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.
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
All research projects are studied on campus in London.
Programme hours
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.
Assessment and course outcome
The primary deliverables will be representative of those frequently used to disseminate academic research: Literature Review 20%; Scientific Paper 60%; Oral Presentation 20%.
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.
Biomedical Engineering Research Programme
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 Title: Development and evaluation of robot ablation catheter system for cardiac ablation therapy
Aims: The project aims to develop and evaluate a robotic ablation catheter system with a view to automate cardiac ablation procedures. Our team has already developed and partially tested a robotic system that converts a standard ablation catheter into a robotic system. The project will involve refining the design of the robotic system, implementing control algorithms and carrying out evaluation in partnership with the cardiology team at St. Thomas’ hospital.
Project 2 Title: Development and evaluation of robotic trans-septal puncture
Aims: The project aims to develop and evaluate a robotic trans-septal puncture system with a view to automate this procedure and potentially reduce the risks to the patient. Our team has already designed a system that converts a standard trans-septal puncture kit into a robotic system. The project will involve constructing the system using additive manufacturing, implementing control algorithms and carrying out evaluation in partnership with the cardiology team at St. Thomas’ hospital.
Project 3 Title: 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 Title: Development and evaluation of a low-cost high-temperature 3D printer for PEEK
Aims: The project aims to develop and evaluate a low-cost 3D printer for printing of custom bone replacement implants using PEEK. PEEK is a material that is in the same family of materials as PMMA and is approved for human implants in some indications, such as dental and spine procedures. We have already developed a prototype printer for PEEK and aim to evaluate its performance in creation of patient-specific rib and sternal implants.
Project 5 Title: Development and evaluation of a low-cost silicone 3D printer
Aims: The project aims to develop and evaluate a low-cost 3D printer for direct printing of silicone structures. Our team has already developed a prototype and this project will aim to refine this prototype to achieve robust silicone printing. We will particularly focus the 3D printing of silicone cardiac valves for use in phantoms for the training and rehearsal of interventional procedures.
Project 6 Title: 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 7 Title: Evaluation of web-based teaching and learning of anatomy using medical imaging and 3D models
Aims: We have developed a novel solution for web-based teaching and learning of human anatomy using medical images and 3D models –King’s Virtual Anatomy & Histology. The project will aim to refine and evaluate this solution using cohorts of students undertaking the King’s Summer programmes and current undergraduate students at King’s. We will be specifically evaluating the use of autostereoscopic 3D displays and AR for teaching and learning.
Project 8 Title: Evaluation of patient localisation using the Intel RealSense camera for robotic procedures
Aims: We aim to develop a robust solution to track a patient that may be supine on an operating or interventional table or on an ultrasound scanning couch. We have already trialled the Microsoft Kinetic for surface scanning of patients during robotic ultrasound scanning. The project will now move to the more recent and robust technology from Intel, the RealSense. We aim to develop and evaluate a real-time surface scanning solution that is robust to the clinical scenario, and which can be linked to robotic solutions, such as robotic ultrasound scanners.
Project 9 Title: 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 10 Title: Robotic cardiac ultrasound
Aims: This project will use the newly developed robotic system and a cardiac ultrasound phantom to explore the use of the robot in trans-thoracic echocardiography (TTE). The student will be guided to design and perform experiments to do the robot-to-probe calibration and then quantify the probe positioning accuracy using the robot. Based on these works, we will further explore the application of the robot in improving ultrasound imaging, such as the field of view extension of 2-D TTE and image fusion of TTE to other modalities. The results will be analysed and the clinical impacts on TTE will be assessed. Skills developed: This project is suited to students who would like to be involved in interdisciplinary research between robotics and medical imaging. It will help to improve their knowledge of ultrasound imaging and robotic control, as well as develop experimental and problem-solving skills.
All research projects can be studied on campus in London or fully online.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.
Programme Dates: 1 July – 9 August 2024
Price: £5,510
The cost of the academic programme would normally cover:
• Academic tuition
• Course materials (including building materials, lab supplies and protective equipment where applicable)
• Access to the King’s digital teaching platform KEATS
• On campus Wi-Fi
• Use of campus facilities, such as library, classrooms and catering facilities
For accommodation inclusive prices, please see tab Accommodation and Residential Packages.
The application processing fee is automatically added to the Programme Fee at the time your application is submitted. Early applicants who submit their application by 31 January 2024, can take advantage of our £0.00 processing fee offer. Please note that in the event of a cancellation, the processing fee will be deducted from your refund along with any cancellation charges you may incur in line with our terms and conditions which you can find by clicking here
A place on the programme is confirmed once full payment of the programme fees is received. Please visit our How To Apply page for information about how to apply and pay.
This is an open enrolment programme but due to the specialist nature of the research projects, students are required to fill the pre-requisites 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.
Summer Research Programme
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 (ie. 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.
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
Accommodation dates: 29 June – 10 August 2024
Price: £7,970
The cost of the residential programme would normally cover:
• Academic tuition
• Course materials (including building materials, lab supplies and protective equipment where applicable)
• Access to the King’s digital teaching platform KEATS
• Accommodation and on campus Wi-Fi
• Use of campus facilities, such as library, classrooms and catering facilities
• Social activities (excluding travel)
Undergraduate students will be staying in Great Dover Street Apartments King’s Hall of residence.
Address: 165 Great Dover St, London SE1 4XA
Students are allocated single en-suite rooms with shower. Linen and towels are provided in the room.
The application processing fee is automatically added to the Residential Package at the time your application is submitted. Early applicants who submit their application by 31 January 2024, can take advantage of our £0.00 processing fee offer. Please note that in the event of a cancellation, the processing fee will be deducted from your refund along with any cancellation charges you may incur in line with our terms and conditions.
Places in the programme in granted on first-come first-serve basis. Once all spaces are full, we reserve the right to close a course early.
A place on the programme is confirmed once full payment of the programme fees is received. Please visit our How To Apply page here for information about how to apply and pay.
With so many things to do in London, budgeting can be a challenge. It can be a good idea for you to plan in advance and get a picture of the financial cost of living in London. Living expenses will depend on your choices and although London can be expensive, there are opportunities to get the best out of London on a limited budget.
You need to consider allocating money for meals as well as travel around London and consumables. Information on travel fares can be found on the Transport for London website by clicking here.
Aside from that, we encourage students to bring a small amount of spending money for gifts. Please be advised that a lot of shops and restaurants in London are cashless and may accept only payments by card.