A New Brunswick biotech start-up is working to keep your food fresh using a revolutionary compound made from an ingredient you might find in your fridge.

The human body contains over 600 muscles that connect to the brain via a network of trillions of nerves. So imagine how difficult it must be to understand how these muscles and networks communicate with one another.

By attaching an RFID tag to a milk carton, Rahma will make it easier for recycling services to detect the presence of milk cartons.

A recent outbreak of spruce budworm infestation in Quebec contributed to millions of dollars in lost revenue potential for Canada’s lumber industry and threatened forests in northern New Brunswick. This prompted researchers at the University of New Brunswick (UNB) and Carleton University to partner in the development of solutions to ward off the forest pest.

The company was introduced to Mengru Wang, by her supervisor Dr. Eric Aubanel. They agreed to collaborate on a Mitacs Accelerate project, in which Mengru would develop a data visualization utility for EXN/Aero.

Umang says the experience has been valuable for his eventual career in a biomedical start up. “Having research experience through Mitacs Globalink will be very useful to my career. I couldn’t have learned these same techniques and tools without doing a project like this.”

Literacy rates in New Brunswick are among the lowest in Canada. Half of the population lives in rural areas and because the province is bilingual, minority language children can find it difficult to develop early language skills.