Innovative Projects Realized

L2M DialySnake: A novel, minimally invasive tool to remove intraluminal fibrin plugs and restore peritoneal dialysis catheter patency

This project will focus on helping to bring the DialySnake, which is a novel medical device, closer to market. The DialySnake is a low-cost, minimally invasive tool designed to unclog blocked peritoneal dialysis (PD) catheters at patients’ bedsides in an average of 5 minutes. Currently, when peritoneal dialysis catheters become blocked, hospitals often rely on costly and invasive procedures like emergency surgery, which cost upwards of $25,000 CAD, also exposing very sick patients to risky general anesthesia and post-operative complications. The DialySnake offers a simple, safe, and fast solution that could greatly improve patient care while reducing strain on hospital resources, as it provides a 99% cost reduction in PD catheter restoration in urban and rural areas.
Over the course of four months, this project will validate the device’s commercial potential by working closely with healthcare stakeholders, including nephrologists, dialysis nurses, hospital administrators, and procurement teams. The intern will conduct interviews to understand clinical workflows, gather feedback on the device’s value, and assess interest in pilot programs. The project will also include competitor research, pricing analysis, and the development of a go-to-market strategy tailored to Canadian and U.S. healthcare systems.
By the end of the project, NephroTech will have a clear understanding of how to position DialySnake for success in real clinical settings, along with a roadmap for early sales, pilot partnerships, and commercialization. This work will support the partner organization in refining its business model, building early strategic relationships, and ensuring the product aligns with real-world needs, thereby accelerating its path to improving dialysis care in Canada and beyond.

From Lab to Market: The VoltLeaf Leap

This project aims to support VoltLeaf Energy Inc. in exploring market opportunities and building a go-to-market strategy for their carbon-based battery technologies. By researching potential customers, competitors, and industry trends, the project will help VoltLeaf better understand where and how to position their products. The goal is to identify the most promising use cases and partnerships, which will make it easier for the company to grow, attract funding, and bring their sustainable energy solutions to market more effectively.

Shrinking the Digital Divide: Improving Digital Literacy in Rural Regions

This research would offer a new, policy-oriented comparative analysis of international digital literacy strategies aiming to lessen the digital divide. Unlike much of the existing literature, this research would place the focus on initiatives made to further develop digital literacy, rather than digital infrastructure rollout. This research would build on Chetty’s (2018) findings about the implications of low digital literacy in certain communities and would aim to expand the understanding of how policy-driven digital literacy programs can directly impact economic and educational outcomes in rural and Indigenous areas in Canada.
This research aligns closely with many of CIGI’s core research areas, focusing particularly on data, economy and society, as well as digitalization, security and democracy. This proposed research will emphasize the importance of developing digital literacy – an essential but glossed-over component of current strategies addressing the digital divide – to mend an ever-widening digital governance gap. This will ensure that even those living in the most sparsely populated of regions have the necessary skills to participate meaningfully in the digital economy.

L2M – Bacterial Amplicon Tick Test (BATT)

Tick-borne diseases, including Lyme disease and Anaplasmosis, are an increasing public health concern in Canada, with rising case numbers driven by climate change and expanding tick populations. Current testing methods are limited as they typically detect only one pathogen at a time and often miss early-stage infections. As a result, many Canadians can go undiagnosed or misdiagnosed, leading to delayed treatment and severe health impacts. At the same time, new and emerging tick-borne pathogens are being identified in North America, making it critical to have diagnostic tools that can detect a broad and evolving range of threats.

This project supports the development of the Bacterial Amplicon Tick Test (BATT), an innovative genomics-based tool developed by myLyme at Queen’s University. BATT uses DNA sequencing and machine learning to simultaneously detect all known bacterial pathogens in a single tick. Unlike conventional targeted tests, it can also identify emerging bacteria that may not yet be common in Canada.

This work will help myLyme deliver faster, more comprehensive, and more accurate tick testing to Canadians. It will improve early diagnosis, strengthen public health surveillance, and reduce the burden of untreated disease. The project will also support myLyme’s business development by identifying market potential, user needs, refining its value proposition, and informing the regulatory and commercialization strategy for use in clinical, veterinary, and public health settings.

Évaluation des modalités de traitements des chondrosarcomes extra-squelettiques, rôle de la radiothérapie néo adjuvante

Les chondrosarcomes extra-squelettiques sont des tumeurs rares dont le traitement repose principalement sur la chirurgie. Toutefois, l’ajout d’une radiothérapie avant l’opération (radiothérapie néo-adjuvante) pourrait aider à réduire la taille de la tumeur et faciliter son retrait. Ce projet de recherche vise à mieux comprendre les bénéfices et les risques de cette approche en comparant des patients ayant reçu ou non cette radiothérapie avant leur chirurgie. En analysant les dossiers médicaux d’environ 40 patients, le stagiaire examinera si cette technique permet de limiter les complications post-opératoires et d’améliorer la survie sans récidive (event-free survival) de la maladie.

Les résultats attendus aideront l’organisation partenaire, un centre hospitalier spécialisé, à optimiser les traitements pour ces cancers rares. En clarifiant l’impact de la radiothérapie néo-adjuvante, ce projet pourrait améliorer la prise en charge des patients, réduire les risques de rechute et contribuer à établir des recommandations pour les professionnels de santé.

Developing a secure Web interface for a gene therapy design software

Re:Pair Genomics is a Canadian biotechnology startup pioneering the use of advanced artificial intelligence to accelerate gene therapy development. The company specializes in designing compact synthetic promoters, customized DNA sequences that precisely control where and when therapeutic genes are expressed in the body. These promoters are engineered to target specific human or mouse cell types with high accuracy, dramatically reducing off-target effects. What traditionally takes months in a wet lab, Re:Pair’s AI-powered pipeline can deliver in as little as one day, helping gene and cell therapy developers overcome a major bottleneck in drug design. To increase internal efficiency and scalability, Re:Pair Genomics is partnering with Sheridan College’s Centre for Applied AI to develop a secure, user-friendly web interface for their proprietary machine-learning algorithm. Currently, only the company’s co-founders can access the algorithm directly to protect it as a trade secret, creating a bottleneck as client demand grows. This project will enable other internal teams, such as scientists and research staff, to safely interact with the algorithm through a controlled interface without exposing the underlying code. The new platform will streamline operations, reduce turnaround time for promoter design, and allow Re:Pair to serve more clients in the pharmaceutical and academic sectors. It also positions the company for sustainable growth by supporting product development and enabling secure, role-based access to its core technology. More broadly, this project aligns with Canada’s strategic priorities in life sciences and artificial intelligence by fostering innovation at the intersection of biotechnology and machine learning. Through this collaboration, Re:Pair Genomics will be better equipped to support the creation of safer, more effective gene therapies while also providing valuable hands-on training to emerging talent in applied AI development.

L2M – A Visible Light-Degradable Ocular Implant for Sustained Delivery of Bioactive Proteins in Treating AMD

This project introduces a novel, commercially promising ocular implant for the treatment of degenerative retinal diseases, initially targeting age-related macular degeneration (AMD) as a leading cause of vision loss. Current treatments for AMD require frequent intravitreal injections due to the rapid clearance of therapeutics from the eye. This frequent need for injections can cause significant discomfort and anxiety for patients, leading to poor adherence to treatment schedules and reduced overall effectiveness. This project proposes a minimally invasive hydrogel implant that delivers protein therapeutics over an extended period from a single injection. The implant remains stable under everyday conditions and safely degrades upon exposure to blue light laser by a clinician. The light can be irradiated through the sclera and it is precisely tuned at an intensity that is well below ocular safety limits but above levels found in indoor lighting or sunlight. This allows for full or partial degradation of the implant based on clinical need, enabling personalized dosing. Furthermore, current commercial implants are designed to deliver corticosteroids, which are chemically stable but only address inflammation – not the underlying molecular mechanisms of AMD. As a result, they may relieve symptoms but are not effective as a standalone treatment. Delivering protein therapeutics remains a challenge due to the difficulty in preserving their bioactivity, as degradation or unwanted interactions can trigger immune responses. Our implant overcomes this limitation by using a biocompatible strategy to form the implant matrix, protecting protein structure and maintaining therapeutic function throughout use.

Overall, the partner organization stands to benefit from a next-generation ocular drug delivery platform that reduces injection frequency, improves patient compliance, and offers substantial clinical and commercial potential.

Caractérisation avancée de biocomposites PLA-biochar-tanin pour l’impression 3D et l’adsorption de CO2

Ce projet vise à valoriser les résidus lignocellulosiques en créant des biocomposites imprimables en 3D dans une démarche de développement durable afin de capturer le dioxyde de carbone (CO2). L’acide polylactique (PLA), un polymère biodégradable issu se ressources renouvelables, est associé à du biochar produit à partir de résidus forestiers par pyrolyse, et du tanin, un agent naturel jouant le rôle de compatibilisant. Les biocomposites ainsi obtenus seront transformés en filaments pour être imprimés en 3D par dépôt de fil fondu (FDM). Après impression, les pièces seront soumises à diverses caractérisations physicochimiques, mécaniques et morphologiques telles que la tomographie à rayons X, la diffraction des rayons X (DRX), la microscopie électronique à balayage (MEB), des tests mécaniques, des analyses thermiques tels que l’analyse thermogravimétrique (ATG) et la calorimétrie à balayage différentiel (DSC) ainsi que des essais d’adsorption de CO2. L’objectif est d’étudier l’impact des charges sur la porosité, la cristallinité, l’adéquation interfaciale et les performances globales des composites. Les objets imprimés cherchent à concilier innovation technique et expression artistique, permettant ainsi de combiner la fonctionnalité environnementale et l’esthétique. Cette approche ouvre la voie à de nouvelles applications dans les secteurs du design et de l’architecture durable.

L2M – Digital Twin-Based VR Training for Fire Hazard Recognition in Construction

Fires on construction sites can cause serious injuries, deaths, and property loss. One of the best ways to prevent fires is by helping workers recognize fire hazards early, but current safety training is often limited and not very effective. We are developing a virtual reality (VR) training tool that can help construction workers and young professionals learn to spot fire hazards more engagingly. Unlike traditional safety training that relies on slides or videos, our tool creates interactive VR scenes using real images and videos from actual sites, which are updated as the site changes. We also use eye-tracking built into VR headsets to monitor where trainees look and provide personalized feedback. This makes learning more effective and memorable. Our tool is especially useful for small and mid-sized construction companies that often lack access to advanced safety training resources. By supporting this project, Edmonton Unlimited can help grow local safety innovation and support tech-based solutions for the construction industry.

Mapping Cumulative Effects and Landscape Change in the Crowsnest Watershed

This research project will identify and quantify the cumulative impacts of human development and land use in Alberta’s Crowsnest Watershed using satellite imagery collected over time and geospatial change detection techniques. By analyzing how the landscape has changed over time as a result of human use, and incorporating relevant local and community-sourced data, the study will help to highlight areas of concern and to inform regional land use planning. Conducted in partnership with the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS) Southern Alberta Chapter, the project addresses CPAWS’ need for accessible, spatially-informed assessments of cumulative effects in the region. The project outcomes will include report(s) to enable replication of the project in other areas, as well as public-facing maps and communication tools designed to support CPAWS’s outreach, policy advocacy, and conservation work across the eastern slopes region.

Étude de l’influence de différents types de biochar, de nanocellulose et de PLA sur les propriétés physiques, mécaniques et chimiques des biocomposites

Face à la pollution causée par les plastiques, les bioplastiques apparaissent comme une alternative écologique viable. Toutefois, les limitations existantes de leurs propriétés cherchent à être surmontées grâce au renforcement par des fibres naturelles. Le biopolymère le plus utilisé sur le marché, en particulier dans l’impression 3D, est le PLA grâce à son prix compétitif, sa biodégradabilité et sa biocompatibilité. Cependant, en raison de son hydrophobicité, il présente une faible compatibilité avec les fibres. Dans cette optique, cette étude cherche à développer des biocomposites à base de différents grades d’acide polylactique renforcés par différents types de biochar et de nanocelluloses cristallines en utilisant l’impression 3D-FDM. L’impression 3D des éprouvettes sera réalisée conformément à la norme ASTM. Les propriétés chimiques, thermiques, mécaniques et physiques de ces échantillons vont être étudiés par FTIR, TGA, DSC, flexion, impact, traction, DRX, MEB, tomographie et absorption d’eau et de CO2.

Uncovering Sources of Plastics Waste in the Maritimes to Support Innovative Recycling Technologies

The project aims to collect and synthesize information pertaining to low-grade plastics waste streams in Atlantic Canada. The project will focus on type, quantity, quality, location, and current management practices of the plastics waste streams identified. Information will be gathered primarily from farmers, waste management groups, and key government informants in Nova Scotia. The intern will provide research support in all aspects of plastics waste streams as needed by Nova ReNew. The intern will provide a comprehensive report to Nova ReNew that covers the six themes discussed, as well as any other information requested by them.