Biomedicine is a discipline focused on the biological aspects of medicine. Its main aim is to study the cellular, molecular, genetic and biochemical processes involved in the diseases and conditions that affect human beings. The goal is early diagnosis of disease and the development of treatments to cure it.
| Physician | Practical focus | Uses laboratory results produced by the biomedical scientist to make diagnoses | Diagnosis of symptoms, patient care, treatment and surgery |
| Biomedical scientist | Research | Uses practical data derived from the physician's research | Collects biological samples to carry out research into curing diseases |
The machining industry, on the other hand, refers to the industrial techniques that transform an initial object into another of a different shape and size.
Where these two fields meet is, for example, in the production of surgical instruments such as tweezers, forceps or retractors. These tools, indispensable in surgery, start out as a piece of surgical steel that is worked on various machines, such as cutting machines, until it has the ideal shape for its use.
Likewise, the machining industry is also responsible for prostheses, made from materials that the body does not reject, such as titanium, and shaped to replace the original body parts. Machining guarantees the perfection of these parts, providing a finish that could not be achieved without these machines.
Micromachining
In recent years the biomedical sector has grown considerably, incorporating new technologies that have helped in the search for cures and treatments for certain diseases. This has been possible, among other things, thanks to micromachining.
Micromachining is the technique used to produce tiny parts that could not otherwise be made with such precision. It relies on high working speeds on cooled machines, which keep the temperature stable so that unrivalled precision can be achieved.
This technique works with very hard materials such as stainless steel or titanium to produce parts for the medical and dental field. Among the things that can be made thanks to micromachining are osteosynthesis screws, used with plates that are screwed to the bone to heal joint fractures.
Advances in biomedicine made possible by machining
Biomedicine has advanced remarkably in recent years, achieving many breakthroughs that make it easier to cure and treat disease. These advances require laboratories equipped with complex technological instruments manufactured in factories using machining processes. It is therefore fair to say that without these machining processes to build state-of-the-art scientific equipment, progress would not be possible in research fields as important as stem cells.
Stem cells
Stem cell research enabled scientists to turn adult cells into the kind of stem cells found in embryos. Stem cells are known as undifferentiated cells, which means they can turn into other types of cell, such as blood cells or nerve cells. From there, research progressed to transdifferentiation, the process by which a cell of one type can become another type of cell. For example, a skin cell can become a brain cell.
This achievement is extremely important, as it opens the door to curing blood disorders or repairing burns. What is more, in time it is quite likely that cures will be found for certain diseases that are currently incurable, such as Alzheimer's.
This disease affects the nerve cells of the brain and causes dementia. Although its cause is not yet well understood, one theory holds that it is due to an excess of two proteins in the brain. These proteins, called beta-amyloid and tau, form tangles in the brain that may hinder communication between cells.
Stem cells are currently being used in research into this disease through the production of neurons with the same genetic make-up as people with Alzheimer's. This could lead to drugs that reduce the excess of tau and beta-amyloid proteins.
There is still a great deal to advance and discover in this field. However, this branch of science is advancing by leaps and bounds thanks, among other things, to the machining industry, which turns scientists' hopes and ambitions, and patients' needs, into reality.