BIOLOGY FOR ENGINEERS (21BE45)

BIOLOGY FOR ENGINEERS

Course Code 21BE45 
CIE Marks 50
Teaching Hours/Week (L:T:P: S) 1:2:0:0 /2:0:0:0 
SEE Marks 50
Total Hours of Pedagogy 25
Total Marks 100
Credits 02 
Exam Hours 02

Module-1 

BIOMOLECULES AND THEIR APPLICATIONS (QUALITATIVE): Carbohydrates (cellulose-based water filters, PHA and PLA as bioplastics), Nucleic acids (DNA Vaccine for Rabies and RNA vaccines for Covid19, Forensics – DNA fingerprinting), Proteins (Proteins as food – whey protein and meat analogs, Plant based proteins), lipids (biodiesel, cleaning agents/detergents), Enzymes (glucose-oxidase in biosensors, lignolytic enzyme in bio-bleaching).

Module-2 

HUMAN ORGAN SYSTEMS AND BIO DESIGNS - 1 (QUALITATIVE): Brain as a CPU system (architecture, CNS and Peripheral Nervous System, signal transmission, EEG, Robotic arms for prosthetics. Engineering solutions for Parkinson’s disease).Eye as a Camera system (architecture of rod and cone cells, optical corrections, cataract, lens materials, bionic eye).Heart as a pump system (architecture, electrical signalling - ECG monitoring and heart related issues, reasons for blockages of blood vessels, design of stents, pace makers, defibrillators).

Module-3 

HUMAN ORGAN SYSTEMS AND BIO-DESIGNS - 2 (QUALITATIVE): Lungs as purification system (architecture, gas exchange mechanisms, spirometry, abnormal lung physiology - COPD, Ventilators, Heart-lung machine).Kidney as a filtration system (architecture, mechanism of filtration, CKD, dialysis systems). Muscular and Skeletal Systems as scaffolds (architecture, mechanisms, bioengineering solutions for muscular dystrophy and osteoporosis).

Module-4

NATURE-BIOINSPIRED MATERIALS AND MECHANISMS (QUALITATIVE): Echolocation (ultrasonography, sonars), Photosynthesis (photovoltaic cells, bionic leaf). Bird flying (GPS and aircrafts), Lotus leaf effect (Super hydrophobic and self-cleaning surfaces), Plant burrs (Velcro), Shark skin (Friction reducing swim suits), Kingfisher beak (Bullet train). Human Blood substitutes - hemoglobin-based oxygen carriers (HBOCs) and perflourocarbons (PFCs).

Module-5 

TRENDS IN BIOENGINEERING (QUALITATIVE): Bioprinting techniques and materials, 3D printing of ear, bone and skin. 3D printed foods. Electrical tongue and electrical nose in food science, DNA origami and Biocomputing, Bioimaging and Artificial Intelligence for disease diagnosis. Self- healing Bioconcrete (based on bacillus spores, calcium lactate nutrients and biomineralization processes) and Bioremediation and Biomining via microbial surface adsorption (removal of heavy metals like Lead, Cadmium, Mercury, Arsenic).

Suggested Learning Resources:

 Human Physiology, Stuart Fox, Krista Rompolski, McGraw-Hill eBook. 16th Edition, 2022
 Biology for Engineers, Thyagarajan S., Selvamurugan N., Rajesh M.P., Nazeer R.A., Thilagaraj W., Barathi S., and Jaganthan M.K., Tata McGraw-Hill, New Delhi, 2012.
 Biology for Engineers, Arthur T. Johnson, CRC Press, Taylor and Francis, 2011
 Biomedical Instrumentation, Leslie Cromwell, Prentice Hall 2011.
 Biology for Engineers, Sohini Singh and Tanu Allen, Vayu Education of India, New Delhi, 2014.
 Biomimetics: Nature-Based Innovation, Yoseph Bar-Cohen, 1st edition, 2012, CRC Press.
 Bio-Inspired Artificial Intelligence: Theories, Methods and Technologies, D. Floreano and C. Mattiussi, MIT Press, 2008.
 Bioremediation of heavy metals: bacterial participation, by C R Sunilkumar, N Geetha A C Udayashankar Lambert Academic Publishing, 2019.
 3D Bioprinting: Fundamentals, Principles and Applications by Ibrahim Ozbolat, Academic Press, 2016.
 Electronic Noses and Tongues in Food Science, Maria Rodriguez Mende, Academic Press, 2016