Professor Milica Radisic has been elected fellow of the Royal Society of Canada (RSC) on the basis of exceptional contributions to scholarship in her field. She is one of two faculty members from U of T Engineering to be inducted this year.
The RSC’s mission is to recognize scholarly, research and artistic excellence, to advise governments and organizations, and to promote a culture of knowledge and innovation in Canada. Fellowship in the RSC is one of the highest honours a Canadian researcher can achieve. New fellows will be inducted at the Society’s Celebration of Excellence in Winnipeg, Manitoba on November 24, 2017.
Radisic is the Canada Research Chair in Functional Cardiovascular Tissue Engineering. She has pioneered a biomimetic approach to tissue engineering, in which a native tissue microenvironment is reproduced using engineering techniques such as microfabrication, in order to create high fidelity human tissue models. Radisic was the first in the world to use electrical impulses and specially designed bioreactors to guide isolated heart cells to assemble into a beating structure.
Recently, Professor Radisic and her team created an injectable tissue patch that could help repair hearts, livers or other organs damaged by disease or injury. They have also created the AngioChip, a 3D, fully vascularized piece of heart tissues that beats in real time.
Radisic’s technologies founded the start-up TARA Biosystems, which is now working with several major pharmaceutical companies on drug discovery and validation using matured human heart tissues.
Radisic is a fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering and the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering and the recipient of several prestigious awards. Elected to the inaugural cohort of the RSC College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists in 2014, she is the first member of the College to be named an RSC fellow.
“Professors Iravani and Radisic’s pioneering research contributions have established them as leaders in their fields, both in Canada and globally,” said Dean Cristina Amon. “They exemplify the very best of engineering innovation and the tremendous calibre of research conducted at U of T Engineering. On behalf of the Faculty, I congratulate them on this richly deserved honour.”