15 Bioengineering (Inglés) (Artículo) Autor Atlantic International University

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BIOENGINEERING 
 
7.1 What is Bioengineering: Bioengineering is the “biological or medical 
application of engineering principles or engineering equipment – also called 
biomedical engineering.” 
We like to think of it as the application of engineering principles to biological 
systems. 
Bioengineering as a defined field is relatively new, although attempts to solve 
biological problems have persisted throughout history. Recently, the practice of 
bioengineering has expanded beyond large-scale efforts like prosthetics and 
hospital equipment to include engineering at the molecular and cellular level – 
with applications in energy and the environment as well as healthcare. 
A very broad area of study, bioengineering can include elements of electrical and 
mechanical engineering, computer science, materials, chemistry and biology. This 
breadth allows students and faculty to specialize in their areas of interest and 
collaborate widely with researchers in allied fields. 
Biological Engineering or bioengineering (including biological systems 
engineering) is the application of concepts and methods of biology (and 
secondarily of physics, chemistry, mathematics, and computer science) to solve 
real-world problems related to the life sciences or the application thereof, using 
engineering's own analytical and synthetic methodologies and also its traditional 
sensitivity to the cost and practicality of the solution(s) arrived at. In this context, 
while traditional engineering applies physical and mathematical sciences to 
analyze, design and manufacture inanimate tools, structures and processes, 
biological engineering uses primarily the rapidly developing body of knowledge 
known as molecular biology to study and advance applications of living organisms. 
An especially important application is the analysis and cost-effective solution of 
problems related to human health, but the field is much more general than that. For 
example, biomimetics is a branch of biological engineering which strives to find 
ways in which the structures and functions of living organisms can be used as 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biological_systems_engineering
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biological_systems_engineering
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Physics
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chemistry
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mathematics
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_science
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life_sciences
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Engineering
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Analysis
http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/synthetic
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methodology
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Design
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manufacture
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Structure
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Process_(engineering)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molecular_biology
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Living_organisms
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_health
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biomimetics
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models for the design and engineering of materials and machines. Systems biology, 
on the other hand, seeks to utilize the engineer's familiarity with complex artificial 
systems, and perhaps the concepts used in "reverse engineering", to facilitate the 
difficult process of recognition of the structure, function, and precise method of 
operation of complex biological systems. 
The differentiation between biological engineering and biomedical engineering can 
be unclear, as many universities loosely use the terms "bioengineering" and 
"biomedical engineering" interchangeably.
[1]
 Biomedical engineers are specifically 
focused on applying biological and other sciences toward medical innovations, 
whereas biological engineers are focused principally on applying engineering 
principles to biology - but not necessarily for medical uses. Hence neither 
"biological" engineering nor "biomedical" engineering is wholly contained within 
the other, as there can be "non-biological" products for medical needs as well as 
"biological" products for non-medical needs (the latter including notably 
biosystems engineering). 
Biological engineering is a science-based discipline founded upon the biological 
sciences in the same way that chemical engineering, electrical engineering, and 
mechanical engineering can be based upon chemistry, electricity and magnetism, 
and classical mechanics, respectively. 
Biological engineering can be differentiated from its roots of pure biology or other 
engineering fields. Biological studies often follow a reductionist approach in 
viewing a system on its smallest possible scale which naturally leads toward tools 
such as functional genomics. Engineering approaches, using classical design 
perspectives, are constructionist, building new devices, approaches, and 
technologies from component concepts. Biological engineering utilizes both kinds 
of methods in concert, relying on reductionist approaches to identify, understand, 
and organize the fundamental units which are then integrated to generate 
something new. In addition, because it is an engineering discipline, biological 
engineering is fundamentally concerned with not just the basic science, but its 
practical application of the scientific knowledge is to solve real-world problems in 
a cost-effective way. 
Although engineered biological systems have been used to manipulate information, 
construct materials, process chemicals, produce energy, provide food, and help 
maintain or enhance human health and our environment, our ability to quickly and 
reliably engineer biological systems that behave as expected is at present less well 
developed than our mastery over mechanical and electrical systems. 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Systems_biology
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biomedical_engineering
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Department_of_Bioengineering&action=edit&redlink=1
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biological_engineering#cite_note-National_Institutes_of_Health-1
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ABET, the U.S.-based accreditation board for engineering B.S. programs, makes a 
distinction between biomedical engineering and biological engineering, though 
there is much overlap (see above). Foundational courses are often the same and 
include thermodynamics, fluid and mechanical dynamics, kinetics, electronics, and 
materials properties. According to Professor Doug Lauffenberger of MIT, 
biological engineering (like biotechnology) has a broader base which applies 
engineering principles to an enormous range of size and complexities of systems 
ranging from the molecular level - molecular biology, biochemistry, microbiology, 
pharmacology, protein chemistry, cytology, immunology, neurobiology and 
neuroscience (often but not always using biological substances) - to cellular and 
tissue-based methods (including devices and sensors), whole macroscopic 
organisms (plants, animals), and up increasing length scales to whole ecosystems. 
The word bioengineering was coined by British scientist and broadcaster Heinz 
Wolff in 1954. The term bioengineering is also used to describe the use of 
vegetation in civil engineering construction. The term bioengineering may also be 
applied to environmental modifications such as surface soil protection, slope 
stabilisation, watercourse and shoreline protection, windbreaks, vegetation barriers 
including noise barriers and visual screens, and the ecological enhancement of an 
area. The first biological engineering program was created at Mississippi State 
University in 1967, making it the first biological engineering curriculum in the 
United States. More recent programs have been launched at MIT and Utah State 
University. 
Description: Biological engineers or bioengineers are engineers who use the 
principles of biology and the tools of engineering to create usable, tangible, 
economically viable products. Biological engineeringemploys knowledge and 
expertise from a number of pure and applied sciences, such as mass and heat 
transfer, kinetics, biocatalysts, biomechanics, bioinformatics, separation and 
purification processes, bioreactor design, surface science, fluid mechanics, 
thermodynamics, and polymer science. It is used in the design of medical devices, 
diagnostic equipment, biocompatible materials, renewable bioenergy, ecological 
engineering, agricultural engineering, and other areas that improve the living 
standards of societies. 
In general, biological engineers attempt to either mimic biological systems to 
create products or modify and control biological systems so that they can replace, 
augment, or sustain chemical and mechanical processes. Bioengineers can apply 
their expertise to other applications of engineering and biotechnology, including 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biotechnology
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molecular_biology
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biochemistry
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microbiology
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pharmacology
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protein
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cell_biology
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immunology
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neurobiology
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neuroscience
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heinz_Wolff
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heinz_Wolff
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vegetation
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_engineering
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Construction
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mississippi_State_University
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mississippi_State_University
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MIT
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utah_State_University
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utah_State_University
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bioinformatics
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermodynamics
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biotechnology
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genetic modification of plants and microorganisms, bioprocess engineering, and 
biocatalysis. 
Because other engineering disciplines also address living organisms (e.g., 
prosthetics in bio-mechanical engineering), the term biological engineering can be 
applied more broadly to include agricultural engineering and biotechnology, which 
notably can address non-healthcare objectives as well (unlike biomedical 
engineering). In fact, many old agricultural engineering departments in universities 
over the world have rebranded themselves as agricultural and biological 
engineering or agricultural and biosystems engineering. Biological engineering 
is also called bioengineering by some colleges and biomedical engineering is 
called bioengineering by others, and is a rapidly developing field with fluid 
categorization. Depending on the institution and particular definitional boundaries 
employed, some major fields of bioengineering may be categorised as (note these 
may overlap): 
 Biological systems engineering 
 Biomedical engineering: biomedical technology, biomedical diagnostics, 
biomedical therapy, biomechanics, biomaterials. 
 Genetic engineering (involving both of the above, although in different 
applications): synthetic biology, horizontal gene transfer. 
 Bioprocess engineering: bioprocess design, biocatalysis, bioseparation, 
bioinformatics, bioenergy 
 Cellular engineering: cell engineering, tissue engineering, metabolic 
engineering. 
 Biomimetics: The use of knowledge gained from reverse engineering 
evolved living systems to solve difficult design problems in artificial 
systems. 
7.2 Biological Systems Engineering or Biosystems Engineering is a broad-based 
engineering discipline with particular emphasis on biology and chemistry. It can be 
thought of as a subset of the broader notion of Biological Engineering, though not 
in the respects that pertain to Biomedical Engineering as biosystems engineering 
tends to focus less on medical applications than on agriculture, ecosystems, and 
food science. It involves aspects of genetic engineering, particularly regarding the 
agricultural applications. The discipline focuses broadly on environmentally sound 
and sustainable engineering solutions to meet societies’ ecologically-related needs. 
Biosystems engineering integrates the expertise of fundamental engineering fields 
with expertise from non-engineering disciplines. 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prosthetics
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mechanical_engineering
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agricultural_engineering
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biotechnology
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biomedical_engineering
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biomedical_engineering
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biological_systems_engineering
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biomedical_engineering
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biomedical_technology
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Biomedical_diagnostics&action=edit&redlink=1
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Biomedical_therapy&action=edit&redlink=1
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biomechanics
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biomaterials
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genetic_engineering
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synthetic_biology
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horizontal_gene_transfer
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bioprocess_engineering
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bioprocess_design&action=edit&redlink=1
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biocatalysis
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bioseparation&action=edit&redlink=1
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bioinformatics
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bioenergy
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cellular_engineering
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cell_engineering&action=edit&redlink=1
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tissue_engineering
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metabolic_engineering
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metabolic_engineering
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biomimetics
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Engineering
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biology
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chemistry
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biological_Engineering
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biomedical_Engineering
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genetic_engineering
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Background and Organization 
Many college and university biological engineering departments have a history of 
being grounded in agricultural engineering and have only in the last decade or so 
changed their names to reflect the movement towards more diverse biological 
based engineering programs. This major is sometimes called Agricultural and 
Biological Engineering, Biological and Environmental Engineering, etc., in 
different universities. 
Since biological engineering covers a wide spectrum, many departments now offer 
specialization options. Depending on the department and the specialization options 
offered within each program, curricula may overlap with other related fields. There 
are a number of different titles for BSE-related departments at various universities. 
The professional societies commonly associated with many Biological Engineering 
programs include the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers 
(ASABE) and the Institute of Biological Engineering (IBE), which generally 
encompasses BSE. 
A biological systems engineer has a background in what both environmental 
engineers and biologists do, thus bridging the gap between engineering and the 
(non-medical) biological sciences. For this reason, biological systems engineers are 
becoming integral parts of many environmental engineering firms, federal 
agencies, and biotechnology industries. 
Specializations 
 Land and water resources engineering 
 Food and bioprocess engineering 
 Machinery systems engineering 
 Natural resources and environmental engineering 
7.3 Biomedical engineering (BME) is the application of engineering principles 
and design concepts to medicine and biology for healthcare purposes (e.g. 
diagnostic or therapeutic). This field seeks to close the gap between engineering 
and medicine:It combines the design and problem solving skills of engineering 
with medical and biological sciences to advance healthcare treatment, including 
diagnosis, monitoring, and therapy. Biomedical engineering has only recently 
emerged as its own study, compared to many other engineering fields. Such an 
evolution is common as a new field transitions from being an interdisciplinary 
specialization among already-established fields, to being considered a field in 
itself. Much of the work in biomedical engineering consists of research and 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biological_engineering
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agricultural_engineering
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Society_of_Agricultural_and_Biological_Engineers
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Institute_of_Biological_Engineering
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biotechnology
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_resources_engineering
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bioprocess_engineering
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_resource
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Environmental_engineering
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Engineering
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medicine
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medical_diagnosis
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medical_monitor
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Therapy
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interdisciplinarity
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development, spanning a broad array of subfields (see below). Prominent 
biomedical engineering applications include the development of biocompatible 
prostheses, various diagnostic and therapeutic medical devices ranging from 
clinical equipment to micro-implants, common imaging equipment such as MRIs 
and EEGs, regenerative tissue growth, pharmaceutical drugs and therapeutic 
biologicals. 
7.4 Genetic engineering, also called genetic modification, is the direct 
manipulation of an organism's genome using biotechnology. New DNA may be 
inserted in the host genome by first isolating and copying the genetic material of 
interest using molecular cloning methods to generate a DNA sequence, or by 
synthesizing the DNA, and then inserting this construct into the host organism. 
Genes may be removed, or "knocked out", using a nuclease. Gene targeting is a 
different technique that uses homologous recombination to change an endogenous 
gene, and can be used to delete a gene, remove exons, add a gene, or introduce 
point mutations. 
An organism that is generated through genetic engineering is considered to be a 
genetically modified organism (GMO). The first GMOs were bacteria in 1973 and 
GM mice were generated in 1974. Insulin-producing bacteria were commercialized 
in 1982 and genetically modified food has been sold since 1994. Glofish, the first 
GMO designed as a pet, was first sold in the United States December in 2003. 
Genetic engineering techniques have been applied in numerous fields including 
research, agriculture, industrial biotechnology, and medicine. Enzymes used in 
laundry detergent and medicines such as insulin and human growth hormone are 
now manufactured in GM cells, experimental GM cell lines and GM animals such 
as mice or zebrafish are being used for research purposes, and genetically modified 
crops have been commercialized. 
7.5 Bioprocess engineering is a specialization of biotechnology, biological 
engineering, chemical engineering and of agricultural engineering. It deals with the 
design and development of equipment and processes for the manufacturing of 
products such as food, feed, pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals, chemicals, and 
polymers and paper from biological materials. Bioprocess engineering is a 
conglomerate of mathematics, biology and industrial design,and consists of various 
spectrums like designing of bioreactors, study of fermentors (mode of operations 
etc.). It also deals with studying various biotechnological processes used in 
industries for large scale production of biological product for optimization of yield 
in the end product and the quality of end product. Bioprocess engineering may 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biocompatible
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prosthesis
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medical_device
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MRI
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EEG
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medication
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genome
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biotechnology
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DNA
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molecular_cloning
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genes
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclease
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gene_targeting
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homologous_recombination
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exons
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Point_mutations
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genetically_modified_organism
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insulin
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glofish
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zebrafish
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genetically_modified_crops
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genetically_modified_crops
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biotechnology
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biological_engineering
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biological_engineering
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chemical_engineering
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agricultural_engineering
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fodder
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pharmaceuticals
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nutraceuticals
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chemicals
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polymers
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paper
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bioreactors
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include the work of mechanical, electrical, and industrial engineers to apply 
principles of their disciplines to processes based on using living cells or sub 
component of such cells. 
 
 
7.6
 
Biomimetics or biomimicry is the imitation of the models, systems, and 
elements of nature for the purpose of solving complex human problems. The terms 
biomimetics and biomimicry come from Ancient Greek: βίος (bios), life, and 
μίμησις (mīmēsis), imitation, from μιμεῖσθαι (mīmeisthai), to imitate, from μῖμος 
(mimos), actor. A closely related field is bionics. 
Living organisms have evolved well-adapted structures and materials over 
geological time through natural selection. Biomimetics has given rise to new 
technologies inspired by biological solutions at macro and nanoscales. Humans 
have looked at nature for answers to problems throughout our existence. Nature 
has solved engineering problems such as self-healing abilities, environmental 
exposure tolerance and resistance, hydrophobicity, self-assembly, and harnessing 
solar energy. 
 
 
 
 
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evolution
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adaptation_(biology)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_selection
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrophobicity