Biomedical Engineering

Introduction
Biomedical engineering is a growing field that creates a bridge between engineering, biology, and medicine [1]. After ten and a half years of its founding, institutions initiated to expand biomedical engineering in the 1970s [2]. The expansion led to improved graduate programs with integrated curricula, improved communication between physicians and engineers, and more job opportunities to solve real world problems [3]. Technical communicators are essential in this field to relay information to the public through writing papers and presenting at conferences in both the industry and academia. Design heuristics are also applicable in biomedical design to generate concepts or products [4]. Additionally, writing grants in academia is necessitated in order to get funding from the National Institutes of Health. As science and technologies advance, interdisciplinary strategies are needed to further expand on this field.

Ethics and Policy in Biomedical Engineering
The need for technical communicators in the intersectional engineering, society, and science policy issues is prevalent in the biomedical field [5]. As most research is funded by the government, it is important to convey information to the public, policy makers and professional societies such as the IEEE for the continuation of future research. Ethics play an important role in research, profession and society [6]. Therefore, detailed documentations of guidance are required to avoid potential misconduct and conflicts within an institution and regarding public health and safety.

Fields in Biomedical Engineering
Biomedical engineering offers a wide array of fields pertinent mostly to healthcare. These are a few: Regenerative medicine: this field uses biomaterials and tissue engineering to design systems that repair damaged organs and tissues. Regenerative medicine is helpful in diseases mostly associated with kidney, obesity, diabetes, and cancers [7]. Imaging systems: this field involves medical instruments and measurements to maintain therapy responses and clinical diagnoses. Different organs and tissues can be imaged to detect clinical abnormalities. A few examples of biomedical imaging include Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), Ultrasound, and Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT).

Optical Coherence Tomography
Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) is one of the imaging techniques used in biomedical engineering, and is the most common in ophthalmology to detect abnormalities in eyes [8]. In situ (real time) imaging is an important feature of OCT as it is non-invasive, thus minimizing discomfort in patients. The basis of OCT relies on light from a laser source interfering and reflecting off tissues to give two- and three- dimensional images. Thus, these medical devices are key to administering proper treatment or essentially prevent certain diseases. This academic research has been prevalent since 1995 and is ongoing to further expand on creating high resolution images and having more technical applications [9].

Retinal Imaging with OCT
Figure 1: (top) OCT images of an infant who was treated for retinopathy of prematurity [11]. (bottom) A side view of a human eye that shows some important tissues and layers in OCT imaging [10].

The most common types of tissues/layers that are studied are the retina and cornea as most diseases on these cause visual impairment or blindness in humans [10]. The retina is a layer of tissue in the back of the eye that collects light and sends images to the brain, and the cornea is the protective layer in the eye that can also bend light toward the retina. An en face (face forward) OCT image of an infant who was treated for retinopathy of prematurity, which is a common disorder in premature babies that can lead to blindness if untreated. The red arrow in (a) indicates scars from laser therapy, which halts the progression of the disease to prevent the retina getting detached from the back of the eye [11].

Technical Communicators in OCT
Even though OCT has improved since it first emerged 25 years ago, there is a need for further development in research [12]. The field is constantly looking to improve the current image resolution to detect cancerous cells more efficiently. Furthermore, the applications of OCT are now being extended to dermatology for skin cancers. Technical communicators have been prevalent in writing white papers for instruments and devices, applying for government funding, and collaborating with researchers and entrepreneurs. However, since OCT mostly prospers in the academic field, it is important for information to be conveyed to the public for increased commercialization. The most important aspect would be to convince the public to have regular comprehensive eye exams for vision and health (to prevent vision loss) with a prior basic knowledge of why OCT is needed.