Path to take to become a tissue engineer?

College Majors Engineering Majors
1

Hi! I’ll be a high school senior this year and for a few years now I’ve been really interested in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. I know one of the traditional paths is to get an undergraduate degree in biomedical engineering (since it’s related and more common) and then find a graduate program that specializes in the tissue research part of BME - so basically tissue engineering.

I’ve heard that biomedical engineering is considered a “jack-of-all-trades” major, and if that’s the case, I’d rather not spend 4-5 years and thousands of dollars learning concepts I won’t use.

For example, I’m not all that interested in the biomedical instrumentation aspect of BME - I don’t want to work with devices/improving medical technology at all. I want to work with stem cell research and scaffolds and tissue regeneration. So I feel as though BME might not be the right major for me, but do I really have any other choice?

What are the steps you took or that you are taking to become a tissue engineer? Thanks in advance, any and all advice will be greatly appreciated. :slight_smile:

2

Get a degree in biology, but do research in the specific areas that you’re interested in. The area that you’re looking into is moving quite quickly nowadays, and you should have no problem finding a research group or two on campus with just what you’re looking for.

3

@newkidnewtrix Thank you tons for your advice! If I do end up majoring in biology, do you think not having the engineering experience/background would be difficult to overcome when it comes time for grad school? I can’t imagine many of the traditional engineering concepts being applicable in tissue engineering, but there surely must be some things I’d miss out on? Or do you think the research you mentioned would help out with/cover that?

4

I totally thought you wanted to be a tissue paper engineer when first reading the title lol

5

@newkidnewtrix Has the right idea, it’s very unlikely you’ll find an undergraduate degree in “tissue engineering” but I can tell you there are different ways of pursuing it. I would say, to the best of my knowledge, that an undergradaute degree in either biology/biochemistry or material science/engineering would provide a strong foundation in order to move on to a graduate course in biomaterials (which you can further specialize in synthetic tissue, etc.).

There are some users here who give pretty sound advice on engineering majors, two that come to mind are @eyemgh and another user whose name I can’t remember but he/she has Dr. Strangelove in their profile pic :)) memory fails

6

You’re referring to @boneh3ad. :slight_smile:

Back in my day this fell under the purview of cellular biology and/or agronomy. BME wasn’t as widely distributed as it is now and was more device related (joints, imaging, stents, etc.). I’m not in that field anymore and haven’t kept up. Hence, my silence. :wink:

7

I appreciate the compliments but I honestly know very little about tissue engineering.

8

“I want to work with stem cell research and scaffolds and tissue regeneration” - I don’t see much overlap with traditional engineering fields. It is more the Science part of STEM.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tissue_engineering

9

Most tissue engineering jobs are done in Bio Research or Traditional Medicine. Bio E is as close as you can get and it’s very device oriented.

10

Biomedical, Biological, or Chemical Engineering.

11

It’s not like there’s no place for engineers in the field of tissue engineering–there are a number of individuals with backgrounds in mechanical engineering and chemical engineering, among others, doing work on tissues. However, most of the work seems to be done by biologists and biochemists. Your best bet for tissue engineering might be a major in molecular/cell biology, or biochemistry. However, it also wouldn’t be unusual to approach the field with an undergraduate degree in mechanical or chemical engineering.

Look around for faculty members at various schools doing the type of research you’re interested in, and look at their CVs to see the path they took to get there.

Note a few things about that last sentence, by the way:

  1. “Tissue engineer” is not a thing. It’s not a job title. It doesn’t exist. Tissue engineering does, but the people who work on this type of stuff don’t go to school to become “tissue engineers.” Rather, they are individuals with PhDs whose research has focused on topics like or relevant to tissue engineering.
  2. Tissue engineering has virtually zero presence in industry. For the time being, it is the domain of academia. You will almost certainly have to get a PhD and secure a job as a professor at a university to do any meaningful work in the field.
12

Look for BME programs that are more medically focused. We’ve visited a number of engineering programs around the country and there are definitely differences among programs. Some were device focused (what my daughter was looking for) but others were definitely deeper in biology and materials science. I’m not sure how you get a feel without visiting, but potentially reviewing the course progression for degree, looking at professor research as mentioned above, and seeing which schools are affiliated with major hospitals. And the engineering department relationship to the hospital and medical school. Some have cross functional research teams. I’m blanking right now on the best “medical” BME programs I’ve seen, but if I remember, will post again.

13

^^^^What @treschicos said!

Not all BME programs have a similar focus. You need to do your research, review the curriculum, and looking into what research is being done at the university. It’s a LOT of research…

I’m going to use UF as an example, since it’s what I know, but there are lots of other, similar BME programs available at other schools. Look for schools that do significant $ of research in the life sciences (they will almost always have an associated hospital, like UF Health/Shands).

Here’s an overview of the curriculum for UF’s program:
https://catalog.ufl.edu/ugrad/current/engineering/Majors/biomedical-engineering.aspx

UF’s BME program requires 132 (semester) credits, about 4.5 years to complete (less if taking classes over the summer, etc.). A typical degree takes 120 (for comparison), while engineering degrees tend to require more hours.

Science and Math Core: 39 credits

Biology Core: 8 credits
The biology core includes BSC 2010 Biology 1 and PCB 3713C Cellular and Systems Physiology, a new course developed by the Department of Biology in consultation with BME. Additional biology is part of the advanced physiology and molecular engineering courses. The biology core enables students to bridge the gap of knowledge from engineering to the medical sciences.

Engineering Core: 22 credits
The engineering core provides a thorough understanding of how engineers approach problems and introduces the major engineering disciplines the student will encounter over a career. The coursework consists of computer programming, thermodynamics, statics, materials, energy balances and circuits.

BME Core: 13 credits
The BME core provides basic understanding of prominent problems and methodologies used in the biomedical engineering profession.

Laboratories: 5 credits

UF BME students will complete one 15-credit specialization track in an area of their choosing, from biomechanics, biomaterials, medical physics and imaging, and neural engineering.

http://bme.ufl.edu/academics/undergraduate/curriculum/tracks

Next, look into the areas of research and determine if that fits your interest.

http://bme.ufl.edu/research

The above site list faculty involved in research, most are associated with a lab (20+?) and have a website that reviews the work being done in the lab (and how to join the lab). For example (the first 3 that I randomly picked):

https://faculty.eng.ufl.edu/dobson-lab/
Dr. Dobson’s research focuses on biomedical applications of magnetic micro- and nanoparticles. His group has developed novel technologies for 1) magnetic targeting and remote activation of cell signaling pathways for cell engineering and stem cell therapy; 2) magnetic nanoparticle-based gene transfection delivery; and 3) magnetic targeting of modified cell carriers for cancer therapy and regenerative medicine.

http://www.orthobme.com/
Dr. Allen’s research seeks to improve the evaluation of preclinical osteoarthritis models and improve the preclinical-to-clinical translation of emerging diagnostics and therapeutics for joint diseases.

http://www.gatorbaitlabs.com/
Dr. Simmons is the Director of the Biomimetic Actuators and Integrated Technologies (GatorBAIT) Lab, where researchers develop microsystems to mimic bodily functions in a dish. Specifically, systems are being developed to recreate the mechanical microenvironment by applying mechanical strain, biochemically tuning substrate stiffness, and creating composite structures for biomimetic tissues-on-a-chip.

Yes, as most folks recommend at least a Master’s in the field (BME, or earn your BS in BME and then your masters in ME/EE, or even another STEM field). However, the same would go for Bio majors. If you want to work in this field, its recommend that you earn a graduate degree.

Good Luck!

14

Or, if you are up to do some digging and mild stalking, look up people publicly listed on LinkedIn that have a job title of Tissue Engineer. They will probably have their educational/work backgrounds listed on their profiles so you’ll be able to get an idea of what they studied in college and where they work now.
Take it with a grain of salt though since BME is a new-ish major so some of the more experienced Tissue Engineers may have been in college before they offered BME degrees and might have majored in something else.