The University of Sydney recently launched the Faculty of Engineering’s new School of Biomedical Engineering, which aims to continue the University’s record of real-world problem-solving.
According to a recent press release, the launch will have the University investing in the development of advanced biomedical technologies such as lab-grown organs, bionic eyes and implantable medical devices.
The School of Biomedical Engineering
Becoming the sixth school within the Faculty of Engineering, the School has been established to facilitate collaborative research and teaching within the field of biomedical engineering.
It combines a range of disciplines including medicine, engineering and life sciences.
The Faculty’s focus will facilitate new collaborations, boost Australia’s healthcare sector and place the University in a leading position within the surging global biomedical market.
The new School’s aim is to improve health outcomes by targeting diseases that currently do not have cures.
This can be achieved through innovative biotechnologies focused on tissue and neural engineering, nanomaterials and by introducing novel approaches to overcome chronic disease.
The school will work collaboratively with industry, government and the healthcare sector.
It will also work across disciplines at the University, including the Faculty of Medicine and Health, the Sydney Nano Institute, the Charles Perkins Centre, the Brain and Mind Centre, and Westmead.
State-of-the-art Infrastructure
Included in the School’s arsenal of state-of-the-art infrastructure is the Sydney Bionics Translation Centre, which is a laboratory that provides cleanroom and prototyping capabilities.
Also included is the Industrial Transformation Training Centre for Innovative Bioengineering, which includes a musculoskeletal tissue engineering laboratory.
It will also have a high-energy plasma research laboratory that will be used for therapeutic innovations that involve specialised surfaces.
Within the next two years, the School’s infrastructure will be further enhanced by the new Bio-Engineering Research Hub.
It is a specialised building designed with ‘research ready’ laboratories and capabilities that will equip researchers to tackle pressing medical challenges.
These will include diagnosis, treatment and curing of diseases.
Benefits
The Dean of Engineering shared that the Faculty’s focus on biomedical engineering and investment in custom-built laboratories would facilitate collaborative research.
The purpose-built research facilities will help enable the School of Biomedical Engineering to take medical devices from the concept stage through to the clinic and beyond.
Drawing on the combined experience of world class researchers, the School will offer unparalleled opportunities for those undertaking research in this area.
The University’s Vice-Chancellor and Principal expects the Faculty’s new focus will further the University’s commitment to developing tangible technology that has a positive impact on society.
During the launch, University of Washington bioengineering academic Professor Matthew O’Donnell described the University as being at the forefront of change.
According to him, biomedical engineering has developed into a core discipline for modern engineering.
The University has recognised this fact and moved quickly to establish a School of Biomedical Engineering that has the potential to accelerate technical innovations in healthcare and significantly impact the field for generations.
