There are several types of biomedical courses, including those that focus on medical microbiology, clinical chemistry, and virology. These types of biomedical courses focus on medical research. Other more specific types of biomedical courses include biomechanics, biofluidics, medical imaging systems, and biomedical optics.
One important topic covered in biomedical courses is medical microbiology. This involves identifying disease-causing microorganisms so that an antibody therapy can be designed to fight the bacteria. Common illnesses that were discovered by scientists working in medical microbiology include meningitis and legionnaires disease. Food poisoning is another illness that is routinely identified by scientists working in medical microbiology.
Clinical chemistry consists of biomedical courses that cover analysis and diagnosis of diseases through the testing of blood, urine, or other biological material. A scientist might test the blood or urine for drugs or other chemicals that could affect health. He or she may also check for diseases such as diabetes. Monitoring the function of the liver and kidneys through blood and urine tests is another aspect of clinical chemistry.
Virology is the study of viruses. This course covers how patients are screened for viral diseases such as HIV, hepatitis, and herpes simplex. A quick screening process is necessary in order to avoid giving antibiotics unnecessarily.
Biomechanics covers the mechanical behavior of biological systems. The way bones, muscles, and tissue act under physical stress is taught in this course. Topics include mechanical properties, physical structure, and function of biological tissue.
Biofluidics covers blood flow dynamics and airflow in the lungs. This course explains how blood flows through arteries, veins, and capillaries. Other bodily fluids are also studied to gain an understanding of how they flow. Some of the topics in this course include electrochemical fluidics and ocular flow dynamics.
Medical imaging systems is a course that covers several ways that the body is imaged. This includes computerized tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and ultrasound. Nuclear medicine and projection radiography are also usually covered. Nuclear medicine utilizes radioactive probes that are injected into the bloodstream, while projection radiography uses x-rays.
Biomedical courses which cover how the body absorbs the different types of light, such as infrared red or ultraviolet, include biomedical optics. The main topic in biomedical optics is optical spectroscopy. It deals with how light is absorbed or scattered. Fluorescence is another aspect often covered in this course.
The physics of radiotherapy is another biomedical course that deals with how radiation therapy treats cancer. Each type of radiation therapy is covered, and the corresponding interaction in the body is examined. The course usually has both a lecture portion and a laboratory portion.
