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: News An Edmonton-based company is using the only technology of its kind to supply pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, and other industries. Radient Technologies, funded through Alberta Innovates and private investors, uses Microwave Assisted Processing (MAP) to take out ingredients from biomass for other applications. The company’s MAP technology extracts the bioactive ingredients from hemp, flax, milkweed, valerian and rosemary. The first patient enrolled in a Phase III clinical trial to evaluate a therapy for early-stage breast cancer will test the drug ribociclib along with endocrine therapy. The drug trial is funded by Novartis and will be carried out in partnership with the Edmonton-based Translational Research in Oncology. Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry researchers at the University of Alberta found a new biomarker that could help predict the best type of treatment for breast cancer patients. The researchers found that breast cancer cells with RYBP protein were more susceptible to damaged DNA, which means chemotherapy or radiation would be more effective. A group of University of Alberta chemistry students are hoping to commercialize an anti-fungal treatment for bees that uses genetically-engineered form of E. coli. The project won first place at last year’s International Genetically Engineered Machine competition. Nature Communications published a University of Alberta study that found a molecule that may be linked to dilated cardiomyopathy. DCM accounts for 20 per cent of heart failure. Events Nephrologist Dr. Scott Klarenbach will be speaking about real worldevidence and how Alberta’s advantages help to facilitate cutting-edge research development at a brown bag event from noon to 1 p.m. on Jan. 17 in room 20D of ATB Place at 10020 100 Street. NAIT will hold health sciences career previews for potential students on Jan. 19 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the NAIT CAT Building at 10304-10524 117A Ave. TEC Edmonton and the University of Alberta Faculty of Science will be hosting a free, informal networking event “Using Artificial Intelligence to boost health care applications” in the fourth floor atrium of TEC Edmonton at 10230 Jasper Avenue on Jan. 24 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. On Feb. 13 from noon to 1 p.m. in the Maple Leaf Room of Lister Centre at 11613 87 Ave NW, Canada Research Chair in Machine Intelligence for Rehabilitation at the University of Alberta Patrick Pilarski will be giving a talk to UAlberta alumni and guests about Artificial Intelligence applications in physical and rehabilitation medicine. The 2019 Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health Symposium will be held in Edmonton from April 14 to 16. 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. 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.