Leila Mostaço-Guidolin

Leila Mostaço-Guidolin is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Systems and Computer Engineering at Carleton University's Faculty of Engineering and Design. She holds a Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Imaging and Biomaterials Characterization and leads the Tissue Engineering and BioImaging (TEB) Lab. Her research bridges engineering, biology, and medicine to develop innovative tools for understanding tissue function during normal and disease processes.

Dr. Mostaço-Guidolin earned her B.Sc. in Medical Physics at Universidade de São Paulo, followed by M.Sc. and Ph.D. studies where she developed expertise in optical techniques and image analysis for biomedical applications. Her doctoral work at the National Research Council in Winnipeg focused on characterizing cardiovascular diseases using nonlinear optical microscopy.

Her research focuses on image analysis, extracellular matrix remodeling, and 3D-bioprinting. She develops label-free nonlinear optical microscopy techniques to visualize key ECM molecules like collagen and elastin. Her lab creates 3D printed human fibrotic models to study how abnormal mechanical environments affect fibroblast collagen remodeling in diseases like asthma and pulmonary fibrosis. She also investigates the role of decorin in collagen formation and airway remodeling in asthma.

Her publication record shows a clear trajectory from cardiovascular imaging to respiratory disease applications, with increasing integration of machine learning with advanced optical imaging techniques. Recent work demonstrates strong focus on translating fundamental imaging discoveries into clinically relevant tools for diagnosing and understanding fibrotic diseases, particularly asthma and pulmonary fibrosis.

• Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Imaging and Biomaterials Characterization (2023)
• CIHR Project Grant for 'Mapping ECM Remodelling in Asthma' (2024)
• Supervision of multiple award-winning students including OGS, CAAIF, and CIHR-ICRH scholarship recipients

Dr. Mostaço-Guidolin leads an active research group with multiple graduate students working on cutting-edge projects at the intersection of engineering and medicine. She secured a competitive 5-year CIHR Project Grant with a success rate of around 15%. Her students have received prestigious scholarships including the Ontario Graduate Scholarship, Canadian Allergy Asthma and Immunology Foundation awards, and CIHR-ICRH funding. Her lab is also core member of the Tissue Engineering and Applied Materials (TEAM) Hub.

The Tissue Engineering and BioImaging (TEB) Lab develops novel tools to monitor and characterize biochemical and morphological aspects of tissue using non-invasive approaches. The lab's work relies heavily on optical microscopy and spectroscopy imaging with quantitative data analysis. They exploit linear and non-linear optical phenomena including light scattering spectroscopy, second harmonic generation, two-photon excited fluorescence, and Raman spectroscopy. Current projects include 3D printed human fibrotic models for studying abnormal mechano-environments and developing in vitro tissue models to track cellular responses to biomaterials.