Unit J Biomedical Technology Biomedical Research Unit J Biomedical Technology

Basic Research Conducted to increase fundamental knowledge Not directed toward solving any particular problem Provides building blocks for other types of research

Applied Research Directed toward specific objectives Conducted with Development of a new drug New treatment New surgical procedure Conducted with animals, non-animal methods, Computer models or Tissue samples and humans

Clinical Research Used after other forms of research have taken place Used to test potential drugs and treatments in humans Builds on what is done in basic and applies stages Broad variety of activities and areas of study Human clinical trials Psychosocial & behavioral research Disease control research

Biomedical Research Methods Chemical mechanical mathematical and computer simulations Strengths and limitations In-vitro tests “in glass” takes place in an artificial environment Non-human models

Biomedical Research Methods (cont) Non-human models Animals provide the best known surrogate for humans in the lab Similarities between animals and humans outweigh differences Strengths and limitations of animal models

Biomedical Research Methods (cont) Human studies Most often used in developing prescription drugs 3 major phases of clinical trials After clinical trials Strengths & limitations of clinical trials

Biomedical Research Methods (cont) Epidemiological studies Experimental epidemiology Descriptive epidemiology Observational epidemiology Information gathering occurs after the fact Do not demonstrate a direct cause and effect, but show a statistically significant association between exposure and disease