a) Biomedical/Health Sciences

This category focuses on studies specifically designed to address issues of human health and disease. It includes studies on the diagnosis, treatment, prevention or epidemiology of disease and other damage to the human body or mental systems. Includes studies of normal functioning and may investigate internal as well as external factors such as feedback mechanisms, stress or environmental impact on human health and disease.

Subcategories:

• Cell, Organ, and Systems Physiology

• Genetics and Molecular Biology of Disease

• Immunology

• Nutrition and Natural Products

• Pathophysiology

• Other/Multiple

Cell, Organ, and Systems Physiology: These studies investigate mechanisms that are involved in maintaining health or when disrupted, cause disease. They could involve investigating such things as the role of cell signaling pathways both within the cell (intracellular) and/or between cells (extracellular). Alternatively, studies in this subcategory could investigate the maintenance of homeostasis at the organ or whole-body level (e.g., hormonal control and regulation). These studies may also be in areas such as disease-related, stress-related, biochemical, mechanical, or physical changes at the tissue, organ, and /or cellular level.

Genetics and Molecular Biology of Disease: These studies investigate the genetic and molecular mechanisms involved in the regulatory pathways that maintain normal body and cellular function or if disturbed can lead to disease. Studies could include examining the activation and deactivation of genes (e.g., transcription factors or epigenetic regulation) or involve more classical genetic identification studies.

Immunology: These studies will investigate any aspects of the immune system that are involved in maintaining health or when altered lead to pathology. These studies can include new investigations of normal immune function (e.g., immune cell interactions and signaling), or they may study diseases caused by disorders in regulation of the immune system (e.g., immunodeficiency or autoimmunity). Alternatively, the studies could investigate problems such as graft vs host or host versus graft disease that arise during the treatment of other diseases or conditions.

Nutrition and Natural Products: The study of food, nutrients and dietary need in humans, and the effects of food and nourishment on the body.  These studies may include the effects of natural or supplemental nutrients and nutrition.

Pathophysiology: These studies will be focused on determining specific causes of disease and on physiological mechanisms responsible for disease development. Investigations in this category will examine changes in the normal physiological balance, or homeostasis that cause a reaction(s) within the body leading to disease.

b) Bioengineering

Projects that involve the application of engineering principles and design concepts to medicine and biology for healthcare purposes including diagnosis, monitoring and therapy.  Prominent biomedical engineering applications include the development of biocompatible prostheses, various diagnostic and therapeutic medical devices ranging from clinical equipment to micro-implants, common imaging equipment such as MRIs and EEGs, regenerative tissue growth, pharmaceutical drugs and therapeutic biologicals.

Subcategories:

• Biomaterials and Regenerative Medicine

• Biomechanics

• Biomedical Devices

• Biomedical Sensors and Imaging

• Cell and Tissue Engineering

• Synthetic Biology

• Other/Multiple

Biomaterials and Regenerative Medicine: These studies involve the creation or use of biomaterials or biocompatible materials to construct a whole or a part of a living structure. These studies can include scaffolds for recruiting or supporting regenerative cells or tissues or the engineering designs for creating the correct environment for regenerative growth.

Biomechanics: Studies that apply classical mechanics (statics, dynamics, fluids, solids, thermodynamics, and continuum mechanics) to understand the function of biological tissues, organs, and systems and solve biological or medical problems. It includes the study of motion, material deformation, flow within the body and in devices, and transport of chemical constituents across biological and synthetic media and membranes.

Biomedical Devices: The study and/or construction of an apparatus that use electronics and other measurement techniques to prevent and/or treat diseases or other conditions within or on the body.

Biomedical Sensors and Imaging: The study and/or construction of an apparatus or technique that obtains data to measure a condition of the body using physical phenomenon (sound, radiation, magnetism, etc) with high speed electronic data processing, analysis and display to support biomedical advances and procedures.

Cell and Tissue Engineering: Studies that utilize the anatomy, biochemistry and mechanics of cellular and sub-cellular structures in order to understand disease processes and to be able to intervene at very specific sites.

Synthetic Biology: Studies that involve the design and construction of new biological parts, devices and systems. Such studies include biological circuit design, genetic circuits, protein engineering, nucleic acid engineering, rational design, directed evolution and metabolic engineering.

Other/Multiple: Studies in Biomedical/Health Sciences and/or Bioengineering that do not fit in the above subcategories or which may involve multiple subcategories.