News & Stories

Explore the latest news, stories, and groundbreaking research happening at the Institute of Biomedical Engineering. Stay updated on innovative projects, impactful discoveries, and the achievements of our talented students, faculty, and alumni shaping the future of biomedical science and engineering.

Grand Questions: U of T’s Medicine by Design invests $3 million in the future of regenerative medicine

May 14, 2021

Treating heart failure without transplant surgery. Delivering powerful cell therapies to patients where they live – no matter how remote. Recording how cells talk to one another in the body to personalize future therapies. These are just some of the transformative advances the University of Toronto’s Medicine by Design initiative hopes to enable through its Grand Questions Program, which is investing $3 million to prepare for the future of regenerative medicine

TRANSFORM HF partnership advances novel technologies for heart failure care

May 7, 2021

A new partnership between the University of Toronto and the Ted Rogers Centre for Heart Research is forging new collaborations and designing new technologies to reimagine how high-quality, digital approaches to heart failure can be equitably delivered to all Canadians.

Two engineering community members honoured with U of T Awards of Excellence

April 16, 2021

Professor Brenda McCabe (CivMin) and graduate student Kramay Patel (BME MD/PhD candidate) have been honoured by the University of Toronto with Awards of Excellence (AWEX).

Faces of BME – Marta O.

April 14, 2021

Faces of BME – Marta O. I grew up in Ukraine in a family of artists, so it seemed natural that I too would become an artist. At the age […]

U of T Engineering professors and staff members honoured for excellence by the Faculty

April 8, 2021

Sixteen Engineering faculty and staff have been honoured for their outstanding contributions to U of T Engineering with teaching, research, and administrative staff awards. These awards recognize exceptional faculty and staff members for their leadership, citizenship, innovation and contributions to the Faculty’s teaching, service, and research missions.

Faces of BME – Amalia G.

March 25, 2021

Faces of BME – Marta O. Communication is an important skill for all engineers to develop because it doesn’t matter if you have the best idea out there, if you […]

Explainer: U of T Engineering professor Omar F. Khan on COVID-19 vaccination efficacy, misconceptions and Canada’s rollout

March 18, 2021

As Canada races to vaccinate its citizens amid an increase in variant infections, writer Liz Do spoke to Professor Omar F. Khan (BME), an immunoengineering expert. Khan, whose lab designs nanotechnology devices that can deliver RNA technology to cells for better disease treatment, explains common concerns and questions around COVID-19 vaccines.

2021 Dorrington Awards Recognize Graduate Research in Drug Discovery, Precision Medicine and Cancer Nanomedicine

March 10, 2021

Jessica Knox, Shubham Gupta and Jamie Wu are the recipients of the 2021 Jennifer Dorrington Graduate Research Award which recognizes students enrolled in graduate programs at the Temerty Faculty of Medicine who are doing doctoral research in Donnelly Centre labs.

Clearing up misconceptions surrounding COVID-19 vaccine efficacy

March 9, 2021

Many Canadians are preparing to get a COVID-19 vaccine, but does it matter which shot you get? Does one vaccine work better than another? Eric Sorensen clears up the misconceptions over vaccine efficacy, and what health experts say really matters most.

Medicine by Design and H2i form partnership to support entrepreneurs in regenerative medicine

January 22, 2021

Graduate students and post-doctoral researchers who want to translate regenerative medicine research or technology into a product or venture can now take their first steps toward becoming an entrepreneur through a new University of Toronto program.

‘The next big step’: U of T researchers pursue a treatment for vision loss

January 6, 2021

Supported by U of T’s Medicine by Design initiative, a multidisciplinary team led by University Professor Molly Shoichet (ChemE, BME, Donnely) plans to use retinal stem cells to restore vision.

Interning at Microsoft through the lens of a Biomedical Engineer

December 3, 2020

Interning at Microsoft through the lens of a biomedical engineer Saba Rahimi is a PhD candidate in Biomedical Engineering at the University of Toronto. During the summer of 2020, she completed […]

Molly Shoichet named one of the Top 100 Most Powerful Women in Canada

December 1, 2020

University Professor Molly Shoichet (ChemE, BME, Donnelly) has been named one of the Top 100 most powerful women in Canada by Women’s Executive Network (WXN). The list recognizes the country’s highest achieving female leaders in the private, public and not-for-profit sectors.

Three cool virtual labs: How U of T Engineering instructors are getting creative with remote active learning

November 18, 2020

During the COVID-19 pandemic, instructors and teaching assistants (TAs) across U of T Engineering have had to get creative in finding new, engaging and equitable ways to conduct labs — a traditionally hands-on and collaborative in-person learning experience — without on-campus equipment, software or space.

How one U of T Engineering educational program kept thriving during COVID-19

November 18, 2020

Davenport Huyer is the co-founder and Logistics Director of Discovery, an educational initiative that originated within U of T’s Institute of Biomedical Engineering. Since it launched in 2016, the program has engaged with hundreds of students from selected Toronto-area high schools to build critical thinking skills through inquiry focused learning.

BME Alumni Profile – Zhamak Abdi

November 17, 2020

Alumnus Zhamak Abdi, is a senior biomedical device engineer at ChipCare, a Toronto-based start-up company which is developing accessible and affordable multiplex point-of-care diagnostics for infectious diseases.

U of T researchers develop a new tool for scooping contents of individual cells from their local environment

November 11, 2020

Scientists can now select individual cells from a population that grows on the surface of a laboratory dish and study their molecular contents. Developed by U of T researchers, the new tool will enable a deeper study of stem cells and other rare cell types for therapy development.

University of Toronto professor Molly Shoichet wins $1 million Gerhard Herzberg Canada Gold Medal

November 10, 2020

Molly Shoichet, professor of chemical engineering and applied chemistry and Canada Research Chair in Tissue Engineering at the University of Toronto, has won this year’s $1 million Gerhard Herzberg Canada Gold Medal, the country’s top science prize.

How to ace a grad school interview

November 9, 2020

The CGS-D and PGS-D application deadline is rapidly approaching. Check out some extensive best practices and mistakes to avoid offered by Joseph Sebastian, a previous award winner.

‘Our very first biotech win’: How U of T’s discovery of insulin made it a research and innovation powerhouse

November 4, 2020

Paul Santerre, a professor in the Faculty of Dentistry and the Institute of Biomedical Engineering, says the extent of progress on diabetes and insulin will partly depend on how well research breakthroughs from scholars like Brubaker can be married with efforts at commercialization and innovation.

Collective Impact: Barbara and Frank Milligan continue to nurture the next generation of biomedical engineering leaders

November 3, 2020

Two students from Institute of Biomedical Engineering (BME) were awarded the Barbara and Frank Milligan award this year.

Skin-care product based on U of T Engineering research donated to health-care workers fighting

October 13, 2020

A U of T Engineering spinoff company has donated its entire stock of skin-care product to health-care workers fighting the global pandemic.

Medicine by Design invests $1 million to advance bold new ideas in regenerative medicine

October 5, 2020

Medicine by Design is supporting research aimed at advancing new concepts expected to be important to regenerative medicine in the coming years. The funded projects will have potential impacts in diseases and conditions such as vision loss, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), intestinal disease in premature babies and more.

Ofer Levi inducted into The Optical Society (OSA)

September 21, 2020

Dr. Ofer Levi has been inducted into The Optical Society (OSA) as a fellow. As one of more than 2,500 fellows, Dr. Levi will be able to contribute to the advancement of optics and photonics through education and research.