IBBME

Professor Milica Radisic of the department of chemical engineering and applied chemistry in the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering has received a Killam Research Fellowships from the Canada Council for the Arts.

“It is a great honour to receive this fellowship, and to be in the company of so many wonderful researchers from across Canada,” says Radisic. “My team will use this support to continue our innovative approaches to drug development and tissue repair, and to address medical challenges that currently have no solution.”

Radisic holds the Canada Research Chair in Functional Cardiovascular Tissue Engineering. Her transformational advances in tissue engineering have resulted in new methods for growing human tissue in the lab. Her team was among the first in the world to use electrical impulses and specially designed bioreactors to guide heart cells to assemble into a structure in which they beat independently of a body. The team also designed an injectable tissue patch that could be used to repair hearts, livers or other organs damaged by disease or injury. These technologies are the basis of the spinoff companies TARA Biosystems and Quthero.

Among Radisic’s many honours are the Steacie Prize and Steacie Fellowship, the 2019 Research and Development Medal from the Ontario Society of Professional Engineers and Professional Engineers Ontario and the 2018 YWCA Toronto Woman of Distinction award.

Professor Molly Shoichet receives Connaught Innovation Award

lanthierj — Tue, 10 Mar 2020 21:14:23 +0000

Professor Molly Shoichet receives Connaught Innovation Award

Research & Innovation

lanthierj Tue, 03/10/2020 - 17:14

Faculty

St. George

Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering

IBBME

Department of Chemical Engineering & Applied Chemistry

Donnelly Centre for Cellular & Biomolecular Research

Women in STEM

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(photo by Neil Ta)

University Professor Molly Shoichet of the department of chemical engineering and applied chemistry and IBBME at the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering and the Donnelly Centre for Cellular & Biomolecular Research has received a Connaught Innovation Award for developing a biomimicking substance that better treats retinal detachment.

Shoichet's team, led by postdoctoral fellow Alexander Baker, has invented a biodegradable material that mimics the properties of vitreous, the gel-like substance that fills 75 per cent of the eye, helping to maintain its round shape.

As people age, the consistency of the vitreous, which adheres to the retina, changes. This can lead to the vitreous peeling off and tugging on the retina, creating a tear. Left untreated, the gel substance could leak through the tear and into the space behind the retina, causing detachment and blindness. Current treatment involves inserting a gas bubble into the eye to keep the retina flat. Following the procedure, patients must lie face-down to maintain head position for several days, which is known as posturing. For complicated detachments, silicone oils are used to repair the detachment.

“Our vitreous replacement hydrogel will neither blur patient vision nor require posturing or a second surgery, as required with oils,” says Shoichet, who is collaborating with vitreoretinal surgeon, Dr. Robert Devenyi.

The Connaught Innovation Award funding will help advance the work of Shoichet’s vitreous substitute. The non-toxic and biocompatible hyaluronan-based hydrogel would be used to flatten the detached retina, with minimal swelling.

“The socio-economic benefit is clear,” she adds. “With our product, patients will be better served, return to work faster, and the cost to the health-care system will be lower.”

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Three graduate students receive Jennifer Dorrington Award

s.anderson — Mon, 24 Feb 2020 13:23:46 +0000

Three graduate students receive Jennifer Dorrington Award

Research & Innovation

s.anderson Mon, 02/24/2020 - 08:23

Students

St. George

Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research

Graduate Students

Faculty of Medicine

IBBME

Jennifer Dorrington Award

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Sanna Masud, Nil Sahin and Benjamin Kingston (photo of Kingston by Qin Dai)

Graduate students Sanna Masud, Nil Sahin and Benjamin Kingston are the winners of the 2020 Jennifer Dorrington Award, which recognizes outstanding students in the Faculty of Medicine who are doing research in the Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research.

“These three winners are doing some of the most innovative research in biology, which has already revealed important new insights and has the potential to improve patient lives,” says Gary Bader, a University of Toronto professor of molecular genetics and computer science, and the chair of the award committee.

Masud’s research is shedding new light on the cellular basis of Barth syndrome, a rare genetic disorder for which there is currently no treatment. Sahin is developing AI-powered computer vision tools to reveal gene function from cell microscopy images. And Kingston is mapping tumours in three dimensions to help the development of targeted therapies.

Established in 2007 by the Dorrington family, the annual award is named after Jennifer Dorrington, who carried out pioneering work on ovarian physiology in U of T’s Banting and Best department of medical research, which was later integrated into the Donnelly Centre.

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Professor Tom Chau receives President’s Impact Award

lanthierj — Fri, 21 Feb 2020 13:33:58 +0000

Professor Tom Chau receives President’s Impact Award

Research & Innovation

Community

lanthierj Fri, 02/21/2020 - 08:33

Faculty

St. George

President's Impact Award

IBBME

Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering

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For his contributions to the development of assistive technologies that give children and youth with severe physical limitations the ability to communicate independently, Professor Tom Chau has received the President’s Impact Award.

A professor in the Institute of Biomaterials & Biomedical Engineering and vice-president of research and director, Bloorview Research Institute, Chau has been a tireless advocate for children with disabilities. He holds more than a dozen patents for assistive technologies, several of which have been licensed to industry partners. His innovations include a blink switch that allowed one child to participate in his bar mitzvah, and a device called a Hummer, which converts vocal cord vibrations (such as a hum) into a digital signal compatible with smart phones, iPads and computer.

“Our lab believes that communication is a fundamental human right,” Chau said. “Our research has shown that communicative intent can be encoded in subtle body movements, orofacial gestures, physiological changes as well as brain signals.

“By creatively tapping into these channels, children and youth who do not have speech or controlled movements have been able to express their thoughts, opinions, and aspirations in meaningful ways.”

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President's Impact Award recognizes five leading researchers

lanthierj — Fri, 21 Feb 2020 13:15:51 +0000

President's Impact Award recognizes five leading researchers

Research & Innovation

Community

lanthierj Fri, 02/21/2020 - 08:15

Faculty

St. George

President’s Impact Award

Faculty of Medicine

Faculty of Arts & Science

Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering

IBBME

Factor Inwentash Faculty of Social Work

Faculty of Law

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For their impact that stretches far beyond the University of Toronto, five leaders in medicine, law, engineering, social work and the humanities are receiving President’s Impact Awards.

“The University of Toronto is very proud of these researchers, whose work is leading to important change here at home and around the world,” said Vivek Goel, U of T’s vice-president of research and innovation and strategic initiatives. “Their work, across a diverse range of fields, is reaching beyond academia and improving life for a broad cross-section of society locally and globally.”

The winners are:

Winners of the President’s Impact Awards receive $10,000 per year for five years to be used toward their research, and become members of the President’s Impact Academy.

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Engineering professor and two alumni elected to the U.S. National Academy of Engineering

lanthierj — Mon, 10 Feb 2020 20:29:25 +0000

Engineering professor and two alumni elected to the U.S. National Academy of Engineering

Research & Innovation

lanthierj Mon, 02/10/2020 - 15:29

Faculty

St. George

Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering

IBBME

landscape

(photo by Neil Ta)

University Professor Michael Sefton and Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering alumni Raffaello D’Andrea and Abigail Sellen have been elected as international members of the U.S. National Academy of Engineering (NAE).

“On behalf of the faculty, my warmest congratulations to Professor Sefton, Professor D’Andrea and Dr. Sellen on this well-deserved honour,” said Christopher Yip, dean of U of T Engineering. “Their election to the NAE demonstrates the impact our faculty and alumni are making at a global level and the respect in which they are held by their peers worldwide.”

The executive director of Medicine by Design and the Michael E. Charles Professor in the department of chemical engineering and applied chemistry, Sefton is a world leader in biomaterials, biomedical engineering and regenerative medicine. His lab, located in the Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research, has created biomaterials that actively promote the growth of blood vessels – accelerating wound healing and supporting the development of lab-grown tissues.

D’Andrea is professor of dynamic systems and control at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) in Zurich. Sellen is deputy director at Microsoft Research Cambridge in the United Kingdom.

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Rahul Arora, Alina Bykova and Amanda Kha win U of T Libraries' Graduate Student Exhibition Competition Awards

lanthierj — Wed, 29 Jan 2020 13:18:34 +0000

Rahul Arora, Alina Bykova and Amanda Kha win U of T Libraries' Graduate Student Exhibition Competition Awards

Academic Achievement

lanthierj Wed, 01/29/2020 - 08:18

Students

Faculty of Arts & Science

Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering

IBBME

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From left to right: Vice-President and Provost Cheryl Regehr, Elizabeth Haig (accepting on behalf of Alina Bykova), Rahul Arora, Amanda Khan and Larry Alford, U of T's chief librarian (photo by Paul Terefenko)

Students Rahul Arora, Alina Bykova and Amanda Khan have won this year’s Graduate Student Exhibition Competition Awards from University of Toronto Libraries for research that ranged from computer graphics to laparoscopic surgery and a Russian ghost town in the Arctic.

Each received a $1,000 prize and the opportunity to create exhibits based on their work.

“It is wonderful to see the research students produce supported by the wealth of information that we have available here at the libraries,” said Larry Alford, U of T’s chief librarian, during the competition prize ceremony held earlier this month at the Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library.

The award recognizes those who take complex work and make it accessible to other community members, said Vice-President and Provost Cheryl Regehr.

“Events like this bring people together to connect, collaborate, and create,” Regehr said.

Graduate students base their exhibits on research projects that they have completed and submit a signed letter of support from their supervisor or instructor. Among the criteria for judging submissions is the student’s ability to demonstrate effective use of library resources and services.

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IBBME

Milica Radisic receives Killam Research Fellowship

Read more about Radisic and her Killam Research Fellowship

Professor Molly Shoichet receives Connaught Innovation Award

Read the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering story

Three graduate students receive Jennifer Dorrington Award

Read the Donnelly Centre story

Professor Tom Chau receives President’s Impact Award

President's Impact Award recognizes five leading researchers

Engineering professor and two alumni elected to the U.S. National Academy of Engineering

Read the U of T Engineering story

Rahul Arora, Alina Bykova and Amanda Kha win U of T Libraries' Graduate Student Exhibition Competition Awards

Read the U of T News story