Undergraduate Biomedical Engineering Summer Research Programme

King's is a research-led institution with a commitment to advancements in healthcare through ambitious and innovative research projects. Our Biomedical Engineering Summer Research Programme aims to equip students with the knowledge and skills required to participate actively in research and development.

This is a rare opportunity for undergraduate students to explore becoming a researcher and solve real life problems, whilst preparing for the next phase of their education. Over this six-week period, students will work on an academic research project aligned with current research areas in the school of Biomedical Engineering, carrying out experiments to develop a solution to a pressing medical problem. During the programme, students will be based at St Thomas' Hospital.

Over this six-week programme, students will work on an academic research project aligned with current research areas in the school, carrying out experiments to develop a solution to a pressing medical problem.

Projects

The projects allocated on this module will be aligned with the School of Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Sciences’ current research areas, addressing unmet patient needs.

Students will be placed alongside lab group members working in similar research fields, and expected to fully participate in the life of the lab group. Students will receive guidance on new scientific techniques required for their experiments.

Projects available:

Project 1: Development and evaluation of a robotic system for endovascular repair of aortic aneurysms

Aims: The aim of this project is to develop a novel robotic system for endovascular aortic aneurysm repair, featuring innovative design elements to address the limitations of existing commercial systems. Specifically, we will focus on development of a robotic platform that employs a shared-autonomy paradigm. In this system, the surgeon guides the catheter carrying the stent graft to the aneurysm, while the robot precisely positions and aligns the stent graft. This shared-control system will be designed with a minimised size and lower cost. We will evaluate this system by simulating fenestrated EVAR on an anthropomorphic aorta phantom. The work will be extended to evaluate automation of the entire procedure, with minimal operator intervention.

Project 2: Simulation for endovascular aortic repair

Aims: Endovascular aortic repair (EVAR) is an established treatment for aortic aneurysmal disease, offering lower morbidity and mortality compared to open surgery. Fenestrated endovascular aortic aneurysm repair requires precise planning and positioning to prevent misalignment. Branched endovascular aortic aneurysm repair with external branches conforms to a wider range of anatomies but requires a wider working aortic lumen and longer aortic cover, posing a risk of spinal cord ischaemia. There are no in vivo, in vitro, or in silico studies to understand the haemodynamic effects of different repair designs. This project attempts to build and test a bench model to investigate this.

Project 3: Development and evaluation of cardiac phantoms for cardiac ablation therapy simulation

Aims: The project aims to develop and evaluate novel cardiac phantoms that can be used for training cardiologists for ablation procedures. The phantoms will be designed using patient images and additive manufacturing. Challenges include the use of flexible filaments for 3D printing, thermochromic paints for recording ablations, and simulation of electrical activity.

Project 4: Development and evaluation of a low-cost cold liquid extrusion 3D printer

Aims: The project aims to develop and evaluate a low-cost 3D printer for direct extrusion of cold liquid media, such as hydrogels. Our team has already developed a prototype, and this project will aim to refine this prototype to achieve robust printing.

Project 5: Denoising X-ray fluoroscopy images using deep learning

Aims: The project aims to evaluate the use of deep learning algorithms to denoise X-ray fluoroscopy images. We have already developed a series of convolution neural networks to perform the image denoising and evaluated these. The project will focus on the evaluation of our latest networks in the clinical setting of the cardiac catheterisation laboratory.

Project 6: Repairing and reproducing skeletons using 3D printing

Aims: This project will involve using state-of-the-art technology to repair and reproduce a range of animal skeletons for the Museum. We will use the Einscan Pro+ surface scanning system or computer tomography scanning to create 3D models of the skeletons. These will then be 3D printed using our range of additive manufacturing facilities at Guy’s and St. Thomas’ hospitals and ported to our online 3D viewing environment, King’s Virtual Anatomy & Histology. The models will be evaluated by our team of anatomists and used for teaching and learning in the School of Life Sciences and Medicine at King’s.

Project 7: Robotic abdominal aortic aneurysm ultrasound scanning

Aims: Medical robotic systems have been used clinically since the 1980s and have since proliferated in many different fields. We have developed a robotic system, as shown in the figure, for holding and controlling an extra-corporeal ultrasound probe. With its potential for high precision, dexterity, and repeatability, the self-tracked robotic system can be employed to improve the acquisition and utility of real-time ultrasound. This may include field of view extension resulted from the integration of several 2-D images, multi-modality image fusion for improved visualization and robotic-based advanced ultrasound-guided surgery. This project will use the robotic system and an abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) phantom to explore the use of the robot in AAA screening.

Project 8: Development and evaluation of physical anatomical models for surgical simulation

Aims: The project will identify an area of need where anatomical models may be effective. We will used medical image data to create computer models of the target anatomy. These will then be manufactured using the knowhow and techniques that we have developed within the research team over the last 10 years. An evaluation study will be formulated to measure the effectiveness of the models in the target scenario. We cover a large range of organs, organ systems and parts of the body – head and neck, brain, thorax, heart, lungs, limbs, hands, kidneys, prostate, reproductive system, vascular structures, etc.

All research projects can be studied on campus in London. Projects will be allocated on an ongoing basis. If you require further information on any of the projects listed above, please email summer@kcl.ac.uk.

Students will take ownership of their research project by:

• Completing a literature review prior to the programme start
• Setting goals for the six-week period
• Designing an experimental strategy to achieve these goals
• Working independently under the supervision of an experienced project supervisor
• Embedding themselves into the host lab group
• Disseminating their work through a written report, an oral presentation and informal interactions with other researchers, following the approach used at scientific conferences
• Participating in weekly seminar on academic writing skills and other discipline-specific topics

This is an open enrolment programme but due to the specialist nature of the research projects, students are required to fill the requirements listed below. If your qualification is not listed please contact us for advice, indicating the country in which you are studying and the name and level of your current qualification.

Entry requirements

• Applicants are expected to have completed their third year of undergraduate studies with a GPA of at least 3.3/4. Applicants who have completed their second year with a GPA of at least 3.5/4 will also be considered.
• Participants must be studying, or have studied, a related subject during their undergraduate studies (i.e. mathematics, physics, engineering, sciences or medicine)
• Participants must have an English language level of at least C1 in the CEFR or equivalent.
• If you require assistance to check your eligibility for the programme, please email summer@kcl.ac.uk for advice.

Application process

As part of the application process you will need to upload the following:

• An academic transcript from the current or last institution you attended.
• Evidence of English proficiency level (if required).
• A personal statement with the title of your chosen research project and your reasons for undertaking the summer research module.

The primary deliverables will be representative of those frequently used to disseminate academic research: Literature Review 20%; Scientific Paper 60%; Oral Presentation 20%. 

All research projects are studied on campus in London. Students will be expected to commit full-time to this course with a minimum of 35 hours for project work required in labs every week. There will also be 1-to-1 meetings with your project supervisor and lab group meetings scheduled across the six weeks. 

Credit value

The Biomedical Engineering Summer Research module can be taken for credit towards degrees at other institutions and the module is examined to university standards. To receive credit for King's summer module, contact your home institution to ask them to award external credit. This module is equivalent to an undergraduate degree module and usually awarded 6-8 US credits or 15 ECTS.

More information on our fees, entry requirements and residential package can be found on the Undergraduate Summer School homepage.

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