Tipirneni-Sajja MRIS Lab
Education
Undergraduate & Graduate Courses
- Biomedical Spatial Visualization – BIOM 1702
Credit Hours: (1)
Description: Using engineering drawings and computer-aided drafting packages to communicate information and solve engineering problems; emphasis on group work, project documentation, and oral presentation. One lecture hours, two laboratory hours per week. PREREQUISITE or COREQUISITE: MATH 1720 or MATH 1730 or MATH 1910 or ENGR 1010 with a grade of C- or better. - Introduction to Medical Measurements (Lecture & Lab) – BIOM 3010
Credit Hours: (4)
Description: Theory and application of major types of sensors used in biomedical engineering and clinical medicine; principles of signal processing and instrumentation, such as frequency domain analysis, operational amplifiers, and filtration. Three lecture hours and three laboratory hours per week. PREREQUISITE : BIOM 1720, EECE 2201 or EECE 2283/EECE 2281, PHYS 2120 / PHYS 2121 - Physiological Systems & Modeling – BIOM 3710
Credit Hours: (3)
Description: Fundamentals of control theory and mathematical modeling and analysis as applied to physiological systems. PREREQUISITE: CIVL 2131, MATH 2120 or MATH 3402. PREREQUISITE or COREQUISITE: BIOL 3730 or BIOM 3110, BIOM 3010. - Senior Design Studio – BIOM 4784
Credit Hours: (2)
Description: Laboratory experience dedicated to the design, development, and fabrication of a final prototype for use in conducting engineering analysis and design loop feedback. Responsibilities will include frequent team meetings, mentor advising, and group brainstorming along with prototype designing, technical drawings, fabrication, engineering analysis, and verification/validation. Deliverables for each team will be a prototype, final design specification report with engineering reports, and a final team presentation. PREREQUISITE: BIOM 4760. COREQUISITE: BIOM 4782. - Introduction to Medical Imaging – BIOM 4801/6801
Credit Hours: (3)
Description: Fundamentals of the four most-important clinical medical imaging modalities: X-ray, Radionuclide, Ultrasound, and MRI. The primary focus is on the physical principles, instrumentation methods, imaging algorithms, and clinical applications of each imaging modality. PREREQUISITE PHYS 2110, PHYS 2120, MATH 1920, MATH 2110 or permission by instructor. - Magnetic Resonance Imaging & Spectroscopy Techniques – BIOM 7905/8905
Credit Hours: (3)
Description: This course covers the physics, theory and fundamental principles of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and Spectroscopy (NMR/MRS) techniques with an emphasis on the application of MRI/NMR to biomedical research and clinical diagnostics. PREREQUISITE BIOM 6801.
St. Jude Diagnostic Imaging – UofM BME Internship
An internship program is offered between the Department of Diagnostic Imaging at St.
Jude Children's Research Hospital and the Biomedical Engineering Program at the University
of Memphis for undergraduate students interested in pursuing biomedical imaging research.
Interns will be able to observe the clinical applications of different imaging modalities
and their diagnostic and therapeutic imaging-based assessments and therapies. Students
will be a member of a multidisciplinary team of radiologists, scientists and engineers
and work on processing and analyzing imaging data acquired as part of ongoing clinical
and research trials to advance the patient care. Applications will be open beginning
of each semester.
Eligibility: Junior/Senior undergraduate students enrolled in Biomedical Engineering at the University
of Memphis. Students may receive course credit towards BME degree for pursuing this
internship.
Senior Design Projects
Spring 2023
Design and Development of a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) Phantom Holder: Enhancing
Stability and Compatibility for High Quality Imaging (3rd place)
Mentees: Shelby Allen, Adam Cook, Carly Ritter, Thomas Yates
MRI phantom holders play a crucial role in ensuring stability and precise positioning
of imaging phantoms. This contributes to the consistent and reliable results in both
clinical and research settings. However, existing phantom holders may introduce artifacts
and lack adaptability to varying specimen sizes. Hence, the goal of this project was
to develop a MRI compatible phantom holder designed to minimize artifacts and accommodate
phantom vials of different sizes. The team constructed MRI friendly phantom holders from 3D-printed PLA. The phantom holders were able to hold 12 phantoms.
In addition, the holders were capable of being attached together by hook and loop
straps to increase the total capacity. Further silicone sleeves were used for size
adjustment and signal buffering.
Fall 2023
Removing Nasal Foreign Bodies from Children at Home (1st place)
Mentees: Arman Dela Cruz, Dustie Flowers, Aya Mansour, Jackson Pierce
Nasal foreign bodies are a common cause of pediatric hospital visits that can be avoided
by creating simple, non-invasive at-home removal devices. Hospital treatments often
involve costly and invasive procedures that can cause harm and traumatize the child.
Therefore, the goal of the project was to build a device that inexperienced individuals
in a non-clinical setting can use to safely remove nasal foreign bodies in infants
and children. Verification tests were conducted with a spirometer to ensure air pressures
were effective and would not include barotrauma. After the pending final IRB approval,
the device will be provided and trialed for use in the LeBonheur Emergency Department
and associated pediatric clinics by pediatric providers and ENT specialists.
2021
Creation of an EEG Phantom to Validate Auditory Brain Stem Responses
Mentees: Klavey Jardine, Robyn Miller, David Hale, Hassan El Hsry
Electroencephalography (EEG) is used clinically for measuring auditory brainstem responses
for diagnosis of various hearing disorders. However, these potentials are of low amplitudes
and challenging to localize due to deep source locations. The goal of this project
was to design an EEG phantom that mimics the brain tissue and simulate the electric
fields associated with the auditory system, and finally test and validate the phantom
measurements using an EEG system in Dr. Bidelman (co-mentor) lab.
2020
Designing and Testing of Heterogeneous, Anthropomorphic Phantom for Imaging the Pediatric
Head with Small, Low-Contrast Lesions
Mentees: Omar Yunis, Shehroz Kazmi, James Courtney
The goal of this project was to design, manufacture, and test a radiological phantom
for determining whether 3 mm slice acquisitions prove better for detection of small
(<3mm) targets compared to 5 mm slice acquisitions. If true, these results could be
used to advocate investigation of new protocols for pediatric CT imaging to better
detect small, potentially fatal abnormalities.
2019
Constructing Magnetic Resonance Elastography Phantoms to Mimic Liver Tissue Stiffness
Mentees: Gautam Thamizharasan, Alexandra Russell, Jack Beinkampen
The aim of this project was to develop a set of magnetic resonance elastography (MRE)
phantoms for hospitals and researchers for testing and validation of MRE systems for
noninvasive diagnosis of liver fibrosis. The goal was to develop a set of five phantoms
that mimic the tissue stiffness of healthy liver and stage 1-4 of liver fibrosis and
compare the stiffness values obtained for these phantoms from MRE to conventional
mechanical testing.