Faculty & Research
Faculty & research are integral components of BME. With a strong focus on research, BME is located in the heart of Canada’s largest health-care research hub. Our graduate students receive their training from 14 departments at U of T, 10 partner hospitals, and 7 research institutes & commercialization centres.
At BME, our cross-disciplinary approach in biomedical and clinical engineering enables our researchers to cover a diverse set of topics. Find out what our research publication are saying about our research focus.
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Faculty directory
Core Faculty
We have 30+ core faculty members that span across cell & tissue engineering, clinical engineering, and molecular engineering disciplines.
Cross-Appointed Faculty
BME currently hosts cross-appointed faculty members across more than 30 academic units, partner hospitals, research institutes, and commercialization centres.
Emeriti
Learn about some of our retired faculty members
Research streams
Clinical
BME’s clinical engineers design technologies, devices and strategies for people with chronic disease, traumatic injury, disabilities and mobility limitations to help them integrate more fully with their environment.
Cell & Tissue
Research that has the potential to change how we think about disease and aging is happening at BME. Regenerative medicine uses stem cells and biomaterials to repair, replace or regenerate damaged tissue, organ structures and function.
Molecular
BME researchers are advancing disease detection, customizing drug delivery and improving health-care outcomes with faster and more precise technologies and systems.
Latest news
Advancing pediatric rehabilitation through technology | Elaine Biddiss Lab
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.
Multiple BME faculty secure CIHR project grant funding in fall 2025 competition
Several core faculty members from the Institute of Biomedical Engineering (BME) have received Project Grant funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) in the Fall 2025 competition. These awards support research across all areas of health, from early‑stage discovery to clinical application.
Engineering RNA nanotechnology for better health | Omar F. Khan Lab
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.
Designing smarter drug delivery for precision medicine | Caitlin Maikawa Lab
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.
Researchers highlight “regenerative healing” as a holistic framework for future health innovations
A new paper by Professors Michael V. Sefton (University of Toronto) and Malcolm King and Alexandra King (University of Saskatchewan) introduces the term “regenerative healing” as a complementary, more holistic concept to regenerative medicine. The authors suggest the framework may better reflect Indigenous perspectives on health and wellness and support more inclusive conversations about emerging biomedical therapies.
Inaugural BESA 3-Minute Thesis Competition Highlights Research Excellence and Communication
The Biomedical Engineering Students Association (BESA) proudly hosted its inaugural 3-Minute Thesis (3MT) Competition, celebrating graduate research excellence and the ability to communicate complex scientific ideas to a broad audience. The competition was held over two stages, with the semi-final round taking place on November 14, 2025, followed by the final round on November 28, 2025, bringing together graduate students from across the Department of Biomedical Engineering.
Faculty startups
The following list highlights some of the startup companies that have been launched by these forward-thinking faculty members, demonstrating their commitment to translating academic knowledge into real-world applications and making a significant impact on the biomedical industry.
| Faculty Member | Commercialization Venture | Focus | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan Andrysek | LegWorks | Prosthetic Knee Joint | San Francisco |
| John E. Davies | Tissue Regenerative Therapeutics Inc. | Mesenchymal Stem Cells | Toronto |
| Milos Popovic | MyndTech Inc. | Medical Tech Company | Mississauga |
| Milica Radisic | Tara Biosystems | Cardiac Drug Discovery | New York |
| Jonathan Rocheleau | QuantM3 | Microfluidics Technology Diabetes Treatment | Toronto |
| Paul Santerre | Interface Biologics | Drug Delivery and other technologies | Toronto |
| Paul Santerre and Eli Sone | Cohesys Inc | Bone Tape to replace plate and screws in craniofacial repair; Angel investment | Toronto |
| Paul Santerre | Ripple Therapeutics | Non-polymeric anti-inflammatory drug delivery systems for ophthalmology; venture invested | Toronto |
| Molly Shoichet | AmacaThera | Injectable hydrogel platform technology | Toronto |
| Aaron Wheeler | Miroculus (formerly Kappex) | Digital Microfluidics Platform | Toronto |