2020 Finalists
BISEP INC
Innovator: Daniel Bordenave
Although our healthcare system is very sophisticated, it lacks advancement in ambulation and mobility training. The A.R.M.M.” is a dynamic structure that attaches an individual’s wheelchair directly to their walker. This device provides lateral and posterior support to the individual transferring from a wheelchair to a walker and provides a support system for the patient when ambulating.
Through our University-led research study with OCE funding, we performed clinical trials at 10 long-term care/hospital facilities in Niagara, as well as 50 patient testimonials to gain valuable customer insight. The findings were the ARMM device increased a patient's speed by 24%, the distance of walking by 15%, maneuverability by 17% and self-confidence by 48%. While decreasing their fear of falling by 20%.
Student: Sohaib Syed - Biomedical Discovery and Commercialization, McMaster University, 2020
Student: Angad Hanjrah - Biology and Pharmacology, McMaster University, 2020
IMAGINABLE SOLUTIONS
Innovators: Lianna Genovese, Carly Files, Jaskaran Sandhu
Imaginable Solutions is a biomedical engineering company committed to enhancing the quality of life for individuals living with accessibility issues. The company’s mission is to allow an individual’s imagination to overcome their personal obstacles. ImaginAble Solution's first product, Guided Hands, is an assistive device designed for people experiencing limited fine motor skills affecting essential daily tasks such as writing, painting, drawing and using a tablet/computer. Guided Hands promotes controlled and guided hand movement, reduces hand fatigue and pain, and is customized to the unique needs of each person’s medical condition. Guided Hands impacts the lives of people living with dystonia, Huntington’s Disease, arthritis, strokes and spinal cord injuries. ImaginAble Solutions strives to provide Guided Hands to those that imagine a life of independence and opportunity!
imaginablesolutions.ca
Student: Taneya Janakan - Biomedical Discovery and Commercialization, McMaster University, 2020
NANOLOGY LABS
Innovator: Mohammad Ali Amini
Nanology Labs is an early-stage pharmaceutical company developing theranostic agents (MRI contrast agent/Radio-sensitizer) for cancer detection and therapy. Nanology Labs has designed and is developing Manganescan® that allows detection of tumors at early stages using MRI. Simultaneously, it sensitizes cancer cells which improves radiation therapy outcomes. The agent is 3x more sensitive than current Gadolinium contrast agents (GBCAs), and can cross the blood brain barrier; this enables early and precise detection and targeting of brain cancer. Manganescan produces oxygen molecules when localized in the tumor, by which enhances radiation therapy efficacy and improves the patients' life expectancy by more than 5-fold.
nanologylabs.com
Student: AbdulRahman Khodr - Master of Business Administration - Data Analytics Specialization, McMaster University, 2021
Student: Dawood Al-Wattar - Biomedical Discovery and Commercialization, McMaster University, 2020
SENSETECH SOLUTIONS INC.
Innovators: Robert Ingino, Ali Raza Syed, Rui Amoah, John Chase
SenseTech Solutions is a start-up company in the field of developing accessible virtual and augmented reality simulations for persons with disabilities. Our services include the design and creation of realistic simulations that replicate environments for those in need of rehabilitation and training, and simulations that act as a disability awareness outreach tools which articulate a charity's vision to the community they are within. We strive to provide affordable solutions that everyone can have access to, and our vision is to make virtual reality into a national standard for serving people with disabilities. Our company was discovered within the CNIB community, and as our legacy we are an active part of the communities we serve. By continuing to develop simulations that are designed with the end users, we will continue to innovate our work to meet the need of these communities. We value the importance of research and continue our collaborations with accessibility focused universities and colleges across Canada.
sensetech.ca
Student: Emily Xu - Biomedical Discovery and Commercialization, McMaster University, 2020
Student: Reeta Nan - Biomedical Discovery and Commercialization, McMaster University, 2020
CUROVATE
Innovator: Nirtal Shah
During a major orthopaedic surgery, patients have an entire joint cut out of their body and replaced. In our healthcare system, those patients receive a few sheets of paper with instructions for rehabilitation on their own. It comes as no surprise then that 80% of patients do not complete the necessary rehabilitation and physiotherapy. This leads to significant long-term health consequences and thus additional cost to the health care system. Curovate provides every patient with daily customized rehabilitation and physiotherapy exercises prior to and 6 months after major orthopaedic surgery on their mobile device. This makes rehabilitation cheaper, more convenient and will ultimately improve patient satisfaction and patient health outcomes. Curovate has already deployed apps for total knee replacement, total hip replacement and anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) rehabilitation in both App Stores. Curovate's existing platform allows us to scale by deploying a mobile app for every major orthopaedic surgery, potentially reaching 6.6 million patients annually in the US alone.
curovate.com
Student: Jo Bradshaw - Mechanical Engineering (Bio-mechanical specialization), Queen's University, 2021
Student: Andrew Singh - Ph. D. Chemical Engineering, McMaster University, 2022 - Food Science, University of Guelph, 2017 - Human Kinetics and Chemistry, University of Guelph, 2015
Student: Vinay Patel - Ph. D. Biomedical Engineering, McMaster University, 2022
MESOSIL
Innovator: Cameron Stewart
Mesosil is a materials science company making responsive additives for dental materials to prevent infection and cavities, the most common medical conditions in the world. Mesosil has developed the first lifetime-effect line of antimicrobial materials to prevent the long-term breakdown, infection, and recurrent disease responsible for up to 70% of treatment failures in dentistry. These improvements will allow for truly permanent solutions that no longer leave teeth and gums vulnerable to bacterial attack. Mesosil’s technology outclasses competitors in two key areas: biostability and antimicrobial efficacy, resulting in an 80% reduction in tooth breakdown and cavitation. These benefits are provided over the total lifespan of the patient, a previously unobtainable timescale, without bacterial resistance development, or changes to the underlying materials used and clinician workflow.
mesosil.com
Student: Kyle Jackson - Biomedical Discovery and Commercialization, McMaster University, 2020
Student: Jenny Bicong Ge - Master of Public Policy and Administration, Ryerson University, 2021 - Business Administration, Ivey Business School, 2016 -Genetics, University of Western Ontario, 2016
MOXYPATCH
Innovator: Remy Warren
MoxyPatch™ is an early stage device company working to develop a preventative, over-the-counter solution for women who suffer from Stress Urinary Incontinence. There are very few products available for the prevention of leakage caused by female stress incontinence on the market today. Moxy Patch’s research and development work on this device aims to provide women who suffer from this type of incontinence a true solution that is not only more environmentally friendly than the alternatives, but also more comfortable and economical for the patient or consumer.
Student: Soundarya Selvam - Master of Business Administration, McMaster University, 2021 - Ph.D. Philosophy (Pathology and Molecular Medicine), Queen’s University, 2018 - Science, University of Western Ontario, 201
HELPERS
Innovators: Michael Thibodeau, Mark Yaraskavitch, Ryan Crawford, Martin De Bast, Phil Daniels, Justin Thibodeau, Yael Morris, Owen Jones, Anthony Melo
Helpers is the Uber of home care with a technology platform that helps seniors and families request home care services on demand from a trusted network of caregivers. Helpers is focused on improving the convenience and flexibility of services by allowing customers to only pay for what they need, when they need it. Today's care can be rigid, unreliable and expensive. Helpers is setting out to change that with a passionate group of professionals on a mission to provide fast, personalized and reliable home care.
Student: Rachael Gregoris - Biomedical Discovery and Commercialization, McMaster University, 2020
Student: Erin Guilfoyle - Graduate Certificate Brain Disorders Management, Mohawk College, 2020 - Behavioral Neuroscience (minor Biology), Memorial University of Newfoundland, 2019
PARADOX IMMUNOTHERAPEUTICS
Innovators: Natalie Galant, Yulong Sun
Paradox Immunotherapeutics is an Ontario-based pharmaceutical company developing immunotherapies for rare diseases that cause organ failure. Using a proven-successful immunotherapy drug design platform, they design drugs that harness the body’s own immune system to clear lethal deposits from affected organs and reverse organ damage. The company is founded by the same team that designed PRX004, an immunotherapy to treat heart failure caused by transthyretin (ATTR) amyloidosis. PRX004 was licensed to Prothena Biosciences Inc. (So. South Francisco, USA) by University Health Network (Toronto, Canada) and entered FDA clinical trials in 2018 (NCT#03336580). Using the same platform technology, their lead candidate includes a potential treatment for immunoglobulin light chain (AL) cardiac amyloidosis, another cause of heart failure for which no first-line therapy currently exists and a US market opportunity of ~$3.2B. Their other discovery pipelines include treatments for chronic renal failure, ALS, and frontotemporal dementia. With a team of experts in immunotherapy drug design, they possess an orphan drug discovery platform for the potential treatment of ~30 rare diseases, a platform technology which has already sparked the interest of major players in the pharmaceutical industry.
Student: Rafik El Werfalli - Masters of Biomedical Discovery and Commercialization, McMaster University, 2020
Student: Katrina Cordovado - Biomedical Discovery and Commercialization, McMaster University, 2020
PROVA INNOVATIONS
Innovator: Matthew Rosato
At PROVA Innovations, we are passionate about developing new technologies that aid children and adults suffering from brain injuries that have caused mobility restrictions. Our dedicated team is focused on creating a suite of at-home therapeutic products that improve mobility and enhance quality of life. Our lead product is a wearable that measures the foot’s position and applies biofeedback encouraging the development and reinforcement of new neuromotor pathways and connections in the brain. Similar to how a rumble strip alerts a driver that they are veering off the road, our products provide sensory cueing in the form of small vibrations, lights and sounds to guide a patient’s foot throughout the entire gait cycle. Our technology allows patients to engage in therapy in an intuitive way outside of clinic during normal everyday activities. We are PROVA Innovations and We are Providing the Next Step.
Student: Emily Bradshaw - MBA, DeGroote School of Business, 2019 - Health Sciences, James Madison University, 2017
HYIVY HEALTH
Innovator: Rachel Bartholomew
HyIvy Health creates high tech, modular sexual rehabilitation devices for women with pelvic diseases and cancers. After receiving a pelvic health diagnosis, women often struggle with comfortable, safe sexual experiences. HyIvy Health's first device, a modular, connected vaginal wand, allows women to improve sexual recovery after treatment with information from 8 different sensors and 5 different mechanical functions to rehabilitate themselves from the comfort of their own home, allowing for women to see their rehabilitation in real time and track their progress while following a treatment plan preprogrammed by their doctors and therapists. Once rehabilitation goals have been achieved, the device can then be switched over to pleasure based modular components.
Student: Sandy Zakaria - Ph. D. Biomedical Engineering, McMaster University, 2022 - Biological Science, University of Windsor, 2014
Student: Sarah Dipietro - Medical Radiation Sciences/Health Sciences, McMaster University/Mohawk College, 2020
THERAPHAGE
Innovator: Farah El-Zarkout
Theraphage is an early-stage biotechnology startup developing a bacteriophage immunotherapy (BIT) platform for the treatment of solid tumour cancers. Through a bacteriophage display vaccine (BDV) or bacteriophage immuno-oncology system (BIOs) approach, Theraphage’s platform can be employed as a standalone option - a vaccine and immuno-oncology dual modality treatment - or in combination with current treatment options to improve their safety and/or effectiveness profile.
Student: Ramy Gabarin - Health Sciences, McMaster University, 2020
Student: Bichoy Labib - Biomedical Discovery and Commercialization, McMaster University, 2020