Innovations Realized

Explore thousands of successful projects resulting from collaboration between organizations and post-secondary talent.

13270 Completed Projects

1072
AB
2795
BC
430
MB
106
NF
348
SK
4184
ON
2671
QC
43
PE
209
NB
474
NS

Projects by Category

10%
Computer science
9%
Engineering
1%
Engineering - biomedical
4%
Engineering - chemical / biological

Selection and Standardization of a Metabolite Profile for Diagnosis of Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD)

Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is caused by changes in the wall of the blood vessels of the legs that make them narrow and stiff. The main causes of PAD are atherosclerosis and smoking. Unlike many other diseases, there is no blood test that is capable of detecting PAD. Instead, persons have to be referred by their doctor and they must go to a specialized clinic where an hour long ankle-brachial (ABI) test is performed.
Koven wants to develop a simple and reliable blood test that can detect PAD. The project described in this application is intended to complete the next phase of the diagnostic kit development by confirming which blood compounds would be the best to use and then determining the best way to measure them. Once completed, this blood test will make diagnosis of PAD less costly and easier to access.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Peter Zahradka;Carla Taylor

Student:

Youjia Du

Partner:

Koven Technology

Discipline:

Medicine

Sector:

Manufacturing

University:

University of Manitoba

Program:

A Novel Treatment for Emphysema by Radiofrequency in Rodents and Large Animals

Emphysema, a lung disease that millions of Canadians currently suffer from, has few safe and non-invasive options available. One of the features of emphysema is the lack of proper blood flow in the diseased lungs and this results in poor gas exchange. IKOMED Technologies Inc. has been developing a new technology that has the potential to remove diseased lungs non-surgically. The initial proof-of-concept experiments have already been tested and validated using mouse and rat models with Dr. Don Sin. In the third phase of testing, they will continue to optimize this application using rodents and larger animals for physiological studies to check both safety and effectiveness of this new treatment method. IKOMED Technologies Inc. is the sponsor of this work and will be acknowledged in potential publications. The data collected may be used for future patenting of this new treatment technology.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Don Sin

Student:

Mai Tsutsui

Partner:

IKOMED Technologies Inc

Discipline:

Other

Sector:

Professional, scientific and technical services

University:

University of British Columbia

Program:

Optimization of Biodistribution and Efficacy of Fusogenix Nanoparticles in Mouse Model

Cancer cells can spread to the different parts of the body and form new tumors, in a process called metastasis. Individual cancer cells obtain the ability to metastasize by changing their genome and activating several genes required for cancer cell detachment from the tumor cluster, traveling to the new site, and growing in the new site. The Lewis Lab has recently identified a panel of genes necessary for cancer cell metastasis, and they have been designing a gene therapy-based treatment to turn off these genes in order to stop cancer cell spreading from where it starts. The partner company Entos Pharmaceuticals’ Fusogenix is a preclinical gene delivery platform that uses novel nanotechnology to efficiently deliver gene-therapy based drugs to cancer cells. Using Entos’s Fusogenix platform to deliver anti-metastatic drugs will help to bring new cancer therapeutics to the clinic.

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Faculty Supervisor:

John Lewis;David Eisenstat

Student:

Maryam Hejazi

Partner:

Entos Pharmaceuticals

Discipline:

Other

Sector:

Other

University:

University of Alberta

Program:

Groundless MEMS DC Voltage Sensors for Electric Power Utilities

This research project will develop dc electric field sensors for the monitoring of electric power utility infrastructure and for non-contact voltage probing and monitoring. MEMS sensors are the focus, as they offer small size, low cost, and low power operation. These properties make them ideal for hand held operation, and for deployment in remote locations far from urban centres, a requirement needed by utilities to monitor their 1000’s of km of transmission infrastructure. Developed sensors would also be valuable to other industries requiring electric field or static charge monitoring. Two main categories of sensors will be developed. First, sensors for measuring high dc electric fields (100 V/m – 1 MV/m) and ionic flux will be explored. These would be suitable for monitoring HVDC infrastructure. Second, sensors for low fields (1 – 10,000+ V/m) and close proximity measurements will be investigated. Included in these efforts, will be the development of optimized sensor enclosures to maximize sensor sensitivity.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Cyrus Shafai

Student:

Yu Zhou;Brandon Hill;Daniel Ryckman;Sadna Isik;Ehsan Tahmasebian

Partner:

Manitoba Hydro International Ltd

Discipline:

Engineering - computer / electrical

Sector:

University:

University of Manitoba

Program:

Accelerate

Application of Machine Learning to Vision-Based Pose Data for Exercise Classification

The research will be using visual information from the phone’s camera as well as demographic information from participants and implement various machine learning algorithms such as random forests, support vector machines, etc. to provide feedback regarding different exercises to the participant. Specifically, the algorithms will classify the exercise types. Furthermore, these algorithms will be optimized for use on smart phones. The partner organization intends to incorporate the algorithms in their mobile app for mass use. Such research methods allow for a more health-conscious use of smart phones and would give the partner organization a significant edge in technological development in the health-related sector.

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Faculty Supervisor:

William Dale Stevens

Student:

Amir Zarie

Partner:

FITFI Inc

Discipline:

Psychology

Sector:

Professional, scientific and technical services

University:

York University

Program:

Accelerate

Development and testing of novel antimicrobial fabrics

Our world is witnessing an increase in the spread of multidrug resistant (MDR) microbes and the irony is that the hospitals serve as an important reservoir for these microbes. MDR infections kills 8,000 Canadians each year, which may rise to 400,000 in next 30 years. Primarily, the spread of pathogens between patients are believed to be due to direct or indirect contact with the hospital textile. In the recent years, metal oxides or silver ions impregnated textiles are increasingly being used in health-related applications but they are prone to antimicrobial (AM) resistance within a short period. Polyamyna Nanotech Inc. (PN I) has established a nanotechnology-based AM-additive material platform (ESKAPE-Check™) that could be integrated into textiles, eradicating deadliest MDR pathogens. The intern will be responsible for the testing and validation needed by the partner organization for selecting additives and optimization of ESKAPE-Check™ to include more MDR strains and integrate into multiple applications.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Ayush Kumar

Student:

Soumya Deo

Partner:

Polyamyna Nanotech Inc

Discipline:

Biology

Sector:

Professional, scientific and technical services

University:

University of Manitoba

Program:

Automated clinical note generation from clinician-patient dialogues

This project will investigate improvements to models for automatically generating physician notes from transcripts of conversations between physicians and patients. The model will capture important medical information such as symptoms, treatments, and medications, and automatically formulate a free-text note that mimics the style of the physician’s manually entered notes. The model will use context and time information to ensure that the documentation is accurate and complete. This will allow physicians to spend more time focused on their patients, and less time documenting during and after the patient visit. This project will benefit the partner organization by improving the accuracy of the existing software pipeline.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Frank Rudzicz;Yang Xu;Marsha Chechik

Student:

Serena Jeblee

Partner:

Mutuo Health Solutions Inc

Discipline:

Computer science

Sector:

Professional, scientific and technical services

University:

University of Toronto

Program:

Impedimetric Sensor for Detection of ?9 -Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)

Although cannabis was legalized in Canada for recreational use in October 2018, there remains no effective method to determine roadside cannabis impairment. The state of the art device for detecting cannabis use roadside is saliva-based which has several flaws, including the fact that THC remains in saliva up to 72 hours after intake. In this project, a sensor will be developed to detect THC in breath, where the compound is present only up to 5 hours after consumption. The intern will research the effect of electrode geometry and fabrication process on the sensitivity of the device, and complete device repeatability tests. This knowledge will be critical for SannTek’s development of an effective device. The device will be marketed to law enforcement officials for roadside testing and employers for workplace testing, providing tangible public safety benefits to all Canadians.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Irene Goldthorpe

Student:

Muhammed Kayaharman

Partner:

SannTek Labs Inc

Discipline:

Engineering - computer / electrical

Sector:

Other

University:

University of Waterloo

Program:

Accelerate

Advanced rechargeable zinc lithium-ion battery – Part 3

There is a growing demand for the electrochemical energy storage system (EES) to store the energy generated by renewable resources of energy such as wind and solar. However, renewables are intermittent in nature meaning that the energy can be produced only when the sun is shining, and the wind is blowing. Therefore, there is a high demand for an EES to store the energy during generation time and give it back to grid later. Recently, zinc lithium-ion batteries (ZLIBs), which operate using much safer aqueous electrolytes rather than organic counterparts as in lithium-ion batteries, have gained tremendous attention due to their cost effectiveness and higher durability compared to typical lithium-ion battery. The current project focuses on the development of an electrolyte system specifically designed for ZLIB to furtherly improve its cycle life. For operating and install necessary infrastructure such as flanges and fittings in remote project locations, the industrial partner Pro-Flange, demands uninterrupted supply of electricity for power tools and equipment. However, the current power supply usually suffers either from unstable grid supply or unavailable grid at the project sites.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Zhongwei Chen

Student:

Ali Ghorbani Kashkooli

Partner:

Pro-Flange Ltd

Discipline:

Engineering - chemical / biological

Sector:

Manufacturing

University:

University of Waterloo

Program:

Accelerate

Developing and evaluating multi-functional rain gardens

Rain gardens are shallow planted depressions in the ground that infiltrate, and evaporate urban rainwater. They are a kind of green infrastructure that provide an alternative to putting polluted urban runoff into the storm sewer system. The researchers will build and test new designs and installation methods for rain gardens. The new designs will incorporate habitat for bees and other pollinators and will use a mix of planted and seeded plants. The public will be shown pictures of the research rain gardens in an urban setting and asked to give their opinions as to which ones they prefer. The costs of installation and maintenance of each of the rain gardens will be recorded and compared.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Patrick Mooney

Student:

Duncan Chambers

Partner:

van der Zalm + Associates

Discipline:

Architecture and design

Sector:

Professional, scientific and technical services

University:

University of British Columbia

Program:

Accelerate

Transcritical CO2 Pulverization

Crushing and grinding rock is the largest consumer of energy at a mining operation. Breaking rock by expansion within is a lower energy process than crushing or impact from outside, since rock tensile strength is significantly lower than rock compressive strength. This research intends to explore and develop a novel method for rock comminution using a new form of explosive pulverization or shattering based on transcritical CO2 cycling rather than traditional compressive approaches. The intent of this project is to both reduce comminution energy as well as reduce equipment wear. Both result in reduced energy consumption with the associated social and environmental benefits that come from reducing energy usage.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Bern Klein;Sanja Miskovic;Ryan Anderson

Student:

Pascuala Asetre

Partner:

Envisioning Labs

Discipline:

Engineering

Sector:

Professional, scientific and technical services

University:

University of British Columbia

Program:

Accelerate

Performative Construction: Configuring a Computer-controlled Robotic Manufacturing Setting for Composite Wood Buildings

This research project will explore and devise a digital simulation platform for architects with which custom-designed buildings can be manufactured by robotics from composite wood paneling systems. In a practice-based approach, the intern will develop a simulation tool for a unique manufacturing setting by linking and modifying computer software. The digital platform supports architects in decision-making through a visual representation of the production process and by providing useful information regarding manufacturing lines, i.e., time, cost, equipment, and materials used. The manufacturing setting aims to provide a flexible, rapid, and precise production process for tall wood buildings given their ecological benefits. After successful run of the simulation trials, the partner organization will utilize information obtained from the simulation platform for an integrated project delivery approach to design and produce tall wood buildings on a real scale.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Lora Oehlberg

Student:

Peyman Poostchi

Partner:

Deformance

Discipline:

Other

Sector:

Professional, scientific and technical services

University:

University of Calgary

Program:

Accelerate