Health Innovation Roundup

The Health Innovation Roundup, sponsored by Health Cities, is written and published weekly by Taproot Edmonton to bring you the latest news and events in research, technology, companies and people changing health for the better in Edmonton.

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Here are some highlights from this week’s Health Innovation Roundup:

Headlines

• During a visit to the Health Innovation Hub, Edmonton AM spoke to Colin Coros of Nanostics about developing a prostate-cancer test and to Jake Burlet of CanBiocin about probiotics for pets and livestock.
• BioMimir, the winner of Startup TNT’s Life Sciences Investment Summit in March, received $175,000 in investment, reports Applied Pharmaceutical Innovations (API).
• Morẹ́nikẹ́ Ọláòṣebìkan of KemNet spoke to Edmonton AM about using compounding pharmacies to address shortages for drugs such as amoxicillin after a successful response to a shortage of children’s pain medication. She also spoke about her ongoing work to improve access to medication in Africa.
• Aurinia Pharmaceuticals said the AURORA Renal Biopsy Sub-Study shows “promising results” for LUPKYNIS, its treatment for lupus nephritis. The study found that LUPKYNIS was associated with “significantly earlier and greater reductions in proteinuria while maintaining stable renal function.”
• Pacylex has a busy April ahead of it, with presentations at Sweet Biopharma Day in Quebec on April 12 and the Creative Destruction Lab’s Vancouver Alumni Showcase on April 19, and research to be presented at the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research in between.
• DrugBank published a post on growing sustainably even though it is now investment-backed and faces the same challenges other tech companies face. “Change and uncertainty can easily get into the hearts and minds of any team, so we try our best to address any issues head-on so that our team feels seen and supported,” the piece says.
• Team CarePal, Launch 57, and RS Therapeutics are a few local startups participating in the latest cohort of The Alberta Innovates Revenue Accelerator by GrowthX.
• The National Impact Challenge from AGE-WELL is seeking pitches to help people age with choice and dignity in Canada. The competition has two streams: one for startups and the other for community-based or youth-serving organizations. The deadline to apply is May 8, and the pitch night happens on June 22.
• The Alberta Family Integrated Care (FICare) model used in Alberta’s 14 neonatal intensive care units since 2019 has resulted in 26% fewer emergency department visits and 37% fewer hospital readmissions within the first week of being discharged, reports Alberta Health Services.
• The University of Alberta’s Long COVID Clinic has seen about 800 patients since its inception in June 2021. The median age of patients is 49. “These are individuals at the height of their careers — lawyers, accountants, health-care professionals — who tell us, ‘I can’t read a document. I finish one paragraph and can’t remember what I just read,‘” co-director Grace Lam told Folio.
• Alberta Health Services has launched a new pediatric rehabilitation line to answer questions about a child’s development. It is integrated into the existing rehabilitation advice line, which answers more than 10,000 calls per year.
• CBC’s White Coat Black Art took a look at the effects of Alberta pharmacists’ power to prescribe when it comes to filling gaps in the healthcare system. “I know a lot of patients don’t have physicians, so if they can see someone to even ask their questions, then why not ask the pharmacist who could potentially refer on and maybe make sure that they get that help,” said Nese Yuksal, a pharmacy professor at the University of Alberta.
• Christine Hughes has been appointed dean of the Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Alberta. She has served as interim dean since 2021.
• CBC spoke to the Edmonton vet who performed a rare blood transfusion between porcupines at the WILDNorth rehabilitation facility. The donor animal has been released into the wild, and the recipient, who had lost too much blood to a louse infestation, is recovering.

Events

• April 13, 5pm: Health Innovators’ Meetup: Innovation Mixer with Startup TNT at Northern Chicken
• April 18, 5:30pm: Ready. Set. Global: Demo Day for Alberta Accelerator by 500 at the Edmonton Convention Centre
• April 19, 7pm: Building Your Bench Strength with Erin Brennan, presented by Emerging Health Leaders
• April 26-27: Health Gamechangers: The Impact of Digital Technologies in Research at the University of Alberta
• May 2: Genome-Based Precision Health with Don Husereau, presented by BioAlberta
• May 4: Top 20 Pitch Night — Startup TNT Investment Summit VII
• May 18: Research Day 2023 presented by the Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Alberta
• May 23-26: Upper Bound, presented by Amii
• May 31-June 2: Inventures in Calgary

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