The Canadian Innovation Awards celebrate the best and brightest in the Canadian technology community. Now in its seventh year, the awards acknowledge outstanding startups, innovative businesses and influential individuals. Trexo Robotics advanced to the finals in the New Startup category.

HCell Inc. (Hcell), a biotechnology company focusing on Alopecia Areata in the Pediatric Population, today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Orphan Drug Designation (ODD) to HC017AA for the treatment of pediatric patients with Alopecia Areata, a devastating hair loss disease.

Adapsyn Bioscience Inc., a biotechnology company focused on the discovery and development of novel medicines derived from evolved small molecule natural products, today announced that it has completed a round of financing that was co-funded by Pfizer R&D Innovate and Genesys Capital. In addition, the company has announced a research collaboration with Pfizer Inc.

Pre-CAAP company Steadiwear's Steadiglove was featured as a technology that stood out for Senior Care at the Aging 2.0 Conference this past November in San Francisco. 

Johnson & Johnson Innovation facilitated an exclusive feasibility study between Janssen Research & Development, LLC and WinterLight Labs. The research will evaluate WinterLight’s proprietary technology for analyzing voice samples obtained from Janssen Research & Development’s ongoing clinical trials in Alzheimer’s and neurodegenerative diseases.

In 2017-18, $5.47 million will be distributed to 12 projects through the Health Technologies Fund. 3 CAAP companies are among the Health Innovation project teams which received funding. Congratulations to Komodo OpenLabs, Eve Medical and BrainFx!

Tracery Opthalmics is a health technology company developing a novel ocular imaging acquisition method and large data analytics platform with the ultimate goal of developing superior biomarkers and measures of disease. Dr. Shelley Boyd, President and CSO delivered the pitch and took home the prize.

DEADLINE TO APPLY: January 12, 2018

The Consulate General of Canada is accepting applications for their fourth annual Dose of the Valley program.

The two-day Life Sciences event includes roundtable discussions, industry-led workshops, one-on-one mentorship, an investor/partnering pitch session, and networking.

Springboard’s Health Innovation Hub is a program for women-led life science and digital health companies seeking seed and growth funding and expert connections. The program runs in two tracks: Life Science and Digital Health.

Selected companies will be matched with a team of relevant, targeted advisors and participate in several in-person and virtual workshops and presentation sessions throughout the year that provide exposure to influencers, active investors, and potential strategic partners.

The Biomedical Zone has opened up applications for HealthBound II, aimed at finding a solution to improve patient wait times in an outpatient clinic at St. Michael's.

• The winning company will receive:
• A cash prize of $5000
• Residency in the Biomedical Zone
• A subsidized pilot opportunity at St. Michael's 
• Mentorship and immersion from clinicians, hospital administrators, and IT

December 4, 2017 – Qvella, a leading molecular diagnostics company closed US$20 million in Series B financing. The funding round was co-led by Qvella’s existing investor syndicate – including RA Capital, Whitecap Venture Partners, Hatteras Ventures, and Sands Capital – and new strategic investor bioMérieux, a world leader in the field of in vitro diagnostics. The proceeds will be used to fund clinical trials, to support on-going research and development, and to facilitate team expansion and manufacturing scale-up.

TORONTO, ON  Thornhill and Rostrum celebrate the finalization of a Technology Development Agreement which includes the licensing of certain Thornhill IP and an investment by Rostrum into Thornhill. This agreement is aimed to further Rostrum’s development of its Pulmonary Health Monitoring during ventilation, in ICU, OR and ER applications while supporting Thornhill’s commercialization efforts of their own innovative products.

Iris Technologies, whose E-Paper screen technology reduces the negative health repercussions of using LCD screens for individuals recovering from a concussion, released a powerful testimonial video. David Goldband describes his experience with the product, and how it helped in his recovery.

TORONTO, ON  KalGene Pharmaceuticals announced the closing of a Series A financing to support the advancement of its lead Alzheimer's therapeutic program. The syndicated investment was led by Lumira Capital and included participation from Anges Québec, Anges Québec Capital, Accel-Rx Health Sciences Accelerator and a number of Canadian family offices. In addition to the equity financing the company has also received significant financial support from leading Foundations focused on neurodegenerative diseases. Proceeds from these combined funding sources will support the development of KalGene's lead Alzheimer's therapeutic candidate.

Ontario has appointed Dr. Molly Shoichet as the province's first Chief Scientist with a mandate to advance science and innovation in Ontario. The new Office of the Chief Scientist will report to Reza Moridi, Minister of Research, Innovation and Science.

Dr. Shoichet is a professor at the University of Toronto, a member of the Order of Ontario, and founder of Hammock Therapeutics, an OBIO CAAP company. 

The Centre for the Commercialization of Antibodies and Biologics (CCAB) Board of Directors is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Robert Verhagen as the organization’s new Chief Executive Officer, effective November 1, 2017.

As CCAB’s new CEO, Mr. Verhagen will provide his strategic direction to position CCAB as a leader in the commercialization of academic discoveries in the biologics field and in the advancement of this biotech sector in Canada.

2015 CAAP Company Conavi Medical Inc., a privately-held company developing image guidance technologies for minimally invasive procedures announced that it has entered into an agreement with an affiliate of China Grand Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Holdings Limited (CG Healthcare) to serve as the exclusive distributor of its ForesightTM Intracardiac Echocardiography (ICE) and NovasightTM Hybrid Intravascular Imaging systems in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macau.

Application Deadline January 10, 2018 - Apply Here

The Canadian Technology Accelerator Initiative (CTA) helps high-potential, high-growth Canadian technology SMEs seeking to expand to the U.S through a 5 month program of workshops, events, mentorship and business introductions.

Baylis Medical Company Inc. has launched a hands-on workshop in Europe that will train cardiologists on innovative tools that enable access to the heart from any approach. This includes a growing number of procedures that require physicians to use major veins that feed into the heart from above.

On Tuesday, November 14, Ontario's Minister of Finance, Charles Sousa, delivered the government's Fall Economic Statement.