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

        • Startup Edmonton is welcoming the fifth cohort of companies for Propel, its 12-week pre-accelerator that aims to connect startups with expertise as they push toward revenue growth and investment opportunities. Among the 10 companies are adewunmi skincare, a natural skincare shop; FLIT, which connects people looking to get fit with trainers and events; and Team CarePal, an app that aids in palliative and end-of-life care.
        • The Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital Foundation became the first health-care foundation in the province to accept cryptocurrency donations. The foundation has partnered with the Giving Block to accept cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and Ethereum as donations to fund innovation at the hospital.
        • Extra Life Edmonton celebrated 10 years in 2021, and raised $345,807 for the Stollery Children’s Hospital, bringing its fundraising total to more than $2 million.
        • Covenant Health unveiled plans for a proposed new $250-million wellness community in Mill Woods. “We chose this location because the population of southeast Edmonton has nearly doubled in the last 20 years and with that growth has come a greater demand for health and wellness care,” Patrick Dumelie, CEO of Covenant Health, told Postmedia.
        • The University Hospital Foundation and Roche Canada have extended the deadline for proposals for its Alberta Roche Collaboration in Health competition until March 4. The competition supports research and health innovation regarding Alzheimer’s disease.
        • University of Alberta researchers have developed an algorithm that can scan pathology and radiology reports for information that could improve patient outcomes in cancer patients. “Because cancer has become a more chronic disease, we need better information on how cancer progresses and recurs in order to advance our treatments,” biostatistician Yan Yuan told Folio.
        • DrugBank CTO Craig Knox was listed as one of the University of Alberta’s most highly cited researchers in the 2021 Clarivate Rankings. “I am proud to have been part of the team that created the kernel for what DrugBank … has become,” he wrote on LinkedIn.
        • Mental health startup DiveThru has launched a new podcast called Drop In With Dr. J, featuring therapist Dr. Justin Puder in conversations to crush the stigma surrounding mental health.
        • Vancouver-based XPhyto — a psychedelic-assisted therapy company which has a facility in Edmonton — released a progress update suggesting that mescaline (a compound that occurs naturally in the peyote cactus) may be a useful tool in treating conditions such as depression and PTSD.
        • Andrew MacIsaac of Applied Pharmaceutical Innovation is among the members of the new Edmonton Metro Region Economic Recovery Working Group, which will engage with local leaders to determine how the provincial government can support revitalization and investment in the Edmonton area.

Events

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Health Innovation Roundup
Health Innovation Roundup