Aims & Scope

Aims

Nature Biomedical Engineering brings together notable advances in applied biomedicine and health technology, and enhances their visibility by means of News & Views articles and editorials, and by providing overviews of the state of the art through topic-focused, disease-specific or technology-centred Review Articles, Perspectives and Comments.

The journal's editorial team strives for excellence in content selection, commissioning and editing, in author and reviewer service, and in engagement with the community working in applied biomedicine and health. In particular, Nature Biomedical Engineering

    covers the full spectrum of research from the interdisciplinary discipline of biomedical engineering, inspires biomedical researchers and clinicians to help solve outstanding health challenges, and disseminates the successes of the discipline to the wider scientific community.
    upholds the standards of content quality and author service expected of the Nature-branded family of journals.
    engages with the broader biomedical research community, through regular editorial presence at conferences, and via physical and virtual visits to research laboratories and hospitals.

Research in applied biomedicine and health technology involves both discovery and invention. Clinical advances provide input for further improvements in methodology and for generating hypotheses to be tested in the laboratory; and conversely, the results of fundamental advances in biology, materials, physiology and medicine can lead to the development of therapy and technology that may reach the clinic. Indeed, major inventions of biomedical engineering — such as artificial joints, magnetic resonance imaging, heart pacemakers, heart–lung machines and angioplasties — are built on findings stemming from basic research and have enabled further discoveries. By publishing content that traverses field boundaries, Nature Biomedical Engineering helps to build bridges between bench researchers, clinicians and medical engineers.

Scope

Straddling the life sciences, the physical sciences and engineering, Nature Biomedical Engineering covers experimental and computational systems, methods, devices, therapies, technology and processes that facilitate the understanding of human disease, or its prevention, diagnosis, treatment, alleviation or monitoring.

The journal disseminates biological, medical and engineering advances — of fundamental, mechanistic, methodological, technological, therapeutic, translational or clinical nature — that can directly lead to or inspire improvements in human health or healthcare. The emphasis is on advances that draw on both the life sciences and the physical sciences, engineering, mathematics or informatics.

The scope hence excludes advances that improve the understanding of human biology or disease but whose relevance for health or healthcare is judged to be insufficient, as well as advances that do not make use of principles or tools from the physical sciences, engineering, mathematics or informat.

Topics covered in Nature Biomedical Engineering include:
Artificial intelligence 	Computational medicine 	Molecular and cell engineering
Artificial organs 	Diagnostics 	Nanobiotechnology
Bio-MEMS 	Digital medicine 	Nanomedicine
Biochips 	Disease modelling 	Neural engineering
Bioelectronics 	Drug delivery 	Orthopaedics
Biomaterials 	Genetic engineering 	Precision medicine
Biomechanics 	Genomic engineering 	Prosthetics
Biomedical analytics 	Health informatics 	Regenerative medicine
Biomedical imaging 	Health systems engineering 	Rehabilitation engineering
Biomedical instrumentation 	Immunoengineering 	Synthetic biology
Biomedical sensors 	Implants 	Systems biology
Biomolecular engineering 	Mechanopathology 	Systems physiology
Bionics 	Medical devices 	Tissue engineering
Biosignal processing 	Medical robotics 	Translational medicine
Clinical engineering 	Medical technology 	Vaccines
Clinical trials 	Microtechnology 	Wearable technology

For topics in biology, Nature Biomedical Engineering covers those that interface with the physical sciences or engineering in the context of human health or healthcare.