Biological and Biomedical Engineering - Biomanufacturing (Non-Thesis) (M.Eng.) (45 credits)
Offered by: Biological & Biomedical Engr (Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences)
Degree: Master of Engineering
Program credit weight: 45
Program Description
The M.Eng. in Biological and Biomedical Engineering; Non-Thesis - Biomanufacturing focuses on the life sciences, the physical sciences, and engineering, industrial practices and processes, and data science for application in the filed of biomanufacturing. Hands-on experience available through projects carried out during internships in academic, industrial, and governmental laboratories.
Note: For information about Fall 2025 and Winter 2026 course offerings, please check back on May 8, 2025. Until then, the "Terms offered" field will appear blank for most courses while the class schedule is being finalized.
Required Courses (21 credits)
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| BBME 681 | Internship 1. 1 | 9 |
Internship 1. Terms offered: Summer 2025 An internship/research project (minimum 360 hours) related to the practice of Biological and Biomedical Engineering supervised by a practitioner in the biological and biomedical engineering field within an industrial or institutional research centre environment. | ||
| BBME 682 | Internship 2 . 1 | 9 |
Internship 2 . Terms offered: Fall 2025 An internship/research project (minimum 360 hours) related to the practice of Biological and Biomedical Engineering supervised by a practitioner in the biological and biomedical engineering field within an industrial or institutional research centre environment. | ||
| BIEN 601 | cGMP and Regulation in Biomanufacturing. | 3 |
cGMP and Regulation in Biomanufacturing. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Introduction to pillars of current good manufacturing practices (cGMP) in biologics, terminologies, and background; importance of cGMP for biologics manufacturing; principles of design and operation of cGMP facilities; knowledge gap between industrial processes and lab practices on GMP. | ||
- 1
must take place in the Biomanufacturing sector
Complementary Courses (24 credits)
Minimum of 18 credits from the following three lists of core courses. At least 12 credits must be chosen from biomanufacturing core courses. At least 12 credits must be chosen from BBME core courses, of which at least 6 credits must be chosen from quantitative courses.
Biomanufacturing Core
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| BIEN 580 | Synthetic Biology. | 3 |
Synthetic Biology. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Engineering principles in biology, BioBricks and standardization of biological components, parts registries, advanced molecular biology tools for DNA assembly, genome editing, high-throughput genetic manipulation methods, construction of biological pathways, strategies for transcriptional control, examples of engineered systems. | ||
| BIEN 585 | Metabolic Engineering. | 3 |
Metabolic Engineering. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Metabolic engineering role in transition from fossil resources to a bio-based society. Design-build-test-learn cycle of metabolic engineering. Design, genetic engineering and optimization of microbial biocatalysts. Metabolic network analysis, constraint-based modelling of metabolism, microbial production of valuable chemicals. General biochemical engineering practices. Recombinant DNA technology, enzyme function, kinetics and regulation. Cell chemistry, structure and function. Growth models, fermentation, strain development. Case studies. | ||
| BIEN 590 | Cell Culture Engineering. | 3 |
Cell Culture Engineering. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Basic principles of cell culture engineering, cell line development and cell culture products; genomics, proteomics and post-translational modifications; elements of cell physiology for medium design and bioprocessing; bioreactor design, scale-up for animal cell culture and single use equipment; challenges in downstream processing of cell-culture derived products; process intensification: fed-batch, feeding strategies and continuous manufacturing; scale-down and process modeling; Process Analytical technologies and Quality by Design (QbD) concept. | ||
| BIEN 670 | Downstream Processing . | 3 |
Downstream Processing . Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Introduction to downstream processing (DSP) – principles, characteristics, purpose. Bioprocesses, biomolecules, drug substances, drug products, monoclonal antibodies and Fc fusion proteins, viral vectors, and vaccines. Unit operations - standard practices. Steps and techniques in downstream processing. Harvest and Filtration, Primary capture, Buffer exchange and up-concentration, Purification, Bioconjugation, Formulation. Optimization of downstream processing. Process Analytical Technology (PAT) to support Quality by Design (QbD) in DSP. Regulatory guidelines. Innovative Techniques for Downstream Bioprocessing. | ||
| BIEN 675 | Process Analytical Technologies and Data Sciences . | 3 |
Process Analytical Technologies and Data Sciences . Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Introduction to Process Analytical Technologies (PAT) and Quality by Design (QbD) in the area of manufacturing biologics. Critical Process Parameters (CPP) and Design Space. Analytical Technologies for Biologics and Biologic Medicines and determination of Critical Quality Attributes of products. Case studies. At-line, On-line and Off-line monitoring tools, data acquisition and advanced process control strategies as applied to current industrial biomanufacturing. PAT data processing and modeling to design advanced biomanufacturing processes. | ||
| BIEN 680 | Bioprocessing of Vaccines. | 4 |
Bioprocessing of Vaccines. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Building on recent developments and expansion in the mammalian cell culture for production of complex biologics such as viral vaccines and viral vectors, the following topics will be covered: Principles of immunology and industrial virology; Cell physiology for vaccine production; Cell lines for vaccine production; Upstream process development and process intensification strategies; Purification and downstream processing of viral vaccines; Analytical and potency assays; Formulations and delivery of vaccines; Basics of clinical trials and regulatory principles; Immunization policies. Case studies on bioprocessing/manufacturing licensed vaccines. | ||
| BIEN 685 | Gene and Cell Therapy Viral Vectors Biomanufacturing. | 3 |
Gene and Cell Therapy Viral Vectors Biomanufacturing. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Basic knowledge in the design and biomanufacturing of viral vectors for gene and cell therapy interventions. Practical examples and case studies highlighting challenges and solutions associated with use of viral vectors such as Adeno-Associated Vectors (AAV), lentivirus vectors and Adenovirus vectors for gene delivery. Fundamental principles of gene and cell therapies through in-vivo and ex-vivo interventions. Design of AAV, Lentivirus and Adenovirus vectors: example of targeted diseases, including CAR-T cell therapy. Technologies and modes of vector manufacturing for clinical use. | ||
| BMDE 505 | Cell and Tissue Engineering. | 3 |
Cell and Tissue Engineering. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Application of the principles of engineering, physical, and biological sciences to modify and create cells and tissues for therapeutic applications will be discussed, as well as the industrial perspective and related ethical issues. | ||
| CHEE 512 | Stem Cell Bioprocess Engineering. | 3 |
Stem Cell Bioprocess Engineering. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Introduction to stem cell biology. Cell growth models applicable to stem cells and their progeny. Upstream processing (cell culture systems, bioreactors), downstream processing (cell separation, purification) and quality management (current good manufacturing practice, regulations) applied to therapeutic cells. | ||
| CHEE 651 | Advanced Biochemical Engineering. | 4 |
Advanced Biochemical Engineering. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. The use of chemical engineering and biological principles in the study, design, use and creation of biologically-based processes and products. Topics: biochemical thermodynamics, protein engineering, manipulation of gene expression, transport phenomena and bioreactor design. | ||
BBME Courses (Quantitative)
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| BIEN 510 | Engineered Nanomaterials for Biomedical Applications. | 3 |
Engineered Nanomaterials for Biomedical Applications. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Introduction to the interdisciplinary field of biomedical uses of nanotechnology. Emphasis on emerging nanotechnologies and biomedical applications including nanomaterials, nanoengineering, nanotechnology-based drug delivery systems, nano-based imaging and diagnostic systems, nanotoxicology and immunology, and translating nanomedicine into clinical investigation. | ||
| BIEN 530 | Imaging and Bioanalytical Instrumentation. | 3 |
Imaging and Bioanalytical Instrumentation. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Microscopy techniques with application to biology and medicine. Practical introduction to optics and microscopy from the standpoint of biomedical research. Discussion of recent literature; hands-on experience. Topics include: optics, contrast techniques, advanced microscopy, and image analysis. | ||
| BIEN 550 | Biomolecular Devices. | 3 |
Biomolecular Devices. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Fundamentals of motor proteins in neuronal transport, force generation e.g. in muscles, cell motility and division. A survey of recent advances in using motor proteins to power nano fabricated devices. Principles of design and operation; hands-on-experience in building a simple device. | ||
| BIEN 560 | Design of Biosensors. | 3 |
Design of Biosensors. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Introduction into the motivation of analytical biosensors as well as its fundamental physicochemical challenges. Techniques used to design, fabricate and operate biosensors. Specific applications. | ||
| BIEN 570 | Active Mechanics in Biology. | 3 |
Active Mechanics in Biology. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Introduction to the role of active forces, e.g. cell and tissue contraction, in the mechanics of biological systems. Review of passive and actively driven viscoelastic systems and momentum transport underlying the material properties of biology. The course involves a literature survey and a team project application. | ||
| BIEN 590 | Cell Culture Engineering. | 3 |
Cell Culture Engineering. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Basic principles of cell culture engineering, cell line development and cell culture products; genomics, proteomics and post-translational modifications; elements of cell physiology for medium design and bioprocessing; bioreactor design, scale-up for animal cell culture and single use equipment; challenges in downstream processing of cell-culture derived products; process intensification: fed-batch, feeding strategies and continuous manufacturing; scale-down and process modeling; Process Analytical technologies and Quality by Design (QbD) concept. | ||
| BMDE 502 | BME Modelling and Identification. | 3 |
BME Modelling and Identification. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Methodologies in systems or distributed multidimensional processes. System themes include parametric vs. non-parametric system representations; linear/non-linear; noise, transients and time variation; mapping from continuous to discrete models; and relevant identification approaches in continuous and discrete time formulations. | ||
| BMDE 503 | Biomedical Instrumentation. | 3 |
Biomedical Instrumentation. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. The principles and practice of making biological measurements in the laboratory, including theory of linear systems, data sampling, computer interfaces and electronic circuit design. | ||
| BMDE 512 | Finite-Element Modelling in Biomedical Engineering. | 3 |
Finite-Element Modelling in Biomedical Engineering. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. General principles of quantitative modelling; types of models; principles of the finite-element method, primarily as applied to mechanical systems; introduction to the use of finite-element software; model generation from imaging data; modelling various material types, mainly biological; model validation. | ||
| BMDE 519 | Biomedical Signals and Systems. | 3 |
Biomedical Signals and Systems. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. An introduction to the theoretical framework, experimental techniques and analysis procedures available for the quantitative analysis of physiological systems and signals. Lectures plus laboratory work using the Biomedical Engineering computer system. Topics include: amplitude and frequency structure of signals, filtering, sampling, correlation functions, time and frequency-domain descriptions of systems. | ||
| BMDE 520 | Machine Learning for Biomedical Data. | 3 |
Machine Learning for Biomedical Data. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Theoretical and practical course in machine learning applied to the expanding richness of biomedical data, including multidimensional biomedical measurements centring on high-resolution body imaging and whole-genome common variant genetics. | ||
| BMDE 610 | Functional Neuroimaging Fusion. | 3 |
Functional Neuroimaging Fusion. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Biomedical engineering: Multimodal data fusion of electrophysiology and functional neuroimaging data, including: detailed description of source localization methods for Electro- and MagnetoEncephaloGraphy data, analysis of brain hemodynamic activity through simultaneous recordings with electrophysiology, analysis and reconstruction of Near Infra-Red Spectroscopy data, modeling of the neurovascular coupling,validation methodology. | ||
BBME Core (Non-Quantitative)
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| BIEN 500 | Special Topics in Bioengineering 1. | 3 |
Special Topics in Bioengineering 1. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Selected special topics in bioengineering, given by current and visiting staff. | ||
| BIEN 535 | Electron Microscopy and 3D Imaging for Biological Materials. | 3 |
Electron Microscopy and 3D Imaging for Biological Materials. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Introduction to electron microscopy and 3D imaging. Dual-beam microscopy (FIB-SEM, or focused ion beam – scanning electron microscope); conventional and cryogenic preparation methods for biological materials. Complementary methods such as X-ray diffraction, X-ray tomography, atom probe tomography. 3D image processing and analysis, and the fundamentals of deep learning in imaging. | ||
| BIEN 540 | Information Storage and Processing in Biological Systems. | 3 |
Information Storage and Processing in Biological Systems. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Storage and processing of information in biological systems, both natural and artificially-created, ranging from biomolecules, cells, and populations of cells. Information storage in DNA and DNA computation; molecular surfaces of proteins; computation with motile biological agents in networks; and biological and biologically-inspired algorithms. | ||
| BIEN 580 | Synthetic Biology. | 3 |
Synthetic Biology. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Engineering principles in biology, BioBricks and standardization of biological components, parts registries, advanced molecular biology tools for DNA assembly, genome editing, high-throughput genetic manipulation methods, construction of biological pathways, strategies for transcriptional control, examples of engineered systems. | ||
| BIEN 680 | Bioprocessing of Vaccines. | 4 |
Bioprocessing of Vaccines. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Building on recent developments and expansion in the mammalian cell culture for production of complex biologics such as viral vaccines and viral vectors, the following topics will be covered: Principles of immunology and industrial virology; Cell physiology for vaccine production; Cell lines for vaccine production; Upstream process development and process intensification strategies; Purification and downstream processing of viral vaccines; Analytical and potency assays; Formulations and delivery of vaccines; Basics of clinical trials and regulatory principles; Immunization policies. Case studies on bioprocessing/manufacturing licensed vaccines. | ||
| BMDE 501 | Selected Topics in Biomedical Engineering. | 3 |
Selected Topics in Biomedical Engineering. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. An overview of how techniques from engineering and the physical sciences are applied to the study of selected physiological systems and biological signals. Using specific biological examples, systems will be studied using: signal or finite-element analysis, system and identification, modelling and simulation, computer control of experiments and data acquisition. | ||
| BMDE 504 | Biomaterials and Bioperformance. | 3 |
Biomaterials and Bioperformance. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Biological and synthetic biomaterials, medical devices, and the issues related to their bioperformance. The physicochemical characteristics of biomaterials in relation to their biocompatibility and sterilization. | ||
| BMDE 505 | Cell and Tissue Engineering. | 3 |
Cell and Tissue Engineering. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Application of the principles of engineering, physical, and biological sciences to modify and create cells and tissues for therapeutic applications will be discussed, as well as the industrial perspective and related ethical issues. | ||
| BMDE 508 | Introduction to Micro and Nano-Bioengineering. | 3 |
Introduction to Micro and Nano-Bioengineering. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. The micro and nanotechnologies that drive and support the miniaturization and parallelization of techniques for life sciences research, including different inventions, designs and engineering approaches that lead to new tools and methods for the life sciences - while transforming them - and help advance our knowledge of life. | ||
| BMDE 525D1 | Design of Assistive Technologies: Principles and Praxis. | 3 |
Design of Assistive Technologies: Principles and Praxis. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. This is an interdisciplinary, project-based course, centred around a design project in which small teams of students work closely with a person with a disability in the Montreal area to design a device, piece of equipment, app, or other solution that reduces their experience of disability. | ||
| BMDE 525D2 | Design of Assistive Technologies: Principles and Praxis. | 3 |
Design of Assistive Technologies: Principles and Praxis. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. See BMDE 525D1 for description. | ||
| BMDE 650 | Advanced Medical Imaging. | 3 |
Advanced Medical Imaging. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Review of advanced techniques in medical imaging including: fast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), functional MRI, MR angiography and quantitative flow measurement, spiral and dynamic x-ray computed tomography, 2D/3D positron emission tomography (PET), basic PET physiology, tracer kinetics, surgical planning and guidance, functional and anatomical brain mapping, 2D and 3D ultrasound imaging, and medical image processing. | ||
| BMDE 654 | Biomedical Regulatory Affairs - Medical Devices. | 3 |
Biomedical Regulatory Affairs - Medical Devices. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Regulatory strategies and quality management systems are critical for medical device development. This course provides an overview of regulatory requirements, and familiarize students with the important ISO and IEC standards pertaining to medical device development. This course will provide biomedical engineers with an understanding of the regulatory and quality requirements to translate a medical device idea into a commercial product, and will draw upon the expertise of invited speakers currently working in the medical devices industry. | ||
Remaining complementary course credits must come from core or non-core complementary courses chosen from BBME courses or from other courses, at the 500 level or higher. The selection of courses must have the prior written approval of the Graduate Program Director.