Human health news

U of T Engineering is a leader in health care engineering. Together with doctors, medical researchers, policymakers and industry, we are helping people around the world live longer, healthier lives.

Professor Michael Sefton.

Professor Michael Sefton receives European Society for Biomaterials International Award

Award recognizes his scientific profile, major contributions to the field of biomaterials and longstanding active collaboration with the European scientific community

Dr. Malgosia Pakulska (pictured) and University Professor Molly Shoichet have outlined the best techniques for discovering molecules that will bind to proteins with the potential to treat conditions from stroke to heart disease. (Photo: Marit Mitchell)

Tailored protein binding opens possibilities for nerve, tissue treatments

Biomedical engineers at the University of Toronto review most promising ways to discover or design new binding partners for time-release protein treatments

After a single MSC transplant, the leg bone of this previously osteoporotic mouse shows a restoration of the normal internal structure. (Courtesy: Dr. Jeff Kiernan).

Stem cell therapy reverses age-related osteoporosis in mice

Researchers from the Institute of Biomaterials & Biomedical Engineering and The Ottawa Hospital suggest stem-cell treatment for humans may not be far off

When seeded with heart cells, the flexible polymer scaffold contracts with a regular rhythm, just like real heart tissue. (Image: Boyang Zhang)

‘Person-on-a-chip’ — U of T engineers create lab-grown heart and liver tissue for drug testing and more

Professor Milica Radisic and her team have developed unique methods for manufacturing small, intricate scaffolds for individual cells to grow on

Brian Mech (UTIAS PhD 9T7) is the CEO of eSight, a Toronto-based company that builds wearable devices that restore nearly normal vision to people with a wide range of sight-damaging conditions. (photo courtesy: Brian Mech)

Brian Mech: Artificial vision pioneer

Brian Mech is a U of T Engineering alumnus and CEO of eSight, a Toronto-based company that builds wearable devices which restore nearly normal vision to people with a wide range of sight-damaging conditions.

Three innovative startups from U of T Engineering students are leveraging modern technology to address important challenges in the healthcare industry.

Three health-focused student startups

Three U of T Engineering startups — MedTek Devices, Pillsy and MedChart — are addressing important challenges, from managing medical information to detecting falls among the elderly.

Professor Milica Radisic (IBBME, ChemE) and her team grow heart cells outside the body. The technology could help pharmaceutical companies detect negative side effects in drugs. It is being commercialized by TARA Biosystems, a New York City-based company co-founded by Radisic. (Photo: NSERC)

Lab-grown heart cells to improve drug safety

A company co-founded by Professor Milica Radisic (IBBME, ChemE) is helping pharmaceutical companies detect negative side effects in drugs by testing them on lab-grown tissues.

Jeffrey Siegel

The link between air quality and human health

When it comes to air quality, most people think car exhaust, industrial emissions and smog pose the biggest dangers. But Professor Jeffrey Siegel says it’s the environment inside our homes and offices that should concern us most.

Professor Hai-Ling Margaret Cheng (IBBME, ECE) researches ways to improve MRI scans, which could allow for earlier cancer detection or accelerate the development of personalized medicine. (Photo: Roberta Baker)

Smarter scans could detect cancer earlier

Professor Hai-Ling Margaret Cheng was working as an electrical engineer in the aerospace and defence industry when she had an epiphany: she realized the signal-processing techniques she was using to improve radar for remote sensing could also enhance magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans.