Definition:

Biomolecular engineering emerged at the interface between engineering and molecular biology ( biomolecular and cellular ). The discipline focuses both on understanding complex living systems via experimental anad analytical techniques and on development of therapeutics or diagnostic products, devices, methods and algorithms that improve the effectiveness and delivery of clinical medicine.

Justification:

Biomolecular engineering research includes mathematical modelling of biomolecules and biological processes, their quantitative measurements, visiualizations , multidimensional and detailed structural analyses, protein structure prediction using current approaches (such as homology, energy minimization, modelling), protein structure- function relationships, rational design of bioactive molecules (via genetic/ protein engineering), discovery of new target molecules leading to new drug discoveries, construction of artificial gene circuits to produce novel gene products, engineering metabolic pathways to produce new bioactive compounds.

During the second half of the 20th century the reductionist approaches dominating the biology have been successfull in the generation of information about individual cellular components and their functions. Over the past decade this process has been greatly accelerated due to the emergence of genomics. Entire genome sequences for a growing number of organisms (including human) are being determined, while their gene portfolios are being continually defined. Significant advances has been in functional assignment to genes through expression micro-array and high-tech proteom technologies. Such impressive advences have attributed a critical position to biomolecular engineering as a discipline in the area of biomedicine. It enables systematic and comprehensive analysis of gene expression patterns in both normal and diseased cells, thus uncovering the mechanisms of not-so-easy cured diseases (such as cancers, genetic diseases, age-related diseases) and other metabolic diseases. On the other hand, for treatment or prevention of such diseases new therapeutic drugs and high-value biomolecules could be designed.

Biopharmaceuticals, especially therapeutic proteins are the most rapidly developing ( global market share 10%) and the most attractive products of the generic industry. Global sales of these proteins was 35 billion USD in 2002, and it is expeceted to reach to 60 billion USD by 2010. DNA/RNA therapeutics are quite new for the pharmaceutical market and their current sales status is not known. However, there is an enormous interest in the industry for the products , and oncology products are dominating the market. The advances in genomics and proteomics have led to a rapid development and changes in biopharmaceuticals and diagnostics protfolios, the impact of which is expected to be significant on economical success of the global pharmaceutical industry. There is no production of biopharmaceuticals in Turkey and the products in the local market are all imported. This specific example clearly indicates the importance of graduate programmes designed to prepare students for careers in rapidly developing areas of biomolecular engineering, in the country.

Biomolecular engineering also has an important theoretical, in silico branch that combines mathematical modeling and computer simulations. This approach provides a systematic examination and investigation of molecules and cells. In this context, in silico biology contributes in the computer simulations and mathematical formulations of simultaneous interactions of multiple gene products. This way, interactions between molecules in biological systems and processes can be understood. Moreover, this information will be useful for understanding how these pathways can lead and direct different physiological and pathological events. Modeling these events will further be applicable to the analysis and prediction of genotype-phenotype interactions in the future.

Worldwide, biomedical engineering is rapidly developing given its crucial role in the biomedical field. Thus biomedical engineering education programs, both undergraduate and graduate level, are ever growing (ref. Whitaker Foundations Biomedical Engineering Database). Graduates of these programs with their molecular biology and engineering formations contribute to the medicine and biomedical fields. By the year 2000, 20 ABET accredited US universities' undergraduate and 9 others' graduate programs included biomedical engineering or its related fields as "formal tracks". This improving field started to take its part rapidly in many graduate programs (For example, Duke University, UC Davis, Georgia Tech., Univ Alabama at Birmingham, Univ. Wisconsin-Medison, Boston Univ, Univ Utah, Univ Purde, Washington Univ, Univ Illinois at Urbana Champaigne, Yale Univ, Rutgers Univ). In Europe, recently, biomolecular engineering (or Molecular bioengineering) programs also started to be developed with a biomedical focus. (Univ Maasstrich., Tech.Univ.Dresden, Univ.Groningen etc)

In Biological Sciences and multitude of other departments (CHE, EE, CENG, etc.) of Middle East Technical University, various biomolecular and biomedical engineering based research projects are conducted in addition to the graduate level theises that are being supervised. Therefore, the research and training aspects of the proposed biomolecular engineering program will be conducted by a group of experts of the above mentioned Departments of METU. The proposed model will be a pioneering example in our country in terms of the collaboration of faculty members from various disciplines for research and training of multidisciplinary experts.

Mission:

The purpose of the biomedical engineering program is to:

  1. provide students with the necessary background to approach biological molecules and molecular systems with an understanding of basic biology, chemistry, mathematics, physics and modern engineering tools,
  2. provide students with an ability to analyze and understand quantification, measurements and detailed imaging of biomolecules,
  3. provide an understanding to use mathematical modeling as a tool for integrating molecular data,
  4. provide an understanding to identify, formulate and solve engineering problems of cellular and molecular basis and with medical relevance, (such as development of techniques, methods, processes, strategies and design of therapeutic and diagnostic products),
  5. provide an understanding to function on multi-disciplinary teams with professional and ethical responsibilities

 

Biomolecular Engineering Research in METU:

1. Biomolecules, bioprocesses: mechanisms and structures:

Mechanism of controlled and programmed proteolysis and its relationship with cell physiology and pathology; functional analysis and regulation of proteolytic nano-machines and their potentials as target molecules for new drug design.

2. Production of bioactive molecules and recombinant therapeutic proteins:

Production and purification of native and recombinant therapeutic proteins, determination of their biological effectiveness and productions in bioreactors; role of lipooxygenase enzyme in colon cancer development and antitumorogenic action of their isoenzymes; enhancement of cellular production levels of metabolites via reaction engineering and reorganization of metabolic pathways by rational design,

3. Structure – function analysis of proteins and structural/ functional changes in enzymes through rational design:

Structure/activity/stability analysis of antibiotic resistance proteins, improvement of enzyme activity and stability using enzyme engineering,

4. Functional genomics:

Analysis of gene expression profiles in cancer cells or cells under stress by DNA microarray and real-time PCR technique,

5. Data analysis and modeling:

Development of computer based rapid techniques for analysis and comparison of protein structures and classification according to structures; construction and analysis of genome based protein networks; biological image analysis, biomolecular signal recognition using parametric modeling approaches; development of alternative methods for multiple sequence alignment.

Prepared by:

Dr.Sreeparna Banerjee (BIO); Dr. Tolga Can (CENG); Dr. Pinar Çalik (CHE); Dr. Elif Erson (BIO); Dr.Fatih Izgü( BIO); Dr.Kemal Leblebicioglu (EE); Dr.Semra Kocabiyik (BIO)


Last Updated:
19/04/2022 - 15:41