Bioengineering: How it started, where it’s going, how we get there

Bioengineering – also known as biological or biomedical engineering – has a rich history dating back to 8000BCE when humans began using selective breeding to modify plants and animals to enhance crops and livestock.

The word “bioengineering”, however, didn’t emerge until 1954 when British scientist and broadcaster Heinz Wolff coined the term to describe the application of engineering principles to biological and medical challenges. Heinz himself made notable contributions to the field of bioengineering, including a machine to count blood cells automatically.

Since then, bioengineering has continued to transform the world we live in through major advancements across several areas of healthcare, including genetic engineering, surgical robotics, reproductive medicine and much more.

At the Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, in collaboration with Deakin University, our team is combining bioengineering skill sets to improve drug delivery methods through a nanoinjection platform, which uses a microscopic sized “lance” (needle) and electrical forces to deliver DNA to cells.

Nanoinjection addresses many challenges of traditional drug delivery — such as safety concerns, toxicity, cost, and inefficiency — while proving highly effective in generating functional CAR-T cells in vitro (immune cells engineered in the lab to recognise and attack cancer).

Building on this success, our multidisciplinary team is leveraging nanoinjection technology to enhance the delivery for the rapidly evolving field of CAR-T cell therapy for blood cancers.

We believe our nanoinjection platform has strong potential to drive innovation in the medtech space, with its success largely attributed to shared knowledge and collaboration.

In a recent Nature Reviews, Bioengineering article titled “The art and science of collaboration in bioengineering research”, we describe bioengineering as:

“[The] convergence of diverse disciplines, including biology, engineering, materials science, physics, chemistry, computational science and medicine.”

In other words, the success of bioengineering projects relies on collaborative environments that traverse academic boundaries.

In the article, we outline the key elements underpinning both the art and science of what it takes to form an interdisciplinary bioengineering team working toward a common goal, for as the saying goes: “There are no true solo acts.”

Central to collaboration, as highlighted in the article, is forming a diverse group of experts who recognise and understand differences between fields within the team. From this understanding a harmonised scientific language can form, one in which the creation of a shared vocabulary becomes a step toward the emergence of new concepts and innovations.

Shared resources are key

Additionally, shared resources are critical. Institutions with core facilities, such as the Melbourne Centre for Nanofabrication, the London Centre for Nanotechnology, and the Mechanobiology Institute in Singapore, provide open-access equipment and expertise, thereby acting as physical and intellectual bridges between disciplines.

And, of course, there can be no progress without partnerships and financial backing. Grants and programs at the institutional, university and (inter)national level can provide resources that enable researchers to connect and share expertise.

For example, strategic international alliances, such as PharmAlliance, a partnership of the University College London, the University of North Carolina and Monash University, empowers early-career researchers by providing joint training programs, funding opportunities for collaborative research, mentorship from senior scientists across institutions, and access to shared infrastructure and resources.

The field of bioengineering has a bright future, which is evolving incredibly rapidly. Globally, we can expect to see continued transformative advancements in personalised medicines, artificial organs and drug delivery, while at the same time addressing environmental challenges through sustainable solutions and improved agricultural productivity.

Achieving these advances will always require the art and science of effective collaboration.

Read the full article, “The art and science of collaboration in bioengineering research”, by Associate Professor Roey Elnathan (Deakin University, Monash University), Professor Nicolas Voelcker (Monash University), Dr Andy Tay (National University of Singapore) and Dr Ciro Chiappini (King’s College London).