Post Doctorate

Stanford Medical School
Department of Pathology
Advisor: Jeffery Axelrod

2006-2008

Post Doctorate

Harvard University
Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology
Advisor: George Whitesides

2005-2006

Ph.D.

University of Toronto
Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry in collaborative program with Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering
Advisor:  Dr. Michael V. Sefton

2000-2005

M.Eng.

St. Catherine's College, University of Oxford
Department of Material Science
1st Class Honours M. Eng. Degree in Metallurgy and Science of Materials.
Advisor:  Prof. Andrew Briggs

1996-2000

Assistant Professor, University of Toronto,
Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry,
Cross appointed to Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering
The objective of my lab is to understand and control cellular morphogenesis for regenerative medicine applications. In particular my lab is interested in how cells integrate local and global signaling cues to make organizational decisions (such as cell movement and cytoskeleton arrangement). We utilize engineering tools such as micropatterning and genetic manipulation to develop novel in vitro culture systems that allow us to control and modulate local and global cues and characterize how these cues influence tissue organization. We also use live cell imaging to monitor tissue morphogenesis in real time.

2009- Present

Post-Doctoral Fellow, Stanford University, Department of Pathology in School of Medicine, Supervisor:  Prof. Jeff Axelrod  
My post-doctorate work at Stanford formed the basis of many of the morphogenesis projects in my own lab. The goal of my project at Stanford was to understand the role of planar cell polarity signalling on endothelial cell migration and alignment and on epithelial cell organization in vitro. This work integrated data from existing projects in the Axelrod lab that utilized fruit flies.

2006-08

Post- Post-Doctoral Fellow, Harvard University, Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Supervisor:  Prof. George Whitesides
During my time in the Whitesides Lab I worked on number of projects using tools microfabricated by soft lithography to answer fundamental questions about cell behaviour and microbiology. These tools allowed me to spatially constrain the location and/or shape of cells and micro-organisms to ask questions about how individual or communities of cells or organisms behave under highly defined spatial conditions. Specifically I developed a simple method to produce cell encapsulated gel modules and a method to organize these modules in a microfluidic device. I also worked on a project to generate a microfluidic device to contain C-Elegans worms in microfluidic chambers for the study of questions related to aging. These projects led to three publications in a 14 month period.

2005-06

PhD Research Student, Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, University of Toronto, Supervisor: MV Sefton
During my PhD I developed a strategy for assembling vascularised tissues from modular components (controlling tissue organization at the 500 micron scale). The key innovations of our modular strategy were: 1) organizing multiple cell types into tissues from smaller component modules to allow assembly of uniform, high cell density constructs; and 2) covering each module with an endothelial cell layer to enable blood to be perfused through the modular construct and supply the component cells with nutrients. Having developed a conceptual design, I verified the benefits of our modular theory by assembling real tissue constructs. This work led to eight publications including a lead paper in Proceedings of the National Academy of Science USA (PNAS).

2000-05

Research Student, University of Oxford/ University of Tokyo/ Toppan Printing Company, Japan, Supervisor: Prof. Andrew Briggs
During my MEng research year I investigated the cracking behaviour of nanocomposite food packaging materials. Using optical microscopy and atomic force microscopy (AFM), crack patterns, characteristic of particular material architectures, were investigated and a model developed to explain such behaviour. This work led to two first author publications.

1999-2000

Research Student, British Telecom Research Centre, Ipswich, England,
Supervisor: Graeme Maxwell
During my summer placement I investigated the influence of process conditions on the quality of plasma etched silica waveguides. Using scanning electron microscopy quality analysis I investigated the effects of varying various process condition parameters and devised a model proposing possible etch mechanisms responsible for the effects observed.

1998

Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine Young Investigator Award

2008

Stanford University Dean’s Postdoctoral Fellowship

2006

Adrienne Clarkson Laureateship for Public Service (Awarded by Massey College)

2005

Gordon Cressy Student Leadership Award

2005

YES Biotechnology Business Competition North American Finalist

2004

Junior Fellow of Massey College in University of Toronto

2003-05

Massey College Travel Award

2004

Massey College Travel Award

2005

Distinguished Adel Sedra Graduate Leadership Scholarship

2003

CIHR Regenerative Medicine Program Trainee

2003-04

Ontario Graduate Scholarship Award (60 non-Canadian awards in province)

2002-04

Canadian Rhodes Scholar

2000-02

Oxford University Gibbs Prize for Top student in Materials class of 2000

2000

Oxford University Scholar

1996-2000

• Hulme, S.E., Shevkoplyas, S.S., Apfield, J., Fontana, W., McGuigan, A.P., Whitesides, G.M. “Containment of Objects within a Microfluidic Device” Files with US Patent Office August 12th 2007
• Sefton M.V., McGuigan A.P., “Modular Assembly of Tissue Engineered Constructs” Filed with Canadian Patent Office June 5th 2002

• “Micro-fabricated systems for understanding coordinated tissue morphogenesis”, California Institute of Technology, Department of Chemical Engineering, Pasadena, Aug 19, 2010.

• “In vitro culture models elucidate a role for planar cell polarity signaling in endothelial cell migration”, Ontario on a Chip meeting, Toronto, May 20, 2010.

• “In vitro culture models elucidate a role for planar cell polarity signaling in endothelial cell migration”, Stanford University, Dept of Pathology, Stanford, April 27, 2010).

• "Emerging technologies in tissue engineering", Invited talk in McLaughan and McEwan Stem Cell Rounds, University of Toronto, Toronto, May 4, 2009.

• “Biomimetic design of artificial tissues”, Invited talk at Dept. Chemical Engineering, McMaster University, Hamilton, October 2007.

• “Establishing a responsible conduct of research training program” Invited talk at National Post-doctoral Association Annual Meeting, Boston, April 2008.

Conference organizer, TERMIS-NA Student and Young Investigator Section (SYIS) activities, San Diego, 2008

2008

Conference organizer, TERMIS-NA SYIS activities, Toronto, 2007

2007

Treasurer, Student and Young investigator Section (SYIS), Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine Society

2007-2010

Chapter Executive, Canadian Biomaterials Society, Toronto Chapter

2001-2003

Conference organizer, Canadian Biomaterials Society meeting

2002

Journal Reviewer (Ad hoc)

• Acta Biomaterialia
• Materials Today
• Int. J. of Eng.
• Nanomedicine
• Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, USA
• Tissue Engineering
• Lab on a Chip
• International Journal of Engineering

Grant Reviewer
External reviewer:

• National Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC)
• Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario (HSFO)
• Innovation and Technology Commission of Hong Kong (2010)

AGENCY

PROJECT TITLE

PERIOD

Regenerative Medicine, PI: MV Sefton

2011-2016

Advanced Tissue Engineering Strategies for Generating Replacement Tracheal Tissues, PI: AP McGuigan and TK Waddell

2011-2014

Exploiting Planar Cell Polarity Signaling to Engineer Tissue-Engineered Blood Vessels, PI AP McGuigan

2010-2013

Tissue Morphogenesis Laboratory, PI AP McGuigan

2010-2014

Tissue Morphogenesis Laboratory, PI: AP McGuigan

2010-2014

Processing and Design Criteria for Engineering Artificial Tissues
PI: AP McGuigan

2009-2014

Processing and Design Criteria for Engineering Artificial Tissues
PI: AP McGuigan

2010-2013

Tool Kit for Quantifying Gene Expression, PI: AP McGuigan + 3 others

2010-2011

Fluorescence Microscope for Live Biology, PI: AP McGuigan + 2 others

2009-2010

Exploiting Planar Cell Polarity Signaling to Engineer Artifical Blood Vessels
PI: AP McGuigan

2009