Dr. Marc Ruel
Cardiac surgeon and Endowed Research Chair in Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery, University of Ottawa Heart Institute
BioEngineering and Therapeutic Solutions
Redefining Translational Medicine
Tissue engineering, nanomaterials and regenerative medicine at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute.
200+Students supervised
400+Scientific publications
30,000+Citations
10Collaborating countries
Our purpose
We might not have all the answers yet, but we do have a purpose: helping patients.
Our research
From the bench to the bedside
Five research themes connect chemistry, engineering and medicine to create therapies that reach patients.
Biomaterials for Heart Repair
Injectable materials and patches that help the heart heal after a heart attack.
Cell–Biomaterial Interactions
How cells sense and respond to engineered materials, so scaffolds can guide repair.
Peptide-Based Therapeutics
Peptides designed and made in our lab that self-assemble into materials and medicines for repair.
Engineered Devices
Bioprinters, bioreactors and light-based tools, built to be shared and used in the clinic.
On-the-Spot Tissue and Organ Repair
Materials applied and set in place during surgery, from the cornea to the skin and heart.
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BEaTS in motion
A short film about our work at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute: the people, the labs and the science of repair.
Our researchers
Principal investigators
Three laboratories, one shared mission: turning discoveries in materials science into better care for patients.
Dr. Erik J. Suuronen
Director, BEaTS Research, University of Ottawa Heart Institute · Full Professor, Department of Surgery, University of Ottawa
Dr. Emilio I. Alarcón
Full Professor, Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa · Principal Investigator, University of Ottawa Heart Institute
News & more
What's new at BEaTS
Lab life
Our 2026 summer group picture
Meet the students, staff and researchers who make BEaTS what it is.
Meet the team
Open-access book
How to read a scientific paper in the biomedical sciences
A free guide by Jinane El-Hage and Dr. Alarcón, in English and French.
Read the book
BEaTS in the media
This is how an Ottawa cardiac surgeon’s hands saves lives and soothe souls
CTV News Ottawa on a Heart Institute scientist taking strides to change heart health.
Watch the story
Podcast
BEaTS Research Radio
Conversations on science, medicine and the people behind the research.
Listen now
Funding
Supported by
Connect
Visit, join or follow us
Visit the lab
40 Ruskin Street, Ottawa, Ontario K1Y 4W7, at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute.
Get directionsJoin the team
We welcome graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and research partners who share our goal of helping patients.
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News, events and stories from the lab, plus every episode of BEaTS Research Radio.
Follow on InstagramWe pay respect to the Algonquin people, who are the traditional guardians of this land. We acknowledge their longstanding relationship with this territory, which remains unceded.
We acknowledge the harms and mistakes of the past and present and dedicate ourselves to move forward in partnership with First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities in the spirit of reconciliation and collaboration.
We acknowledge the harms and mistakes of the past and present and dedicate ourselves to move forward in partnership with First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities in the spirit of reconciliation and collaboration.
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