Macquarie University

Biomedical Engineering Fundamentals - ELEC215

The aim of this unit is to provide a basic understanding of human physiology with an emphasis on the human body that can be described as an ensemble of interacting systems.
In a first module, an overview of physiological dynamics will be provided against a background of structural components from cells and tissues to organs.
In a second module, major physiological systems will be explained: The cardiovascular (circulatory) system, the respiratory system, the nervous system, the endocrine, reproductive and lymphatic system, the gastrointestinal and urinary system, the sensory (auditory, visual, olfactory) and integumentary system, the skeletal and muscular system. The physiological systems will be discussed from an engineering point-of-view with an emphasis on numerical modeling. This involves quantitative mechanical analysis, flow dynamics, heat and mass transport and electrical analysis.
The third module will focus on pharmacokinetic models, i.e. how the uptake, distribution and excretion of exogenous substances can be modeled using differential equations.
Finally, it will be shown how a multiscale model can be used to model cancer progression.
The theory of physiological systems will be tested in practice through practical sessions which involve measurements of physiological signals with an eHealth Arduino module and numerical modelling in Matlab.