Mehmet Toner
Encyclopedia
Mehmet Toner, PhD is a Turkish biomedical engineer. A professor of surgery
at the Harvard Medical School
and professor of biomedical engineering
at the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology
(HST), Toner first gained prominence for his theory of intra-cellular ice formation while finishing his PhD in Mechanical Engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology
(MIT). Since then Prof. Toner has made contributions to the specific fields of cryobiology and biopreservation and to the wider field of biomedical engineering
in the form of inventions, books, and journal publications.
Toner was born in Istanbul
, Turkey
in July, 1958. He obtained his undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering
at the Istanbul Technical University
in 1983, and his master’s degree and doctorate in Mechanical Engineering and Medical Engineering at MIT in 1989. Toner worked on his doctorate under Prof. Ernest Cravalho who was one the first engineering scientists to work on cryobiology
and is still a professor of mechanical engineering
at MIT. Dr. Toner's early work focused on understanding cellular injuries during cryopreservation and finding optimum strategies for cell preservation. His later works include microfluidics, Bio-sensing and dry preservation of mammalian cells.
Prof. Toner currently serves as the Associate Director of the Center for Engineering in Medicine(CEM) located at the Massachusetts General Hospital
and Shriners Hospital for Children, as well as the Director of the CEM-affiliated BioMEMS Resource Center. The labs have produced several researchers and continues to train post-doctoral fellows and graduate students from MIT and Harvard University
. Dr. Toner is fondly known to some as the "Turkish Guy".
Surgery
Surgery is an ancient medical specialty that uses operative manual and instrumental techniques on a patient to investigate and/or treat a pathological condition such as disease or injury, or to help improve bodily function or appearance.An act of performing surgery may be called a surgical...
at the Harvard Medical School
Harvard Medical School
Harvard Medical School is the graduate medical school of Harvard University. It is located in the Longwood Medical Area of the Mission Hill neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts....
and professor of biomedical engineering
Biomedical engineering
Biomedical Engineering is the application of engineering principles and design concepts to medicine and biology. This field seeks to close the gap between engineering and medicine: It combines the design and problem solving skills of engineering with medical and biological sciences to improve...
at the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology
Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology
Founded in 1970, the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology, or HST, is one of the oldest and largest biomedical engineering and physician-scientist training programs in the United States and the longest-standing functional collaboration between Harvard University and the...
(HST), Toner first gained prominence for his theory of intra-cellular ice formation while finishing his PhD in Mechanical Engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
(MIT). Since then Prof. Toner has made contributions to the specific fields of cryobiology and biopreservation and to the wider field of biomedical engineering
Biomedical engineering
Biomedical Engineering is the application of engineering principles and design concepts to medicine and biology. This field seeks to close the gap between engineering and medicine: It combines the design and problem solving skills of engineering with medical and biological sciences to improve...
in the form of inventions, books, and journal publications.
Toner was born in Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
, Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
in July, 1958. He obtained his undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering
Mechanical engineering
Mechanical engineering is a discipline of engineering that applies the principles of physics and materials science for analysis, design, manufacturing, and maintenance of mechanical systems. It is the branch of engineering that involves the production and usage of heat and mechanical power for the...
at the Istanbul Technical University
Istanbul Technical University
Istanbul Technical University is an international technical university located in Istanbul, Turkey. It is the world's third oldest technical university dedicated to engineering sciences as well as social sciences recently, and is one of the most prominent educational institutions in Turkey...
in 1983, and his master’s degree and doctorate in Mechanical Engineering and Medical Engineering at MIT in 1989. Toner worked on his doctorate under Prof. Ernest Cravalho who was one the first engineering scientists to work on cryobiology
Cryobiology
Cryobiology is the branch of biology that studies the effects of low temperatures on living things. The word cryobiology is derived from the Greek words "cryo" = cold, "bios" = life, and "logos" = science. In practice, cryobiology is the study of biological material or systems at temperatures below...
and is still a professor of mechanical engineering
Mechanical engineering
Mechanical engineering is a discipline of engineering that applies the principles of physics and materials science for analysis, design, manufacturing, and maintenance of mechanical systems. It is the branch of engineering that involves the production and usage of heat and mechanical power for the...
at MIT. Dr. Toner's early work focused on understanding cellular injuries during cryopreservation and finding optimum strategies for cell preservation. His later works include microfluidics, Bio-sensing and dry preservation of mammalian cells.
Prof. Toner currently serves as the Associate Director of the Center for Engineering in Medicine(CEM) located at the Massachusetts General Hospital
Massachusetts General Hospital
Massachusetts General Hospital is a teaching hospital and biomedical research facility in the West End neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts...
and Shriners Hospital for Children, as well as the Director of the CEM-affiliated BioMEMS Resource Center. The labs have produced several researchers and continues to train post-doctoral fellows and graduate students from MIT and Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
. Dr. Toner is fondly known to some as the "Turkish Guy".