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Unit of study_
BMET9961: Biomaterials
2025 unit information
This unit will build on knowledge in materials science and merge knowledge in the biomedical sciences, in particular with the aspects of the human anatomy and physiology. The students will appreciate that developing engineering solutions to solve problems associated with the human body will bring forward a unique set of constraints and conditions not found in alternate contexts. For example, the human body is composed of living constituents called 'cells' that produce matter called 'tissues' in a structured manner to form functioning systems called 'organs'. The function(s) of these cells is heavily dependent on the surrounding physical and chemical cues - the parameters (for which there are multiple) of these cues have to be 'right' or 'optimal' for the cells to function well to produce the correct type of tissue for the correct functioning of the organ. A biomedical engineering solution (e.g. an implantable or wearable device) to treat, monitor or diagnose a disease or medical condition must take these parameters into serious consideration.
Unit details and rules
Managing faculty or University school:
Engineering
| Study level | Postgraduate |
|---|---|
| Academic unit | Biomedical Engineering |
| Credit points | 6 |
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Prerequisites:
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None |
|---|---|
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Corequisites:
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None |
| Prohibitions:
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AMME5961 or AMME9961 or MECH4961 or BMET4961 or BMET3961 |
| Assumed knowledge:
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Chemistry, biology, materials engineering, and engineering design at least at the 1000-level. AMME9901 or BMET9901 or 6 credit points of 1000-level biology, 6 credit points of 1000-level chemistry, 6 credit points of 1000-level materials science, 6 credit points of engineering design |
At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:
- LO1. Appreciate and recognise the interdisciplinary nature of biomaterials science, whereby concepts from a wide range of areas including materials science, human biology, mechanics, chemistry and physics are brought together
- LO2. Develop knowledge and understanding about the factors involved in the selection of a biomaterial for tissue replacement, including mechanical, biocompatibility, material property and fixation factors
- LO3. Develop knowledge and understanding about the current state and recent developments in the field of biomaterials.
- LO4. Identify, obtain, and analyse research data using appropriate strategies to gain in-depth knowledge and current advances in biomaterials.
- LO5. Evaluate and assess the suitability of biomaterials and their engineering considerations, and the limitations in currently available biomaterials in the biomedical device sector
- LO6. Evaluate and compare the state-of-the-art, most recently developed materials and biomaterials in peer-reviewed literature
- LO7. Devise and propose novel biomedical device solutions, taking mechanical, biological, chemical and physical properties of the materials into account, as well as the financial and technical feasibility, and surgical considerations into account when designing solutions.
- LO8. Employ techniques for effective oral and written communication of the concepts and knowledge underlining the background science and engineering applications of biomaterials used in biomedical devices, in a professional manner
Unit availability
This section lists the session, attendance modes and locations the unit is available in. There is a unit outline for each of the unit availabilities, which gives you information about the unit including assessment details and a schedule of weekly activities.
The outline is published 2 weeks before the first day of teaching. You can look at previous outlines for a guide to the details of a unit.
| Session | MoA ? | Location | Outline ? |
|---|---|---|---|
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Semester 2 2025
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Normal day | Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney |
Outline unavailable
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Modes of attendance (MoA)
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