Biomedical engineering (BXIE) is a frontier discipline combining science, engineering and medicine, and it is the product of the infiltration of many engineering disciplines into the biomedical field. It is a comprehensive high-tech subject that uses the principles and methods of modern natural science and engineering technology to study the structure, function and relationship of different levels of human body from the perspective of engineering, reveals its life phenomenon, and provides new technical means for preventing and treating diseases and promoting health. 1.80' s -BME continues to expand horizontally to the clinical field, but at the same time, a new inflection point begins to appear in the depth direction. In the early stage of BME development, the intersection and infiltration of engineering technology and biomedicine started from clinical medicine, especially the appearance of artificial organs, which can be regarded as a major feature of modern medicine. After the early development in the 1960s and the breakthrough of medical imaging technology represented by the success of XCT in the 1970s, BME has made a new turn in depth since the 1980s, except for continuing to extend horizontally to the clinical field. In 1980s, BME continued to expand further in the clinical field, as follows: (1) There are still many significant advances in detection and diagnosis technology, such as MRI, DSA, ECT, color Doppler ultrasound diagnostic instrument and image file and communication system (PACS) in medical imaging technology; With the rapid development of computer, modern communication and multimedia technology, telemedicine is in the ascendant. In the sensing technology, an optically addressed potential sensor which can detect 23 biochemical parameters at the same time and a fuzzy sensor which is regarded as a macro sensor have appeared one after another. In clinical examination, there has been a whole laboratory automation system, which can carry out biochemical, immunological, blood, coagulation, urine, genetic and some special tests. (2) The research and development of therapeutic equipment from extracorporeal lithotripsy to internal defibrillator, as well as the new successful application of various therapeutic technologies such as microwave, radio frequency, laser and ultrasound, indicate that the dominance of detection and diagnosis technology in the field of BME has been broken for many years, further expanding the clinical treatment of BME. However, the most important feature of BME in 1980s is that the development in depth has taken a new turn, and the combination of engineering science and life science began to penetrate into the level of cells, subcellulars and biomacromolecules, thus putting forward some new concepts, new viewpoints and new ideas. For example, the biochip proposed in the early 1980s and the tissue engineering named 1987 are proof of the new steps towards the combination with basic medicine and even life science. In addition, the research of nanotechnology also began in 1980s, which indicated that BME in 1980s had a new turning point and entered a new starting point. 2.90 years crossed and merged with more disciplines, developed to a deeper level, and entered the last decade of the 20th century. The rapid development of science and technology has created more favorable conditions for BME. On the basis of the new turning point and new starting point in the 1980s, many new frontiers of disciplines were born, many new technologies and methods were developed, and many new materials and devices were developed. Tissue engineering: This is a new branch of BME, which started in 1980s and developed rapidly in 1990s. It is a new frontier science formed by the continuous intersection, infiltration and integration of biomedical engineering, cell biology, molecular biology, biomaterials, biotechnology, biochemistry, biomechanics, clinical medicine and other technical sciences and life sciences. Its appearance provides a realistic possibility for people to develop and manufacture human living tissues and organs through engineering means. It has created a new experimental means for drug research and development. At present, the research of tissue engineering is still in the laboratory stage, involving cartilage, skin, pancreas, liver, kidney, bladder, ureter, bone marrow, nerve, skeletal muscle, muscle bond, heart valve, blood vessel, intestine, breast and other tissues. Among them, only skin products have entered the clinical application. Now many countries in the world, such as the United States, Germany and Japan; Britain, Canada, Austria, Switzerland, etc. Have carried out research work in this field. It should be said that it is not too late for China to start now. Since the early 1990s, the related basic research work has been started, and it has been supported by the National Natural Science Foundation, the Ministry of Health and some provincial and municipal science and technology committees to varying degrees. 1999, even included in the national key basic research and development plan (973), became a key national support project. Biochip: This concept was first put forward by American scientists in the early 1980s. It is assumed that functional molecules or bioactive molecules are assembled into functional units to realize the functions of information acquisition, storage, processing and transmission, thus developing bionic information processing systems and biological juice computers. This is the origin of "molecular electronics". Since 1990s, with the development of molecular biology and genetic engineering in life sciences, biochips have a new trend, especially under the impetus of the implementation of the Human Genome Project, the research and development of biochips for serial determination of nucleic acids, namely gene chips, has developed rapidly. The gene chip you made into DNA microprobe array is one of the most important biochips. It can analyze a large number of genes at the same time and realize large-scale detection of biological gene information. Micron/nano technology: refers to the manufacturing technology of substances or structures with measuring ranges of 0. 1- 100 micron (micron) and 0. 1- 100 nanometer (nm) respectively. Nanotechnology is a nano-scale material, design, manufacture, measurement and control technology. The ultimate goal is that people directly manipulate a single atom, molecule or atomic group (less than 10nm) and molecular group according to their own will to manufacture products with specific functions. K. Eric Drexler of Stanford University predicts that between 20 10 and 2020, an atom can store the information of a computer. People began to study nanotechnology in the 1980s, and the team developed in the 1990s. 199 1, the United States listed nanotechnology as "key government technology" and "strategic technology in 2005"; Japan has implemented a research and development plan for nanotechnology, which lasted for 65,438+00 years and cost 225 million US dollars. Of the nine key technologies proposed by Germany in 1993 that will be developed in the next 10 year, four involve nanotechnology. 1995, the European union predicted in a research report that the development of nanotechnology will become the second largest manufacturing industry in the world after chip manufacturing in 10. Nanotechnology is a new high-tech group, including nanomaterials science, nanoelectronics, nanomechanics, nanobiology, nanomicroscopy and so on. 198 1 year, bullinger and Rolle invented the scanning tunneling microscope (STM). This not only won them the Nobel Prize of 1986, but also laid a material and technical foundation for the formation and development of nano-microscope and even the whole nano-technology. Nanomaterials were listed in China's "Eighth Five-Year Plan" and "Palm Plan A" from 65438 to 0992. In the preparation of large-scale nano-oxide materials, Naben ceramics with high density, complex shape and superior performance have been successfully developed and entered the international leading ranks. Micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) is a key point in the research and development of micro/nano technology at present. It was gradually developed in the 1980s by using semiconductor batch manufacturing technology and inspired by micron-scale prototypes that can produce many macro machines. For example, some micron-sized sensors, gears and even motors have appeared. 199 1 the report of "American national key technology" pointed out that "the development of micro and nano technology has enabled people to develop a new type of micro-scale device, which can work in different fields such as environmental control and medicine; Their low cost and higher sensitivity than existing equipment may make breakthroughs in many fields. " 1995, the United States provided1300,000 dollars for MEMS. Europe is $65,438+0.10.50 billion; Japan is $65,438 +0. 1 100 million. The United States has developed micro-electromechanical systems that enter the human rectum, focusing on non-invasive medical sensors. A nanoscale sensor with a needle tip diameter of 10A was fabricated. This sensor used at molecular level can cut protein in gene research and identify neurotransmitters in brain research. On the basis of DEMS, people developed micro-robots. The "universal medical micro-robot" developed in Japan can travel along the blood vessels or gastrointestinal tract to the affected area for examination according to the instructions sent by the doctor by radio without damaging any human organs, and transmit images and data to the TV screen for the doctor to watch. Then, the doctor can instruct the robot to collect tissue samples for biopsy, or directly release drugs to the lesion; It can also be used to remove thrombus, cut off or connect nerves, and perform fine surgery such as cell-level surgery on micron-scale retina. The key of medical robot lies in the power source of lighting, photographing, processing and sending signals, that is, micro-systems that can receive elbow energy, such as micro-batteries and it, which will be the key technologies for the development of medical micro-robots. Some MEMS have been put into industrial use, and the global market has reached 2 billion dollars from 65438 to 0996, but it is still in the stage of laboratory development and prototype development as a whole. However, its development momentum is very rapid. It is estimated that the global annual output value 1998 is $4-6 billion. It is estimated that MEMS will create an output value of18-20 billion USD in the next five years. Nanobiology is the application of nanotechnology in the field of life sciences. With the in-depth development of molecular biology, the research on the structure and function of biological macromolecules at all levels has become the most active field. The characteristics of DNA or protein provide favorable conditions for the manufacture of nanomaterials. For example, it can be made into ultrafiltration membrane, which has super filtration effect; Can be used as a carrier of drugs or vaccines; It can also be used to selectively immobilize functional molecules (such as enzymes and monoclonal antibodies). ); Its impedance characteristics can also be used in the field of semiconductor technology. Nanotechnology can also be used to analyze and detect organisms. At present, various optical means can be used to measure bone strength and eyeball diameter. Different cells can be separated by analyzing the current or electrokinetics of a single cell, such as separating living cells from dead cells and separating red blood cells from other cells. As mentioned above, nanotechnology can also be used in gene therapy to locate DNA in cells by active targeting. HHC): The United States, Japan and Europe have taken HIIC as an important biomedical development strategy in the 265,438+0th century, and it has become one of the priority funding areas. In 1994, Japan formulated 10 to promote the health care and well-being of the elderly, and took technologies and products such as family preservation management system, early disease prediction, family treatment and rehabilitation equipment, and family first aid support system as key development projects. When formulating biomedical and health development strategies, European countries clearly take "improving the quality of life by promoting health" and "improving medical quality and controlling medical expenses" as their ultimate goals, and incorporate HHC into their development plans as an engineering and technical project with great social impact. In HHC, telemedicine is a very important modern technical means. The United States, Japan and Europe attach great importance to its research and development and application. The United States had planned to invest 1996-2000 dollars in telemedicine research, and prepared to record all the health information of patients from birth to death with computer alum. In the field of fiber-to-the-home telemedicine technology, fttp (FTTH) plan has been made with the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications as the center. By 20 10, every household is connected with optical fiber. In Europe, as far as remote detection and monitoring systems are concerned, research and testing centers have been established in Germany, France, Spain, Austria and other places, and some achievements have reached the practical level, which will be popularized in Europe. The research and development of HHC has been carried out in China for many years, and the most common products on the market are therapeutic products for home use. In recent years, with the intervention of some universities and research institutes, some new products have come out. China's big cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, Nanjing and Guangzhou have all carried out cardiac monitoring and first aid through telephone transmission monitoring network. For example, the ECG/blood pressure monitoring network system developed by Tsinghua University can detect 13 kinds of arrhythmia of family patients in real time, and can automatically turn on the alarm when it is serious, transmit ECG and blood pressure information in real time, and listen to doctors for treatment. The above examples briefly illustrate some new development trends of BME in the 1990s. In its original Xiangcheng, it has also made great progress. (1) biomaterials: Since the appearance of synthetic polymer materials in 1950s, biomaterials have made great progress. ; Nowadays, synthetic polymer materials, natural polymer materials, medical metal materials, inorganic biomedical materials and hybrid biomaterials composed of biological materials and non-biological materials have been widely used in almost all fields of clinical medicine, which finally led to the emergence of artificial organs, a major feature of modern medicine in this century. On this basis, biomaterials developed in the direction of compounding/hybridization, functionalization and intelligence in the 1990s. Therefore, the interaction between cell and material interface, biological macromolecules and material interface has become a basic research topic of great concern. (2) Medical imaging technology: In BME, medical imaging technology using physical sources such as X-ray, ultrasound, magnetic vibration, radionuclide and infrared ray has played a great role in medical development. Since the 1990s, medical imaging technology has been greatly influenced by the development of biomedicine itself, and it has been continuously promoted. In terms of imaging technology, it has begun to develop from morphological imaging to functional imaging, such as functional magnetic resonance; In magnetic resonance imaging technology; ECT in radionuclide imaging technology and electrical impedance tomography still under development. In terms of imaging equipment, it has smaller volume, faster scanning speed and higher resolution. In order to meet the special clinical needs of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular examination or interventional therapy, special machines with unique performance (such as the latest magnetic resonance imaging equipment) have appeared. In image post-processing, high performance computing (HPC) is used to strengthen image analysis. It can generate different levels and three-dimensional models from the same set of data for disease diagnosis, disease monitoring, preoperative planning and intraoperative guidance, thus improving the use value of medical images. In fact, due to the rapid development of computer technology, some situations that affect performance due to hardware can be improved by software. In a word, medical imaging technology has further developed on the basis of various original imaging technologies. Digitalization, networking and integration have become the overall development direction of medical imaging technology, and the research and development of image archiving and communication system (PACS) is a key step. The United States began to study PACS in the mid-1980s. From 65438 to 0994, its total sales in the United States reached $398 million, from 65438 to 0995, increasing to $473 million. It is estimated that it will reach $654.38+0 billion by the end of this century. China has just begun to study. BME involves biomechanics, medical electronics, artificial organs and so on. Due to limited space, I won't list them here. (Yang, Institute of Medical Information, Peking Union Medical College, China Academy of Medical Sciences) References:
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