Research activities

• Dr. Kallos’ laboratory has been a leader in the development of bioprocesses for stem cell expansion and differentiation. They have specific experience with expanding cells as aggregates or adherent cells on microcarriers in stirred suspension bioreactors. His laboratory is a state-of-the-art 400-m2 tissue culture facility (Biosafety Level 2) focusing its research on biomedical and biochemical engineering, and specializing in animal/mammalian tissue culture and large scale expansion of stem/progenitor cells. Dr. Kallos’ lab is equipped with extensive sample analysis capabilities and modern laboratory equipment including a mini-pilot plant which has the capability of monitoring and controlling the reproducible expansion of cells. The lab recently upgraded the bioreactor system to include an array of custom-built mini-bioreactors (10 mL). These enable large numbers of experiments to be performed quickly and more efficiently, before scaling up to larger volumes.

• Dr. Kallos’ lab also has extensive analysis capabilities. Analysis equipment includes a HP 1100 Series HPLC and a recently updated BioProfile 100 Plus Analyzer. These machines enable the quick and accurate medium analysis necessary for tissue culture work, medium development and bioreactor scale-up.

Biography

• Dr. Michael Kallos is a professor in the Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, Schulich School of Engineering, with an adjunct appointment in the Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy in the Faculty of Medicine. He is the Associate Director of the Pharmaceutical Production Research Facility (PPRF), the Director of the Biomedical Engineering (BME) Graduate Program and Associate Director of the Center for Bioengineering Research and Education (CBRE).

• Dr. Kallos runs an NSERC funded bioengineering lab investigating the development of scaled-up expansion and differentiation bioprocesses for adult/ embryonic stem cells, and he is also a member of the McCaig Institute for Bone and Joint Health in the Faculty of Medicine. He is a Principal Investigator in the Stem Cell Network, where he has served on the Training Committee, as well as the Steering Committees for the 2007 and 2010 AGM.

• Dr. Kallos has received a number of awards, including an ASTech (Alberta Science and Technology Leadership Foundation) Leader of Tomorrow Award (2002), numerous teaching awards from peers and students (including “Professor of the Year” and “Outstanding Excellence in Teaching”), and other honors including being named as one of Calgary’s Top 40 Under 40 (Avenue Magazine, 2009).

• Dr. Kallos has significant service contributions including being involved in organizing several local, national and international conferences, and has received a Faculty of Engineering Service Award in 2005 and again in 2013 (Schulich School of Engineering). He has received funding from several Canadian and international granting and funding agencies including NSERC, CIHR, NIH, CFI, ASRIP, JDRF and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.