Six graduate students from the Institute of Biomedical Engineering (BME) at the University of Toronto have been awarded a combined funding of >$462,000 over three years through the Natural Science and Engineering Research Councils of Canada (NSERC). The NSERC graduate scholarship program offers financial assistance to outstanding students pursuing a doctoral degree in the natural sciences and engineering. This funding enables recipients to focus on their research and academic studies while providing the flexibility to collaborate with top research mentors in their field, both in Canada and internationally.
The official announcement and the complete list of winners can be found here.
Kevin Da
Advisor
Craig Simmons and Xinyu Liu
Research title
Soft, Wearable Urine Collection Devices With Lateral Flow Assays For Monitoring Acute Kidney Injury in Pediatric Populations After Cardiac Surgery
Project description
Kevin Da’s research is centered on improving how we monitor kidney health in children, particularly in cases where kidney problems can lead to heart issues. In children, acute kidney injuries (AKIs) are often missed, which can lead to serious complications. Traditionally, monitoring kidney function requires blood tests, which can be difficult, especially for pediatric outpatients and those in remote communities. This puts a strain on families and caregivers.
Kevin is working on a solution that uses urine-based biomarkers, which can be collected non-invasively in diapers. He is developing soft, innovative urine collection devices that can be integrated into diapers, allowing for easier and more accessible testing. This approach could lead to earlier detection of kidney problems and reduce the burden on families, advancing how we monitor and treat AKIs in children.
Farshad Murtada
Advisor
Leo Chou
Research title
Barcoded DNA Nanostructures for High-Throughput Capture of Low Affinity T Cells
Project description
Farshad Murtada’s research is focused on improving how we detect and isolate T cells, a type of immune cell that plays a key role in fighting infections and cancer. T cells work by recognizing and binding to specific molecules, called antigens, on the surface of infected or cancerous cells. This binding process is crucial for the immune response and is important for diagnosing and monitoring diseases, as well as developing treatments like immunotherapy.
Currently, the standard method for detecting these T cells has some limitations. It often misses T cells that have a weaker binding to antigens and can only identify a limited number of different T cells in a single sample. This is a problem when trying to screen for unknown antigens, especially when dealing with a large variety.
To address these challenges, Farshad is developing a new technology using DNA origami nanostructures. These tiny, precisely engineered structures could greatly improve the ability to detect and isolate T cells, even those with weak bindings. This advancement would allow researchers to screen hundreds of different antigens in a single sample, making it a powerful tool for improving disease diagnosis and creating more effective immunotherapies.
Ana-Maria Oproescu
Advisor
Omar Khan
Research title
Nanotechnology for mitochondrial engineering
Project description
The mitochondria is an organelle that provides the cell with energy and contains its own separate genome, the mitochondrial deoxyribonucleic acid (mtDNA). Healthy cells can descend into a diseased state when mtDNA is damaged, which can lead to incurable mitochondrial disease. Examples of mitochondrial-related disorders include neuropathy, skeletal muscle disorders and metabolic conditions. Currently, there is a critical lack of engineering tools that allow the delivery of mitochondrial mtDNA editors to directly manipulate and study the mtDNA in order to work towards curative solutions. My project designs, synthesizes and tests new nanotechnology that can deliver new mtDNA to the mitochondria. This capability will allow us and others to study how mitochondrial diseases develop. Additionally, it can also be deployed to create future therapeutics that can treat mitochondrial diseases.
Janice Pang
Advisor
Omar Khan
Research title
Undisclosed
Project description
Undisclosed
Megh Rathod
Advisor
Daniel Franklin
Research title
Development of Accurate and Equitable Wearable Non-Invasive Optical Devices for Continuous Hemodynamic Monitoring
Project description
This project focuses on developing miniaturized optoelectronic sensors for continuous monitoring of cardiovascular metrics, using multi-wavelength photoplethysmography techniques. Current pulse oximetry, which uses light to estimate oxygen saturation (SpO2), often inaccurately measures SpO2 in non-white individuals, leading to higher rates of ‘occult hypoxemia.’ To address this, the project will create custom wearable devices that account for skin pigmentation and develop algorithms to reduce measurement bias. These tools will be validated in models and human participants, aiming to create non-invasive, skin-tone invariant optical monitors for both clinical and commercial use, such as the Apple Watch and Fitbit.
Jones Law
Advisor
Eric Diller & Dale Podolsky
Research title
Development and Control of a Continuum Robot with Variable Stiffness for Endoscopic Cranial Surgery
Research description
Continuum robots, inspired by the flexible movements of elephant trunks and snakes, are ideal for minimally invasive surgeries due to their adaptability. However, controlling them precisely under external forces is challenging, limiting their use to soft tissue procedures.
Law’s research aims to develop a new continuum robot capable of handling more force-intensive surgeries, such as craniosynostosis, where the skull bones fuse prematurely and need surgical correction. The proposed robot could expand the use of minimally invasive techniques in bone surgeries, offering a breakthrough tool for craniofacial and neurosurgical procedures.