News from the McMaster School of Biomedical Engineering

Researchers are developing rapid diagnostic tools that could reduce drug-monitoring wait times from 15 days to 10 minutes, enabling faster, more personalized mental health treatment.

Convocation is a time for reflection and celebration. To mark the occasion, we asked 15 graduating students to share their stories, reflect on how they built themselves at McMaster Engineering over the course of their degrees and get a glimpse at what’s on the horizon for them.

Leyla Soleymani and University of Waterloo's Mahla Poudineh have created the Aptalyzer, a painless wearable device that can track molecules in the body in real time.

Several Faculty of Engineering faculty members are among the newly appointed or renewed CRCs, while others are recipients of the New Frontiers in Research Fund.

Tohid Didar, professor and Canada Research Chair in Nano-biomaterials, enters rare territory with the appointment, already being a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences

A panel, including professor Ali Emadi (founder and CEO of Enedym) and biomedical engineering PhD student Manak Bajaj (creator of Wonder Guard) offered insights into their commercialization journeys.

This International Women’s Day, learn about work to better protect women in sport, in their built environment and in reproductive and intimate health. 

For Ashong, who conducts advanced biosensing research in the Niko Hildebrandt Lab, the honour reflects far more than scientific achievement. It acknowledges a journey shaped by cross‑continental study, formative mentorship and a commitment to fostering research spaces where everyone feels they belong.

A blocked shot off the skate, a slash across the arm or a jarring hit into the boards can lead to severe, career-altering injuries. Yet what may surprise fans watching professional athletes with million‑dollar contracts fly across the ice is that much of their gear remains largely unregulated for safety. The team in the McMaster Injury Biomechanics Laboratory is working to address this.

The 2025 stories of our faculty, staff, alumni and student's expertise, innovations, experiences and more.

Researchers in the lab of P. Ravi Selvaganapathy, professor and co-director of biomedical engineering at McMaster University, have developed a rapid, low-cost method for creating cell sheets that could transform regenerative medicine — and even cultivated meat production. 

Sara Imani’s research focuses on developing a long-lasting antimicrobial coating for high-touch surfaces in hospitals and public spaces. Applied like paint, the coating forms a thin, nearly invisible film that continuously inactivates pathogens, including drug-resistant bacteria such as MRSA.