Future of Engineering in Biomedicine - Essay Example

Introduction

Biomedical engineering has evolved over the past 20 years (Mhanna & Hasan, 2017). With the emergence of complicated diseases such as Coronavirus, the employment of biomedical engineers is projected to rise by seven percent from 2020 to 2028 (Rosenthal & Badylak, 2016). The progressive rise in the demand for biomedical engineering is attributed to advanced technology and the increased use of medical equipment. Technological advancements have improved healthcare, both in diagnostics and delivery of clinical therapy. Among the areas which have enjoyed engineering ideas include clinical imaging, human genome sequencing, and polymerase chain reaction. The incorporation of engineering knowledge and techniques makes medicine a system-based discipline, not to mention the diagnostic precision and therapeutics it offers. Despite the effort of medical engineers, a lot needs to be done in the future to realize engineering in the medical profession. More use of engineering ideas will improve medicine a great deal.

According to WHO (2018), approximately 0.7% of the world's population miss one or both limbs. The cause of limb loss may be chronic diseases such as diabetes, limb paralysis, or fatal accidents, which require amputation. Even though there are artificial limbs that can be worn after amputation, patients have reported challenges. Medical engineering can provide a better option for patients who have undergone amputation. The suggestion here is to develop a regenerative human limb. Clinical trials with animals have successfully grown new limbs after being severed. The study should be extended to human beings and develop a process for growing human limbs for patients with severed limbs. The knowledge of human limb regeneration will provide additional knowledge needed for the biological regeneration of other organs such as the heart. Such medical technology will mark a major discovery in the field of medicine, and medical engineers should be able to produce results in the next ten years.

Engineering ideas are needed to create new medical diagnostic capabilities with a common goal of providing a Universal Medical Image Database- a system of data storage that will allow the pooling of medical images from all over the world. The collection and sorting of all medical images worldwide will be a milestone for sharing data regarding diseases and pathological knowledge. The approach will be a step to early detection of diseases through the use of minimal samples. By using automated-vision-based diagnosis algorithms, scientists will have a better chance of detecting diseases from all over the world and making appropriate management strategies.

Improving medical care can also be enhanced by developing expanded capabilities in telehealth and telemedicine. The application of telemedicine and telehealth has proved beneficial on a small scale. The need now should focus on the extensive application of the technology on a large scale. The technology uses a mobile application to monitor patients suffering from diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, and asthma with the benefit of relaying information useful for diagnosis, consultation, and healthcare education. There should an improved version of the technology, and in the next ten years, the world expect a more refined version of the technology with a reach to all parts of the world, including the remote areas.

Genomic discoveries are another aspect that is vital in the field of medicine. Genetic engineering offers vital knowledge that can improve patient outcomes. Disease prevention and management rely on how well scientists understand genomic structures. High throughput technologies are necessary for genomic analysis. Studies have revealed that most disease can be genetically managed. The challenge is for genetic engineers to process substantial data to enable characterization and make use of the existing genetic differences between persons. Genetic technology will enhance the development of therapies that target specific genetic pathways. The technology will serve useful in medication development and prescription. The provision of more genetic data and better genomic analysis will enable the characterization of disease subtypes with duplicated symptoms but dissimilar molecular bases. Such technology will facilitate the development of therapeutic strategies for rare diseases such as COVID-19. Also, genomic knowledge will serve to be beneficial in managing neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinsonism and Alzheimer's disease (Linsenmeier, 2016). Neuroscientists should come up with treatment strategies for neurodegenerative disorders after extensive neuron analysis. With adequate investment, neurodegenerative disorders can be a story of the past. The aging population is at risk of developing neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. Neuroscience technology is the only hope of finding a medical intervention for age-related neurodegenerative disorders.

Human being faces challenges from diseases and injuries, which reduce the quality of life. Biomedical engineers offer diverse opportunities with solutions aimed at improving people's wellbeing. The technology should shift from the current replacement medicine it offers to a new regenerative version of medicines. The new option will focus on the regenerative abilities of human cells. Modern medicine should focus on efficiency and not just providing the solution. Advancement in technology calls for a more efficient way of healing the human body. The knowledge of cell physiology serves as the basis for developing cell regenerative options for healing wounds. Regenerative medicine will focus on the analysis of human cells, how they function, how they divide and repair. Through such knowledge, biomedical engineers can reprogram cells to accommodate other foreign cells.

Figure 1show anatomy behind limb and tissue regeneration (Kurzweil, 2016).

Mental disorders are posing a great threat to the world’s population. Genetic engineering can serve as a solution for assessing and diagnosing mental health disorders in the general population. According to the national institute of mental health (2018), approximately 5% of the American population is threatened by mental health illness, causing serious health impairment. Engineering ideas can provide an opportunity to develop a more robust technology in diagnosing and discriminating mental health disorders. Mental health disorders such as schizophrenia, affective disorders, and depression are usually confused, between each other, leading to poor pharmacologic management. The technology will lead to early detection and effective screening of both adults and children suspected to suffer from mental illness.

Spinal cord therapy for patients with spinal cord injuries remains a challenge in the current generation (Mertz, 2017). Medical engineering is demanded the restoration of motor function among individuals who have sustained spinal cord injury. An injury to the spinal cord can lead to paralysis of most parts of the body. The application of medical engineering and neuroscience can uncover the challenges faced by patients with spinal cord injuries. Injuries vary in severity; some may be too severe to impair vital body organs such as kidneys, liver and bowel control, and limb mobility. Medical engineering should serve as a relief to patients with spinal injuries to live an independent life. The application of neuroscience should offer substantial information and ideas on how such patients should restore their critical body functions.