Hydrogels boost ability of stem cells to restore eyesight and heal brains
University of Toronto researchers show that engineered ‘hydrogels’ not only help with stem cell transplantation, but actually speed healing in both the eye and brain Toronto scientists and engineers have made a breakthrough in cell transplantation using a gel-like biomaterial that keeps cells alive and helps them integrate better into tissue. In two early lab […]
Faculties of Engineering, Dentistry and Medicine to collaborate in new Translational Biology and Engineering Program
Researchers from the Institute of Biomaterials & Biomedical Engineering (IBBME) continue to build on the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering’s unparalleled strengths in biomedical engineering with the establishment of the Translational Biology and Engineering Program (TBEP)—a key component of the Ted Rogers Centre for Heart Research (TRCHR). TBEP will occupy an entire floor of […]
Preventing deformed limbs: researchers find new link between physical forces and limb development
University of Toronto engineers and a pediatric surgeon have joined forces to discover how physical forces like pressure and tension affect the development of limbs in embryos—research that could someday be used to help prevent birth defects. The team, including U of T bioengineer Rodrigo Fernandez-Gonzalez from the Institute of Biomaterials & Biomedical Engineering (IBBME), U of T mechanical […]
Portable HIV testing device developed at U of T Engineering receives $5 million in venture capital
Imagine having blood drawn for HIV-related testing, and then never finding out the results. In developing countries around the world, it can be common for patients not to receive test results for treatable diseases such as HIV. But what if the testing could be brought to them and performed on the spot? This is the […]
U of T engineer takes L’Oréal-UNESCO honour for ‘stem cell space suits’
University of Toronto biomedical engineering professor Molly Shoichet (ChemE, IBBME) has been named the L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science North American laureate for 2015. Already the only person ever elected to all three of Canada’s science academies, Shoichet is the innovative mind behind breakthroughs ranging from ‘space suits’ for fragile stem cells to polymer-based ‘vehicles’ that could […]
U of T Engineering team delivers $1 detection system for measles and rubella
U of T Engineering researchers have developed a paper-based diagnostic system for use in some of the world’s poorest countries. Awarded $112,000 by Grand Challenges Canada’s “Bold Ideas” initiative last month, the system is being touted for its potential impact on infant and maternal health in developing nations. “Every hour, 11 infants are born with […]
Engineering a healthy heart: a closer look at the Rogers family $130-million gift
A new frontier in cardiac health care On November 20, the Rogers family donated an unprecedented $130 million to create the Ted Rogers Centre for Heart Research (TRCHR). The new Centre unites research expertise from the University of Toronto, the Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) and the University Health Network (UHN). Together, these organizations are […]
Historic $130-million gift to establish the Ted Rogers Centre for Heart Research
Largest private donation in Canadian healthcare history will bring together the strengths of SickKids, UHN and U of T in personalized genomic medicine, tissue engineering and advanced cardiac care to address heart failure across the lifespan. With the goal to reduce hospitalization for heart failure by 50 per cent over the next decade, the Hospital […]
Newly engineered surface repels blood clots and bacteria
Engineering a surface that is so slippery even geckos can’t stick to it may sound like a fun science fair project. But new surface-coating technology developed by materials science and engineering professor Ben Hatton (MSE), together with colleagues at Harvard University’s Wyss Institute, does just that—and its slick properties have the potential to save lives. […]
