Biological Engineering

Undergraduate Program

Chapter 1: Fundamentals of
Biological Engineering
Instructor: Shimeles S. (PhD), Assis. Professor

Office #N-220, Samsung Building, 2nd Floor

July 2021
Chapter 1 :Fundamentals of Biological Engineering
Introduction
▪ Biological engineering is defined as the application of engineering principles
to understand, modify, or control living systems

▪ Biotechnology is the art and science of converting reactants into useful

products by the action of Mos or enzymes

▪ Biochemical Engineering is of more recent origin, since the biological

industries did not recognize the importance of Engineering inputs until the
experience of penicillin manufacture

▪ Biomedical engineering (BME) is the application of engineering principles

and design concepts to medicine and biology for healthcare purposes (e.g.
diagnostic or therapeutic)

Shimeles S.(PhD), Assis. Professor Biological Engineering

Chapter 1 :Fundamentals of Biological Engineering

Introduction

▪ Thus, Biological engineers need to have a solid education

in engineering and a working knowledge of biology,
physiology, and medicine

▪ Biological engineering like any engineering discipline

― Engineers collect knowledge & develop an understanding
of how things work
― Engineers make practical use of their knowledge
― Engineers convert scientific theories into useful products

Shimeles S.(PhD), Assis. Professor Biological Engineering

Chapter 1 :Fundamentals of Biological Engineering

Introduction

What do ▪ Understand & model physiological &

Biological
biological functions
Engineers
do?
▪ Improved existing devices
― Diagnostics
― Surgical instruments
― Imaging
▪ Develop new materials/methods
― Drug delivery
― Biosensors
― Tissue engineering
― Macromolecular engineering

Shimeles S.(PhD), Assis. Professor Biological Engineering

Basics of Biology: An Engineer’s Perspectives

Fundamentals of Biology

Shimeles S.(PhD), Assis. Professor Biological Engineering

Basics of Biology: An Engineer’s Perspectives

Fundamentals of Biology

Shimeles S.(PhD), Assis. Professor Biological Engineering

Basics of Biology: An Engineer’s Perspectives

Fundamentals of Biology

Shimeles S.(PhD), Assis. Professor Biological Engineering

Basics of Biology: An Engineer’s Perspectives

Fundamentals of Biology

Shimeles S.(PhD), Assis. Professor Biological Engineering

Basics of Biology: An Engineer’s Perspectives

Fundamentals of Biology

Shimeles S.(PhD), Assis. Professor Biological Engineering

Basics of Biology: An Engineer’s Perspectives

Fundamentals of Biology

Shimeles S.(PhD), Assis. Professor Biological Engineering

Basics of Biology: An Engineer’s Perspectives

Fundamentals of Biology

Shimeles S.(PhD), Assis. Professor Biological Engineering

 Basics of Biology: An Engineer’s Perspectives
Partnership between Biology and Technology

▪ How will we support and

sustain the partnership?

― People: bright people with

good ideas, engaged and
excited.

feedback loop fuel advances in both biology and technology

Shimeles S.(PhD), Assis. Professor Biological Engineering

 Basics of Biology: An Engineer’s Perspectives

▪ Biology presented as a series of engineering problems

how nature has solved them

▪ Taught from an engineering perspective

―Nature as the engineer
―Evolution as the design tool
―Engineering analogies

▪ Biological →Engineering expression

―Central dogma: information processing
―Metabolism : chemical factory
Information transfer in organisms is like information
―Regulation: process control transfer in a computer

Shimeles S.(PhD), Assis. Professor Biological Engineering

 Integrating engineering fundamentals with biological science

▪ Bioinspired design and biomimetics is a broad methodology that

encourages
→Learning from nature to generate innovative
→Impactful, and responsible solutions to humankind’s problems

Biomimetics

Shimeles S.(PhD), Assis. Professor Biological Engineering

Integrating engineering fundamentals with biological science

▪ Applications of Engineering Fundamentals to Biological systems

― Transport process
• Macroscopic mass, momentum, and energy balance
• Navier-stokes equation
• Laminar/turbulent flows
• Shear stress/shear rate analysis
• Diffusion analysis (mass, momentum. & heat)
• Solution
― Thermodynamics
― Kinetics
→ Basics of solid mechanics, electricity, and knowledge of basic
mathematical methods are required

Shimeles S.(PhD), Assis. Professor Biological Engineering

Integrating engineering fundamentals with biological science

▪ Applications of Engineering Fundamentals to Biological systems

― Thermodynamics
• First and second laws of thermodynamics
• Equilibrium and non-equilibrium processes
• Equations of states
• Thermodynamic relationships
― Kinetics
•First and second order chemical reactions
•Rate constants
•Reversible and irreversible reactions
→ Basics of solid mechanics, electricity, and knowledge of basic
mathematical methods are required

Shimeles S.(PhD), Assis. Professor Biological Engineering

 Integrating engineering fundamentals with biological science
▪ Macroscopic Systems: Circulatory System ▪ Modeling of heart function

▪ Macroscopic Systems: Drug

▪ Prediction of heart diseases Metabolism

Shimeles S.(PhD), Assis. Professor Biological Engineering

Integrating engineering fundamentals with biological science
▪ Macroscopic Systems: Respiratory System ▪ Macroscopic Systems: Nervous System

Shimeles S.(PhD), Assis. Professor Biological Engineering

Integrating engineering fundamentals with biological science
▪ Mesoscopic Systems (Tissue Level Functions)
Length Scale: 1-10 cm
→ Oxygen Transport in Tissues
→ Kidney Function: Filtration and removal of waste Products
→ Pancreas: Blood glucose control and hormonal regulation
→ Intestine: Nutrient Uptake

Shimeles S.(PhD), Assis. Professor Biological Engineering

Integrating engineering fundamentals with biological science
▪ Microscopic Systems (cell Level Functions)
Length Scale: 10-1000 µm
→ Phagocytosis
→ Trans-membrane particle permeation
→ Cell-cell interactions
→ Membrane fusion

Shimeles S.(PhD), Assis. Professor Biological Engineering

Integrating engineering fundamentals with biological science
fluid flow in microfluidic channels
Illustration of the biological system component with Michaelis
Menten kinetics.

“Thermodynamic Inversion (TI)” concept of the origin

of life on Earth applicable for other planets

Shimeles S.(PhD), Assis. Professor Biological Engineering

End of chapter 1

Homework #1: To be done in duo

1) What is cell theory? How much is it important for
the field of Biology?
2) Discus the importance of integrating engineering
with Biological Science.
3) Why Engineers (Typically, Chemical Engineers)
take Biological Science? Is that helpful?
4) Explain how Bioinspired design and Biomimetics
are helpful to address humankind problems.
5) What is the role of diffusion and osmosis in
Biological systems?

Shimeles S.(PhD), Assis. Professor Biological Engineering