HM Medical Clinic

Iaru summer internships 2009

Summer Engineering Research Internship for US Students (SERIUS)

Host Department: Bioengineering

BIE Project 1
Project title
Understanding the success of Amiodarone, the leading anti- arrhythmic drug. Project description
Over the last few decades, several cardiac drugs have been withdrawn from the market after reports of adverse, often fatal, side effects. Often these drugs were intended to treat cardiac maladies. However, not only did they fail to treat the conditions, but they caused harmful disturbances to the electrical activity of the heart, often with disastrous consequences. The key reason for these unfortunate occurrences is a poor understanding of cardiac electrophysiology under conditions that are altered by the presence of a drug. Nonetheless, Amiodarone has emerged as one of the very few safe options to treat a variety of common arrhythmias. However, the reasons behind its success, its safety in particular, are not fully Understanding why Amiodarone is effective and safe and why some other drugs are not is important because it is the first step towards a more efficient and safer drug development process. This project aims at providing a systematic and quantitative characterization of the effects of Amiodarone on cardiac electrophysiology. Experimental data on the individual effects of Amiodarone on the various proteins will be taken from published literature. The data will be quantified and combined into existing computational models of cardiac electrophysiology. Link to the relevant page of the Computational Bioengineering Lab Dr Alberto CORRIAS / Dr Martin BUIST Any other information/
This project is computational in nature. A basic knowledge of requirements (eg
programming is needed to complete this project. programming skil s,
prerequisites, reading list,

BIE Project 2
Project title
Steerable Endoscopic Imaging and Computation for Computer- Integrated Surgical Robotic Systems Project description
Real-time vision information about the motion and 3D structure of the surgical field during Minimally Invasive Surgery (MIS) is important for enabling computer-integrated surgical systems with advanced capabilities of navigation and active control. Although many endoscopic imaging techniques have been developed, there are urgent needs in steerable and controllable endoscopic imaging This project aims To model the mechanics of flexible and automated control able endoscopy with given structure and configuration. To perceive 3-D surgical field with advanced information processing techniques. To design newly controllable structure for endoscopic To validate the system in the university hospital. The project involves knowledge development in imaging, mechanics, and control in col aboration with surgeons from university hospital. The student wil be practicing with various instruments, mechanical components, electronics, software, and interacting with surgeons. The student can choose a component from the big project which fit her/his background. For more information about our research projects, please click Asst Prof Hongliang REN Name of Collaborator(s) in Prof. Peter Kazanzides
US University
Department of Computer Science The Johns Hopkins University Baltimore, MD 21218, USA. Any other information/
requirements (eg
programming skil s,
prerequisites, reading list,


BIE Project 3
Project title
Design and control of surgical robot minimally invasive transoral Project description
Disposable surgical robot design and servoing will be main theme of this project. Visual servoing is an emerging approach to guide robots automatically using visual information. Image processing, computer vision and control theory are combined in order to control the motion of a robot depending on the visual information extracted from the images captured by one or several cameras. This project aims: To employ intelligent materials as actuators, design disposable surgical robot and study the kinematic models. To investigate methods of image based visual servoing and position based visual servoing for surgical robots in un-calibrated in- vivo environments. To validate the system in the university hospital. The project involves knowledge development in visual servoing and surgical target surveillance in collaboration with surgeons from university hospital. The project involves knowledge development in imaging, mechanics, and control in col aboration with surgeons from university hospital. The student will be practicing with various instruments, mechanical components, electronics, software, and interacting with surgeons. The student can choose a component from the big project which fit her/his background. For more information about our research projects, please click Asst Prof Hongliang REN Name of Collaborator(s) in Prof. Peter Kazanzides
US University
Department of Computer Science The Johns Hopkins University Baltimore, MD 21218, USA. Any other information/
requirements (eg
programming skil s,
prerequisites, reading list,

BIE Project 4
Project title
Control of cellular contractility with an external drug
Project description
This project entails molecular cloning of a novel protein module into the kinase domain of myosin light chain kinase. The recombinant kinase will be inactive, unless a drug called rapamycin is added. Transfection and expression of the recombinant myosin kinase in mammalian cells in culture will provide a tool to activate actomyosin contractility on demand by adding rapamycin to the media. This will be tested in live cell imaging experiments with cells expressing actin and myosin reporters. Dr. Ronen ZAIDEL-BAR Any other information/
Basic biological knowledge is required. Previous experience with requirements (eg
molecular cloning and/or microscopy is an advantage. programming skil s,
prerequisites, reading list,


BIE Project 5
Project title
The ‘Three-Pointer' Project
Project description
In NBA history, the three-pointer field goal percentage can range from 0% to as high as 53.6%. With the three-point shooting leaders fluctuating around an average 46.6 + 4.2% over the past three decades, it is apparent that the human capability in shooting three- pointer has hardly evolved. This project aims to push this human limit by understanding the biomechanics of basketbal players scoring three-pointer shots by col ecting data on bal -hand contact force, joint kinematics and muscle-brain activation profiles. The data col ected wil be useful for future development of trainer orthotics that can train the player towards precise shooting posture and muscle activations, and eventually improve the player's three-pointer performance significantly in the court. Raye Chen-Hua YEOW
Any other information/
Interest in basketbal , motion analysis and design prototyping. requirements (eg
programming skil s,
prerequisites, reading list,

Host Department: Engineering Design and Innovation Centre / Bioengineering

BIE Project 6
Project title
A wearable sensor system for continuous respiratory monitoring
Project description
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is one of the leading causes of death in the world. Continuous monitoring of the respiratory and other bio signals is important for elderly patients at home as well patients under critical care. Current respiratory sensors for clinical use are bulky and obstructive. In this project, we propose to use a wearable sensor suite consists of IMU sensor and ECG sensor for respiratory monitoring. Data from the sensor suite wil be routed wirelessly to either a PC or smartphone for analysis. Alert will be sent to healthcare professionals or family members when abnormal patterns are detected. The effort of this project includes both hardware design and software development. Clinical experts from local hospitals will provide clinical input for the development of the project. Students with ECE or bioinstrumentation background are most suitable for this project. Asst Prof YU Haoyong Name of Collaborator(s) in Dr. Soumyadipta Acharya
US University
Graduate Program Director Assistant Research Professor, Department of BME Center for Bioengineering Innovation &Design Johns Hopkins University Robert Allen, Ph.D., P.E. Undergraduate Program Director Associate Research Professor, Department of BME and Ob/Gyn Center for Bioengineering Innovation &Design Any other information/
requirements (eg
programming skil s,
prerequisites, reading list,

BIE Project 7
Project title
Wearable sensors for motor ability quantification for patients post Project description
Stroke is leading cause of adult disability. Rehabilitation through physical therapy is the main effective means for patients to regain motor functions. The rehabilitation process is a long process and spans from hospital to home settings. Effective therapy must be guided with accurate assessment of the motor function of the patients. Current clinical assessment is based on observation of patents' motor behavior using standardized clinical rating scales. However, these scales are not accurate and vary across clinicians. The aim of this project is to develop a wearable sensor system for continuous motor function measurement and monitoring for stroke patients at home settings. The data from the sensors wil be transmitted wireless to a PC or smart phone for analysis, display, and further transmission to therapists. The task of this project involves sensor selection, interface electronics design, algorithms development and software design, and system validation. Students with either ECE or Bioengineering background who are interested in biomechanics and bio-instrumentation are most suitable for this project. Depending on his or her preference, the student can focus on either device development or the algorithm development. Asst Prof YU Haoyong Name of Col aborator(s) in Dr. Soumyadipta Acharya
US University
Graduate Program Director Assistant Research Professor, Department of BME Center for Bioengineering Innovation & Design Johns Hopkins University Robert Allen, Ph.D., P.E. Undergraduate Program Director Associate Research Professor, Department of BME and Ob/Gyn Center for Bioengineering Innovation & Design Any other information/
requirements (eg
programming skil s,
prerequisites, reading list,

BIE Project 8 (for students from Johns Hopkins University)
Project title
Biomechanical Analysis of the Design of Unicompartmental Knee Replacement (UKA) Project description
Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative condition indicating inflammation and then destruction of a joint that causes pain and swelling which could affect a person's daily life. A common surgical treatment is the Total Knee Replacement (TKR), where the cartilage in a patient's knee is replaced. However, OA in the knee usually first occurs at the medial compartment of the joint. If the lateral compartment of the knee is healthy, a partial knee replacement known as the Unicompartmental Knee Replacement (UKR) can be performed to preserve the healthy bone and soft tissues. With the preservation of the bone and soft tissues, UKR can provide a more natural knee motion compared to a TKR. Although some good results and clinical outcomes were reported for UKR, the survivorship of UKR is still inferior to TKR. Failures of the UKR in wear and aseptic loosening were resulted from eccentric loading at the knee joint. Fracture of the UHMWPE tibial bearings and persistent pain experienced by patients after UKR were also reported. The objective of the project is to characterize the mechanical performance of the fixed and mobile UKR implants by finite element analysis (FEA). Finite element models of the knee joint after UKR will be created and simulated with physiological loads at the knee joint. Parametric studies of the change in UKR implant designs and its influence on the proximal tibial bone strains will be performed. The student wil also interact with the orthopaedic surgeons and bioengineers in the local hospital. Dr CHONG Yok Rue, Desmond Any other information/
Knowledge of Mimics and finite element analysis (Abaqus) software requirements (eg
will be beneficial. programming skil s,
prerequisites, reading list,

Source: http://www.eng.nus.edu.sg/ero/external_relations/2013projects/BIE_projects.pdf