President's Column

I would like to tell you about two conferences that I attended recently. While very different, each in its own way tells us a great deal where our profession is heading. One conference – held in Hangzhou, China – was a joint conference between the Chinese University of Hong Kong and Zhejiang University in Hangzhou. The other – held in Seattle, Washington – was the annual meeting of the US Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES).   

It is interesting to note that the major sponsor of the conference in Hangzhou was the Department of High-Tech Industries, State Development Planning Commission of China. It was also supported, among others, by the Chinese National Natural Science Foundation, the Chinese Ministry of Education and the K. C. Wong Education Foundation, also based in China.   

The Director of the High-Tech Industries noted, during the opening session of the conference, the important role of biomedical engineering research in driving the development of high technology industries and in future growth of the economy in the region. Sales of medical equipment alone in China are likely to exceed 50 billion Yuan (approximately US$6.25 billion) in the year 2000. This represents about 6% of the world market in medical equipment. The China share of the market is expected to increase in the coming years in spite of a slowing down of economic growth in the country.   

China recognises, however, the importance of increasing its investment in the new areas of biomedical engineering research and development that will be essential to healthcare in the new century and the future driving force of the economy. These include new imaging techniques, tissue and cellular engineering, micro- and nanotechnology, biochips, telemedicine, artificial organs, neuroengineering, engineering applications in genomic research and others. He summarised his remarks by characterising the future as "the era of biomedical engineering industrialisation".   

His comments were echoed by the President of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, who recognised biomedical engineering as an "unfolding research field". He stressed the important role of integrating engineering with molecular biology, cell biology and neurobiology to yield instruments, sensors, and informatics approaches for the development and commercialisation of advanced techniques for diagnosis, monitoring and treatment.   

The attendance of a large number of Chinese who are active in research in biomedical engineering, and the variety and quality of the presentations, was indeed impressive, indicating increased interest and government support for the field in this part of the world. There was also clear evidence that the Chinese government views the field and the profession as an important driving force for future economic growth. It also reflected the proactive role of the Chinese government in the development and commercialisation process.   

The papers at the annual conference of the Biomedical Engineering Society also presented clear evidence of the exciting directions and potential of the field. Sessions included topics such as biomaterials, gene and drug delivery, bioinformatics, the physiome, complexity, cellular engineering, neural engineering, modelling, and biological computing. Interestingly, however, there was a major difference between the BMES conference and the conference in Hangzhou. There was no evidence of government support for the conference itself. Furthermore, with very few exceptions, the connection of the research effort to the industrial sector was either lacking or at best tenuous. It is clear, however, that the United States government provides increasing support for biomedical engineering research and that, while much of the support is presently focused on fundamental research, the future impact on biology, medicine and the delivery of healthcare will be immense.   

The BMES conference focused on the fundamental nature of the profession with emphasis on basic research in biomedical engineering and for most the part ignored the immediate implications to commercial products. The Chinese conference stressed the balance between short- and long-term objectives and the close link between the academic and industrial interests. Both conferences displayed, however, a growing interest in the field, a shift in its scientific basis and the influx of a large number of bright young engineers and scientists to this promising profession.

Dov Jaron

IFMBE President

Email: dov.jaron@drexel.edu