CRAFT Showcased in University of Toronto Groundbreakers series. - Centre for Research and Applications in Fluidic Technologies

The second season of the Groundbreakers series features University of Toronto (U of T) researchers and the cutting-edge technologies they are advancing in partnership with the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) through the Centre for Research & Applications in Fluidic Technologies (CRAFT).

CRAFT is a unique partnership between U of T and the NRC that creates microfluidics-enabled devices for clinical and industrial applications and aims to have these technologies manufactured in Canada. It includes international leaders in the science and technology of microfluidics and nationally unique research infrastructure at both institutions.

The 8-minute video showcases Axel Guenther, a Professor of Mechanical & Industrial Engineering, whose handheld 3D printer that makes skin-like sheets could be used in the future to treat large skin burns; Milica Radisic, a Professor of Biomedical Engineering, who builds microscopic models of human tissues to study diseases and discover new medicines; and PhD student Ayden Malekjahani and his new smartphone-based technology to help fight the spread of infectious diseases.

The video also gives viewers a glimpse inside CRAFT’s three state-of-the-art research facilities: the recently opened Device and Tissue Foundries at U of T’s campus in downtown Toronto and the NRC’s world-class device fabrication and scale-up facility in Boucherville, Quebec.

The Groundbreakers multimedia series aims to promote university researchers and trainees behind U of T’s large research partnerships aiming to address some of the biggest and most pressing challenges facing humanity.

Watch the episode here and learn more about CRAFT and its U of T researchers.