Clemson University Medical Biophysics

M.S. Program

Contact us:Dr. Emil Alexov (ealexov@clemson.edu)Amanda Ellenburg (aellenb@clemson.edu)

Medical biophysics represents an interdisciplinary and integrated convergence of physics, medicine, genetics, biochemistry, mathematics, physical chemistry, and molecular and cellular biology. The burgeoning and rapidly evolving frontier of so-called “smart medicine” comprises initiatives and disciplines such as (but not limited to) personalized and precision medicine, computational or AI/machine-learning based drug discovery, pharmacogenetics and pharmacogenomics, dynamic and personalized diagnostics/information assessment through wearable technology, IoT, and mobile internet, nanodevices, etc.

A wide, multi-disciplinary frontier such as smart medicine benefits from multiple and diverse pathways of preparation and training of those working on it. One such approach is to understand how fundamental physics principles underlie complex biological and medical phenomena, and how the application of those principles can be utilized to solve biomedical challenges. This is the focus of the proposed Medical Biophysics M.S. program, which differs from more traditional biomedical science programs and their approach of traditional broad coursework in, e.g., physical and organic (bio)chemistry, cellular biology, genetics, etc.

Why medical biophysics?

This program’s primary target audience is baccalaureate degree holders (including those without physics degrees) who are already working in or are interested in pursuing a career at the border of biophysics and medicine via public and private entities such as pharmaceutical companies, biotechnology firms, national or governmental labs researching the linkage of diseases and DNA variants, medical center research enterprises, etc.

Students in the 30 credit hour Medical Biophysics M.S. program will work collaboratively in a highly interdisciplinary research environment with faculty associated with multiple Clemson departments and colleges and with strategic partners at the health science center at PrismaHealth, and with Clemson’s Center for Biomedical Research Excellence, including the Clemson Center for Human Genetics, the Eukaryotic Pathogen Innovations Center, and the Center of South Carolina Translational Research Improving Musculoskeletal Health. The program will recruit U.S. and international students from diverse scientific backgrounds.

A secondary audience for the M.S. program also exists. We plan on proposing a Ph.D. Medical Biophysics program in the near future. Two groups of students initially admitted to and/or enrolling in the future Ph.D. program may benefit from the M.S. program: (a) those students whose faculty advisors believe would benefit from formally first completing an en route M.S. degree, and (b) students who do not complete the Ph.D. program but would effectively complete the requirements for the M.S. as a stop-out option to appropriately recognize the accomplishments and achievements they did attain.

The program supports Clemson University’s ClemsonFORWARD strategic plan’s research components—specifically that calling for developing and supporting innovation clusters with a focus on human resilience and health innovation. Likewise, the University’s College of Science’s ScienceFORWARD strategic plan calls for creating new graduate programs by advancing convergence research and expanding graduate programs, while cultivating an inclusive and equitable environment. Moreover, the program aligns with several of the College plan’s discovery pillars: Genomics and Precision Medicine, Health Innovation, Advanced Materials, and Data and Information Science. This program supports and enhances our R1 Carnegie classification, fulfills its land-grant mission, and enables the University’s vision of being a pre-eminent public university.

The 30-credit hour program duration is 2 years, with the first year focused on core disciplinary coursework. While this is a non-thesis program focused on preparing working professionals, the MBIO 9910 Graduate Research is required critical component of training whereby students conduct research in subdisciplinary areas of interest. The offering is designed so that it can serve as a terminal MS program that targets individuals who seek a career, or perhaps are already employed, in medical or bio-oriented enterprises. These include, but are not limited to, pharmaceutical companies, biotech firms, and enterprises dealing with the linkage of diseases and DNA variants. The program is offered online to allow currently employed individuals to keep their jobs while taking the classes. In addition, after completing the first-year coursework, the students have an option to conduct research in their workplace under the supervision of participating MBIO faculty. This will strengthen the linkage between their profession and the knowledge acquired in the MS Medical Biophysics program. It is anticipated that students’ employers may be interested in providing stipends or other financial support since the program will enhance the skills of their workforce. The program will have an admissions committee with members representing all participating University departments. The admission requirements, while meeting University requirements, will be flexible to allow admission of students from diverse background.

We will soon propose a PhD Medical Biophysics program, whose core coursework-based curriculum will comprise that of the MS program here. Because it is possible that there may be some students in that future PhD Medical Biophysics program who might want to complete the MS en route and/or employ it as a stop-out option, we also request blended delivery and traditional delivery with main campus and GHS (nor PRISMA) sites.

MBIO 8100 Medical Biophysics core 1: Molecular and Cellular Medical BiophysicsThis course provides basic knowledge in molecular and cellular Medical Biophysics and linkage with diseases. It will be taught jointly by Clemson University instructors and medical doctors at PRISMA Health. At the beginning, the course will outline the macromolecules in living cells: DNA, RNAs, and proteins, followed by the structure and properties of living cell. Furthermore, it will introduce major experimental and computational techniques at molecular and cellular levels. Molecular effects, molecular mechanisms, and plausible biomarkers will be discussed as well. In addition to regular quizzes and exams, students will be subjected to a written and oral exam at the end of the semester.

MBIO 8110 Medical Biophysics core 2: Medical Biophysics at larger scale: tissues and organsThis course will provide the basic knowledge of tissue and human organs. It will be taught jointly by Clemson University instructors and medical doctors at PRISMA Health. Itwill introduce major experimental and computational techniques to study tissues and human organs. At the same time, examples of human diseases and their manifestation will be outlined by PRISMA instructors. The course ends with set of lectures demonstrating the linkage between disease-causing effects at molecular and cellular levels and the corresponding observations at the tissue level and overall human health. In addition to regular quizzes and exams, students will be subjected to a written and oral exam at the end of the semester.

MBIO 8210 Medical Biophysics core 3: Medical Biophysics and Human HealthThis course offers training in utilizing big data and medical records. A significant component of the course will be ethical issues relating to dealing with human subjects. Furthermore, current developments in the areas of Personalized medicine and Pharmacogenomic/Pharmacogenetics will be taught as well. State-of-the-art achievements in developing biosensors and drug development will also be covered. In addition to regular quizzes and exams, students will be subjected to a written and oral exam at the end of the semester.

MBIO 8220 Medical Biophysics core 4: PRISMA/Clemson University Seminar SeriesThe course provides students with an overview of the research being done at PRISMA Health. The course also provides a forum for students to participate in scientific discussions and in-person conversations. The course will help students learn to discuss biophysics and medical research, including their own work, the research of their colleagues, and research from the field, in a critical but constructive and collaborative manner.

MBIO 8910 MBIO Graduate ResearchThe course allows students to conduct research in desired labs of associated faculty, and to acquire skills to generate and analyze data related to Medical Biophysics. The students are allowed to rotate through several labs to explore different subjects and types of research. The course has two components: learning the existing computational and experimental methods in the corresponding lab, and training in how to conduct research and present their findings.

We anticipate that Medical Biophysics M.S. program graduates will have rich and diverse opportunities in several key occupations given their background preparation and the education/training provided by the M.S. program. National data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics on federally-defined occupations having the most direct trajectory from the M.S. program supports that richness and diversity. We believe that employment prospects may be even greater than suggested above by these secular forecast trends. For example, the current COVID-19 pandemic has clearly stretched and challenged pharmaceutical companies and government laboratories in rapidly developing and deploying effective diagnostics and treatments—these are challenges that the public and private sectors will need to address to prepare for the next pandemic. One key way in which they will do so is by accelerating the shepherding and volume of smart medicine, personalized medicine, and novel diagnostics from the R&D environment to clinical and home environments.

Wage data can also serve as an important market indicator of demand and preparation valuation. The median national wages in 2020 (from BLS) for the occupations above are:-Biochemists and Biophysicists: $94,270-Medical Scientists: $90,010-Data Scientists: $98,230-Medical and Health Services Managers: $104,280 -Software Developers and Quality Assurance Analysts: $110,140