Biomedical Imaging
Biomedical imaging is a broad specialization within biomedical engineering that involves the application of quantitative science and engineering to detect and visualize biological processes. An important sub-area in biomedical imaging is the application of these tools and knowledge to the study of diseases with an ultimate goal of aiding medical intervention. While x-ray imaging is an obvious and familiar example with tremendous diagnostic utility, it represents only a small aspect of this important field. Biomedical imaging:
- Includes the numerous and diverse imaging technologies that nearly cover the electromagnetic spectrum. Examples include x-ray imaging, visible light (optical) imaging, near-infrared imaging, magnetic resonance imaging, and ultrasound imaging. The detected radiation can be either naturally emitted by the body (such as infrared radiation) or re-emitted radiation (as in magnetic resonance imaging). It also includes technologies that produce images following the introduction of a chemical agent into the body, such as nuclear medicine imaging and luminescence-based imaging.
- Involves the development of sophisticated instrumentation to acquire and process images from the body, most often in a non-invasive or minimally-invasive manner. A biomedical engineer is not simply a user of an imaging technology, but an active participant in the development of new technologies.
- Requires an understanding of how energy interacts with biological tissue and how this interaction is used to produce images of diagnostic utility. This understanding is rooted in the disciplines of physics, chemistry, and biology. A biomedical engineer, therefore, must have a strong background in the physical sciences.
- Involves both image acquisition and image processing. Rarely are the signals acquired by the instrumentation immediately interpretable. For example, image processing is used to create two- and three-dimensional images from the acquired "raw" signals and to extract important image features. An example is computed tomography, which converts a series of through-body x-ray images into a cross-sectional image that reveals internal tissue structures. Image processing is grounded in the disciplines of mathematics and computer science.
- Is capable of generating much more than simple anatomic images. For example, newer biomedical imaging technologies are being used to image and quantify blood flow and metabolic activity in normal and diseased tissue. The development of these "functional" imaging technologies has tremendous potential to substantially advance our understanding of biological and disease processes. Because it is often completely noninvasive, biomedical imaging is already revolutionizing the study of brain function in humans.
- Involves all size scales, from sub-cellular to whole body.
- Is an important component of many other disciplines and specializations, including biology and tissue engineering. Without the technical advances in biomedical imaging, we would often be at the mercy of time-consuming and tedious chemical or histological analyses to probe cellular function and microscopic structures. Non-invasive methods also allow biological processes to be studied over time on the same sample.
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For undergraduate students: If you are interested in developing an undergraduate program of study in biomedical imaging, you should consult both the general advising guidelines and the specific guidelines for biomedical imaging. You should also read projects in biomedical imaging to learn more about MQP opportunities and research opportunities in biomedical imaging to learn more about the biomedical imaging research being done at WPI and the University of Massachusetts Medical School (UMMS). If you require more general information about career and educational options in biomedical imaging, please read the general discussion about What is BME?. For a full description of the undergraduate program in BME, please see the section on undergraduate programs.
For graduate students: Graduate students should consult the graduate programs area and read about the individual faculty research being done in the area of biomedical imaging here at WPI and at the UMMS. Because the most important component of a graduate education in biomedical imaging is research, you should pay particular attention to the research opportunities available to you in biomedical imaging.
Maintained by webmaster@wpi.eduLast modified: August 21, 2008 13:53:31