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

• An older generation of antipsychotic drugs could turn into a treatment for some patients with Type 2 diabetes, indicates research from pharmacy professor John Ussher of the University of Alberta. Computer modeling led to the discovery that diphenylbutylpiperidines improve blood sugar control and may be a treatment for diabetics who can’t take metformin.
• Simba Nyazika of Lenica Research Group joined fellow Edifiers Pilar Martinez and Megha Sharma on Real Talk with Ryan Jespersen. He spoke about how a visit with his grandmother in Zimbabwe inspired him to try to provide tools to support those living with dementia and other mental disorders. He also discussed about what Lenica has developed to improve sports performance.
• DrugBank will be attending the Precision Medicine World Conference in Silicon Valley from Jan. 25 to 27. The conference is billed as the largest and first forum for precision medicine.
• Health Cities is an industry partner at the 2023 OBIO Investment Summit, which will be put on by the Ontario Bioscience Innovation Organization in Toronto from Feb. 8 to 10. Other local entities involved in the summit include Edmonton Global and BioAlberta.
• The Bridge Healing Transitional Accommodation Program, also known as Asamina Kochi, will supply 36 beds to discharged ER patients who are experiencing homelessness. Clients will also receive support with housing, health, and addiction services. Folio highlighted the work of program lead Louis Hugo Francescutti, who has long advocated for such a facility. “No one should leave emergency without a place to go and a roof over their head,” he said. The facility, located at 160 Street and 100 Avenue, will be run by the Jasper Place Wellness Centre with funding from Alberta Health Services.
• A new study from the University of Alberta, one of the first of its kind in the world, suggests there’s an association between high levels of stigma and more intense symptoms for people with long COVID. “We found that people with higher levels of stigma had more symptoms, lower function, reduced quality of life, and a greater chance of unemployment due to disability,” said Ron Damant, a professor in the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry. Specialists at Edmonton’s Long COVID Clinic found that some patients were treated as if they were contagious. “People who are suffering from long COVID are not faking it, they’re not weak, they don’t need to be treated like they’ve got an infectious disease,” Damant told Folio.

Events

• Jan. 24, 10am: Information Session – Participation in Smart Cities Summit Trade Delegation to Taiwan from Edmonton Global
• Jan. 25, 4pm: Ethics in Relation to Copyright and Artificial Intelligence with AI4Society
• Jan. 25, 6:30pm: YEGBio Hangout at Amii
• Jan. 26, 5pm: DAMA Edmonton Chapter Meeting: ChatGPT at the NAIT Nexen Theatre
• Feb. 9, 4pm: Life Sciences Summit: Top 20 Pitch Night, presented by Startup TNT and API
• Feb. 16, 4pm: Health Innovators’ Meetup: Get To Know Your Investors at Enterprise Square
• March 23: Life Sciences Investment Summit Finale in Calgary

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