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.

Two mice in a lab

A diabetes drug promotes brain repair — but it only works in females, U of T study shows

September 11, 2019

Accounting for sex differences could be key for the development of better treatments as drug shows promise for brain repair in females only.

Yoav Finer and Cameron Stewart in a lab

Building the perfect restoration

September 5, 2019

Multidisciplinary team awarded five year, $1M project grant to develop a new filling material

Paul Santerre in a lab

This U of T Engineering innovation makes implants safer, and is attracting new investment to Toronto

September 3, 2019

Global chemical company Evonik will maintain presence in Toronto after acquiring part of U of T spinoff Interface Biologics, Inc.

Portrait of Julie Audet, Margaret Hai-Ling Cheng, Naomi Matsuura and José Zariffa

Four IBBME faculty members received promotion

July 22, 2019

Dr. Margaret Hai-Ling Cheng, Naomi Matsuura, and José Zariffa were promoted to the Associate Professor rank, and Dr. Julie Audet was promoted to the Professor rank.

Shuailong Zhang (left) and Aaron Wheeler in a lab

Microrobots to change the way we work with cellular material

July 8, 2019

In a new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers in the lab of Professor Aaron Wheeler have demonstrated a novel and non-invasive way to manipulate cells through microrobotics.

Portrait of Milos Popovic and David Sinton

U of T Engineering professors and alumni honoured by Canadian Academy of Engineering

June 21, 2019

Professors Milos Popovic (IBBME) and alumni Jeffrey Karp (IBBME PhD 0T4) are two IBBME members inducted as fellows of the Canadian Academy of Engineering (CAE).

Zaid Atto

From idea to impact: An expanding solution to a common surgical problem

June 21, 2019

Toronto-based entrepreneur Zaid Atto receives FACIT’s Ernsting Entrepreneurship Award to further develop his new device for safer and less invasive surgeries

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.