Projets novateurs réalisés

Biomaterial derived dendritic cells for regenerative medicine

This project will establish a commercially viable, regenerative biomaterial-based method for effective, reduced-cost and clinically feasible culture of immune cells for immune cell therapies. Argan Biomedical Technologies inc, partnering with the Sefton lab at UofT, has developed technology that uses regenerative synthetic biomaterials to reduce the use of expensive and otherwise problematic biological components used in typical culture of immune cells for immune cell therapy. The technology leverages the Sefton lab’s extensive experience with biomaterials; the immune cells generated appear more effective than those generated through conventional means. Here we will use the opportunity provided by MITACS to generate proof-of-concept data showing that these cells are effective and viable for clinical scale use, and that they are applicable for use from immunosuppression alternatives for transplantation to cancer therapeutics.

L’état de la cybersécurité et l’impact de la Loi 25 sur la cyber-résilience des organisations québécoises

Ce projet de recherche vise à dresser un portrait rigoureux de la cybersécurité au sein des organisations québécoises, en analysant des données de Statistique Canada (2019–2023). Il se distingue par l’étude de l’impact de la Loi 25, en vigueur depuis 2023, sur les pratiques organisationnelles en matière de cybersécurité et de protection des données. En évaluant la préparation, les investissements, et les mécanismes de réponse aux cybermenaces, le projet met en lumière les défis spécifiques des PME. Il soutient les travaux du Human-Centric Cybersecurity Partnership en approfondissant la notion de cyber-résilience et en identifiant des leviers d’action concrets pour les décideurs. Il est mené conjointement avec l’organisme Prompt.

Onecare Biotechnologies Market study

This project will support OneCare Biotechnologies, a Canadian startup developing a blood-based diagnostic test to guide treatment decisions for individuals with psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia. These conditions are often misdiagnosed or inappropriately treated, leading to poorer health outcomes and higher healthcare costs. While OneCare has made strong progress in developing its technology, it now faces key business challenges, including identifying its target customers, setting an effective pricing strategy, and navigating reimbursement pathways. Through a structured market study focused on Canada and the United States, this project will provide insights into market needs, competitive positioning, and regulatory considerations. The findings will help OneCare create a clear and evidence-based commercialization plan to bring its innovation to market and improve mental health care delivery.

EGM Occupancy Analysis: Contextual Modeling and Visualization for Machine Usage Patterns and Optimized Player Engagement

This project will analyze Electronic Gaming Machine (EGM) occupancy patterns and player behavior using anonymous spin-level data to optimize machine usage and support data-driven decision-making. By examining how players select machines based on availability, time of day, and traffic conditions, the research will generate actionable insights for International Game Technology (IGT) and its casino partners. IGT is a global leader in gaming technology, operating in over 100 countries and offering EGMs, lottery systems, sports betting platforms, and digital gaming solutions. In Canada, IGT supplies casinos and gaming operators with hardware, software, and analytics tools. Its advanced data infrastructure collects detailed machine performance and player behavior data in real time, enabling operational optimization and compliance. Despite this, transforming large-scale spin-level data into targeted, actionable insights remains challenging. IGT aims to better understand player movement between machines, identify popular games during low-traffic periods, model conditional game selection probabilities, and assess the impact of high-traffic conditions on occupancy. Within the 4-month project window, the emphasis will be on exploratory data analysis (EDA) and visualizations—such as time-based heatmaps and grid charts—to address these needs. The project will strengthen IGT’s ability to optimize gaming floor layouts, machine placement, and game offerings, potentially increasing player engagement, dwell time, and revenue. Visual analytics will support quicker, evidence-based decisions, improving operational efficiency for both IGT and its partners. Beyond immediate business gains, the work contributes to the advancement of Canadian gaming analytics expertise, fostering innovation in a sector that generates significant economic impact through employment, taxation, and tourism.

Analyse géoéconomique et sectorielle de l’aluminium canadien dans le contexte des tensions commerciales et de la renégociation du CUSMA

Ce projet vise à mieux comprendre comment les tensions géopolitiques et les politiques commerciales, comme les droits de douane imposés par certains pays, influencent le commerce mondial de l’aluminium. L’accent sera mis sur les répercussions de ces mesures sur le secteur de l’aluminium primaire canadien, un secteur stratégique pour l’économie, l’environnement et la sécurité des chaînes d’approvisionnement. À travers une analyse rigoureuse de données économiques et de recherches internationales, le stagiaire explorera les risques associés à la fragmentation des échanges mondiaux, aux pratiques de contournement des tarifs, et aux pressions croissantes autour des minéraux critiques. Pour l’Association de l’aluminium du Canada, ce projet apportera des informations précieuses pour mieux défendre les intérêts de l’industrie, renforcer son argumentaire auprès des décideurs, et anticiper les impacts des futures négociations commerciales.

Stage de recherche sur les éléments clés pour outiller les personnes professionnelles à intervenir auprès des personnes en contextes de vulnérabilité

En 2023, le ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux du Québec a reconnu le droit à la procréation comme essentiel au bien-être des personnes de la diversité sexuelle et de genre. Or, les ressources demeurent limitées et les professionnel·le·s de la santé et du social soulignent un manque de formation préoccupant pour répondre aux besoins en santé reproductive, particulièrement pour les personnes en situation de vulnérabilité (handicap, communautés LGBTQ+, diversité ethnoculturelle, Premières Nations et Inuits). Ce projet vise à combler cette lacune en identifiant les besoins et attentes des populations afin d’outiller les futur·e·s professionnel·le·s à offrir un accompagnement inclusif et respectueux des droits.

Effectiveness of industry test suites on advanced structural code coverage criteria

When engineers verify software products they need at the same time some guidance as to verification objectives and an idea of when it is reasonable to stop the verification activity. One such guidance comes under the form of criteria which are predominantly functional (typically, one exercises the software in ways it is expected to be used) and structural (typically, one ensures that the code is being exercised). This project focuses on the latter. A typical stopping criterion for a verification activity is to require that all the statements of the source code of the software be exercised at least once through tests; this makes sense since faults are inadvertently committed in the code. Another typical criterion is to require that alternative executions in the code be exercised. These are simple criteria and literature discusses several more advanced criteria. The more advanced criteria are seldom used because tool support is hard to find and because they tend to be more expensive to satisfy. The project is to assess how existing test suites created by engineers with the industry partner, which are meant to satisfy the simpler criteria, fare with those more advanced criteria.

Le quantique comme levier stratégique de souveraineté numérique au Québec

Ce projet compte étudier comment les technologies quantiques peuvent renforcer la souveraineté numérique du Québec. Il ambitionne aussi de créer une feuille de route stratégique pour asseoir durablement celle-ci. Dans un contexte de forte dépendance aux technologies américaines et de guerre tarifaire menée par le gouvernement des États-Unis, cette recherche s’inscrit dans la volonté de rebâtir l’autonomie technologique du Québec et de rendre son écosystème numérique plus résilient.

La stagiaire réalisera un diagnostic de la souveraineté numérique québécoise, étudiera les approches internationales et proposera une stratégie de gouvernance quantique adaptée au Québec. Elle concevra également un dispositif de sensibilisation pour informer l’écosystème sur les risques et opportunités du quantique, dans le but de renforcer la position québécoise dans ce domaine.

Ce partenariat souhaite contribuer à renforcer la notoriété de Kirq, le banc d’essai en communication quantique de Numana, tout en identifiant de nouveaux partenariats innovants. Le projet vise également à soutenir l’ambition majeure de Numana de faire du Québec un centre névralgique mondial en communication quantique.

Automated optimization of robotic tasks and transitions using graph-based approaches

In recent years, machining with robots has become a trend in the manufacturing industry. The concept offers an
economical solution for medium to low accuracy machining applications. However, due to the complexity of the robot
kinematics, planning for these paths is challenging. Jabez Technologies has developed a semi-graphical approach that
can program large robot-paths. This approach has been very well received by the industry and has proven to be
extremely robust in practice. However, this approach is semi-automatic and cannot work without user input. Emerging
applications, on the other hand, are demanding a fully automated solution. A generic automated path planner for the
large variety of machining applications in subject is simply impractical. We, therefore, propose to build a customizable
automated planner framework on top of the existing semi-graphical approach. The combination will allow the
company to provide fully-automated solution with high flexibility and confidence.

Modular, Scalable, and AI-Enhanced Healthcare Platform: A Unified System for Advancing Patient Care through Modular Design, AI Integration, and EMR Readiness Across Clinical Settings

Tenzr Health is a B2B SaaS digital health technology company focused on improving rehabilitation outcomes through intelligent sensor-based platforms and gamified therapeutic experiences. Their solutions are widely utilized in hand therapy and musculoskeletal (MSK) rehabilitation, providing patients and clinicians with interactive tools that promote movement compliance and facilitate real-time data capture. With a mission to modernize patient care through wearable technology and digital platforms, Tenzr bridges the gap between in-clinic treatment and remote rehabilitation.

As Tenzr Health expands into more clinical environments, it faces a key challenge of upgrading its web-based Patient Care Management System. This upgrade seeks to support a broader range of clinical workflows, integrate with Electronic Medical Record (EMR) systems, and offer a user-friendly experience for both medical staff and patients. Furthermore, the increasing need for AI-enabled functionalities, cross-clinic system compatibility, and multilingual support highlights a strategic opportunity to expand the platform’s scope from a specialized rehabilitation tool to a scalable, broadly applicable digital health solution.

The Tenzr Health team aims to collaborate with WIMTACH’s applied research team to conduct an in-depth analysis of the current Patient Management System’s limitations, explore innovative solutions to enhance system robustness, ensure compatibility across devices and clinical workflows, and improve the user experience for both practitioners and patients. This partnership will utilize research-driven methodologies and technological expertise to develop a more efficient, user-friendly, and data-rich platform.

Le régime juridique nigérien des investissements étrangers au prisme du développement : une analyse critique et transversale inspirée du régime canadien

Malgré ses ressources naturelles abondantes (uranium, or, pétrole), le Niger, pays d’Afrique subsaharienne reste confronté à un taux d’extrême pauvreté de 52 % et peine à attirer des IDE. Ceux reçus, concentrés dans le secteur extractif, sont très volatiles et peu bénéfiques pour l’économie, un paradoxe dû à un cadre juridique peu contraignant, de faibles exigences de durabilité, des politiques de contenu local inefficaces, des incitations déséquilibrées et un environnement juridique international asymétrique. À l’inverse, le Canada, grâce à des réformes de sa Loi sur l’investissement conciliant attractivité économique et protection des intérêts nationaux, est un exemple d’équilibre entre ouverture et souveraineté. Il se place comme l’un des pays où les IDE contribuent le plus au développement économique. Malgré les disparités socioéconomiques entre les pays, ce modèle offre des pistes d’inspiration pertinentes pour le Niger. Il en est de même du Brésil, 1er destinataire des IDE en Amérique latine. Acteur clé de la facilitation des investissements à l’OMC, le Brésil est un exemple emblématique incontournable pour la recherche sur les IDE. Le projet propose une analyse critique du régime nigérien des IDE, inspirée de ces cadres et vise à identifier les meilleures pratiques pour proposer des réformes contextualisées au Niger.

Investigating the effect of heat stress on the early life microbiome in Japanese dairy calves

Climate change is creating urgent challenges for livestock farming, as rising temperatures and more frequent heat waves reduce animal health, productivity, and welfare. Young calves are particularly vulnerable because their immune and temperature regulation systems are not fully developed, and their gut microbiome—the community of bacteria, archaea, and viruses that support digestion and health—is still forming. In Japan, temperature–humidity index levels regularly exceed calf comfort thresholds during the summer months, potentially leading to reduced growth, greater disease incidence, and reduced long-term performance. Similar threats are emerging in Canada, highlighted by increased frequency of “heat domes,” which cause unprecedented losses in dairy herds. This project will study how heat stress affects the developing gut microbiome communities of pre-weaned calves, focusing on the rumen and large intestine. Using novel “omics” technologies, the research will explore the disruption of early life microbiome development under heat stress and how these changes may affect calf growth, immunity, and resilience. The results will inform management strategies for heat-stressed calves, such as probiotics, microbial modulation, or phage-based strategies. Outcomes will support improvements in calf management in Japan, provide critical information for the Canadian dairy industry, and contribute to building climate-resilient dairy production systems worldwide.