New device tracks chemical signals within cells
Biomedical engineers at the University of Toronto have invented a new device that more quickly and accurately visualizes the chemical messages that tell our cells how to multiply. The tool improves our understanding of how cancerous growth begins, and could identify new targets for cancer medications. Throughout the human body, certain signalling chemicals — known as […]
IBBME professor honoured with UHN Inventor of the Year Award
Professor Milos Popovic (IBBME) has been named the recipient of the University Health Network (UHN) 2014 Inventor of the Year Award for his creation of MyndMove, a non-invasive device that delivers electrical stimulation to paralyzed muscles producing movement in arms and hands. Popovic, a professor at the U of T Institute of Biomaterials & Biomedical Engineering (IBBME) and senior […]
Engineers receive grant for ‘artificial liver’ that could help find more effective drugs
A research team led by U of T Engineering Professor Craig Simmons (MIE, IBBME) received $300,000 this week to create a 3D model of the human liver. Funded by Ontario Centres of Excellence and pharmaceutical consortium CQDM, the project could help determine whether or not new drug molecules are safe for use in humans. Drug developers rely on lab tests and […]
The bionic man: coming soon?
Originally published in the Spring 2015 issue of Edge Magazine. In 1999, NASA issued a challenge to the scientific community: to develop a robotic arm with artificial muscles that could beat a human in an arm-wrestling match. At a conference six years later, a high school girl faced off against three such arms. She won against each of […]
Solar energy pioneer receives U of T’s highest academic rank
Ted Sargent, ECE professor and vice-dean, research for the Faculty, has been appointed to the rank of University Professor by U of T. University Professor is U of T’s highest academic rank, recognizing unusual scholarly achievement and pre-eminence in a particular field of knowledge. The number of such appointments is limited to two per cent […]
Two CFI grants accelerate research in electromagnetics and smart-grid security
Two professors in The Edward S. Rogers Sr. Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering have received grants from the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) worth a combined $3.4 million. The funding supports cutting-edge infrastructure upgrades and equipment needed to accelerate research on advanced electromagnetics and quantum security for smart grids. Professor George Eleftheriades won $2.6 million for the Centre […]
New chip makes testing for antibiotic-resistant bacteria faster, easier
Researchers at the University of Toronto design diagnostic chip to reduce testing time from days to one hour, allowing doctors to pick the right antibiotic the first time We live in fear of ‘superbugs’: infectious bacteria that don’t respond to treatment by antibiotics, and can turn a routine hospital stay into a nightmare. A 2015 […]
Engineering new coatings that repel water, fight corrosion and withstand heat
Originally published in the Spring 2015 issue of Edge Magazine. Have you ever been on a plane and marvelled over the fact that a 400-ton hunk of metal can get off the ground? As you peered out the window at the wing flaps, you probably thought about how the miracle of flight has something to do with the […]
How this Engineering professor is helping drivers keep their eyes on the road
Originally published in the Spring 2015 issue of Edge Magazine. According to recent studies, texting while driving has surpassed drunkenness as the leading cause of death for teen drivers. But even as public service campaigns plead with drivers to relinquish their devices, cars are increasingly loaded up with GPSs, infotainment systems, dash cams and other on-board tech. Cars […]
