QurCan Therapeutics (Toronto) is developing technology to boost the effectiveness of cancer-fighting medicines.

What they’re doing: Using genomics innovation, QurCan has created a proprietary nanoparticle drug technology that helps make genetic medicine more affordable and effective with less side effects.

How will this be used in the real world? The new technology allows medicine to target specific parts of the body so it goes exactly where it’s needed, to improve the health outcomes and quality of life for patients.

Kraken Sense (Oakville) is developing new technologies to speed up detection of new and existing variants of different viruses and bacteria to maintain public health and safety.

What they’re doing: Their automated and autonomous qPCR-based pathogen detection system eliminates the need for manual sample processing and they’re working on expanding automated technologies to also identify possible new variants, all in under an hour.

How will this be used in the real world? Future applications include the quick detection of existing and new variants of different viruses (i.e. SARS-CoV-2 and Influenza virus) and bacteria!

AIMA Laboratories (Hamilton) is speeding up the diagnosis of endometriosis by creating a home test.

What they’re doing: This FemTech company is focusing on women’s health and providing unique solutions to diagnostic and therapeutic challenges. Endometriosis is one of the leading causes of chronic and debilitating pelvic pain and infertility. Because of ambiguous symptoms and pain normalization, it can take 5-12 years for women with endometriosis to get a diagnosis.

How will this be used in the real world? The first blood test for endometriosis that can be done from the comfort of home to give women and their physicians more clarity and a quicker path to diagnosis!