Dr. Milica Radisic, PhD, PEng

#

• Professor at the University of Toronto’s Institute of Biomedical Engineering (IBBME)
• Canada Research Chair in Functional Cardiovascular Tissue Engineering
• Senior Scientist at the Toronto General Hospital Research Institute (TGHRI)
• Co-Founder of Tara Biosystems
• Pioneer in 3D cardiac tissue engineering and organ-on-a-chip technology
• Recipient of the Order of Ontario and Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada

Introduction

#

Dr. Milica Radisic is a globally recognized leader in cardiac tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. As a Professor at the University of Toronto and a Senior Scientist at the Toronto General Hospital Research Institute, she has pioneered innovative approaches to engineering functional cardiac tissues and organ-on-a-chip systems. Her work bridges academia and industry, with significant contributions to drug testing, disease modeling, and heart repair.

Professional Background and Achievements

#

Education

• PhD in Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), 2004
• MASc in Chemical Engineering, University of Toronto, 2000
• BAsc in Chemical Engineering, University of Toronto, 1999

Academic and Research Roles

• Professor, Institute of Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto (2009 - Present)
• Canada Research Chair (Tier 2) in Functional Cardiovascular Tissue Engineering (2012 - 2022)
• Senior Scientist, Toronto General Hospital Research Institute, University Health Network (UHN)
• Co-Founder and Scientific Advisor, Tara Biosystems

Leadership and Awards

• Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada (2022)
• Order of Ontario (2023)
• NSERC E.W.R. Steacie Memorial Fellowship (2018)
• Young Innovator Award, Cellular and Molecular Bioengineering (2015)
• Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Functional Cardiovascular Tissue Engineering (2012)

Research Areas and Projects

#

Cardiac Tissue Engineering

• Developed 3D cardiac tissue models for studying heart disease and drug toxicity.
• Pioneered the use of biomaterials and stem cells to create functional heart tissue.
• Focus on translating research into clinical applications for heart repair.

Organ-on-a-Chip Technology

• Co-founded Tara Biosystems to commercialize organ-on-a-chip platforms for drug testing and disease modeling.
• Developed microphysiological systems to mimic human organ functions, reducing reliance on animal testing.

New Approach Methodologies (NAM)

• Advocated for Safety Assessment via NAM, promoting ethical and innovative alternatives to traditional animal testing.

Major Publications

#

Awards and Recognitions

#

• Royal Society of Canada Fellowship (2022) - Recognized for outstanding contributions to biomedical engineering and regenerative medicine.
• Order of Ontario (2023) - Awarded for leadership in cardiac tissue engineering and organ-on-a-chip technology.
• NSERC E.W.R. Steacie Memorial Fellowship (2018) - Honored for innovative research in tissue engineering.
• Young Innovator Award (2015) - Cellular and Molecular Bioengineering, for groundbreaking work in cardiac tissue models.
• Tier 2 Canada Research Chair (2012) - Functional Cardiovascular Tissue Engineering.

Patents

#

• Thermoplastic polymer composition for micro 3D printing and uses thereof #12391825
• Methods for tissue generation #12371668
• Methods For Modeling Disease Tissue Using Three-Dimensional Tissue Systems #20240133873

See these and many more in Patents by Inventor Milica Radisic at Justia.

Media and Public Engagement

#

• TEDx Talk: The Future of Heart Repair
• Interviews with CBC News and The Globe and Mail on regenerative medicine
• Lectures at MIT, Harvard, and Stanford on tissue engineering
• Featured in Nature and Science for contributions to organ-on-a-chip technology

The Radisic Lab operates at the intersection of engineering and biomedicine, developing advanced technological platforms to advance disease modeling, pharmacology, and regenerative medicine.

The speaker expressed humility and gratitude for receiving Canada’s highest honor in innovation for developing a technology called “heart in a chip,” which matures human stem cells into tissue within a dish equipped with sensors to monitor tissue function. This breakthrough allows for the recapitulation of human disease in a dish, offering a human-relevant alternative to animal models and addressing ethical concerns. The technology, protected by 15 patents across multiple countries, has inspired global research efforts and has been commercialized through a company. The speaker acknowledged the collaborative effort of their team, particularly highlighting Yimujao as the key inventor of the biowire partner chip technology, and emphasized the potential to impact millions through new drug discoveries and the reduction or elimination of animal testing.

In this Tedx talk, Dr. Milica Radisic explains that heart disease remains a leading cause of death because human heart muscle cells, called cardiomyocytes, cannot regenerate on their own, and when they die or stop contracting due to disease or injury, the heart loses its pumping ability. Historically, it was believed that humans are born with a fixed number of these cells, but research using carbon-14 dating revealed that heart cells do turn over at a very slow rate, about 0.1 to 1% per year. This slow regeneration makes it impractical to harvest and grow enough cells for regenerative therapies. Pharmaceutical companies currently rely on animal cells or animal models for drug testing, which are imperfect and sometimes lead to dangerous drugs reaching humans, as seen with Vioxx. To address this, her lab uses induced pluripotent stem cells derived from skin or blood, which are reprogrammed into beating heart cells and then matured using precise growth factors, a gel-like matrix, and electrical stimulation to mimic the conditions of an adult human heart. This engineered heart tissue can respond to drugs similarly to real human heart tissue, enabling better drug testing and personalized medicine. She co-founded Tara Biosystems to commercialize this technology for pharmaceutical companies. Looking ahead, her lab is working on creating injectable, fully functional heart tissues that could one day be used to repair damaged hearts without invasive surgery, ultimately aiming to improve health and extend life through engineered tissues.

Dr. Radisic discusses the critical challenge of vascularization in engineered tissue models, emphasizing its importance for creating functional, scalable organs. She highlights her lab’s work on biomaterials, 3D tissue engineering, and organ-on-a-chip platforms (like Biowire and AngioChip) to mimic human physiology for drug testing and disease modeling. The talk also covers her role as co-founder of TARA Biosystems and Quthero, which focus on commercializing heart-on-a-chip and regenerative hydrogel technologies, respectively. Her long-term goal is to enable cardiovascular regeneration through tissue engineering and new biomaterials, reducing reliance on animal testing and advancing personalized medicine.

Dr. Milica Radisic from the University of Toronto discussed her research on organ-on-a-chip engineering, particularly focusing on modeling cardiac disease using heart-on-a-chip technology. She highlighted the importance of using human stem cells to create heart tissue, which can be used for disease modeling and drug discovery. Dr. Radisic also touched on the development of biodegradable and biocompatible polymers for these applications. The conversation covered the challenges and advancements in using induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) for cardiac research, the importance of collaboration and communication in science, and her experiences in starting a company to translate these technologies into practical applications.

Research Profiles

#

• University of Toronto Profile
• Google Scholar
• LinkedIn
• Tara Biosystems

References

#

[1] University of Toronto IBBME. (2023). Dr. Milica Radisic: Faculty Profile
[2] Tara Biosystems. (2022). About Us: Co-Founders
[3] Royal Society of Canada. (2022). Fellowship Announcement
[4] Order of Ontario. (2023). Recipient Profile
[5] NSERC. (2018). E.W.R. Steacie Memorial Fellowship