Suja SHRESTHA
Suja is a senior research associate in the Santerre laboratory. She completed her PhD in the Kishen laboratory in the Faculty of Dentistry at the University of Toronto in 2016, where she developed temporal-controlled drug releasing nanosystems for dentin-pulp tissue engineering applications. She joined the Santerre lab in 2017 and expanded her research in the field of nanomaterials where she is actively involved in advancing polyurethane nano-particles/constructs for cell repair and tissue regeneration in multiple collaborative projects including mRNA delivery (Dr Paul Santerre), intervertebral disc regeneration (Dr Rita Kandel, Mount Sinai Hospital), antifibrotic drug delivery to right ventricle in pulmonary hypertension (Dr Mark Friedberg, Sick Kids Hospital), engineering heart valve tissue for congenital heart repair (Dr Craig Simmons, University of Toronto), nanoparticle coating on endovascular delivery of peptides to vascular lesions (Dr Michelle, Bendeck, University of Toronto). Outside the lab she enjoys gardening and grooming plants.
Contact: suja.shrestha@mail.utoronto.ca
Alex Lausch
Alex is a postdoctoral fellow and a co-founder of Cohesys, a medical device start-up company led by Dr. Michael Floros, spun out of the Santerre lab. He completed his BASc in materials engineering and his PhD in biomedical engineering both at the University of Toronto. He specializes in biomaterials and connective tissue biology. His current research is focused on the development and commercialization of BoneTape, a novel fracture fixation technology targeted at the repair of fractures to the midface and cranium.
Contact: alex.lausch@utoronto.ca
Yizhou Shawn Chen
Brian Webb
Kate MacQuarrie
Ivy Tan
SaHEJ Kaur Saini
Yizhou is currently a postdoctoral fellow in the lab. He previously completed his PhD in cardiac tissue engineering in the Santerre Lab. His current work focuses on an industrial project in collaboration with Laetech, a startup company spun out of the Santerre Lab, where he is developing novel biomaterials for soft tissue repair. Outside the lab, he enjoys playing tennis and learning new languages.
Dr. Brian Webb is a Biomedical Engineering researcher and entrepreneur from the Santerre Lab, where he completed his PhD in April 2026. His work focused on developing a tissue engineered solution for treating gingival recession, with an emphasis on vascularized implants. He is also a co-founder of translational biotech and oral health ventures, working to bridge scientific innovation with clinical and commercial impact.
Kate is a PhD candidate in Biomedical Engineering at the Institute of Biomedical Engineering. She completed her BASc in Chemical Engineering at the University of Toronto in 2022. Her project involves generating a small-diameter D-PHI/PCNU vascular graft, seeded with autologous endothelial and supporting cells, that is non-thrombotic and able to withstand physiological shear stresses.
Contact: k.macquarrie@mail.utoronto.ca
Ivy is a final year thesis student and summer student supervised by Dr. Suja Shrestha. She completed her BASc in Biomedical Systems Engineering at the University of Toronto in 2026. Her research investigates the delivery of mRNA into human-derived adipose stem cells using oligo-urethane nanoparticles. This aims to enhance the cell's therapeutic potency in the context of myocardial infarction. Outside the lab, she enjoys playing music and doing handicrafts.
Sahej is a final year thesis student and summer student supervised by Kate MacQuarrie. She completed her HBSc in Physiology, Cellular & Molecular Biology, and Immunology at the University of Toronto in 2026. Her research aims to investigate the hemocompatibility of electrospun D-PHI/PCNU when seeded with autologous endothelial and adipose-derived stromal cells. She is starting her MASc in the Garton lab in Fall 2026.