Research News and 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.
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Medicine by Design announces two new Pivotal Experiment Fund projects
University of Toronto (U of T) professors Shana Kelley, Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, and Molly Shoichet, Institute of Biomedical Engineering, will be supported by Medicine by Design’s Pivotal Experiment Fund to spin-off aspects of their research into an early-stage product concept or venture.
Zebra mussels could point the way toward non-stick surfaces and medical adhesives
A water tank full of coin-sized invertebrates may not be the first thing you’d expect to see in a materials science and engineering research lab.
Mending the Gap: Professor Molly Shoichet joins multidisciplinary team working to develop new treatments for spinal cord injuries
Spinal cord injuries can be devastating to those who experience them. Currently, almost no options are available to reverse the effects, which can include paralysis, chronic pain and loss of bladder control. But an international team of researchers — including University Professor Molly Shoichet (ChemE, BME, Donnelly) — hopes to change that.
New Medicine by Design-funded research advances an under-skin cell therapy for type 1 diabetes
New Medicine by Design-funded research out of the lab of Michael Sefton continues to advance one of his lab’s goals: developing a cell-based treatment for type 1 diabetes that can be implanted under the skin and would eliminate the need for insulin injections.
Mobility scooters not up to winter’s icy challenge, researchers say
Geoffrey Fernie, a professor of surgery with appointments at the Institute of Biomedical Engineering and the Rehabilitation Sciences Institute and a senior scientist at the University Health Network’s KITE Research Institute, works with a research team to look at mobility scooters and there performance on road conditions during Canadian winters.
BME researcher receiving New Frontiers in Research Fund
Hai-Ling Margaret Cheng was one of the UofT researchers receiving the New Frontiers in Research Fund.
‘Only a matter of time’ before omicron COVID-19 variant reaches Canada, expert says
Dr. Omar Khan comments on the recent news on Omicron variant.
Milestone launch: CRAFT Device Foundry welcomes new era of microfluidic device fabrication
The Centre for Research and Applications in Fluidic Technologies (CRAFT) — a partnership between the University of Toronto and the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) — has launched a new research facility at U of T’s St. George campus.
100 years after insulin treatment was invented, researchers hope to ditch needles once and for all
Canadian scientists made one of the most important discoveries in the history of medicine 100 years ago when Dr. Frederick Banting and his assistant, Charles Best, successfully isolated the hormone insulin in Banting’s lab at the University of Toronto.
Engineering a new approach to building blood vessels that work
In the 4th volume of Nature’s Communications Biology, researchers at TBEP published an important study that can reshape the way we engineer new blood vessels for patients who need them.
Winter is Coming
A new study from UHN’s KITE Research Institute reveals that mobility scooters perform poorly under the snow- and ice-covered road conditions that are common during Canadian winters.
New microfluidic device could become a useful tool to examine the effect of pollutants on the lung
A new technology developed by researchers at the University of Toronto provides the first step in mimicking the environment of lung airways, enables scientists to perform particle exposure experiments to examine the pathological effect of air pollutants on respiratory health.
What Sits at the Centre of Wound Healing?
The science of rapid wound healing has new insights due to discoveries in fruit flies from the Fernandez-Gonzalez lab at University of Toronto. Collaboration, community and perseverance has resulted in an article published in the journal Cell Reports as “p38-mediated cell growth and survival drive rapid embryonic wound repair”.
Medicine by Design and partners invite trainees to explore entrepreneurship through enhanced Building a Biotech Venture program
Building a Biotech Venture, a trainee entrepreneurship program, is going into its second year with expanded education and support for trainees who are thinking about taking their first steps toward building their research into a product or venture.
New Medicine by Design-funded method for testing muscle repair in a dish to impact development of stem cell-based therapies
Scientists out of two labs at the University of Toronto have discovered a novel way to test self-repair of skeletal muscle, and this method has the potential to rapidly advance the development of treatments for diseases like muscular dystrophy (MD) and other degenerative muscle conditions.
UHN’s Ajmera Transplant Centre collaborating with U of T’s Medicine by Design
UHN thoracic surgeon Dr. Tom Waddell led the first session of “Regen Med in the Clinic” with University of Toronto researcher Alison McGuigan, talking to fellows about a respiratory condition from surgical and engineering perspectives.
Dr. Craig Simmons named BMES Fellow of 2021
Professor Craig Simmons was inducted as a Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES) fellow among 19 other internationally recognized scientists and engineers. As a BMES fellow, Dr. Simmons was recognized internationally for his innovative and wide-ranging contributions to both fundamental science and practical applications in the field of mechanobiology.
Daniel Franklin assumes key role as Ted Rogers Chair in Cardiovascular Engineering
Daniel Franklin, a rising star in the field of wearable sensors and implantable medical devices, has been appointed the first-ever Ted Rogers Chair in Cardiovascular Engineering.
Dr. Alex Mihalidis named Fellows of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences
Dr. Alex Mihailidis was one of fifteen University of Toronto researchers to be named Fellows of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences in recognition of their “dedication and excellence.”
Wheeler Group introduces light-driven micromachines powered by optoelectronic tweezers
In a study published this week in Nature Communications, research from Professor Aaron Wheeler has introduced reconfigurable multi-component micromachines driven by optoelectronic tweezers.
Putting Down Roots
Drs. Cristina Nostro and Sara Nunes Vasconcelos, with their postdoctoral fellow Dr. Yasaman Aghazadeh, have engineered a new method to improve the survival and potency of such cell transplants.
Optimizing patient prioritization for admission to rehab among four projects powered by Connaught New Researcher awards
Leo Chou is one of the FASE faculty members who received Connaught New Researcher Awards this year.