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.

macrophages surrounding cells during wound repair

New study suggests alternate mechanism during wound repair

May 31, 2019

Macrophages may respond to mechanical signals sent out by fibroblasts during wound repair.

Natalie Landon-Brace and Prajay Shah Vanier Winners

Five U of T Engineering graduate students recognized with prestigious Vanier Scholarships

May 30, 2019

Five U of T Engineering graduate students have been named 2019 recipients of the prestigious Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships. Two students are MD/PhD candidates from IBBME.

IARC brochure

IBBME Annual Research Conference (IARC) celebrates its 35th year

May 28, 2019

IBBME Annual Research Conference (IARC) celebrates its 35th year tradition by exchanging ideas and celebrating student achievements.

Michael Floros with his venture championship award

‘Bone tape’ startup by U of T Engineering alumnus takes home international prize

May 22, 2019

Cohesys, a biomedical device startup that makes biodegradable ‘bone tape’ to help heal facial fractures, recently took home US$20,000 at an international competition.

Leo Chou

Six U of T Engineering projects earn support from Medicine by Design

May 17, 2019

Six U of T Engineering researchers are among nine teams awarded $1.2 million in funding from Medicine by Design to support critical new ideas in regenerative medicine.

Portrait of Milos Popovic and Milicia Radisic

Five U of T Engineering professors and alumni receive Ontario Professional Engineers Awards

May 7, 2019

Five U of T Engineering professors and alumni have been honoured by the Ontario Society of Professional Engineers (OSPE) and Professional Engineers Ontario (PEO) with Ontario Professional Engineers Awards.

Benjamin Kingston and Dr. Nasim Montazeri

RBC Fellowships Celebrates AI Research in Biomedical Engineering

April 10, 2019

Benjamin Kingston and Dr. Nasim Montazeri are two of the IBBME recipients of the 2019 Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) Post-Doctoral & Graduate Fellowships.

illustration of stem cells

Not all stem cells are created equal

March 21, 2019

Cells known as “elite clones” appear to outcompete their neighbours in the process of becoming stem cells, shown in a research paper published in Science.

Molly Shoichet in a lab

Artificial lung cancer tissue could help find new drug treatments

February 25, 2019

A 3D hydrogel created by researchers in University Professor Molly Shoichet’s lab is helping University of Ottawa researchers to quickly screen hundreds of potential drugs for their ability to fight highly invasive cancers.

Molly Shoichet

Molly Shoichet named a Distinguished Woman in Chemistry or Chemical Engineering

February 20, 2019

University Professor Molly Shoichet has been named a 2019 Distinguished Woman in Chemistry or Chemical Engineering by the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC).

Yimu Zhao demonstrates the BioWire II, a platform for growing heart cells outside the body

U of T Engineering researchers design ‘training gym’ for lab-grown heart cells

January 24, 2019

Heart muscle cells need exercise — even when they grow outside the human body. A new device designed by U of T Engineering researchers uses a rigorous training regimen to grow small amounts of cardiac tissue and measure how strongly it beats.

Leo Chou

Leo Chou joins IBBME as assistant professor

January 15, 2019

Dr. Leo Chou joined the Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering (IBBME) as an assistant professor.

Mobility Sensor Device

Brain Control

December 28, 2018

Dr. Tom Chau’s lab is bringing mobility to those who opt to use their mind to control movements

2-dimensional fluorescent image of a wound in the epidermis of a fruit fly embryo

Collective Movement

December 28, 2018

Professor Rodrigo Fernandez-Gonzalez is trying to tease out the communication barriers between cells during wound repair

Portrait of Michael Garton

How Michael Garton Forged a Career in Research after being Paralyzed by Climbing Accident

December 28, 2018

After a climbing accident left him paralysed from the neck down, newly appointed University of Toronto Professor Michael Garton forged a new career in research

Catching up with an Alumnus

December 25, 2018

In early 2015, Dr. Alborz Mahdavi started his company, Protomer Technologies after completing his studies at the University of Toronto and California Institute of Technology

Professor Axel Guenther with a 3D skin printer

U of T Engineering partners with NRC to commercialize biomedical innovations

November 26, 2018

U of T Engineering is partnering with Canada’s National Research Council (NRC) to create a national innovation hub focused on microfluidics.

Portrait of Cameron Stewart

New PhD Cameron Stewart fills a gap through health tech start-up Mesosil

November 8, 2018

With his PhD from the Institute of Biomaterials & Biomedical Engineering (IBBME) fresh in hand, Cameron Stewart, CEO of health technology start-up Mesosil, wants to revolutionize your fillings. 

Dr. Alphonsus Ng holding the Douglas R. Colton Award for Research

Alumnus wins Douglas R. Colton Medal for Research Excellence

October 25, 2018

Alumnus Dr. Alphonsus Ng is the recipient of this year’s Douglas R. Colton Award for Research Excellence.

Portrait of Michael Garton

Michael Garton joins IBBME as new faculty member

October 1, 2018

Michael Garton joins IBBME to embark his research on designing “living drugs”.

Portrait of Locke Davenprot, Dawn Kilkenny and Penney Gilbert

IBBME Youth Education Initiative Receives NSERC PromoScience Funding

September 17, 2018

Professors Dawn Kilkenny and Penney Gilbert are the recipient of the NSERC PromoScience award valued at >$22,000.

Portrait of Jan Andrysek, Penney Gilbert, Dawn Kilkenny and Paul Yoo

Meet four IBBME professors receiving academic promotions this summer

June 27, 2018

Jan Andrysek, Penney Gilbert, Dawn Kilkenny and Paul Yoo recognized for research achievements and teaching contributions in biomedical engineering at U of T.

students in John Davies lab

U of T researchers discover new ways to build better medical implants and improve healing time

June 18, 2018

A team led by Professor John E. Davies has uncovered new information about medical devices that could accelerate post-surgical healing.

Amanda Fleury and Mikhail Bruke

Grads to Watch 2018: Meet two U of T biomedical engineering students graduating this spring

June 11, 2018

Mikhail Burke and Amanda Fleury are two IBBME graduates taking unique next steps in their careers.