Modern biomedical engineering addresses pressing health problems involving sophisticated use of novel medical imaging, cell-free protein synthesis for drug development, organism-free tissue production and organ printing for replacement therapies. All of these require strong underpinnings in the fundamental physical sciences (physics, chemistry, materials) as well as engineering (chemical, biomedical, mechanical, electrical). The School, for upper level undergraduates as well as graduate students and postdocs, will focus on the foundational physical science of both in-vivo and in-vitro cell biology and of sophisticated imaging techniques. Students who complete the requirements of the course may receive credit at the Feinberg Graduate School or a certificate of completion to present to their university.
The School will take place on the Weizmann Institute campus over five days with pedagogical lectures and discussion sessions at the level of advanced undergraduates/first-year graduates in the physical sciences and engineering (including life sciences students with a strong background in the physical sciences) that will cover:
- Basic introduction to biology - quantitative understanding using physical/engineering approaches and tools
- Mesoscale structures and cell biology - structure and fluctuations of macromolecules, membranes, gels
- Dynamics, hydrodynamics and kinetics, including biological swimmers and molecular motors
- Imaging and measuring structure and function of biomolecules, cells, tissues and organs
- Physics of the code of life - translating biological information into physio-chemical space and time.