Khilafat quote from Hazrat Hakeem Maulvi Nooruddin Sahibra

At most universities, the degree is a BEng but can also be completed as a separate MSc or even an integrated MEng. The benefit of studying this degree to or at a master’s level is that you are introduced to more niche subjects and have the chance to partake in more projects. The first year is common with other engineering disciplines covering general modules in maths, mechanics, statics, and electronic instrumentation. In the second year, we were introduced to Biomechanics - analysis of human movement and energy transfer and also designed a prosthetic hand to fit a design specification. By the third year the material was more specialised, my two main projects included designing an electrical stimulated cycle for a paraplegic patient and developing a filter to analyse brain signals to better understand epilepsy. In my final year, we were given a broad choice for our individual projects and I had the chance to complete my dissertation on tissue engineering.

My favourite aspect of this degree is how versatile it is and how broad your career paths are once you graduate. The most researched and well-known area for bioengineering is prosthetic limb design, and gait analysis. The standard design for mechanical limbs is well known and researched. Where it currently stands, it can be said that an optimum design has been achieved. However, electrical prosthetics, specifically those that can be controlled using brain signals, still require a lot of understanding. The central nervous system is an incredibly complex system of the body and the signals for even simple movements are not easy to replicate. Furthermore, the technology that is available is incredibly pricey and not accessible to the average person. Thus, despite being possibly the best understood area of bioengineering, there is so much research to be done to achieve natural limb movement in amputees.

There are of course a number of industrial positions available with this career pathway. Most of these go into artificial intelligence, medical equipment such as MRI equipment and medical devices, like pacemakers. Medical engineers can also work in hospitals, working to maintain and fix medical equipment to ensure it is fit for use. Alternatively, another common pathway taken, is training in clinical engineering and working in gait analysis and rehabilitation.

The more fascinating side of this degree is the numerous research topics it includes. Being less than 50 years old, the area of research remains incredibly broad which allows huge possibilities for understanding new areas of science. The seemingly industrial aspects of the degree in fact can also be pushed into research. If we consider EEG equipment for example, there are many improvements needed and better data extraction methods required, to understand neurological disorders.

As Waqifeen-e-Nau, we are often reminded that our purpose is to serve Jama’at in any way Hazuraba asks of us to. One way to do this whilst pursuing secular knowledge is to relate our work to prove the existence of Allah the Almighty. At the AMRA conference held in 2019, Hazuraba said, “All Ahmadi researchers or academics should continually keep in view the Oneness of God Almighty before, during and after conducting any research or study. They should seek to conduct their investigations with the firm intention of eliciting evidence that will enable them to prove the existence of the One God…. The research of a secular person is based on a purely worldly approach and they use their intellect for the sake of material progress. Their efforts lead to scientific advancement, but the research of a believer has a far greater potential impact... to offer proof of the existence of God Almighty.” Hence, bioengineering is a possible research area that can help build further scientific proof, as described by Hazuraba, to showcase the existence of Allah the Almighty.

The research topic that interested me most was tissue engineering. I pursued this for my final year individual project, focusing on designing artificial skin. Tissue engineering, as its name suggests, is lab engineered biological tissue. It involves culturing cells then seeding them into a scaffold, or 3D structure, to encourage

organ/ tissue growth. Tissue engineering includes replacement, repair and regeneration of tissues and organs. There are two main applications- to study diseases and to grow human organs. In theory, tissue engineering could be used to grow healthy organs for those in need of a transplant. The possibility of growing a replacement organ, from the patient’s own cells, could dramatically improve their quality of life. Alternatively, we could take infected/ diseased cells and culture different organs to allow us to understand how a disease evolves and to study the effects of possible drugs.

The traditional method for testing a new drug would be to test it on cells grown on a petri dish, then on rodents or other animals, and finally human testing takes place. However, if we are to grow a human organ in the lab, as theorised in tissue engineering, it could replace many of these steps and speed up this process, while providing reliable results. Furthermore, using cells extracted from the patients allows us to produce patient-specific results, resulting in better personalised medicine. This research is still in its early phases but shows incredibly promising data- skin models currently in research are both biologically and structurally relevant, showing high mechanical stability and reduced cell degradation, compared to 2D analysis.

With my project in skin tissue engineering, I researched into current available skin models and their similarities with native human skin. Despite being the most accessible and arguably the most understood organ, the differences between Allah’s creation and our human attempts were staggering. The top layers of skin are only a few millimetres deep, yet the complexity in attempting to replicate just this structure is incredibly difficult. This is just one way that shows how Allah is AlKhaliq, The Great Creator, Al-Musawwir, The Designer, and Aziz, The All-Powerful. In his address at the first international AMRA conference, while speaking about righteous believers, Hazuraba said, “When they pray to Allah for guidance, He grants them clarity of thought, He enlightens their minds and washes away the haze of incomprehension that previously existed. He grants them an understanding of the universe and planets and they recognise with certainty, that such a perfect and precise natural order could never have come about by chance or on its own; rather, it is a reflection and indicator of a Great Creator.”ii

InshAllah, as per Hazur’saba wishes, we can use science and research to prove the existence of Allah and the truth foretold in the Holy Qur’an.

References: i https://www.alislam.org/friday-sermon/2016-10-28.html ii https://www.reviewofreligions.org/19379/ahmadi-muslim-researchers-restoring-islams-golden-age/