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Teams

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Over the past five years, the MIF has supported over 30 unique teams. See our current and past teams on this page.

Current Teams

Cellterix logo

Provide better treatment for type 1 diabetes patients
Stage: Deploy Ìý|Ìý Cohort: 2026
Team: Jonathan Brassard, Corinne Hoesli, Demetry Prezelj, Michael Chuang

Exsia logo

Safe water, through clean technology
Stage: Develop Ìý|Ìý Cohort: 2026
Team: Kevin Kelly, David Villegas

Hydral logo

Delivering hydrogen and heat on-site from aluminium to decarbonize hard-to-abate industries
Stage: Discover Ìý|Ìý Cohort: 2026
Team: Oliver Fernie, Jocelyn Blanchet, Prof. Jeff Bergthorson

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Kuiper Logo

Blending AI strengths with human expertise to redefine how humans interact with heavy machines
Stage: Discover Ìý|Ìý Cohort: 2026
Team: Ehsan Yousefi, Inna Sharf

NanoPHast Logo

Clog-free and calibration-free miniaturized pH probe technology
Stage: Discover Ìý|Ìý Cohort: 2026
Team: Garvit Bhatt, Prof. Bhushan Nagar

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Past Teams

Healthcare

Early detection and prevention of ovarian and endometrial cancer
Stage: Desjardins Deploy Ìý|Ìý Cohort: 2025
Team: Lucy Gilbert, Ava Slotman, Lawrie Shahbazian, Andrew Arthur, Dzaner Dzafik, Maite Skowronski

ocuvista logo

Replacing eye drops with contact lenses to deliver medicine directly to the eye
Stage: Discover Ìý|Ìý Cohort: 2025
Team: Bishakh Rout

histurn logo

Genome-based fertility treatment for men using sperm epigenome analysis
Stage: Discover, Develop and Deploy Ìý|Ìý Cohort: 2022–2024
Team: Sarah Kimmins and Bryan Martin

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Long-term support technology for human cell culture research
Stage: Develop and Deploy Ìý|Ìý Cohort: 2022 and 2023
Team: Timothy Kennedy and Kean Pierre Clement

Bio-adhesive alternative to compressed gauze for severe bleeding
Stage: Develop Ìý|Ìý Cohort: 2023
Team: Jianyu Li
Learn more

Rapid and automated saliva-based molecular diagnostics for infections
Stage: Develop Ìý|Ìý Cohort: 2022
Team: Sara Mahshid

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Technology for illness diagnostics
Stage: Develop and AMR Winner Ìý|Ìý Cohort: 2025
Team: Sripadh Guptha Yedire, Sara Mahshid and Tamer Abdelwahab

Surface functionalization technology to improve vascular tissue repair

Stage: Develop Ìý|Ìý Cohort: 2023
Team: Hugo Level

Simpler and faster cell contractility quantification for research and industry
Stage: Develop Ìý|Ìý Cohort: 2022
Team: Allen Ehrlicher

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Mosers logo

MoSERS

Non-invasive handheld cancer monitoring using a tiny blood sample
Stage: Discover Ìý|Ìý Cohort: 2023
Team: Mahsa Jalali

Physio Biometrics Inc.

Gait-improving sensor and rehabilitation tools for walking support
Stage: Deploy Ìý|Ìý Cohort: 2022
Team: Nancy Mayo

Tissue Tinker

3D-bioprinted tumor models that better capture human physiology
Stage: Develop Ìý|Ìý Cohort: 2025
Team: Benjamin Ringler, Madison Santos, and Isabelle Dummer

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Additional Lifescience Teams

Itaconate

Molecules to re-sensitize bacteria to itaconate produced in macrophages as a new treatment for infections.

Team:ÌýKarine Auclair and AndéanneÌýLupien

Stage:ÌýDiscover, Develop and AMR Winner

Cohort:Ìý2024 and 2025

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Bruxism

Oscillating device for non-invasive correction of Bruxism

Team:ÌýNatalie Reznikov and Vinay Ashok KumarÌý

Stage:ÌýDiscover

Cohort:Ìý2025

BubbleSense

Advancing bubble continuous positive airway pressure (bCPAP), a non-invasive respiratory support therapy for preterm infant lung development.

Team:ÌýAmanda Gross, Emily Campbell and Wissam Shalish

Stage:ÌýDiscover

Cohort:Ìý2025

Bit Healix

The traditional medical approach is "one size fits all", leading to resource inefficiency, extended delays, and prolonged treatment for patients. Bit Healix tackles this problem by leveraging genetic information and the power of AI to personalize diagnostic treatment, so patients can receive the right care the first time.

Team:ÌýYannis Trakadis, Bill Qi, Sameer Sardaar

Stage:ÌýDiscover

Cohort:Ìý2024

Patholyzer

A first of its kind device for real-time detection of viruses and bacteria​, offering on-site diagnostics in milliseconds. Patholyzer is a smaller, portable Nano-digital inline holographic microscope used to identify and measure airborne pathogens. This project has enormous potential to fight against antimicrobial resistance (AMR), which poses one of the largest threats to human health in the coming century.

Team:ÌýDevendra Pal, Parisa Ariya, and Robert Panetta

Stage:ÌýDevelop and AMR Winner

Cohort:Ìý2024

BioOptic

BioOptic™ seeks to offer a quick and easy way to measure one’s intra-abdominal pressure (IAP) which is shown to influence spinal stability and hence linked to back pain. Specifically, the device design and methods employed will be refined towards improving the accuracy, reliability, and usability of the device to get fully ready for market.

Team:ÌýMark DriscollÌý

Stage:ÌýDevelop

Cohort:Ìý2022

Ion Channel Target

Activation of peripheral pain sensing neurons (nociceptors) is central to the experience of pain, and several chronic pain conditions are caused by the sensitization of nociceptors to mechanical stimuli, including osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis pain. We have identified an ion channel expressed in nociceptors and involved in sensing mechanical pain which represents a potential therapeutic target in chronic inflammatory pain. Determining a small molecule inhibitor to specifically target this ion channel would prevent the pain signal and may have valuable therapeutic potential in OA and RA patients, as well as other inflammatory pain conditions. Watch this video to learn more.

Team:ÌýReza SharifÌý

Stage:ÌýDiscover

Cohort:Ìý2022

Invicare

INVICARE develops an innovative biomedical technology to address infections around implants, with a two-fold approach to include prevention and more effective treatment. The company's core technology is a proprietary two-dimensional nanocrystalline hydrogel; the outcome of seven years of collaborative research between º£½ÇÉçÇø scientists and researchers from Harvard Medical School and the University of Montreal.

Team:Ìýº£½ÇÉçÇø ResearchersÌý

Stage:ÌýDeploy

Cohort:Ìý2022


CleanTech and Engineering

Real-time nutrient ion-sensor technology for hydroponics and vertical farming
Stage: Develop Ìý|Ìý Cohort: 2024
Team: Minh Tran and Thomas Szkopek

Nano-graphite battery technology with faster recharge times and longer life cycles
Stage: Discover Ìý|Ìý Cohort: 2023
Team: Yee Wei Fong

Low-cost reusable metal-powder based energy storage for intermittent renewables
Stage: Develop Ìý|Ìý Cohort: 2023
Team: Samson Bowen-Bronet

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Characterization devices for 2D materials-based electronics and MEMS
Stage: Discover and Develop Ìý|Ìý Cohort: 2022, 2024
Team: Changhong Cao

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Low Cost Water Treatment

Conventional water filtration techniques rely on high amounts of chemicals used in large volume tanks that leaves behind a toxic sludge that can later pose serious environmental problems related to its disposal. The project proposes a low-cost, easy-to-manufacture solution that utilizes fibrous materials to act as a filtration mechanism. The solution would greatly simplify treating water, and would be more adaptable to both large and small-scale filtration systems.

Team:ÌýNathalie Tufenkji

Stage:ÌýDevelop

Cohort:Ìý2023

Programmable Shellular Metamaterials

Few would doubt the value of shock-absorbing materials such as those found in safety helmets or automobile bumpers. However, in practice they are disposable items that are thrown away after each major collision, thus creating significant environmental impact. The team is developing a bio-mimetic material that can reform after impact, enabling objects to withstand repeated impacts, which can lengthen the service life of the item, and reduce the volume of material that ends up in landfills.

Team:ÌýHamid AkbarzadehÌý

Stage:ÌýDiscover

Cohort:Ìý2023

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