BE 100 abc
Bioengineering Seminar
1 unit
|
first, second, third terms
Offered to graduate students in bioengineering. Seminar series and training discussions with visiting speakers.
Instructor:
Staff
BE 103
Biomedical Diagnostics and Therapeutics
6 units (3-0-3)
|
first term
Transformative ideas in biomedicine and bioengineering have their origins in disciplines ranging from materials science, chemistry, and biology to optics, computation, and mechanical engineering. This course will survey the inspiration and development of some of the most significant innovations that have impacted biomedical science. Diagnostics will include landmark contributions such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and radio immune assay (RIA). Therapeutics will include pharmaceutical agents, organ transplantation, implantable devices, and microsurgery.
Instructor:
Petrasek
BE/Bi 105
Introduction to Biomechanics
9 units (3-0-6)
|
third term
Introduction to the basic concepts of applying engineering principles of solid and fluid mechanics to the study of biological systems. The course emphasizes the organismal, rather than the molecular, level of complexity. It draws on a wide array of biological phenomena from plants and animals, and is not intended as a technical introduction to medically related biomechanics. Topics may include fundamental properties of solids and fluids, viscoelasticity, drag, biological pumps, locomotion, and muscle mechanics.
Instructor:
Dickinson
BE 141
Biomaterials: Science and Engineering
9 units (3-0-6)
|
first term
Prerequisites: Ph 2 ab or Ph 12 abc, Ch 1 ab, Ch 3 a, or instructor's permission. MS 115 ab recommended.
Lectures and experiments demonstrating the bulk and surface properties of materials; review of the major classes of materials-metals, ceramics, polymers-with a view to their relevance to the biomedical field. Special materials and processes of relevance will also be discussed, e.g., hydrogels, fabrics, thin films, bioresorbable and bioerodible materials, cardiac jelly, etc. Proteins, cells, tissues and their interactions with materials; key concepts in reactions between host materials and implants, including inflammation, coagulation, and tumorigenesis. Testing and degradation of biomaterials, material applications in medicine and dentistry, especially orthopedic, cardiovascular, ophthalmologic, oral and maxillofacial implants, and artificial organs.
Instructor:
Staff
BE 142
Biomaterials: Mechanical Properties
9 units (3-0-6)
|
third ter
Prerequisites: BE 141 recommended.
. Mechanical characteristics of biological and related materials with a focus on the development of constitutive relationships in the context of elastic, plastic, and viscoelastic materials; cell mechanics; bioviscoelasticity with relevance to actin, elastin, collagen, and soft tissues; mechanical behavior of blood vessels; mechanics of muscles including skeletal and heart muscles; bone and cartilage. Experimental techniques for the measurement of biological forces will also be discussed.
Instructor:
Ravi
BE 151
Elementary Molecular and Cellular Principles
9 units (3-0-6)
|
first term
This course is designed for bioengineering students with a limited background in molecular biology and cell physiology. The course will describe the physiology of eukaryotic cells at the molecular, organelle, and cellular levels, emphasizing visualization and manipulation techniques.
Instructors:
Guo, Lansford
BE 152
The Physiology of Motion
9 units (3-0-6)
|
second term
Prerequisites: BE 151.
. This course emphasizes physiological mechanisms related to biological motility that operate at tissue- and organism-levels of complexity. The central theme of the class is to examine biological motility across levels of biological organization, from the gating properties of ion channels to the biomechanics of running, swimming, and flying. Topics include excitable membranes, oscillatory circuits, sensory feedback, muscle mechanics, cardiovascular physiology, and the biomechanics of locomotion.
Instructors:
Dickinson, Fraser
BE 153
Case Studies in Systems Physiology
9 units (3-0-6)
|
third term
Prerequisites: BE 151.
. This course will explore the process of creating and validating theoretical models in systems biology and physiology. It will examine several macroscopic physiological systems in detail, including examples from immunology, endocrinology, cardiovascular physiology, and others. Emphasis will be placed on understanding how macroscopic behavior emerges from the interaction of individual components.
Instructor:
Petrasek
BE/APh 161
Physical Biology of the Cell
9 units (3-0-6)
|
second term
Physical models applied to the analysis of biological structures ranging from individual proteins and DNA to entire cells. Topics include the force response of proteins and DNA, models of molecular motors, DNA packing in viruses and eukaryotes, mechanics of membranes, and membrane proteins and cell motility.
Instructor:
Phillips
BE/APh 162
Physical Biology Laboratory
9 units (0-6-3)
|
second term
Prerequisites: concurrent enrollment in BE/APh 161.
This laboratory course accompanies BE/APh 161 and is built around experiments that amplify material covered in that course. Particular topics include background on techniques from molecular biology, mechanics of lipid bilayer vesicles, DNA packing in viruses, fluorescence microscopy of cells, experiments on cell motility, and the construction of genetic networks.
Instructor:
Phillips
ChE/BE 163
Introduction to Biomolecular Engineering
9 units (3-0-6)
|
first term
Prerequisites: Bi/Ch 110 or instructor's permission.
The course introduces rational design and evolutionary methods for engineering functional protein and nucleic acid systems. Rational design topics include molecular modeling, positive and negative design paradigms, simulation and optimization of equilibrium and kinetic properties, design of catalysts, sensors, motors, and circuits. Evolutionary design topics include evolutionary mechanisms and tradeoffs, fitness landscapes, directed evolution of proteins, and metabolic pathways. Some assignments require programming (MATLAB or Python).
Instructors:
Arnold, Pierce
EE/BE 166
Optical Methods for Biomedical Imaging and Diagnosis
9 units (3-1-5)
|
second term
Prerequisites: EE 151 or equivalent.
Topics include Fourier optics, scattering theories, shot noise limit, energy transitions associated with fluorescence, phosphorescence, and Raman emissions. Study of coherent anti-Stokes Raman spectroscopy (CARS), second harmonic generation and near-field excitation. Scattering, absorption, fluorescence, and other optical properties of biological tissues and the changes in these properties during cancer progression, burn injury, etc. Specific optical technologies employed for biomedical research and clinical applications: optical coherence tomography, Raman spectroscopy, photon migration, acousto-optics (and opto-acoustics) imaging, two photon fluorescence microscopy, and second- and third-harmonic microscopy.
Instructor:
Yang
BE 167
Topics in Bioengineering
1 unit; first term
|
Required for first-year graduate BE students
Introduction to the current research in bioengineering and related fields, focusing specifically on projects carried out by Caltech faculty. The course will provide the students with background within the lecturer's specific discipline.
Instructor:
Staff
ChE/BE 169
Biomolecular Cell Engineering
9 units (3-0-6)
|
first term
Quantitative analysis of molecular mechanisms governing mammalian cell behavior. Topics include topology and dynamics of signaling and genetic regulatory networks, receptor-ligand trafficking, and biophysical models for cell adhesion and migration. Given in alternate years; offered 2008-09.
Instructor:
Asthagiri
CNS/Bi/BE/Ph 178
Evolution and Biocomplexity
9 units (3-0-6)
|
first term
Prerequisites: Bi 2, preferably Bi 8, or instructor's permission; programming skills.
An introduction to Darwin's theory of evolution from a theoretical, experimental, and computational point of view, with special emphasis on the mechanisms responsible for the evolution of complexity from simplicity. Experiments conducted with digital organisms. Topics covered include the principal ideas of Darwinism, measures of complexity, information content of genomes, the "natural" Maxwell Demon, Eigen's theory of molecular evolution, evolution on neutral networks, "epistasis" and the evolution of recombination, and the evolution of mutation rate. Not offered 2008-09.
EE/BE 185
MEMS Technology and Devices
9 units (3-0-6)
|
third term
Prerequisites: APh/EE 9 ab, EE 187, or instructor's permission.
Micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) have been broadly used for biochemical, medical, RF, and lab-on-a-chip applications. This course will cover both MEMS technologies (e.g., micro- and nanofabrication) and devices. For example, MEMS technologies include anisotropic wet etching, RIE, deep RIE, micro/nano molding and advanced packaging. This course will also cover various MEMS devices used in microsensors and actuators. Examples will include pressure sensors, accelerometers, gyros, FR filters, digital mirrors, microfluidics, micro total-analysis system, biomedical implants, etc.
Instructor:
Tai
BE 240
Special Topics in Bioengineering
Units and term to be arranged
Topics relevant to the general educational goals of the bioengineering option. Graded pass/fail.
Ae/BE 242
Biological Flows: Propulsion
9 units (3-0-6)
|
second term
Prerequisites: Ae/APh/CE/ME 101 abc or equivalent or ChE 103 a.
Physical principles of unsteady fluid momentum transport: equations of motion, dimensional analysis, conservation laws. Unsteady vortex dynamics: vorticity generation and dynamics, vortex dipoles/rings, wake structure in unsteady flows. Life in moving fluids: unsteady drag, added-mass effects, virtual buoyancy, bounding and schooling, wake capture. Thrust generation by flapping, undulating, rowing, jetting. Low Reynolds number propulsion. Bioinspired design of propulsion devices. Not offered 2008-09.
BE/Ae 243
Biological Flows: Transport and Circulatory Systems
9 units (3-0-6)
|
third term
Prerequisites: Ae/APh/CE/ME 101 abc or equivalent or ChE 103 a.
Internal flows: steady and pulsatile blood flow in compliant vessels, internal flows in organisms. Fluid dynamics of the human circulatory system: heart, veins, and arteries (microcirculation). Mass and momentum transport across membranes and endothelial layers. Fluid mechanics of the respiratory system. Renal circulation and circulatory system. Biological pumps.
Instructor:
Gharib
BE/CNS 248
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
9 units (3-1-5)
|
first term
Prerequisites: Undergraduate-level physics, biology, and/or engineering courses recommended; basic quantum mechanics, statistics, and signal processing are helpful.
Physics, engineering, and computational aspects of MRI. Theory, engineering, and practice of MRI for biological and medical applications are covered in detail. Provides technical background necessary for a full understanding of the concepts underpinning the specific uses of MRI for functional brain imaging. Complements CNS/SS 251. Not offered 2008-09.
BE 250
Research in Bioengineering
Units and term to be arranged
By arrangement with members of the staff, properly qualified graduate students are directed in bioengineering research.
BE 251
Signal Transduction and Biomechanics in Eukaryotic Cell Morphogenesis
6 units (3-0-3)
|
third term
Prerequisites: BE 151.
This course describes the fundamental mechanisms governing eukaryotic cell morphogenesis, including embryonic pattern formation, cell polarization and migration in tissue development and regeneration, and synapse formation during immune responses. In addition to providing background material on cytoskeletal biomechanics and intra/inter- cellular signaling in cell-matrix and cell-cell interactions, the course will emphasize cell adhesion, epithelial planar cell polarity formation, the epithelial-mesenchymal transition, and spontaneous cell polarization and migration. The course will introduce appropriate tools and modeling techniques for analyzing pattern formation and collective behavior and will describe nano- and micro-fabrication approaches to the quantitative study of morphogensis.
Instructor:
Guo
BE 262
Physical and Synthetic Biology Boot Camp
9 units (1-8-0)
|
summer
This course provides an intensive research introduction to current projects in physical and synthetic biology. Projects are based on current research directions in participating labs, including those of visiting biologists invited for the course. Representative classes of experiments include quantitative fluorescent microscopy of cell and organelle dynamics, single-cell measurement of genetic expression levels during development, and design and construction of biological circuits in microbes. Graded pass/fail.
Instructor:
Phillips
Published Date:
July 28, 2022