News

A University of Toronto team from the Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering (IBBME) discovered that nano-scale surface topology matters when it comes to vascularization of bone implants. They compared two titanium implants of the same chemical composition and varied only their surfaces at the nano scale. One was smooth and the other was rough and nano-patterned. View the Full Article

PhD candidate Niloufar Khosravi, Dr. Ralph DaCosta and IBBME Professor John Davies publish in Nature Communications Biology today. The article describes their research on the effects of surface texture of surgical implants on healing and  neovascularization. An interview with the team can be found on the IBBME website.

MSc candidate Christopher Gibson wins travel award from the University of Toronto to attend the Personalized and Precision Medicine International Conference.  This conference will take place June 25-27. Christopher will be presenting on ongoing clinical research and biomedical device development. View the Conference Website

PhD candidate, Niloufar Khosravi, attended the Canadian Biomaterials Society annual meeting in Victoria, BC on May 16-19, 2018, winning the award for best oral presentation.  A copy of her abstract can be found on the CBS website. View the Abstract

StartupHERE Toronto recently featured Dr. DaCosta and the invention of his device, the MolecuLight i:X. In his interview, Dr. DaCosta reminisces on how a 3am idea led to the development of his business, MolecuLight, and how this process was fostered by the Toronto health care community. To read more visit: Toronto’s MolecuLight Gives Clinicians the Ability to see Bacteria in Wounds. View Article

Dr. Sara Rapic attended the third AACR-SNMMI Joint Conference on State-of-the-Art Molecular Imaging in Cancer Biology and Therapy held in San Diego, USA, from February 14-17, 2018. This focused meeting presented cutting-edge research in molecular imaging research as applied to cancer biology and therapy. Together, attendees explored how new findings in molecular imaging can improve cancer diagnostics, treatment, and patient outcomes. View Conference website

Christopher Gibson‘s abstract on “Development and clinical translation of a handheld imaging device for 5-ALA-induced fluorescence guided breast conserving surgery” was accepted as an oral presentation at the Personalized and Precision Medicine International Conference in Paris, France. View Conference website

Abstract Background and study aims Accurate endoscopic detection of dysplasia in patients with Barrett’s esophagus (BE) remains a major clinical challenge. The current standard is to take multiple biopsies under endoscopic image guidance, but this leaves the majority of the tissue unsampled, leading to significant risk of missing dysplasia. Furthermore, determining whether there is submucosal invasion is essential for proper staging. Hence, there is a clinical need for a rapid in vivo wide-field imaging method to identify dysplasia in BE, with the capability of imaging beyond the mucosal layer. We conducted an ex vivofeasibility study using photoacoustic imaging (PAI) in patients undergoing endoscopic…

Dr. Sara Rapic has joined the DaCosta lab as a postdoctoral fellow in September 2017. She received her doctoral degree at the University of Antwerp in Belgium where she was working on non-invasive imaging of cancer hallmarks to identify predictive biomarkers in a colorectal cancer model. As part of Dr. DaCosta’s Terry Fox New Investigator Grant, she is investigating the radiation response of pancreatic tumors, their vasculature and microenvironment using in vivo imaging to identify new treatment strategies. View Bio

Doctors Tell Us How Terry Fox Is Still Influencing Cancer Research We spoke to doctors affiliated with the Terry Fox Research Institute about the Canadian hero’s legacy. View the Full Article