BMAT Technology & Digital Applications 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing uses guide RNA (gRNA) to direct the Cas9 protein to a target DNA site. The gRNA is designed to be complementary to:
- The promoter region of the gene
- The specific DNA sequence to be cut (Correct answer)
- The ribosomal RNA subunit
- The nuclear pore complex
Correct answer: The specific DNA sequence to be cut
The gRNA is engineered with a sequence complementary to the target genomic DNA, guiding Cas9 to create a double-strand break at that precise location.
Question 2: In pharmacogenomics, cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzyme polymorphisms are clinically important because they affect:
- Blood pressure regulation directly
- Drug metabolism rates and optimal dosing (Correct answer)
- Immune system antibody production
- Mitochondrial ATP synthesis
Correct answer: Drug metabolism rates and optimal dosing
CYP enzyme variants cause patients to metabolize drugs at different rates, making genotyping essential for personalized dosing to avoid toxicity or treatment failure.
Question 3: Which technology generates three-dimensional anatomical models from CT or MRI data for pre-surgical planning?
- Fluorescence microscopy
- 3D printing / additive manufacturing (Correct answer)
- Flow cytometry
- ELISA
Correct answer: 3D printing / additive manufacturing
Patient-specific CT/MRI DICOM data can be segmented and converted into STL files for 3D printing of anatomical replicas used in surgical rehearsal.
Question 4: A smartphone application monitors a diabetic patient's glucose via a sensor patch and sends alerts when values fall below 70 mg/dL. This is an example of:
- Electronic prescribing
- Continuous remote patient monitoring (RPM) (Correct answer)
- Genomic data analysis
- Automated drug dispensing
Correct answer: Continuous remote patient monitoring (RPM)
Remote patient monitoring uses connected sensors to continuously collect and transmit physiological data, enabling real-time alerts outside clinical settings.
Question 5: In machine learning applied to medical imaging, 'data augmentation' is used to:
- Increase the resolution of training images
- Artificially expand the training dataset using image transformations (Correct answer)
- Speed up inference on new scans
- Remove motion artefacts from MRI data
Correct answer: Artificially expand the training dataset using image transformations
Data augmentation applies transforms such as rotation, flipping, and cropping to existing images to increase training set diversity and reduce overfitting.
Question 6: HIPAA's 'minimum necessary' standard in digital health requires that:
- All patient data must be encrypted with AES-256
- Only the minimum amount of protected health information needed for the task should be accessed (Correct answer)
- Patients must consent to every individual data access event
- Health data must be stored on domestic servers only
Correct answer: Only the minimum amount of protected health information needed for the task should be accessed
The minimum necessary standard limits access and disclosure of PHI to only what is required to accomplish the intended purpose.
Question 7: A pulse oximeter estimates blood oxygen saturation (SpO2) by measuring:
- Electrical impedance changes across the chest
- Differential light absorption of oxygenated vs. deoxygenated hemoglobin at two wavelengths (Correct answer)
- Acoustic reflections of ultrasound through arterial walls
- Electrochemical reactions on a skin electrode
Correct answer: Differential light absorption of oxygenated vs. deoxygenated hemoglobin at two wavelengths
Pulse oximeters shine red (~660 nm) and infrared (~940 nm) light through tissue; oxygenated and deoxygenated hemoglobin absorb these wavelengths differently, enabling SpO2 calculation.
BMAT Technology & Digital Applications 4
CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing uses guide RNA (gRNA) to direct the Cas9 protein to a target DNA site.
The gRNA is designed to be complementary to: