Biochemical Engineering

Overview

Biochemical engineering is a rapidly growing field using advances in genetics, microbiology, biochemistry and chemical engineering to create products, processes and services that are useful to mankind.

Ice cream, artificial kidneys, blood oxygenators, penicillin, insulin, aspirin, Viagra, human growth hormone, artificial heart/valves, nutritional foods and vitamins, essential oils, composite materials, new medicines, treatments and cures for AIDS, HIV, cancer, Alzheimer's or Parkinson's diseases, miniature analysers or reactors and nanomaterials are all examples of biochemical engineering.

Biochemical engineering blends knowledge in:

• Engineering Science (mass and heat transfer, fluid control, material properties, kinetics and reaction engineering, process control, systems modelling, commercial, regulatory, safety, reliability issues)
• Process (metabolic pathways, industrial manufacturing, protein purification, fermentation, design, economics)
• Biology (small chemical molecules, proteins and biochemistry, microbiology, supra-molecule assemblies, genetics, whole cells, tissues and organisms)
• Systems (individual cells, enzyme systems, genetic modifications, whole processing plants)