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Required and Elective Courses of the Programme
Required Courses:
1. Introduction to Biomedical Engineering (BMEG1130/2130)
Definition, scope, basic principles and problems in biomedical engineering. Introduction
to the enabling technologies for biomedical engineering. Overview of various topics in
biomedical engineering, e.g., biomedical sensors, bioinstrumentation, bio-signal
processing, biomechanics, biomaterials, molecular engineering, tissue engineering, bionanotechnology, medical imaging, rehabilitation engineering, etc. Applications of
engineering principles to selected medical and biological problems. Contemporary issues
and roles of biomedical engineering. Introduction to basic electronics, chemistry,
molecular biology, microbiology, and electrophysiology laboratory techniques.
2. Basic Circuit Theory (ELEG1110)
Basic circuit theorems; mesh and nodal analysis; modified nodal analysis; State
Equations. Topological formulation of circuit equations. Transient and steadystate analyses. AC circuits. Frequency responses. P-N junction diode; bipolar and
unipolar transistors; diode and transistor models; large signal and small signal
analyses; operation amplifiers.
3. Circuit and Devices I (ELEG2202)
Basic circuit laws and theorems; mesh and nodal analysis, superposition and
source transformation. Phasor, impedance and AC analysis. Introduction to threephase circuits. P-N junction diode, bipolar transistor and MOS transistor: terminal
I-V characteristics and circuit models; diode rectifiers; single-stage transistor
amplifiers: biasing and small signal analysis. Operational amplifier and its
applications.
Elective Course A
1. Introduction to Biological Sciences (BIOL1005)
This course introduces students to basic concepts in biochemistry, cell biology,
genetics, physiology, ecology, diversity of life and evolution. The main purpose is
to prepare students for major programmes in life sciences.
2. Basic Concepts in Biological Sciences (LSCI1001)
This foundation course is designed for students who have not taken science
courses with a biology component at the senior secondary school level. It presents
the basic principles, current advances and social significance of cell biology,
genetics, diseases, biotechnology, ecology and biodiversity conservation. This
course is taught mostly using an interactive lecture format. There are some
cooperative learning tasks and an opportunity to develop data analysis skills in
relation to the topics covered.
3. Life Sciences for Engineers (LSCI1003)
This course gives engineering students exposure to some of the basic and essential
concepts in biology and biotechnology. Topics include cell structure and energy
metabolism, DNA structure and replication, protein structure and function, genetic
engineering, stem cell and tissue regeneration, neural biology, cardiovascular
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system, muscle and skeletal system of animals, microbes and microbial
biotechnology. The overall aim of this course is to introduce students with the
fundamental ideas and concepts in life sciences especially those with relevance to
engineering studies.
4. Principles of Modern Chemistry (CHEM1070)
The electron configurations of atoms and the chemical reactivity of elements. The
electronic and structural properties of simple molecules based on valence bond
and molecular orbital models. The three states of matter and the intermolecular
forces responsible for their stabilities. The role of thermochemistry and
thermodynamics in the physical and chemical conversion of matter. Chemical
equilibrium covers the extent of these conversions. Chemical kinetics studies the
speeds of these conversions. Nuclear chemistry discusses the direct conversion of
mass into energy.
5. Introduction to Organic Chemistry and Biomolecules (CHEM1280)
This course introduces basic principles of organic chemistry to non-chemistry
major students in the faculty of science with emphasis on the structures and
chemical properties of biomolecules. The structures and essential reactions of
common organic functional groups will be covered and the fundamental concepts
in chemical bonding, stereochemistry and reaction mechanism will be highlighted.
Spectroscopic methods for structure analysis of organic compounds will also be
briefly discussed.
6. Basic Chemistry for Engineers (CHEM1380)
Elements and Compounds, Atomic Structure, Theories of Chemical Bonding,
Periodic Properties, Gases, liquids and solutions, Chemical Equilibrium, Acids
and bases, Oxidation and Reduction, Thermochemistry, Thermodynamics,
Electrochemistry, Chemical Kinetics, Materials, Solids, Properties of Polymers,
Nuclear Chemistry, Metallurgy.
Elective Course B
1. Orthopaedic Biomechanics and Musculoskeletal Injury (BMEG2210)
Orthopaedic Biomechanics: Force and moment vectors. Equations of equilibrium.
Moments of inertia. Kinematics of particles. Newton’s second law. Kinematics of
rigid bodies. Dynamics of rigid bodies. Stress-strain relations. Linear elasticity.
Loading and deformation. Shear forces and bending moments. Multi-body
kinematics and application to skeletal system. Musculoskeletal injury mechanisms
associated with musculoskeletal biology (aging, gender, diseases, adverse effects
of treatments) and external forces (sports and traffic accidences), basic principles
for designing medical devices and implants for prevention and treatment of
musculoskeletal injuries.
2. Database and Security for Biomedical Engineering (BMEG3120)
Introduction of fundamental applications of information technology for healthcare,
with focus on medical informatics, basic concepts of database management
systems, security protocol, firewalls and computer viruses, system security threats,
etc. Prerequisites: CSCI1120.
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3. Tele-Medicine and Mobile Healthcare (BMEG3130)
Concepts of P-healthcare (personalized healthcare), E-medicine, and M-healthcare
(mobile healthcare). Basic techniques in tele-medicine and M-healthcare:
communication systems and networks, medical devices, E-healthcare records,
wireless communications in medicine, information security and confidentiality,
medical data coding and compression, functions of PACS and HIS. Applications
include: tele-consultation, tele-geriatrics, tele-monitoring, M-healthcare, smart
wards, etc.
4. Biofluids (BMEG3210)
Fundamentals of heat and mass transfer. Nature of fluids. Integral and differential
equations of fluid flows. Conservation of mass, momentum and energy.
Elementary internal and external flows. First and second laws of thermodynamics.
Entropy. Heat conduction and convention. Bio and micro fluidics and heat transfer.
Fluids in human body and blood flow, including blood velocity, blood vessel
geometry, respiratory mechanics. Heat and mass transport in biosystems.
Prerequisites: ENGG2011 or any courses in differential equations.
5. Medical Instrumentation and Sensors (ELEG3101/3240)
Fundamental concepts of the design of instrumentation and sensor. Electrode
theory. Wireless electrodes. Transducers. Biosensors. Applications of
microprocessor system for measurements. Micro-controllor based measurement
systems. The origins and measurements of bioelectric, ultrasonic and bioacoustic
signals. Applications: electro-bioimpedance measurements, cochlear implant
devices and transdermal drug delivery systems; and distributed random Functional
Electric Stimulator. Electrical safety and hazard. Prerequisites: ELEG1110/2202,
ENGG2030.
6. Biomedical Imaging (BMEG3320)
This course teaches the fundamentals of biomedical imaging: the physiology and
physics that are involved in the imaging process (waves, spins, resonance,
radioactive decay), the mathematics that are needed to modelize the image
formation (linear algebra, multidimensional calculus, 2D Fourier transform,
Radon transform, probabilities), the signal and image processing techniques that
help analyse digital images (2D filtering, discrete 2D Fourier transform,
interpolation, contrast, quality), and the hardware used for acquiring these images
(X-ray tubes, detectors, magnets, coils, gamma cameras, transductors). A
particular emphasis will be laid on four imaging modalities: X-ray radiography,
Computed Tomography (CT), Emission Computed Tomography (scintigraphy,
SPECT and PET), Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and Ultrasound Imaging.
Prerequisites: ENGG2030.
7. Neuroengineering (BMEG3330)
Introduction to neuroengineering: Beginning, development and current status;
Neural system and neuron activity; Neural information processing and learning;
Neural computation and artificial neural network; Neuromuscular and
neuromechanical systems (EMG); Neural-machine interface and neuroprosthesis;
Neuromorphic engineering: artificial retinas and EOG, cochlea, and noses.
Electric and magnetic field of human brain (EEG and MEG). Selected state-ofthe-art topics in a highly interdisciplinary field that combines neurobiology,
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electrophysiology, neural activity imaging, including: neural circuit-modulation.
Other selected topics of recent research interests.
8. Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering (BMEG3430)
Fundamentals in design, fabrication and selection of biomaterials for medical
applications. Physical, chemical and mechanical properties and bio-compatibility
of different types of biomaterials, e.g. natural, synthetic, inorganic and composite,
etc. Introduction to tissue engineering. Principles of tissue engineering for medical
application. Physical and biological considerations of biomaterials applications in
clinical indications. Prerequisites: BMEG2210.
9. Body Sensor Networks (BMEG4220)
Introduction to wearable medical devices and bio-sensing technologies. Design of
on-body and in-body biosensors. Communication topologies, protocols, standards
and media of body sensor networks (BSN). Usages and roles of BSN in real-life
applications. Selected issues in state-of-the-art development of BSN, e.g.
information security, signal interference, energy scavenging, multi-sensor fusion
and context-aware sensing.
10. Biomedical Imaging Applications (BMEG4320)
Knowledge and technical background on the current available bio-imaging
technologies developed for assessment of quality of musculoskeletal tissues with
emphasis on their application for bone and cartilage, such as QCT, pQCT,
microCT for animals and human, nano-CT, MRI, ultrasound, and other advanced
imaging modalities; Contrast-enhancement media for musculoskeletal and
vascular applications; Use of above bioimaging modalities for evaluation of
scaffold biomaterials developed for enhancement of repair of musculoskeletal
tissues; Applications of biomedical imaging in diagnosis, prevention and
treatment of aging related disorders of musculoskeletal, cardiovascular and other
relevant living systems. Prerequisites: BMEG3320.
11. BioMEMS (BMEG4410)
Introduction to basic MEMS fabrication technologies: UV lithography, LIGA
process, nanoimprinting and hot embossing. Microfluidic devices and components
for bio-MEMS: micropumps, micromixers, microdevices for sample extraction,
concentration, and devices for cell manipulation. Sensing technologies and bioMEMS applications in electrophoresis, environmental mycobacteria detection,
drug delivery, DNA analysis, proteomics, and cell biology.
12. Medical Robotics (BMEG3420/4420)
Introduction to medical robotics, mechanical structures and dynamics, robotic
sensing and control, human-robot interface, surgical robotic systems,
rehabilitation robotic systems, micro-scale robotic medical devices, state-of-theart in medical robotics.
13. Bionanotechnology (BMEG4450)
Basic concepts on nanotechnology: length scales (<100 nm) effect on properties of
materials and devices; overview of bionanotechnology: challenges and
opportunities associated with biotechnology on the nanoscale; nanostructured
interfaces and bioengineered materials: quantum dots, DNA, self-assembly and
templating, surface patterning and functionalization, nanoanalytics and
applications. Students are advised to take BMEG4410 before taking this course.
14. Molecular Engineering (BMEG4510)
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Principles and molecular structures of various materials of biological origin, such
as proteins, nucleic acids, lipids and polysaccharides; Central dogma of molecular
biology; DNA engineering and technologies, gene regulation; Molecular
engineering techniques, e.g., antibodies, electrophoresis, immunoblotting,
immunostaining; Genomics and proteomics; Mechanical and chemical
engineering design of high-throughput instruments for molecular detection;
Applications of molecular engineering in biomedical research.
15. Cardiovascular Engineering (BMEG4520)
Microcirculation as a dynamic entity; Concentration and velocity profiles of blood
cells in microcirculation; Intercellular collisions and their effect on
microcirculatory transport; Model studies of the rheology of blood in microvessels;
Fluid dynamics and thrombosis; Rheological factors and disease; Flow and
vascular geometry; Ex-vivo models for studying thrombosis; Cardiac valve
replacement with mechanical prostheses; Flow through mechanical heart valves
and thrombosis. Prerequisites: BMEG3210.
16. Musculoskeletal Tissue Engineering (BMEG4530)
Application of the principles of biology and engineering to the development of
viable substitutes which restore, maintain, or improve the function of
musculoskeletal tissues. Musculoskeletal tissues: tissue engineering of
tendon/ligament, cartilage and bone; understanding the interactions between
extracellular matrices and cells, mechanobiological responses of cells/tissues.
Musculoskeletal biomaterials: The development of bioactive, biomimetic
advanced biological materials for replacement of aged and diseased
musculoskeletal tissues. Prerequisites: BMEG3430.
17. Electrophysiology (BMEG4540)
Introduction to the nervous system: Neuroanatomy, Resting cell potential
(structure, protein, gradient, potential), Action potential (myelination,
propagation), Synapses and neurotransmitters (receptors, packaging, recycling),
Ion basis for conduction; Analog to electrical system: Circuit theory, Electrical
properties of neurons, Cable equation, Hodgkin-Huxley Model, Core-conductor
theory, local circuit theory; Electrophysiological methods: Ionic basis for
conduction, Basic instrumentation (recording electrode, oscilloscope), Voltageand current clamp in vitro, Single channel patch clamp, Stimuli and recording,
Electroencephalography and cortical potential, Local synaptic decoupling and
modeling. Prerequisites: ELEG1110/2202.
18. Bioinformatics (BMEG3102/ELEG4120)
This course introduces the basic concepts in bioinformatics. On the theoretical
side, students are expected to learn the relevant knowledge in computer science,
biology and mathematics from lectures and tutorials. On the practical side, they
are given assignments and tutorials to get hands-on experience in locating,
studying and using developed tools to apply the learned concepts in performing
standard analytical tasks on biomedical data.
19. Biomedical Modelling (BMEG4103/ELEG4190)
Basic physiologic systems: neuromuscular system, auditory system, pulmonarycardiovascular system etc. Renewal process. Bioelectric phenomena: action
potentials, cellular membrane models, volume conductor models, ECG, EMG,
EEG, etc. Biomedical modelling: lumped element model, bioimpedance, medical
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ultrasound, dispersion effects, and otoacoustic emissions. Topics in biomodelling
of recent interest.
20. Advanced Medical Instrumentation and Biosensors (ELEG5110/5101)
Review on physiological measurements and medical devices; electrodes and
transducers for biomedical measurements; physiological monitoring and
therapeutic devices; drug delivery systems; body sensor networks (BSN) and body
area networks (BAN); wearable sensors and systems; E-textile devices. Medical
imaging modalities: MRI, CT, PET, SPECT, ultrasound, etc.; bio-imaging:
molecular imaging, cell imaging, etc. Selected topics of current interests in
biomedical sensors.
21. Biomedical and Health informatics (ELEG5102)
Neuro-informatics: neural communication, neuro-myoelectrical channel, random
point process, cable analogy. Medical information technologies: HIS, virtual
hospital, PACS, etc. Health informatics: wireless physiologic sensing, medical
data compression and telemedicine techniques, etc. Selected topics of recent
interest.
22. Prosthetics and Artificial Organs (ELEG5103/5130)
Basic concepts of biological prosthetic systems and artificial organs; Functional
electrical stimulation; Restoration of movement of paralysed arms and legs;
Design of implantable devices and systems; Engineering replacements of kidney,
lung, heart, and other organ functions and their electrical, mechanical, materials,
chemical, pathological and surgical aspects. Prerequisite: ELEG3101/3240 or
permission of instructor.
23. Introduction to Biomimetic Engineering (ELEG5104)
Definition, scope and approach of biomimetics; engineering designs, concepts and
models inspired by nature. Principle of information transduction from the
biological realm to optical, electronic and mechanical domains in which modern
sensors operate as governed by underlying biological structure and processes.
Frontiers in biomimetic engineering, technology and applications, such as
molecular based sensing, electronic nose, electronic tongue, CMOS/molecular
memory, artificial green leaf energy, microfluidics, self assembly of biological
sensors, and hybrid systems at the interface of biotic and abiotic materials.
Application of quantitative techniques in understanding and analyzing different
biological processes. Students will work on projects where they will take
examples of designs, concepts, and models from nature and explore their potential
in engineering applications.
24. Biophotonics (ELEG5302/5521)
Review of physical properties of light. Optical sources and detectors. Interaction
between light and biological materials. Introduction to cell and tissues, DNA and
protein. Photo- absorption, emission and spectroscopy. Bio-imaging principles and
techniques. Modeling of light-tissue interaction. Light-activated therapy. Micro-array
technology. Laser tweezers. Emerging biophotonic technologies.
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