Paul Santerre
Principal Investigator, Santerre Lab
Dr. Santerre is an engineer who obtained his PhD in 1990 from McMaster University in the area biomaterials design for blood contacting systems. He was the lead material’s engineer on the artificial heart program at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute prior to coming to the University of Toronto in 1993. He was the Associate Dean of Research in the Faculty of Dentistry from 2003 to 2008, and Director of the University of Toronto's Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering (IBBME) from 2008-2013.
His research program (>140 peer review publications and >325 conference presentations and abstracts) is focused on investigating the relationship between polymers and bio-degradation processes in the body in order to advance the design of new materials for tissue engineering, implants and medical devices.
The development of synthetic materials to improve health care is still a relatively young field but is one that is experiencing rapid growth with the advent of tissue regeneration and combination drug+device products. He has over 59 patents and is the founder of Interface Biologics Inc, a University of Toronto biotech start-up with 20 employees developing catheters and drug-polymer coatings for medical devices. He is an International Fellow of Biomaterials Science and Engineering (FBSE) and in 2009 he became a Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering. In March 2010 he received the Julia Levy Award from the Canadian Society for Chemical Industry for translation of knowledge to product, and most recently was appointed in 2011 as a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. In 2012 he was the recipient of the NSERC Synergy Award recognizing outstanding contributions to technology transfer activities with Industry.