BME

Biomedical engineering (BME) is the discipline that applies engineering principles and design concepts to medicine and biology for healthcare purposes. It seeks to understand, model, and manipulate biological systems to improve diagnosis, treatment, and patient care.

BME covers a range of subfields, including medical devices and instrumentation, imaging and sensing, biomechanics and biomaterials, tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, biosensors, bioinformatics, and rehabilitation engineering. Engineers in BME work on devices such as implants, imaging systems, prosthetics, and diagnostic tools.

Education and professional practice: BME programs exist at universities worldwide, typically awarding bachelor's degrees in biomedical engineering. Graduate studies lead to master's and doctoral degrees. In the United States, many programs are accredited by ABET. Professional societies include the Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES) in the U.S. and the International Federation for Medical and Biological Engineering (IFMBE).

History and scope: The field emerged from the convergence of engineering with physiology and medicine in the mid-20th century, expanding with advances in imaging, materials, and computation.

Impact and challenges: BME contributes to diagnostics, therapeutics, and patient monitoring, but faces challenges such as regulatory approval, safety, interoperability, data privacy, and equitable access.