Introduction to Biomaterials
Research
The final project paper will be based on a biomaterials-related research topic of your choice with information presented from the scientific literature and from concepts learned in class. The structure of the paper is fairly open ended, but it must be on a biomaterials/biomedical device-related topic and must be based on ‘peer-reviewed’ literature from the field/topic of your choosing. For example, you may want to use one primary ‘review’ paper from the biomaterials literature that could serve as the foundation for the paper, and then use selections of other related supporting scientific papers/articles for providing background.
Be sure to provide an introduction of the topic and the state-of-the art, as well as some information on where/how the field/topic/technique/etc. began (e.g., a bit of history in the background), as we all “stand on the shoulders of giants”. You should also try to address, critique and identify innovation, scientific and engineering principles, scientific significance,materials and methods, instrumentation and equipment, the types of studies carried out, the type(s) of data collected and the way that the data is analyzed and displayed. Be sure to define the scope of your paper so it does not become too broad, and also be sure to state the clinical and societal/economic significance of your topic.
The paper(s) from the literature you use can be selected from those posted on Canvas, or it may papers you find on Google Scholar or PubMed or other scholarly database, as long as they are relevant to thetopic that was approved prior to proceeding.
You must submit a 1 page outline to me for review of the topic you have selected by Thursday, March 26th in class, and I must then approve this topic. The 1 page outline will be count as a homework grade.
The final research paper shouldaddress the followingrelevant issues and answer the following questions to some degree or another, albeit depending on the topic you select and the scope of your paper, not every detail or issue below necessarily needs to be addressed in your paper, but the main points listed below likely should be present.
Background – Provide an overview ofthe primary paper. Why is this work being done? Provide a statement of the goal of the work presented. Provide a description of the biomaterial(s), or device(s), or technique(s) or processes being utilized or investigated, and why they are important and/or relevant.State thegoal or hypothesis clearly.
Clinical significance – Statehow this work is clinically relevant. What is the scope of the healthcare issue(s) under consideration? How would this biomaterial or biomedical device improve diagnosis and/or treatment, or how would it improve clinical or biomedical research? What are current problem(s) from clinical perspective with current technologies? What are the current clinical standards of care, or current standard biomaterials or devices? Is this method/material/procedure FDA approved? Would it need to be FDA approved for the intended application?What type of approval and/or classification would be required by the FDA? How could this impact healthcare cost overall? Would this biomaterial/device/process benefit society?
Innovation – What makes this biomaterial(s), device(s), or process innovative compared to current technologies? What is the current state of the art? Is this work innovative compared to what has been done or what is currently being done in the clinic or research setting? If so, why or why not? What are the advantages over the current standards of care? What are the potential disadvantages or shortcomings?
Materials/Methods – What methods and materials were used to carry out this work, e.g., equipment and instrumentation, patient cohort, animal models, cells or tissues, important chemicals and/or synthesis, data analysis methods, etc.? If this is an experiment or set of experiments, define the independent and dependent variables, as well as the experimental controls. What type of study or experimental design was used (e.g., double blind)? Provide information specific to the material/chemical/mechanical properties, optical/thermal/electrical properties, morphology/topology, size/shape, hydrophobicity, toxicity, and/or the way it interacts with cells, tissues and the body as a whole, and any relevant information related to what we learned in class.
Results and Discussion – This is the most important part! Be sure to discuss the findings and how these findings were formulated. What is the meaning of these findings? Was the goal achieved or hypothesis proven? Did this work contribute substantially to progressing the frontier of science, engineering and medicine? Did this work result in a new biomaterial, device, process, ortechnique? Does it have the capacity for translation into the clinical setting? Based on the results, does it appear that a strong case has been made for clinical translation? Does this work seem to have the potential for commercial development? If not, why? Or, could this technique, material, or process be used to improve our current understanding of the problem? As a biomedical engineer, what are the potential challenges of progressing this particular area or technology, and what are potential engineering solutions to these challenges?
Conclusion: Summarize your findings and discussion with the most pertinent points. Be sure to address any ethical, economical, societal issue, considerations and/or challenges that would need to be addressed for this biomaterial/device/process/drug or other biomedical product to be introduced into the clinical and/or the public domain at large.
Formatting
The paper must be 10 pages, double spaced, 11 point font. Use Times New Roman, Arial, Calibri, or something similar.
Bibliography
The paper must include at the very minimum 10 references from peer-reviewed scientific literature, with in-text citations, and a bibliography at the end of the paper. The bibliography can be any of the normal formats, such as APA, Chicago, MLA, etc.
The paper should also address the themes and questions stated above as they apply to your selected topic, not all will apply to your research paper topic, but try to address the ones that do as best you can.
If you have any questions, please send me an email or come by office, or see me after class.
Do not plagiarize, if you are caught plagiarizing you will be given a zero on the paper, and possibly for the class. I have been reading papers for a long time, so I can tell if you wrote something or if someone else wrote something, I am very good at this. So, please do not do it! If you have any questions on what constitutes plagiarism, come see me, or refer to the library webpage on plagiarism, or refer to the student handbook. Plagiarism will not be tolerated under any circumstances.
