Amel Sassi currently is a master’s student at the Institute of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Toronto. She completed her undergraduate degree in Medical Sciences at the University of Western Ontario, where she built a strong foundation in the biological and physical aspects of health care. By pursuing a master’s degree at the University of Toronto, she now has the chance to combine her interests in medicine and engineering and work alongside incredible peers and faculty members to develop cutting-edge medical devices and create new treatments and solutions. Her current research project concentrates on examining the effects of mechanical vibration on prostate cancer bone metastasis using a novel “bone-on-a-chip” model. Specifically, this 3D model of the bone incorporates relevant bone cells, blood vessel endothelial cells and prostate cancer cells. The device can then be used to examine how prostate cancer extravasation is impacted through bidirectional crosstalk with existing cells and other new therapies.

Dr. Lidan You is a Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the Queen's University. She received her PhD degree in mechanical engineering from the City University of New York and postdoctoral training at Stanford University. Dr. You received the Early Researcher Award from the Ontario Ministry of Research and Innovation and the Duggan Medal from the Canadian Society of Mechanical Engineering (CSME) and has been elected as a Fellow of the Canadian Society of Mechanical Engineering as well as a Fellow of the American Society of Bone and Mineral Research. She is the director of the Cellular Biomechanics Laboratory at Queen's University. Her research is focused on answering biomechanical questions in the musculoskeletal system at the cellular level. In particular, her team is working on the anti-resorptive effect of mechanical loading on bone tissue; an advanced microfluidic system for bone cell mechanotransduction studies; and mechanical regulation of bone metastasis.