Posts Categorized: Stories
Sarah is a 5th‑year Engineering Science student majoring in Biomedical Engineering at the University of Toronto, where she also competes on the Varsity Cross Country and Track & Field teams. A USports Academic All‑Canadian and recipient of both the OUA and USports Cross Country Community Service Awards, she is recognized for her excellence in athletics, academics, and community impact. She is completing her senior thesis in Professor Leo Chou’s lab, developing chemical strategies to attach antigens to DNA-based nanostructures to enhance their stability and immunogenicity, contributing to the advancement of next‑generation DNA-based immunotherapies.
In the Motion and Adaptation Science Laboratory at the University of Toronto, Professor Kei Masani and his team study new ways to improve balance and movement for people with neurological impairments. By combining functional electrical stimulation with real-time visual feedback and motion tracking tools such as depth cameras, the lab is developing better ways to assess and support standing, walking, and adapted exercise.
We were delighted to host more than 20 prospective students at our annual Graduate Research Day on Friday, February 20th at Hart House.
Discover how the Possibility Engineering and Research Lab (PEARL), led by Professor Elaine Biddiss, is advancing pediatric rehabilitation through innovative, evidence-based technologies. Leveraging gamified therapy systems like Bootle Blast to interactive platforms such as ScreenPlay and Bootle Band, PEARL’s interdisciplinary team develops tools that make rehabilitation more engaging, accessible, and personalized for children and youth with disabilities.
How do you control disease at the genetic level without changing DNA? In this research highlight, discover how Professor Omar Khan and his team at the University of Toronto are building nanotechnologies that deliver RNA directly to cells to control gene expression with precision.
Meet Dr. Lindsey Fiddes, who joined the Institute of Biomedical Engineering in January 2026 as an Assistant Professor (Teaching Stream). She brings over a decade of expertise in microfabrication, microfluidics, microscopy, and training highly qualified personnel at the University of Toronto. Dr. Fiddes develops hands‑on, research‑focused curricula that build strong practical lab skills, and her pedagogical research explores data integrity and biases in bioimaging.
In this research highlight, discover how Professor Caitlin Maikawa and her team are engineering dynamic polymer materials that adapt to biological changes, enabling more precise, responsive drug delivery.
Discover how the Rocheleau lab investigates communication between pancreatic islets, beta cells, and vascular endothelial cells, and how these interactions are altered in Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. Research approaches include two-photon and confocal microscopy, microfluidics, and live-cell fluorescence imaging to study islet metabolism and tissue function.
Discover how Professor Berj Bardakjian and the Neural Systems Lab at the University of Toronto are uncovering the electrical “alphabet” of the brain. This research explores the hidden rhythms behind how we think and move, with a focus on predicting seizures, improving diagnosis, and advancing machine learning tools for brain disorders such as epilepsy, Alzheimer’s, dementia, and depression.
Ammara Faiyaz moved from Canada to Saudi Arabia at age five, where limited opportunities for women and personal challenges shaped her determination to pursue science. She is now a second-year PhD student in Biomedical Engineering at the University of Toronto, researching neurotechnology to improve rehabilitation for children with cerebral palsy.
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