Each week Taproot brings together the latest on the research, technology, companies and people changing health and healthcare for the better in Edmonton. If you have a suggestion for a future edition of the roundup, send it to hello@taprootedmonton.ca for consideration. Here are some highlights from this week’s Health Innovation Roundup: Local headlines Health innovation using artificial intelligence could change everything from the way doctors diagnose schizophrenia to the abilities of prosthetics with the help of Edmonton researchers. The National Post profiled the role artificial intelligence is playing in drug discovery, development and innovation, interviewing University of Alberta professor and Amii fellow Russ Greiner. He called Canada a “dominant powerhouse” in deep learning.The University of Alberta also profiled its own role in the revolution of artificial intelligence in medicine. The Bionic Limbs for Improved Natural Control lab is working on a way to use reinforcement learning to make “smart” limbs that act more like a seamless extension of the body than current prosthetics. The piece also profiled Greiner’s work in potentially using machine learning as a way to assist in diagnosing schizophrenia. Aris MD won NASA’s iTech Ignite The Night contest with its software that turns medical images into 3D images, like having virtual x-ray vision. University of Alberta computing scientists are using machine learning to analyze tweets by location, health topics and emotions to help health monitoring networks gather data on health and wellness in a particular place. Research out of the University of Alberta published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation shows a potential new cancer therapy that combines two drugs to damage the DNA integrity of breast cancer cells and hinders their ability to repair themselves, preventing metastasis. The research looks at human tumour cells in mice and the lab is hoping to move to Phase 1 of a clinical trial in the future. Events The Royal Alexandra Hospital Foundation is hosting a free public lecture on the topic of Technology and Innovation in Surgery on April 4 as part of the Foundation’s Speaking of Health series. The University of Alberta Faculty of Science will host an “Advancements in Life Sciences Industry Mixer” on April 9 from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. in the Maple Leaf room of the Lister Centre. Save Your Skin Foundation, Myeloma Canada and CONECTed will host a pre-election Alberta Health Care Town Hall on April 10 at MacEwan University from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. The 2019 Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health (CADTH) Symposium will be held in Edmonton from April 14 to 16. SingularityU Canada’s 2019 Summit will be held in Edmonton on April 23 and 24. This year’s event will focus on challenges concerning Health, Energy, Prosperity, and Citizenship. The John Cameron Changing Lives Foundation will host the fundraising music and speaking event CRESCENDO at the Winspear Centre on May 4 at 7 p.m. TSN sports personality Michael Landsberg and performers with Edmonton Singing Christmas Tree will take the stage in support Addiction and Mental Health Access 24/7. The Canadian Cytometry and Microscopy Association will host its next conference at the University of Alberta on June 17 and 18. You’ll have to travel for: The T4M Start-up World trade show for medical technology innovators will be held in Stuttgart, Germany on May 7 to 9. Abstract submissions for eHealth 2019 have closed, but there is room at the conference for delegates. The conference runs from May 26 to 29 at the Beanfield Centre in Toronto, ON. Inventure$ 2019, an “un-conference” for entrepreneurs and startups to connect with investors, will be held in Calgary from June 7 to 9. Beyond Edmonton An app for that doesn’t mean there’s proof for that when it comes to behavioural tracking apps, a new study published in Nature Digital Medicine. The research found only two of the 73 studied apps had direct scientific evidence proving their effectiveness. The Health Innovation Roundup, sponsored by Health City, is a weekly email newsletter written and published by Taproot Edmonton. Sign up to get the full edition delivered directly to your inbox. If you sign up for a Taproot membership using the code HEALTHCITY, you’ll get 10% off the first year.