B.Sc. (Universidad del Zulia – Venezuela), M.A.Sc., Ph.D. (University of Oklahoma), Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, University of Toronto
Areas of expertise
Interfacial curvature of surface active compounds
Low surface tension films
Lecithin-based microemulsions as drug delivery vehicles
Surfactant-oil-water systems maybe used as templates to produce nanostructured materials, as delivery vehicles for drugs and food additives, and as solvents in: degreasing, cleaning, bio-separations, polymerization, environmental remediation, and enhanced oil recovery. Formulation of surfactant solutions for these and other applications requires significant experimental work and expertise. From the engineering point of view, most surfactant-based processes are “black boxes” because of the complex thermodynamics of these systems. Current equations of state are just starting to tackle simple systems but are not yet capable of reproducing the phase behavior of complex surfactant-water-oil systems. Recently, a “net-average curvature” model has been proposed to predict the interfacial curvature and physical properties of these complex surfactant-oil-water systems. This project seeks to further develop the net-average curvature model into an “expert system” capable of predicting the properties of surfactant formulations (e.g. solubilization capacity, interfacial tension, droplet size, and viscosity) as a function of surfactant/oil type and composition, electrolyte concentration, temperature, and pressure.
Low Surface Tension Films
This project will focus on studying the properties and potential applications of low surface tension films consisting of mixtures of negatively-charged (anionic) and positively-charged (cationic) surfactants. This research seeks to gain a fundamental understanding in the thermodynamics of anionic-cationic surfactant films at air/water and air/solid interfaces, and to evaluate the performance of mixed anionic-cationic films in two target areas: hydrophobic coatings, and dewatering agents. Success in these areas could lead to an alternate environmentally safe waterproofing technology and reduction in energy costs in waste treatments facilities.
Lecithin-Based Microemulsions as Drug Delivery Vehicles
Modern drug delivery vehicles strive to supply drugs on the specific tissues where they are needed, and at a specific rate. Some of the challenges in drug delivery include: the low water solubility of certain drugs, the presence of hydrophilic/hydrophobic zones in living tissues, the metabolism and adsorption of drug and vehicle in other tissues, toxicity associated with the drug and delivery vehicle, the rate of release and others. Drug delivery systems include the use of polymer solutions, surfactant solutions, vesicles, emulsions and microemulsion systems. Microemulsions, in particular, have demonstrated to be excellent vehicles for fast and efficient delivery, but they have the limitation that, in most cases, formulations may contain alcohols and other toxic additives. This work seeks to produce alcohol-free formulations containing phospholipids and sugar-derived bio-compatible surfactants. Drug delivery efficiency and cytotoxicity of these micoemulsions will be evaluated using a transdermal delivery test.
Lung Surfactants
Lung surfactants consist of a complex mixture of phospholipids, glycolipids (mostly saturated), and proteins. These surfactants have the ability of reducing the surface tension of aqueous solutions to values less than 1 mN/m under compression. This property of lung surfactants facilitates respiration and prevents alveoli collapse. Insufficient production or surface activity of lung surfactants produce a condition known as respiratory distress syndrome (RDS). RDS is a common problem among premature babies. Surfactant replacement therapy is the method of choice to treat this condition. Commercial surfactant replacement formulations are expensive and in some cases become inactive by a number of physiological conditions that affect the composition of lung surfactant films. In collaboration with Professor A. W. Neumann (Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering), we will be evaluating the use of biocompatible polymers in lung surfactant replacement formulations to improve the surface activity, film stability and oxygen and carbon dioxide transport through lung surfactant films.
Ph.D. (Queen’s), P.Eng. Associate Professor, Teaching Stream Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, University of Toronto Cross-appointed to Institute for Studies in Transdisciplinary Engineering Education and Practice (ISETP)
Areas of Expertise
Chemical process scale-up and simulation
Process safety analysis
Life-cycle analysis
Data analytics research
VR/AR immersive technology development for education and training
Current Projects
Technical advice on chemical product and process design, including performing process simulation for equipment sizing, engineering drawing, cost estimation, process safety analysis, and life-cycle analysis.
Technical advice on chemical product and process design, including performing process simulation for equipment sizing, engineering drawing, cost estimation, process safety analysis, and life-cycle analysis.
About
Professor Chan obtained her Bachelor’s and PhD degrees in Chemical Engineering from Queens University, Canada. During her graduate studies, she worked with Genencor Inc/Dupont Bioscience in the US and later continued her Postdoctoral Fellowship at Agriculture Canada in biomaterials and bioplastics development. Prof. Chan began her academic career at the University of Waterloo in 2012. In 2017, she joined the Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry at the University of Toronto as the Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream. She is also a practicing professional engineer registered in Ontario, Canada. Her teaching and research focus on chemical process design and scale-up simulation and modernizing chemical engineering laboratory curriculum. In addition, she uses virtual/augmented technology and data analytics techniques to facilitate individualized learning.
B.Sc. (Trent), PhD (Queen’s), Postdoc (MIT-Harvard) NSERC Senior Industrial Research Chair in Nanotechnology Engineering Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, University of Toronto
Areas of Expertise
Nanomaterials engineering: synthesis of polymeric, metallic and semiconductor materials and their applications in photonics, healthcare and environment.
Biomedical engineering: development of mucoadhesive drug delivery systems and biosensors for pathogen detection and identification.
Environmental protection: understanding materials and structures for photo-oxidation and antioxidation and their applications in water treatment applications
Current Projects
Technical advice on the treatment of impacted-water from resource extraction and power generation, and the engineering of advanced materials for healthcare applications.
Nanomaterials engineering: synthesis of polymeric, metallic and semiconductor materials and their applications in photonics, healthcare and environment.
Biomedical engineering: development of mucoadhesive drug delivery systems and biosensors for pathogen detection and identification.
Environmental protection: understanding materials and structures for photo-oxidation and antioxidation and their applications in water treatment applications
Consulting Activity
Technical advice on the treatment of impacted-water from resource extraction and power generation, and the engineering of advanced materials for healthcare applications.
About
Frank Gu is a Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry at the University of Toronto, and he holds an NSERC Senior Industrial Research Chair in Nanotechnology Engineering. Before joining the University of Toronto in July 2018, Dr. Gu was an Associate Professor and held a Canada Research Chair in Nanotechnology Engineering at the University of Waterloo. Professor Gu has over 15 years of experience in nanotechnology, drug delivery, and environmental remediation. He has established a frontier research program in Nanotechnology Engineering, with important advances in medical and life science applications. Leading-edge projects have produced new materials and tools for targeted drug delivery, pathogen detection, and water treatment. His research has brought tangible impacts on his field and industry, including mucoadhesive materials for the treatment of Dry Eye Disease that has led to the creation of MyX Therapeutics, and photocatalytic water treatment technologies that created H2nanO Inc; both are Canadian companies. Professor Gu has over 200 peer-reviewed publications and conference proceedings.
MEng. (Oxford), PhD (Toronto), Post-Doc (Harvard, Stanford). Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, University of Toronto
Areas of expertise
Tissue engineering and disease modelling
Biological image analysis
Cellular assay development
Current Projects
In-vitro cancer model development
In-vitro human obesity culture development
Automation of 3D culture fabrication and manufacturing
Tissue engineering, microfabrication, disease modeling, systems biology, 2D and 3D cell organization and self-assembly, cell migration, tissue patterning and boundaries, modelling tissue organization mechanisms, in vitro drug screening tools.
B.Eng. McMaster University (1999), Ph.D. MIT (2004), Post-doc Harvard-MIT Division of Health Science and Technology (2005) Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, University of Toronto
B.A.Sc., Sc.D. (MIT), P.Eng.
University Professor and Michael E. Charles Chair in Chemical Engineering, Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, and Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto
Areas of expertise
Biomaterials
Tissue engineering
Controlled release and drug delivery systems
Medical devices
Current Projects
Technical advice on biomaterials, drug delivery systems and pharmaceutical formulations. Patent disputes
Biomaterials, Tissue engineering, Controlled release and drug delivery systems, Medical devices.
Consulting Activity
Technical advice on biomaterials, drug delivery systems an pharmaceutical formulations. Patent disputes
About
Professor Michael V. Sefton is a Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, University of Toronto. He is the 1992 recipient of the teaching award of the Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering. In 1988, he was awarded the Albright and Wilson Americas Award of the Canadian Society for Chemical Engineering (CSChE) in recognition of his contributions to research on the application of chemical engineering principles to medical problems, especially related to his pioneering efforts in tissue engineering and biomaterials. He was one of 20 given a Century of Achievement Award by the CSChE in 1999. He was awarded the Clemson Award of the Society for Biomaterials (US) for Basic Research in 1993. He is a foreign Fellow of the American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering and a Fellow of the Chemical Institute of Canada and of Biomaterials Science and Engineering. He was recently a member of the Surgery and Bioengineering Study Section of the U.S. National Institutes of Health.
His consulting activities are related to his reseaserch program which is centered on the premise that biomaterials and biomaterial based devices are agaonists of biological responses akin to the action of small molecule drugs. The biological responses of particular interest include angiogenesis (blood vessel growth), thrombogenicity (blood ‘coagulation’), inflammation and immune responses.
B.Sc. (MIT), M.Sc., Ph.D. (Massachusetts) University Professor and Canada Research Chair in Tissue Engineering, Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, Dept. of Chemistry, University of Toronto.
Areas of expertise
Polymers, fluoropolymers, biomaterials
Tissue engineering
Cell-material interactions
Polymeric drug delivery for traumatic injury to the central nervous system or cancer
Stem cell guidance within defined 3-D matrices
Injectable hydrogels for cell and biomolecule delivery
Polymeric nanoparticles for targeted delivery
Current Projects
Technical advice on polymers, implantable materials
Polymers, fluoropolymers, biomaterials, tissue engineering, cell-material interactions, advancing innovative polymeric drug delivery and tissue engineering solutions to problems arising as a result of either traumatic injury to the central nervous system or cancer. Focus is on stem cell guidance within defined 3-D matrices; injectable hydrogels for cell and biomolecule delivery; polymeric nanoparticles for targeted delivery.
Consulting Activity
Technical advice on polymers, implantable materials.
About
Molly Shoichet is an Professor of the Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistryat the University of Toronto. She obtained her S.B. (1987) in Chemistry from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and M.S. (1989) and Ph.D (1992) degrees from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst in Polymer Science and Engineering, specializing in surface modification.
Professor Shoichet is interested in polymers, biomaterials and tissue engineering, with particular emphasis on axonal guidance and nerve repair strategies, specifically for the spinal cord and peripheral nerve. Professor Shoichet’s research spans fundamental polymer synthesis – fluoroelastomers, biodegradable polymers – polymer processing – drug delivery – 3-D patterning – axonal guidance – cell-material interactions (i.e. chemotactic and haptotactic cues). Her research is predominantly experimental, with in vitro and in vivo testing. She has published more than 60 papers in refereed journals, and has been invited to give over 100 presentations. Professor Shoichet holds a Canada Research Chair and has won several awards including NSERC Steacie Fellowship, CSChE Syncrude Award, Canada’s Top 40 under 40 and CIAR’s Young Explorer Award.
Professor Shoichet provides advice on surface modification, cell-material interactions, biomaterials and tissue engineering strategies. She provides specialized testing and analysis services for polymers. Professor Shoichet is also available to provide advice on patents related to her fields of expertise.
