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This retinal prosthetic system consists of a video camera mounted on a pair of glasses. The camera transmits to an intraocular unit which stimulates retinal cells, imparting vision perception.
Credit: Intraocular Prosthesis Group at Johns Hopkins University and North Carolina State University. Illustration by Jerry Lim

Title: How Do Engineers Help Improve Health?
Engineers develop tools, drugs and processes that enable us to fight disease and disability.

From first-generation artificial retinas that may restore vision lost through age-related eye disease to computer-aided text and speech generation for people with other physical disabilities, engineers are creating devices that overcome obstacles once thought insurmountable.

Research efforts on topics such as biofilms, drug design on the molecular scale and novel catalysts guide engineers to apply their findings to new classes of antibiotics, cancer treatments and other medicines.

From cancer-fighting drugs manufactured on a bacterial assembly line to complex pills created layer by layer, engineered solutions to manufacturing, distribution and overall efficiency provide faster, lower-cost means to address health problems.

What Role Do Engineers Play in National Security? [Next]

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Last Updated:
Apr 20, 2005
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Last Updated: Apr 20, 2005