical CAD/CAM exercise.
• A group case study in medical product development or technology development which exploits the advantages of additive manufacturing or other biofabrication techniques.
• A group presentation on their case study.

Students will have an induction to the Makerspace to enable them to perform their projects and produce the prototype required for the case study. This induction will be complemented by visits to some Bioengineering labs in the Stephenson Building to get a real feel of how research concepts come to life and how some of the presented techniques and machines work.

Intended Knowledge Outcomes

On completion of the module students will know how to:

• Define and describe additive manufacture, bioprinting and biofabrication (M1).
• Compare processing techniques and biomaterials and select and evaluate them according to a specific application (M1, M2, M4).
• Explain how medical devices and therapeutic devices are regulated and apply that knowledge to the development of a new idealized medical device (M4).
• Explain and discuss product development and important sustainability principles that apply to this process (M7).
• Examine and choose biomaterials for a particular application, and judge if there is a need to modify them (M1, M2, M4).
• Define a characterization plan for their biomaterials and testing, following existing norms/standards (M1, M2, M4).
• Recognize the types of models used in biomedical CAD/CAM and employ the technical analysis and software procedures needed to create and optimize them (M1, M2, M3, M5).

Intended Skill Outcomes

On completion of the module students will be able to:

• Use commercial biomedical CAD/CAM software for basic segmentation of medical images (M2, M3).
• Define the idea for a new medical device and plan its development from bed to bench (M1, M2, M3, M4, M16).
• Locate important information relevant to their research and employ it to their desired application (M4, M16).
• Defend their choices supporting them with state-of-the-art and commercial solutions (M2, M16, M17).
• Question the outcomes of their ideas and evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of their approach (M16, M17).
• Explain their project to an audience of experts and defend it as well as criticize it constructively (M16, M17).
• Write a scientific report of the development of a medical device, including its economic and environmental impact (M1, M2, M3, M4, M5, M7, M16, M17).

Teaching Rationale And Relationship

The teaching sessions are intended to give the students the foundations with which to pursue their coursework exercises, in which they will apply what they have learnt to specific case studies and/or product development exercises. The practical sessions will introduce the students to the biomedical CAD/CAM software, and to the AM and biofabrication techniques, so that they can use these skills in their coursework exercises.

Assessment Rationale And Relationship

The computer-based BIOCAD exercises will assess students’ ability to select and apply appropriate computational and analytical techniques (e.g., segmentation) to treat medical images. The taught software is highly available in clinic and routinely used to produce different types of tools and models in hospital. Moreover, CAD/CAM is a key step in the design and manufacturing process of medical devices, especially when using Additive manufacturing and Bioprinting.

The case study coursework will allow the students to show that they have understood all the concepts taught during the lectures and can apply them to bring a biomedical product concept to market. Coursework is preferred as it provides a mechanism for the students to show that they are able to integrate the separate elements together to demonstrate an understanding of the current state of the art and critically analyse the outcomes.

The Presentation on Product Development is designed as an exercise for students to complete in order to gain feedback on their progress, which they then take forward in developing their Case Study report.

General Notes

N/A