Erika Wang (left) and Binbin Ying
Government of Canada
September 5, 2023
Cheers to Erika Wang and Binbin Ying on being named Banting Postdoctoral Fellows by the Canadian government. The Banting Fellowship is a highly prestigious award that recognizes scholars who demonstrate outstanding potential to contribute positively to Canada's economic, social, and research-driven advancement.
Erika Wang joined the Langer Lab and Jaklenec Group in 2021 as an NSERC Postdoc Fellow after her PhD in Bioengineering from the University of Toronto. Her research lies at the intersection of tissue engineering and biomaterials, focusing on micro-scale tissue models and engineered carries for disease modeling and targeted drug delivery. She received the Banting Fellowship for her project on cardiac regeneration via controlled release. Working with Dr. Ana Jaklenec and Professor Robert Langer, Wang is developing a hybrid polymeric delivery system tailored for programmed release of therapeutics post-myocardial infarction. In light of the profound impact of cardiac diseases globally, this project aims to accelerate patients' healing process and refine the precision of regenerative medicine, emphasizing targeted combination therapies.
Binbin Ying has been awarded a Banting Postdoctoral Fellowship for his project e-GLUE. Working with professors Giovanni Traverso and Robert Langer, Ying is innovating electroadhesive hydrogels for prolonged gastrointestinal mucosal retention, which can enable continuous monitoring and long-term intervention of chronic gastrointestinal diseases. The success of Ying's research project will significantly reduce the risk and medical cost of vulnerable populations, such as aging populations and people frequently exposed to contaminated food and water.