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o Historical Background
o Definition of Biophysics
o The goal of biophysics
o Areas of Study
o Relation between physics, Biology and medicine
o Application areas of physics in medicine and biology

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 The origin of biophysics foregoes the division of natural sciences into
separate disciplines.
 Bioluminescence (the emission of light by living organisms)
considered among the most ancient objects of biophysical exploration
 The relation between electricity and biology (the study of electrical
potential) nerve impulse propagation from external organ to the brain
and then to muscle

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 Final acceptance of the view that currents can be generated by living
tissues had to await the construction of galvanometers sensitive
enough to measure the minute currents generated in muscles and the
small potential differences across nerve membranes.
 Biophysics also grew out of investigations on diffusion gradients and
osmotic pressure—two forces responsible for the passive flow of
matter in living organisms.
Osmotic pressure, the pressure that develops in a solution
separated from a solvent by a membrane permeable only to solvent
(semipermeable membranes ).
 Biophysics matured in the 20th century
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 Most biophysical research has been carried out by physicists with an i
interest in biology
 The development of instruments for biological purposes led to—
applied biophysics: in the field of
 Therapeutic radiology, measurement of dose is critical to treatment, and
 Diagnostic radiology, particularly with techniques involving isotope
localization and whole body scanning to aid in tumor diagnosis.
 The opportunities for the applications of biophysics seem limitless
because many scientific instruments based on physical principles
already known will be shown to have important potential for medicine.

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Also called
 Medical physics
 Biomedical physics
 Nuclear physics
 Radiation physics

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 Biophysics uses the principles of physics and the other physical
sciences, the methods of mathematical analysis and computer
modeling to solve biological problems/events.
 It is a multidisciplinary field that incorporates fields like physics,
chemistry, biology, and medicine.
 An interdisciplinary science that applies approaches and methods
traditionally used in physics to study biological phenomena

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C
 Covers all scales of biological organization,
from molecular to organismic and populations.
 Biophysical research shares significant
overlap with
• Biochemistry
• molecular biology
• physical chemistry
• Physiology
• Nanotechnology
• Bioengineering
• Computational biology
• Biomechanics
• Developmental biology and
• Systems biology
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 Create simplified models of biological systems
o Movement and diffusion at cellular level
o Mathemathical modelling of circulation, respiration and urinary
flow
o Membrane potentials, action potentials, ion channels, synapses,
contraction of muscle cells
 Properties of blood and measurment techniques of pressure and
Cardiac output
 Make quantitative predictions
 Experimentally test quantitative predictions
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 Protein structure: DNA and RNA
 The nerve impulse: how the flow of sodium and potassium across the
membranes of nerves can be coupled to produce the action potential
 Biological membranes: how molecules are transported across
biological membranes, which are the very thin boundaries of living
cells.
• The way in which ions and water are pumped into and out of living
cells in order to regulate the ionic composition and water balance in
cells, organs, and organisms.

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 Muscle contraction: muscles contract by the sliding of one filament
along another and not by a springlike coiling.
 Sensory communication: involves a synthesis of the action of many
cells which is an adequate theory of brain function
 Also involved in the development instrumentation used in
 Diagnosis
 Treatment

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Concepts of physics applied to
simulate human body systems.
For example the modeling of the
blood flow in the study of the
body’s circulatory system.

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Physics Biology
• Physics is the study of energy • Biology is the study of life and
and matter and how the two organisms.
interact through time and space. • “Bio” means life and “logy”
Subtopics means study.
o Thermal physics
Medicine
o Light and waves
o Electric city and magnetism • The science or practice of the
diagnosis, treatment, and
prevention of diseases.
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• Physics provides the basis for biology.
• Without space, matter, energy and time components that make up the
universe living organisms would not exist.
• Medicine use the concept of physics to apply on biological tissues.

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Example
• Physics helps explain how
Bats use sound waves to
navigate in the dark
How wings give insects the
ability to move through the
air.

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1. In ecosystem
• According to the law of
conservation of energy,
 Energy is neither created or
destroyed
 But can be transformed from one
state to another state.
 Energy of sunlight can be
converted into energy of food and
heat.

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In ecosystem Cont’d
 No transfer of energy occurs unless Progressive loss of energy in food chain
and until it is accompanied by
degradation or dissipation of energy
from concentrated to dispersed form.
 So, the transfer of energy from one
organism to another is accompanied
by degradation and loss of major part
of food energy as heat.
 This is the reason that energy flow
in ecosystem follows 10% law.

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2. Homeostasis
 Metabolism converts foods
potential energy to both work
and heat energy, which are
needed to maintain a proper body
temperature and to do physical
activities.

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3. Sound production

Human voice is When air from our

This vibration
produced in the lungs passes through
produces vocal
larynx, which is a part the tightened cords, a
sounds.
of the throat. vibration is produced.

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 X-rays,
Fluoroscopy,
Ultrasound Lasers, Optics
Mammography, CT,
angiography

Rehabilitation
Nuclear Medicine
MRI
(PET, SPECT)

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