COURSES

 

Description of the courses I coordinate and for which I prepared the courses' programmes and contents. Also, you can find described other courses which I innovated. 

 

 

Courses of the Integrated Master in Biomedical Engineering and Biophysics, Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon

 

At the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon I kickstarted three novel courses: Nanotechnologies in Biomedicine; Tissue Engineering and Biomedical Engineering; and Medical Robotics. Later on, I started also coordinating the course on Neurosciences. I designed the contents of all these courses in such a way that they could open up novel perspectives to the biomedical engineering and biophysics students. I showed them fields of knowledge that they were not, typically, exposed to before during the course, or at least I made them look at these fields from a brand new perspective (e.g Neurosciences). Also, these courses tell a story and are seamlessly interwined, such that student are endowed with an holistic view of biomedical engineering by the end of the year. The classes are typically expositive and students actively participate in the discussion of the classes' themes; in fact, they often bring a recent news report and/or questions to be discussed. Since these courses are highly multidisciplinary, in a single class we can discuss from qubits to conscioussness. In fact, in one class I demonstrate how the full digital content of the internet could be fitted in a 6-pack! Finally, the contents and evaluation of these courses are evolving each year, based on student feedback and also on the everyday scientific and technological developments. Therefore, the traditional bibligraphy is typically slower to keep up than what we discuss in classes, and as such we resource the most up-to-date to engaging digital media and content. Also, whenerver possible we have lecturing guests and visits to labs of the specialties.

 

Finally, in the last few years all classes have been given in engish as we have been having a number of foreign (ERAMUS) students.

 

Nanotechnologies in Biomedicine (2T) (presentation teaser)

 

In this course we go 101 with nanotechnology and we discover that it is not as recent as we might expect. The 1959 Feynman's lecture was a prophetic (which is cause and which is effect ?) view of the world below. In classes, we see today were Feynman's vision has led us, in particular in the field of biomedicine, and we compare the today's achievements to another hallmark of nanomedicine history: the 1966's movie the "The fantastic voyage". Small is beautiful that is the philosophy! 

 

In this course students have had a focus on nanomedicine-related companies in one year and on another on microfluidics and nanorobotics. In yet another year, the evaluation included the interviewing of scientists working in nanomedicine, and more recently included the development of a "nano"-project which could involve modelling or the fabrication of a device (a group of students developed an acetone biosensor based on TiO2 nanoparticles with the support of Killian Lobato, FCUL). 

 

Finally, the evaluation also included Nanophysics exercises which I think are really fun! Unlike traditional exercises you do not find all the information you need to solve them in the statement, also they may not be an exact answer! That puzzles the students, but actually is what we find in real life!

 

The course themes are the following (and here is the sinopsys):

 

• Bottom-up and Top-down approaches

• Physics at the nanoscale: forces; nanoparticles, carbon nanotubes, nanowires and Qdtos; micro and nanofluidics; nanodevices: sensors and actuators

• Micro and nanofabrication techniques: materials; deposition; etching; lithography; molding; casting; genetically-inspired fabrication

• Nanoscale Measurement techniques including SEM, TEM, AFM.

• Cellular and molecular biology in nanomedicine: structural and functional molecules; membranes; citoskeleton; channels; molecular machines; organels; cells and viruses

• Chemical synthesis and surface functionalization: surface chemistry; self-assembly; molecular imprinting; Pen-spotting

• Applications: pharmaceutical formulas (viruses; liposomes, nanocapsules, nanoparticles, dendrimers); therapeutical approaches (antisense DNA, RNAi, CORMs; nanoparticles for hyperthermia); diagnostics (biosensors and biochips; microarrays); systems (microreactors; lab-on-a-chip devices; nanobots)

• Nanotoxicity and safety; Ethics in nanomedicine

 

Tissue Engineering and Artificial Organs (2T) (presentation teaser, includes as evaluation the short film presentation!)

 

In this course we span both the concepts and applications of tissue engineering and artificial organs. I also cover in this course the topic of Synthetic Biology, which I believe is a hot topic in research and will have a world transforming role in the future. Also, this topic is not covered elsewhere during the Master's course. Here is an example of a synthetic biology exercise with application in the biomedical field. A great thing that we did was to have as evaluation a short movie concerning the themes of this course. I recommend you see the Zhayedan Project in the Videos page: really great! Finally, following the trends, last year I implemented in the course a 3D Printing exercise, as I believe that ever more we will have this technology in clinical practice! It has also been featured in Grays Anatomy! See here an example. 

 

The course themes are the following (and the synopsis can be found here)

 

• Introduction to Tissue Engineering and Artificial Organs

• Arts and Literature perspective

• Tissue Engineering

  • Cell sources, cell culture, cell reprogramming and differentiation

  • Scaffolds and biomaterials

  • Production/Bioreactors

  • Bioprinting

  • Applications: skin; cartilage; tendons, ligaments and bone; pancreas; liver; kidney; cardiovascular system; nerves

• Synthetic Biology: concepts

• Artificial Organs

  • Concepts and applications: kidney; heart; lung; liver; pancreas; skin; voice box; uterus

• Ethical perspectives

 

 

Medical Robotics (2T) (presentation teaser from the first Medical Robotics course with a special opening screen music theme)

 

In this course I also wanted to take students further, so we covered the topics on medical robotics but also on human-computer interfaces and physiological computing. Additionally, inspired by a course I add during my physics engineering course (Sistemas de Aquisição de Dados, by Pedro Brogueira and Luis Melo) here I was able to implement a quite practical and hands-on course. At my student days, myself and two colleagues (Luís Cardoso and Ricardo Ferreira) built from scratch a 3D mouse with 6-degrees of freedom and we played Descent 3D with it! That was a thrilling sensation to have your ideas turning into something tangible. Additionally, I carried that feeling during my PhD at INESC-MN during which I designed, fabricated, surface-treated, bio-functionallized sensors and chips, designed and built hardware and programmed data acquisition software, analysed and interperted data, well everything you can think of.  So, in this course I wanted students to have the same feeling of bringing something to real life, either it be software applications or hardware!

 

Worth to mention that some of the works developed in this course were already presented, published and/or communicated as inventions and presented to investors!

 

The course themes are the following (here is the synopsys):

 

• Introduction to Medical Robotics

• Applications of Medical Robotics

• Surgical Robotics

• Biomimetics, exoskeletons, assistive technology and nanobots!

• Robot design, machine-learning and artificial intelligence

• Bionic senses and sensorial substitution

• Human-machine interfaces and physiological computing.

• Virtual and Augmented Reality

• Cybernetics and brain-computer interfaces

• Brain, the final frontier: brain as a device, simulated brain e brain-based devices

• Augmentation, transhumanism and singularity

 

In the restructuring of the Integrated Master in Biomedical Engineering and Biophysics that will be set in pace next semestre (see Faculty Roles) this course on Medical Robotics will evolve towards the course on Biomedical Engineering Innovation Lab, which will broaden the range of topics to encompass the possibility of development of devices and applications in fields other than medical robotics and human-computer interfaces. This novel course will also have 6 ECTS instead of the current 3 ECTS in order to translate a bolder ambition of the outputs of the course. Here is the synopsis of the course I prepared.

 

Neurosciences (3T +  2TP) (presentation teaser)

 

When I started coordinating the course on Neurosciences I changed the approach to the contents, in order to provide a vision of neurosciences distinct from the traditional one more often based on biology/biophysics. In this course I especially flavored the approach of the engineer and of the IT scientist: the view of the brain as the most wonderful and intricate machine. The perception of existence and of life seem to the best of our knowledge originate from an ensemble of atoms and molecules organized in cells and tissues. How is consciousness emerging from this arrangement ? Our better in IT terms: how is software emerging from hardware ? What is really curious about brain and actually life is that function seem to derived/be enconded in structure be it atoms, molecules, cells, tissues or organism. Moreover, function then transforms structure via the process of evolution. Over the eons, a cycle of structure influences function influences structure has given rise to life and to thinking machines (bio ex machina). If we think about its complexity, the Brain is indeed the final frontier to be conquered!

 

Additionally, I introduced the practical classes. Given by background as a medical doctor and as a neuroscientist where we train the clinical neurological examination, we perform a personality assessment using neuropsychological tests and we discuss personality disorders. Given by work as a neuroscientist in medical imaging we learn how to use various neuromaging software as SPM, FSL and Diffusion Toolkit.

 

Finally, I introduced the mini-projects in neurosciences which may be driven by senior researchers (e.g. from IBEB) or driven by students themselves. This mini-projects are typically related to neuroimaging but also to brain-computer interfaces and other neurology-related electrophysiological signals (e.g. electromyography). Some of these projects have been presented in conferences of the specialty and have led to publications!

 

Here below are the themes lately covered in theoretical and practical classes, and here is the synopsys.

 

Theoretical classes:

• The evolution of the nervous system: from communication between cells in colonies to the advent of the human brain.

• Neurons and the structural organization of brain: biology and similarities with information and communication technologies

• Conectivity and complexity: functional segregation and integration

• Brain development and ageing

• Brain functions: consciousness, emotion, sleep, pain, memory, language, learning, rehabilitation, decision

• Neuropsychiatric disorders (clinical lectures by guests) which may include: neuro‐trauma, stroke, dementia, movement disorders, neuromuscular disorders, demyelinating disorders, epilepsy, migraines, infectious diseases, tumors, childhood and adolescence disorders, addiction, schizophrenia/psychosis, humor disorders, anxiety disorders, personality disorders, etc.

• Advanced topics: neuromarketing; neuromorphic computing

 

The theoretical-practical component is organized according to the main themes:

• Clinical assessments: demonstration and training

• Experimental neurosciences: bench-top lab study of the central nervous system

• Person-machine interfaces and brain-computer interfaces

• Post-processing of medical imaging data including the software tools: SPM, FSL and tractography post-processing.

 

Medical Equipment I (2 TP)

 

Last semester I picked up the practical classes of this course and gave it a spin! I showed students novel means to innovate on biomedical equipment design by deconstructing the reasoning behind needs and technology and by showcasing them recently developed biomedical devices. Also we saw "novel" methods of fabrication and the DIY, Maker, and Open philosophies. The tools of today, including 3D printing, laser cutting. How to finance the product development resourcing to crowdfunding platorms. The evaluation of the practical component was the presentation of a Indiegogo page about the biomedical device the students designed during the semester. I believe some of the concepts do really have potential (take a look at the example). Below you will find how were the classes organized.

 

• Class 1: Presentation of the practical classes of the course on Medical Equipment I.

• Class 2: Medical equipment: design principles. Needs and technology.

• Class 3: Medical equipment: design principles. Qualcomm Tricorder X-prize - part I

• Class 4: Medical equipment: design principles. Qualcomm Tricorder X-prize - part II

• Class 5: Medical equipment: design principles. Qualcomm Tricorder X-prize - part III

• Class 6: Student presentations of their designs and discussion - part I

• Class 7: Biomedical devices for the consumer market: Scanadu, Fitbit, Vital Jacket, wearables for health.

• Class 8: Biomedical devices for the consumer market: Nymi, Bitalino, Neurosky, Emotiv, Muse, Myo.

• Class 9: Biomedical devices for the consumer market: Neurophone, Kinect, LeapMotion, Eyetribe, Mobile apps.

• Class 10: Student presentations of their designs and discussion - part II

• Class 11: DIY and Maker movements. Tools: 3D Scanning, Laser Cutter, 3D Printer, CNC, Arduino. Open Hardware and Open Software.

• Class 12: Crowdfunding and crowdsourcing.

• Class 13: Student presentations of their designs and discussion - part III (final).

• Class 14: Sum up and closing of the course.

 

 

 

Master in Radiations Applied to Health Technologies, Lisbon School of Health Technology, Polytechnic Institute of Lisbon

 

Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (26T + 4L)

 

This course is designed as advanced Magnetic Resonance Imaging course for radiographers and others from similiar fields. It covers both basic and advanced concepts in Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (MRS), as well as technical aspects regarding data acquisition and post-processing. Clinical applications in brain, breast, prostate and others are discussed. The course also includes a laboratory class for MRS data processing and interpretation.

 

The course planning is the following:

 

• Class 1: Introduction to Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (MRS)

• Class 2: Principles of MRS, including chemical shift, J coupling, dipole-dipole coupling, sequences, spectrum, quality parameters

• Class 3: Data acquisition and post-processing, including application of time and frequency domain algorithms, quantification

• Class 4: Lab class on data processing and interpretation

• Class 5: Spectroscopy at 3T and ultra-high fields

• Class 6: Applications: Neuro, Breast and Prostate

• Class 7: Multinuclear spectroscopy, including Nuclear Overhauser Effect, and Decoupling

• Class 8: Advanced Techniques, including 2D localization, and Spectral Editing

• Class 9: Student prsentations

• Class 10: Examination

 

 

Escola Superior de Saúde Ribeiro Sanches (ERISA), Universidade Lusófona de Lisboa

 

Instrumentation II: Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Health Information Systems (2T + 2L)

 

When, I started at ERISA this course was already running. Nonetheless, I newly prepared all the contents of the course. In particular, I introduced for the first time most of the contents in english (the classes were in Portuguese, though) in order to better prepare students for going abroad. The bet paid off and today I have a number of former students in the UK working and having success. Also, I created a comprehensive and challenging program for the "Lab" classes.

 

Theoretical classes

MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING (MRI)
 

Princíples of MRI

• Introduction

• The proton in the magnetic field

• Relaxation time

• Pulse sequences (Spin echo, Gradient echo, others)  

• Fast imaging acquisition techniques

• From MRI signal to image

 

MRI scanners

• MRI scanner "zoology" and economics

• Magnets

• Gradient coil systems

• Radiofrequency coil systems

• Receiver coil systems

• Computing platforms and electronic cabinets

• Ultra-high fields

 

Applications

• Clinical examination procedures

• Routine examinations

• Advances applications

• Post-processing special topics

• Research and the future of MRI

HEALTH INFORMATION SYSTEMS (HIS)
 

• Radiology Information Systems (RIS)

• Hospital Information Systems (HIS)

• DICOM standard and HL7 Protocol

• Image digitizing systems

• Digital acquisition

• Picture archive and communication systems (PACS)

• Digital storing solutions

• Visualization/diagnostic consoles

• Optimization of workflows in Radiology

• Teleradiology and Telemedicine

• Electronic Patient Records (EPR)

• Health management systems

 

Laboratory classes

 

• Lab manual and worksheets