Maud Gorbet

Maud Gorbet is a Systems Design Engineering Professor and is cross-appointed with the department of Biology and the School of Optometry at the University of Waterloo and also a collaborator with the Centre for Ocular Research and Education.

Her research interests center on biocompatibility issues with a focus on the role of innate immune cells and the impact of material-induced inflammation in the ocular and cardiovascular environments. Biomedical devices have significantly improved quality of life and increased life expectancy of millions of people, but their use is not without complications. Although the overall rate of complications remains low, the consequences have significant impacts, as exemplified by bleeding and clotting complications in cardiovascular devices or significant increased risks of microbial infections with overnight contact lens wear. Research in Professor Gorbet’s lab aims to understand interactions between biomaterials and biological systems. A better understanding of the mechanisms of material-induced cellular activation will support the design of materials and/or therapeutic strategies that can improve biocompatibility and will hence reduce the risks of complications.

Gorbet's research program thus aims to investigate the inflammatory response to biomaterials and design more robust in vitro models that can better assess biocompatibility.
Her team has successfully designed and engineered novel in vitro cell models to investigate the ocular cell response to ophthalmic materials, and is also investigating blood-material interactions. As part of her work on the ocular biomaterials, Gorbet's team is actively working towards understanding the role of neutrophils on the ocular surface.