Biomedical Engineering

Our Biomedical Engineering theme focuses on the prediction and use of natural or engineered biological machinery to address key challenges in health. Recent advances in this space include protein drug design using generative AI, cell therapies involving genetic modification of immune cells to destroy pathogens, and precision gene therapies.

Biomedical Engineering lies at the interface of AI, systems modelling, data science, genomics, and molecular biology. It benefits from advances in computing, UK AI capacity, and falling costs for DNA sequencing & synthesis. In this realm, the synergy between AI, machine learning, and mechanistic models offers a particularly powerful toolkit for unravelling the complexities of biological systems and driving innovation. By harnessing the complementary strengths of these approaches, research in this space can accelerate the pace of discovery and translation, ultimately revolutionizing the practice of medicine and improving patient outcomes.

Projects in this theme aim to elucidate biological mechanisms of disease, devise therapeutic strategies, or predict treatment responses. The supervisory pool comprises expertise in AI, biomedicine, engineering biology, chemistry, mathematics, and physics. The theme benefits from close links with the University of Edinburgh Centre for Engineering Biology and the Edinburgh Genome Foundry, as well as with NHS Scotland and industry partners.