At the cutting edge of research in medicine

CAREER FOCUS/Biomedical engineering: Biomedical engineering is a broad area, and graduates will have a good mix of jobs open to them. Olivia Kelly reports

While other multinationals may scarper from the State, the biomedical device industries would appear to be holding firm. In fact Ireland is the European capital for medical device manufacturing according Dr Peter McHugh, one of the course co-ordinators of biomedical engineering at NUI Galway. With constant new developments, the sector is showing no signs of slowing down.

"There is an extremely high concentration of medical device companies here and an awful lot of the big players use Ireland as their EU base," says McHugh. "Every industry has taken a battering in the last year, but this area is holding strong."

Biomedical engineering is one of the youngest and most rapidly developing engineering fields. It is also one of the most multi-faceted areas, combining the traditional disciplines of mechanical, electrical and electronic engineering and applying them to solve problems and further development in the areas of biology, medicine and medical devices.

Although it has a huge range of applications, biomedical engineering is most commonly associated with the design and manufacture of "spare parts" for bodies. This includes the design and development of artificial organs including hearts and heart valves, lungs, kidneys and livers - and orthopaedic biomechanics involving the design of artificial joints such as hips, knees, elbows and shoulders.

They also work in developing the devices used for performing procedures or delivering treatment such as surgical tools, catheters, needles, radiology equipment, oxygenators - the range is almost inexhaustible. Their interest also extends to research and development of the materials used to manufacture medical devices, such as titanium in hip joints and and even more "futuristic" biomaterials, says McHugh.

"Looking into the future, we will be developing synthetic materials based around polymers which will gradually bio-degrade and will be replaced by people's own cells. The cutting edge is in tissue engineering is looking at how we can grow replacement tissues such as skin and bone or growing artificial arteries, which will be crucial in the treatment of heart disease."

Because biomedical engineering is such a broad area encompassing different disciplines, graduates should have "a good mix" of jobs open to them, McHugh says. While a third-level qualification in biomedical engineering will give you a strong grounding in the area, further training is provided by almost all companies whether they are small home grown organisations or large multinational. Biomedical engineering is a good choice for those who are comfortable with maths and have a scientific inclination, but it is also a good option to keep in mind for people interested in medicine.