IEEE Engineering
in Medicine and Biology Magazine
Volume: 24 Issue: 1, May/June
2005 pages 7-11, 17
Biomedical
Engineering in
Vo Van Toi1, Dudley Childress2, Robert Jaeger3, David Kaplan1,
3National Institutes of Health,
4George
5Harvard - MIT,
6University of
Correspondence
address:
Vo Van Toi
Biomedical Engineering Department
Abstract
Interest
in Biomedical Engineering activities has grown considerably in
I. Introduction
Biomedical
Engineering activities in research, education, and industry have been steadily
growing in
policy on medical equipment for the period of 2002-2010. One
of the proposed directions in the policy was an increase in manpower to satisfy
the needs of the country. Retaining
the workforce in public establishments is an important issue. For example, in HCMC, the Health Department stopped subsidizing the training of technicians because the well-educated ones prefer working in the private sector where they earn higher salaries than in the public hospitals.
In
education, Biomedical Instrumentation is the core theme at Hanoi University of
Technology and at HCMC University of Technology. In these institutions there
are formal biomedical engineering undergraduate degrees but no graduate
degrees. The biomedical engineering activities at Hanoi University of
Technology are strengthened by the contribution of the Faculty of Electronics
and Telecommunication. At HCMC University of Technology, the Faculty of Applied
Physics strengthens biomedical engineering activities; and at Can Tho
University the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering strengthens them. Students in
these institutions have internship opportunities in the local industry,
hospitals, or research and development establishments. Thus
In
research, some Vietnamese scientists are on the cutting edge of their
specialized fields, and some laboratories are as well equipped as any advanced
research laboratories in the
In
industry, the Vietnamese people are ingenious and resourceful; characteristics
that have allowed them to reach their current level of expertise in spite of
poor working conditions. Regional industry varies from isolated inventors or
handicraft artists (who develop innovative pieces of equipment to satisfy local
demands), to secluded machine shops in hospitals or universities (which
replicate missing parts that are either too costly or scarce), to more
organized industries that represent foreign medical companies. Nevertheless,
many research and educational institutions have successfully developed and
manufactured high quality medical devices and equipment that are largely
distributed in the national and regional markets. With the privatization of the
medical device industry, existing companies will have the freedom to expand
their activities and import new devices. New companies will be created because
of the large market
The U.S delegation in front
of
From left to right: Dudley Childress
(Northwestern University), Vo Van Toi (Tufts University), Murray Loew (George
Washington University), Nguyen Phan Kien (HUT), Bruce Ehrenberg (Tufts
University), Clarissa Ceruti (Tufts University), Robert Jaeger (National
Institutes of Health), Le Quang Xang (Can Tho University), Gordana
Vunjak-Novakovic (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), John G. Webster (
In
the following we describe in more detail the institutions that have biomedical
engineering related activities. Note that the descriptions of the activities of
these institutions are not exhaustive, nor are they the only ones in
II.
Founded
in 1993 as the
1.
The Institute
is well equipped with state-of-the-art facilities, and materials and supplies,
which are equal to those used in university laboratories in the
It
houses a highly trained and capable staff that lead
different research projects, including the characterization of gene profiles of
the various ethnic groups in
2.
The activities of the Institute focus on technology transfer and the integration of applied mathematics, applied technology and science, and basic science in information technology. The biomedical engineering focal areas include biomedical information and bioinformatics where investigators are establishing a database of selected natural products in tropical areas (e.g., rice, basa fish, black tiger shrimp and Anopheles gambiae), and developing specific software for this effort.
3.
Established
in 1996, the goal of ITB is to promote scientific research in biotechnology,
plant physiology and biochemistry, bio-organic chemistry, microbiology, ecology
and bio-resources for socio-economic development of
The equipment available for research is scarce, old and inadequate. The laboratory has recently been awarded Key Laboratory status and is therefore expecting government funding equivalent to $3 million to upgrade equipment and hire researchers. The ITB has the potential for research in the production of pharmaceuticals (e.g. low cost vaccines), and transgenic plants such as banana. In addition, with their direct links to field stations, they would also be a valuable source for the collection of novel insects and plants for “bio-mining” relevant to new biomaterials.
III.
Hanoi
University of Technology (HUT) was established in 1956 and is located in
1. Biomedical Electronics Center
The
BEC was established in 1999 under the joint supervision of HUT and the Ministry
of Health. Its facilities consist of the laboratories of Biomedical Signal
Measurement, Biomedical Signal Processing Circuits, and Practical Biomedical
Equipment. The Center bestows only a B.S. degree in Biomedical Electronics,
which requires a 5-year study. The first class of Biomedical Electronics
students (30) graduated in June 2002. Most of them are now working in medical companies
or hospitals in
2.
International Training Institute for Materials Science (ITIMS)
The
ITIMS was established in 1992 with the support of the
3.
Biomedical Engineering Physics Department
The Department investigates new detoxification methods for chemicals such as dioxins, and characterization of novel materials from Vietnamese agricultural sources. These materials include semi-conducting polymers derived from natural sources and extracts from natural sources that bind and detoxify chemicals. Additional fields of study emphasized for the future included nano-biomedicine, biomedical optics and medical information technology. The Department trains about 7 students in medical physics each year. Other research activities include empirical efforts to investigate mechanistic insight of the porphyrin-dioxin complexes.
IV. Ho Chi Minh City–University of
Technology (HCMC-UT)
HCMC-UT offers research and educational programs in different fields including Business Administration. Its activities in Biomedical Engineering are conducted in different institutions including the Biomedical Engineering Department and the Applied Physics Institute.
1.
Biomedical Engineering Department (BME)
The Biomedical Engineering Department was established in 2003. It confers a B.S. degree in Biomedical Engineering. The curriculum focuses on biomedical instrumentation, bio-optics, and opto-acupuncture. They plan to add medical informatics, laser application and nano-biomedicine. Its teaching laboratories are appropriately equipped and contain an electrocardiographic monitor, an ECG simulator, and test equipment for calibration tests.
2.
Applied Physics Institute
One
of the main activities in biomedical engineering of this Institute is the
design and applications of Laser acupuncture. Many low-power infrared
semiconductor laser devices have been manufactured by the Institute and
distributed in different Vietnamese Traditional Medicine centers across the
South of Vietnam. They have been primarily used for the treatment of cerebral
palsy, stroke rehabilitation and drug addiction for children and adults.
Traditional acupuncture involves the placement of needles at acupuncture points
to achieve therapeutic outcomes. Because of the concern over the transmission
of HIV/AIDS using needles, laser in acupuncture has been proposed as a
potential alternative. The use of lasers in acupuncture is hypothesized to
deliver an effect comparable to needles at the acupuncture sites without
penetrating the skin. So far the Institute has collected data on 5,000 patients
for treatment of hemiplegia and spondylosis, 10,000 patients for the treatment
of sinusitis and 51 patients for drug addiction. The success rate was above
75%. This research appears to be one area of biomedical engineering in which
V.
Established
in 1993, the
VI. Can Tho University
Founded
in 1966, Can Tho University (CTU) is the largest state university in the Mekong
Delta. In 2002, the CTU enrolled more than 17,000 full-time students at its
campus in Can Tho, and more than 16,000 students in its satellite colleges in
the Mekong Delta provinces. CTU does not offer an educational degree in
Biomedical Engineering. Its research activities in this field have been
conducted at the Biotechnology Research and Development Institute and the
Mechanical Engineering Department.
1.
Biotechnology Research and Development Institute
This Institute consists of 17 staff members and its research is focused in two areas:
- Traditional fermentation and the improvement of the quality of local products.
- Molecular biology with a focus on the use of PCR to develop new test kits and assessments of pathogens relevant to local agricultural needs.
Currently, there is no emphasis on biomedical engineering, but the molecular biology capabilities of the group are strong and would provide a useful component to a biomedical engineering program at the university.
2.
Mechanical Engineering Department
Research
being conducted by faculty in the department includes the use of computerized
tomography (CT) data to fabricate a mold that will be used in the creation of a
cranioplasty implants made of poly-methyl methacrylate (PMMA). The approach is
expected to reduce intra-operative time and the cost of the PMMA implant. The
rate of head injuries in
VII. Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST)
Formerly
the Ministry of Science, Technology and the Environment, the current MOST has
many institutions under its jurisdiction. The activities of these institutions
cover applied research and services in related areas. For example, the
1.
Nacenlas was established in 1984 and its activities included:
- Biomedical laser design and applications
- Industrial laser applications
- Laser for metrology and protecting the environment
The
work force in biomedical engineering includes 4 Ph.D. fellows, 15 engineers and
4 M.D. The center has developed many laser-based instruments and placed them in
hundreds of hospitals across the country.
Some have been exported to
2. Center for Advanced Materials Technology
(AMT)
The AMT was created in 2002 and its mission
is to research the applications of materials technology
in the life sciences. It has successfully applied composite carbon from
VIII. Ministry of Health (MOH)
In biomedical engineering activities, the MOH has under its jurisdiction eight state-owned medical companies, which are referred to as the Vietnam Medical Equipment Corp (VINAMED). According to a government plan in effect since 2000, by 2005 all companies under the VINAMED will be privatized. Currently, the activities of these companies are regulated, but after privatization, their presidents will be free to determine their own policies. As an example we introduce here the Vietnam Medical Equipment Company (VIMEC).
Vietnam
Medical Equipment Company (VIMEC),
VIMEC,
founded in 1976, is the Ministry of Health’s importer. The company supplies
chemicals, medical instruments, and equipment; it also provides after-sale
service (maintenance, calibration and repair) to governmental health care
services and private industry, and to the food and fishing industries. Most of
the equipment is imported from Europe,
VIMEC conducts training courses and seminars (often in collaboration with equipment manufacturers) for technicians from the provincial hospitals. The company employs 170 people, of whom 40 are electrical and electronics engineers. The company has invested more than $110,000 in test equipment for calibration and safety assurance. The company also provides translation of user and technical manuals from English (or other languages) into Vietnamese, and in some cases adjunct labeling of equipment in Vietnamese. By 2004 VIMEC will become a joint stock company.
Acknowledgements
This
project was sponsored by the National Science Foundation (INT-0243803 to VVT).
The authors would like to thank the Vietnamese and American authorities, Hanoi
University of Technology, Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology, Can Tho
University, and other institutions and people in