In another step to build area biotech research and economic development, the University of Cincinnati plans to create a degree-granting department of biomedical engineering.

        A UC task force, created this year, plans to make its formal recommendations to the UC board of trustees at its next meeting, Nov. 28.

        “There has been biomedical engineering research going on in different parts of the university for some years,” said task force chairman Dr. John Maggio, director of UC's department of pharmacology and cell biophysics.

        ""Bringing it together in one department ... will give us a lot more strength in this field.”

        Fueled by the near-completion of the Human Genome Project, researchers worldwide have been racing to advance what many have called the next great revolution in medical science. The federal government, many states and private investors are pumping billions into this field in hopes of improving health and spurring economic development.

        In Ohio, UC has been working with other large universities and with state officials to become a larger player in this emerging industry.

        UC's plan calls for shifting about five experts, and millions worth of research grants, from various engineering and medical science departments into the new department of biomedical engineering. Ultimately, the department would include 10 to 15 core faculty members plus a larger number of collaborating faculty.

        The department would offer undergraduate, master's and doctoral-level degrees while faculty conduct a wide range of basic research. If the trustees approve the plan, a national search for a department head would begin. If the plan also wins required approval from the Ohio Board of Regents, undergraduate students could start as soon as fall 2001, Dr. Maggio said.

        The UC biomedical engi neering department would focus on three areas:

        • Bioinformatics, the advanced computer science and related technology needed to analyze as many as 10,000 genes at a time.

        • Imaging, the advancing technology of detecting disease and tracking body functions down to the cellular level and beyond.

        • Tissue engineering and biomechanics, which includes a range of ideas on ways to replace or re-grow damaged body parts.

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