For several start-ups that are resident at JLABS @ Toronto, not even COVID-19 has paused their plans to recruit talent and scale up; they counted on Mitacs’s programs to help set their businesses up for potential success.

Montréal-based small business launches a smartwatch that measures the blood oxygen level, body temperature, and heart rate, enabling early detection of COVID-19 symptoms and support for seniors in residences.

In the turbulent COVID-19 context, Humanitas Solutions has adapted technologies it developed after the 2010 earthquake in Haiti to help the health system counter the effects of the pandemic. Mitacs interns from five universities are helping to implement solutions to deal with the emerging second wave.

University of Regina researchers team up with residents of Île-à-la-Crosse, Saskatchewan, on a platform to support enduring solutions to the COVID-19 crisis. The initiative has the potential to expand beyond the region and address other challenges.

Working towards a COVID-19 vaccine, Selvaraj and Kaliamurthi use artificial intelligence and reverse vaccinology.

In many remote locations, access to medical supplies, which can make the difference between a speedy recovery and death, can be limited because of their sensitivity to temperature variations during transport.

One company that’s addressing the need for a vaccine is Medicago, a biopharmaceutical company that’s using a new manufacturing technology based on Plants and Virus-like Particles (VLP). Medicago is creating a vaccine that has the potential to promote antibody production, and unlike cell culture systems, plant systems do not require complicated growth or storage conditions.

A collaborative research project supported by Mitacs is contributing to enhance St.Amant’s community transitions by documenting and evaluating their impact on health and quality of life of persons with severe intellectual and developmental disabilities.

When the COVID-19 pandemic was announced and the Government of Canada called upon researchers and businesses to develop solutions, Ramtin Rasoulinezhad answered.

Research abroad results in development of special virus-killing coating for masks

According to the Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions, an estimated 12.6 percent of Canadian children, youth, and young adults experience mental health disorders. As an on-going epidemic in Canadian society, mental health disorders and substance use are serious concerns for the future of our younger generation.

Like a Marvel character’s super power, summer intern Yutian Zhang has been learning how to see through tissue. However, unlike a comic-book hero, Yutian is working with a research team to develop a laser-based optical system and a special camera to see through tissue. The desired result would be improved medical technology for tissue imaging.