Healthcare and Biotechnology in the 21st Century: Concepts and Case Studies introduces students not pursuing degrees in science or engineering to the remarkable new applications of technology now available to physicians and their patients and discusses how these technologies are evolving to permit new treatments and procedures.  The book also elucidates the societal and ethical impacts of advances in medical technology, such as extending life and end of life decisions, the role of genetic testing, confidentiality, costs of health care delivery, scrutiny of scientific claims, and provides background on the engineering approach in healthcare and the scientific method as a guiding principle. This concise, highly relevant text enables faculty to offer a substantive course for students from non-scientific backgrounds that will empower them to make more informed decisions about their healthcare by significantly enhancing their understanding of these technological advancements.

Presents scientific concepts from modern medical science using relevant, high-profile, and widely publicized break-through technologies

Is Technology the Cure for Soaring Demand and the High Costs of Healthcare?.- Science, Pseudoscience, and Not-Science: How do they Differ?.- Technology and Bioethics: What Can Scientists and Engineers Do, and What Should They Do?.- Inventing, Evaluating and Approving New Drugs and Devices.- A Visit to the Physician:  Diagnoses and Enabling Technologies.- Properties of the Host (the Human Body).- Properties and Behavior of Materials, and Some Design Considerations Too.- Biomaterials Applications in Medicine and Case Studies.- Cardiovascular Devices: Getting to the Heart of the Matter.- Clever Strategies for Controlled Drug Release and Targeted Drug Delivery.- Tissue Engineering:  Growing Replacement Human Tissue in the Lab.- Genetic Engineering.- A Trip to the Dentist.- Rehabilitation Technologies.- Appendix A: SBIR Proposal Front Pages.- Appendix B : Panster Patent.- Appendix C : Informed Consent Form 1.