The biomedical industry is an important driver of economic development. It is known for its clean, non-polluting firms, and it provides high-paying technical, clerical, and administrative jobs. These jobs generate an economic multiplier effect for a city or region. Governments, educational institutions, and private industry are working together to attract biomedical firms.
The biomedical industry comprises biotechnologies that are focused on the treatment of human diseases. This industry has a strong focus on research and development and is committed to providing innovative products. Although the number of products in the market is still small, it is rapidly growing. The outlook for this industry is excellent.
Biomedical engineers are responsible for designing and developing equipment and systems that help improve the lives of patients. Many of these devices involve sophisticated biotechnology. Some of these products include implantable cardiac pacemakers and joint replacement implants. They also focus on novel drug delivery systems. They may also design tissues that will be used as grafts. Some of the designs involve the use of clever bioadaptive coatings. Find out more about HVOF by going to a site like www.poeton.co.uk/standard-treatments/plasma-coatings
New drug development is an essential part of the biomedical industry. The process of developing a new drug can take a long time and is expensive. There are also risky aspects involved in testing new drugs on humans. These new drugs are known as pipeline drugs.
Besides developing products for the treatment of human diseases, biomedical engineers also design devices for consumer use. Such products may fall under the Consumer Product Safety jurisdiction. The biggest hurdles for these products are “clearance” and pre-market “approval” processes.
The biomedical industry is a growing industry, rapidly growing in Europe. In fact, in the European Union, biotechnology employment was 15.5% higher in 2003 than in 2000. The trend suggests that once the industry matures and becomes more established, it will continue to create jobs for European citizens.
Biomedical engineering careers are driven by interest and aptitude. Many biomedical engineers specialise in specific fields, such as neuromodulation devices, orthopaedic repair, or stem cell engineering. This interdisciplinary industry includes large corporations, small and midsize firms, and spinout companies. The US device industry is bigger than the UK, and major companies in biomedical engineering reside there.
While this is encouraging, the biomedical industry has a major problem. Many scientists are not trained to manage the administrative side of research and development. This fundamental issue is reflected in current research practices and resource allocation processes.
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