Hypercare selected as one of 23 startups to participate in AWS Healthcare Accelerator: Global Cohort for Workforce

Hypercare recently announced it has been selected to participate in the AWS Healthcare Accelerator: Global Cohort for Workforce, to advance solutions for addressing urgent challenges facing the healthcare workforce. Through the program, Hypercare is looking forward to its expansion into the European market by continuing to provide modern solutions to enhance clinical communication and collaboration to healthcare providers.

Hypercare is an OBIO® member and presented at the 2023 OBIO® Investment Summit.

Congratulations to OBIO® members and affiliated companies on receiving funding from INOVAIT and Government of Canada

INOVAIT and the Government of Canada announced a major investment in the field of image-guided therapy (IGT), with up to $22.7 million in contributions committed to 14 commercialization-focused R&D projects under INOVAIT’s Focus Fund program.

The Focus Fund investment will support three-year projects at the intersection of advanced imaging, minimally-invasive surgery and artificial intelligence. These innovations will use advances in data sciences and artificial intelligence to enhance image guidance and corresponding therapies. The resulting technologies have the potential to greatly improve patient outcomes and reduce the overall cost of healthcare in Canada.

Congratulations to these OBIO® members and affiliated companies - Arrayus Technologies Inc., Conavi Medical, Cosm Medical, 16 Bit and Synaptive Medical Inc. - on receiving funding from INOVAIT and Government of Canada.

University Health Network and Boehringer Ingelheim Canada partner to impact patients lives and help a healthcare system under strain

The Ontario healthcare system is under strain, still recovering from the demands of the COVID-19 pandemic. The University Health Network (UHN) and Boehringer Ingelheim (Canada) Ltd. have partnered to address a critical need of heart failure patients.

The objective of the partnership is to expand patient reach of UHN’s successful Medly Program— an innovative, digital therapeutic solution that delivers the benefits of specialized clinical heart failure management at home while improving quality of life and reducing hospitalizations.

Medly presented at the 2022 OBIO® Investment Summit as part of the Early Technology Showcase.

Cambridge Cognition acquires Winterlight Labs for £7m

Cambridge Cognition has acquired Canadian company Winterlight Labs Inc for £7m to target a $220m market for speech-based biomarkers. Based in Toronto, Winterlight focuses on machine-learning based voice assessments, using free-speech inputs or those that require deductive reasoning or interpretation.

Winterlight Labs is an OBIO® member, CAAP® company and BDSP™ recipient.

Notogen partners with Boehringer Ingelheim to develop a novel regenerative approach to treat degenerative disc disease

Notogen, Inc., a biotechnology company developing regenerative therapeutics for conditions related to disc degeneration, recently announced that it has entered a worldwide research collaboration and license agreement with Boehringer Ingelheim to develop and commercialize a Notogen regenerative therapeutic that has the potential to become a first-in-class, disease modifying treatment for people living with degenerative disc disease (DDD).

Notogen Inc. is a CAAP® company and presented at the OBIO® Investment Summit.

Mediphage signs license option agreement with multinational pharmaceutical company

Mediphage Bioceuticals (Mediphage), a preclinical-stage company developing safe and redosable non-viral gene therapies based on its proprietary ministring DNATM (msDNATM) technology recently announced that it signed an Evaluation and Option agreement with an undisclosed multinational pharmaceutical company, a leader in the gene therapy space.

Mediphage is an OBIO® member, CAAP® and H2BB™ company, BDSP™ recipient and presented at the OBIO® Investment Summit.

Awake Labs and Hyivy Health featured on ventureLAB's top five companies to watch in 2023

Awake Labs and Hyivy Health have featured among ventureLAB's top five companies to watch in 2023. ventureLAB is a leading global founder community for hardware technology and enterprise software companies in Canada.

Awake Labs is a Toronto-based platform that provides real-time and objective measures of stress to help increase quality of life.

Awake Labs is an EAHN™ company.

Hyivy Health is creating the first intelligent and holistic pelvic rehab healthy technology devices for women with pelvic-based cancers and diseases.

Hyivy Health is an EAHN™ and CAAP® company.

Optimize your time and investment by downloading a networking info app for the 41st Annual JP Morgan Health Care Conference

Novateur Ventures, a leading global life sciences advisory firm and Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO), the world's largest advocacy association for biosciences, research and academic institutions, recently launched an industry networking information app, Event Guide to JPM 2023, which provides listings for an anticipated >200 satellite networking events taking place during the 41st Annual J.P. Morgan Health Care Conference on January 9-12, 2023, in San Francisco, CA.

The Event Guide to JPM 2023 app, developed by Novateur Ventures and co-managed by BIO, features event search and filter capabilities, provides links to event and registration information, and in the case of in-person events, loads mapping software for directions to the event. Organizations can also use the app to list their scheduled events being held during the conference timeframe.

KA Imaging’s SpectralDR™ dual-energy X-ray detector shown to improve confidence in non-radiological environments

KA Imaging’s dual-energy technology (branded as SpectralDR™) has been shown to improve reading efficiency in non-radiological environments. The study “Added diagnostic value of portable dual-energy chest X-ray in a non-radiological reviewing environment” was presented as an education exhibit at the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) 2022 meeting.

Presented by radiologist Dr. Patrik Rogalla and Dr. Karim S. Karim, CTO of KA Imaging, the research surveyed 9 international reviewers on 28 portable X-rays. The readers had a variety of experience levels – students, residents, attending physicians and a fellow. No history was provided.

KA Imaging is an OBIO® member and presented at the OBIO® Investment Summit.

Myant Inc. launches direct to patient solution through new Healthcare Division MyantHealth

Myant Inc., a world leader in Textile Computing™ technology incorporating health sensors and actuators directly into everyday clothing, launched direct to patient solution through new Healthcare Division, MyantHealth. The launch of MyantHealth begins the journey of applying this groundbreaking technology to overcome the challenges impeding the access to high quality and timely care for all.

The MyantHealth digital platform and Skiin™ wearable technology is a breakthrough solution for;

• Accessibility to quality healthcare anytime, anywhere

• Continuous, remote monitoring in any environment

• Supporting distribution of care across the family with dignity and insights

• Meeting the unique needs and challenges in women's health issues

• Empowering and informing patients & consumers to manage their own health

• Leading the pathway towards a personalized and preventative model of health

Myant Inc. is an OBIO® member.

Cyclica Receives CAD$2.4M Grant for a Multi-targeted Drug Discovery Program to Advance Non-Hormonal Contraceptive Medicines

Cyclica Inc., a neo-biotech that is unlocking the protein universe to discover the medicines of tomorrow, is developing new, non-hormonal contraceptives for low-data biological protein targets with support from a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

The CAD$2.4M grant enables Cyclica to apply its validated, AI-enabled drug discovery platform towards the discovery of expanded contraceptive options that can give women and girls the ability to better plan their families and their futures.

Cyclica is an OBIO® member and presented at the OBIO Investment Summit.

Bruker Announces Agreement to Acquire Neurescence Inc., Bolstering Neuroscience Research Portfolio

Bruker Corporation recently announced the signing of the definitive agreement to purchase 100 percent of the shares of Neurescence Inc., an innovative provider of ultralight fiber-bundle Multiscopes™ for simultaneous multi-region, optical functional neuroimaging. Neurescence’s flagship product Chromatone™ moves illumination and detection hardware off the animal head. This enables simultaneous imaging and stimulation of three sub-types of neurons in up to four regions for flexible investigation of the central nervous system with single-neuron resolution in naturalistic behavior. This platform creates strong synergies with Bruker’s existing Ultima multiphoton solutions and newly acquired Inscopix head-mounted miniscopes.

Neurescence is a former participant in OBIO® Health to Business Bridge™ program (H2BB™) and OBIO® Business Development Skills Program (BDSP™)

KA Imaging to Introduce its First Mobile X-Ray Unit at RSNA

Canadian manufacturer KA Imaging is introducing its first mobile X-ray system at the upcoming RSNA meeting. The Reveal™ Mobi Lite is an integrated solution powered by patented SpectralDR™ technology, which makes it the world’s first mobile system with dual-energy capabilities.

Powered by the company’s patented SpectralDR™ technology, the Reveal Mobi Lite operates with the Reveal 35C detector, which is also sold as a retrofit solution. KA Imaging’s SpectralDR™ technology enables dual-energy subtraction, providing bone and tissue differentiation with a single standard X-ray exposure. It acquires three images simultaneously (DR, bone and soft tissue dual-energy X-ray images). The technology reduces patient dose due to the industry leading DQE of the Reveal 35C detector, and uses identical clinical techniques associated with state-of-the-art mobile DR X-ray, without disrupting existing workflows.

KA Imaging is an OBIO® member and presented at the OBIO® Investment Summit.

iGan Partners Pitch to Heal Competition awarding $600k to leading Canadian healthcare start-up

iGan Partners is hosting their leading MedTech showcase Pitch to Heal contest this week. The Firm announced in August that they were seeking early-stage medical device and digital health companies from across Canada to apply for a chance to win up to $600k seed investment alongside partners Ontario Bioscience Innovation Organization and the Centre for Aging + Brain Health Innovation.

iGan narrowed the over 100 applications received down to three companies. They will pitch to a panel of high-profile judges on Nov 10th including Canadian medical doctor and journalist Dr. Marla Shapiro and Kim Furlong, CEO of the CVCA. The three companies that have been selected are Medly Therapeutics, Rehabtronics, and FirstHX.

KA Imaging’s Reveal™ 35C Receives CE Mark Certificate

KA Imaging’s innovative Reveal™ 35C flat panel detector has received EU MDR CE Mark Certificate from the EU Notified Body. The X-ray detector, powered by patented SpectralDR™ technology, is now qualified for sale in any of the 27 countries of the European Union, plus the four countries that are part of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA). 

“It’s a very exciting moment for us at KA Imaging,” said Amol Karnick, President and CEO of KA Imaging. “We are engaged in conversations with many clinical sites in Europe, and the CE Mark will allow us to make installations and start patient imaging,” said Karnick. 

KA Imaging is an OBIO® member and presented at the OBIO® Investment Summit.

VoxNeuro closes $4 Million to Help Diagnose Concussions and Alzheimer’s Disease

Cognitive health assessments are something that a lot of people have experienced, whether a professional athlete or weekend warrior who has suffered a potential brain surgery, or an oler person showing signs of memory loss. These brief brain health assessments typically involve a medical professional verbally surveying a patient, asking them to draw a shape or a clock, observing their behaviour, and reaching a determination. As VoxNeuro co-founder and chief science officer John Connolly notes, it’s a “fundamentally subjective” test regularly dramatized in television programs and films.

Backed by over 30 years of peer-reviewed research, VoxNeuro hopes to provide an objective answer to that assessment using software and electroencephalogram (EEG) electrodes.

Armed with $4 million CAD in fresh funding, the addition of an experienced healthtech exec in Jason Flowerday at the helm, and new clinical studies in the works with Boston University and the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF), VoxNeuro has set its sights on commercializing its software and expanding it for use in more targeted applications for concussions and Alzheimer’s disease.

Read the entire article in BetaKit.

VoxNeuro is an OBIO® member.

Ontario Launches $15 Million Life Sciences Innovation Fund

The Ontario government has launched a $15 million Life Sciences Innovation Fund to help life sciences entrepreneurs and innovators bring their ideas and prototypes from the lab to the marketplace. This new, early-stage fund is an important tool in the province’s Life Sciences Strategy, Taking Life Sciences to the Next Level, that will increase Ontario’s competitiveness and help companies advance made-in-Ontario solutions.

“Part of our government’s plan to build Ontario is ensuring that companies, innovators and entrepreneurs have the support they need to advance next-generation health technologies,” said Vic Fedeli, Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade. “The new Life Sciences Innovation Fund will foster more innovation and ensure Ontario continues to lead the pack in the life sciences sector now and for generations to come.”

Delivered by the Ontario Centre of Innovation, the Life Sciences Innovation Fund will build on the province’s thriving research ecosystem. Eligible companies will receive up to $500,000 to scale their made-in-Ontario health solutions both at home and in global markets. This will further grow the sector and strengthen its competitiveness in key areas such as cancer treatment, regenerative medicine, neuroscience, and medical technologies.

KA Imaging Announces New Strategic Funding Fueling Innovation

KA Imaging, a company that specializes in developing innovative X-ray imaging technologies and systems, providing solutions to the medical, veterinary, and non-destructive test industrial markets, recently announced new funding for its activities. The new investments focus on their patented technology, Reveal™ 35C detector.

In-Q-Tel, Inc. and INOVAIT are now part of the strong list of partners working with KA Imaging.

KA Imaging is an OBIO® member and presented at the OBIO® Investment Summit.

TIAP and Evotec Expand LAB150 BRIDGE Partnership to Include Amgen

Toronto Innovation Acceleration Partners (TIAP) and Evotec SE recently announced that the two companies have expanded LAB150, their translational BRIDGE partnership, to include Amgen as a strategic partner. The expansion goes along with a combined investment of US$14M to expedite LAB150 programs towards the formation of new companies.

LAB150 was created by TIAP and Evotec in 2017 to accelerate Toronto’s academic research into market-ready products. The expanded agreement builds upon existing partnerships between TIAP, Evotec, and Amgen to support the development of disruptive therapeutics by TIAP’s member base and draws upon Evotec’s industrialized drug discovery platforms.

Amgen will provide financial support for chosen LAB150 projects along with significant mentorship from their drug discovery and development teams. In addition, Amgen Ventures will evaluate LAB150-derived companies for venture investment. These combined efforts will amplify the efficiency and translational potential of academic research to develop Canadian intellectual property, novel therapies, and accelerate commercialization by Canada’s next generation of life science companies.

VoxNeuro is giving the brain a voice through cognitive health assessment

VoxNeuro’s software as a medical device (SaMD) is transforming cognitive health assessment as it pushes the boundaries of our understanding of the brain to improve decision-making by clinicians and patients.

“Our breakthrough SaMD technology uses validated brain biomarkers, not behavior, to compare a patient’s performance against a normative database. The output is objective, biological scores that are applicable to a range of neurology and psychiatry conditions that impact cognitive health,” Jason Flowerday, CEO of VoxNeuro, said in an interview with BioTuesdays.

“Our instantly-generated reports provide clinicians and patients with a comprehensive understanding of how a brain is functioning in attention and concentration, information processing and memory,” he added.

Read the entire interview in Bio Tuesdays to learn more about VoxNeuro’s work in brain health and the technology to comprehensively understand how a brain functions.

VoxNeuro is an OBIO® member.