Fighting antimicrobial resistance: From postdoctoral research to biotech entrepreneurship 

As a PhD student conducting research at BC Children’s Hospital, Ali Pormohammad saw firsthand the need for the development of new biotech and medicines. “I was doing an internship and seeing lots of kids and patients dying due to infections for which we used to have treatment. Available antibiotics are getting resistance and it’s challenging both diagnosis and treatment in the infection field,” says Pormohammad. 

As a researcher who had been working on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) for over a decade, he became determined to move beyond publishing papers and find a real-world solution. After finishing his PhD, he joined a leading lab in biological sciences during his postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Calgary. 

Despite initial obstacles in finding industry partners to tackle AMR, Pormohammad connected with one within a week of joining the Mitacs Elevate program. He said participating in the program helped him move towards academic-industry collaboration with enormous benefits for his career. 

Through this experience, Pormohammad saw the potential in starting his own company. He later joined the Accelerate Entrepreneur program and went on to become the founder of MHCombiotic Inc in Alberta, helping advance patented solutions to AMR. 

Pormohammad says he had not considered being a company CEO, but his research success and exposure to strategic support through Mitacs led him in that direction. Since named one of Calgary’s 40 under 40, he is continuing to feel inspired and empowered to apply his research to a major health challenge. 

Watch how research and entrepreneurship are helping Ali Pormohammad advance new solutions to a global health challenge.

Find out more: Interested in opportunities as a postdoctoral fellow with Mitacs? Explore the Mitacs Accelerate Global Excellence Award.

About Mitacs  

For over 25 years, Mitacs has helped grow the economy and develop the workforce of tomorrow, connecting industry with academia and global partners to solve real-world challenges. We support business-academic research collaboration through internships, co-funded with businesses, for undergraduate to graduate students and post-doctoral fellows.  

As a national innovation connector, Mitacs takes a talent-first approach to strengthen innovation capacity and drive global competitiveness. We serve as an essential research-commercialization bridge, accelerating market entry and growth for new products and services.  

This is a critical time for Canada to think big and take bold action. Mitacs is ready to help build a strong and resilient Canadian economy, powered by ideas, talent and innovation.  

Mitacs is funded by the Government of Canada, the Government of Alberta, the Government of British Columbia, Research Manitoba, the Government of New Brunswick, the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, the Government of Nova Scotia, the Government of Ontario, Innovation PEI, the Government of Quebec, the Government of Saskatchewan, and the Government of Yukon.