The Health Innovation Roundup, sponsored by Health City, 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. Sign up to get the full edition delivered directly to your inbox. Use the code HEALTHCITY & you’ll get 10% off the first year. Here are some highlights from this week’s Health Innovation Roundup: Headlines University of Alberta researchers have helped an international team identify a genetic variant that increases the risk of hearing loss in children with cancer as a result of being treated with a chemotherapy drug known as cisplatin. According to Alberta Health Services, there has been a spike in opioid-related calls in Edmonton. Health experts said they want to see the province do more to disrupt the toxic drug supply. “We’re facing a drug poisoning emergency. We are losing at least four Albertans a day to overdose deaths,” U of A public health expert Elaine Hyshka told CBC News. Alberta has launched a new mobile COVID-19 vaccine clinic for worksites and rural communities. The clinic is a collaboration between the provincial government and a coalition of businesses to bring vaccinations to underserved areas in the province. Alberta Health Services will be closing the COVID-19 immunization clinic at the Edmonton EXPO Centre on July 29. AHS said no appointments are necessary for first or second doses this week at the clinic. U of A physics professor Michael Woodside is looking into a long-term solution to prevent COVID-19 from replicating once inside an infected patient. “It wouldn’t just help with COVID-19 and its variants — it would be something like a first line of defense if we had (COVID-27) or something like that down the line,” he told CBC News. A group of nurses gathered outside the Sturgeon Community Hospital in St. Albert to protest the government’s proposed 3% salary rollback. The nurses warned that the “provincial tactics will have real consequences to health care,” reported Global News. CEO of True Angle Medical Jana Rieger was featured in a new episode of the Shift podcast by Alberta Innovates. Rieger discussed her journey as a researcher and entrepreneur as well as the support her company has received from Alberta Innovates. The provincial government will start screening newborns for spinal muscular atrophy next year as part of a pilot project funded by Muscular Dystrophy Canada. Alberta will become the second province after Ontario to begin testing babies for the rare genetic neuromuscular disease. Aurora Cannabis announced the appointment of senior healthcare executive Theresa Firestone as a new independent board member. The position is a newly created directorship that expands the board to nine members. A mobile mammography service will visit Leduc on August 19-20 and New Sarepta on August 21 and 23. An appointment is required for the service. Events July 30-Aug. 2: Alberta’s inaugural brain-computer interface hackathon (natHACKS) Aug. 19, 9am: The Great Alberta Pitch Marathon Sept. 22-24: Inventures 2021 Oct. 25-27: Alberta Cancer Research Conference 2021 Oct. 26-27: Canadian Computational Neuroscience Symposium Nov. 3-4: i4 2021 Virtual Conference Dec. 2-5: University Hospital Foundation’s Festival of Trees Have a suggestion for a future edition? Send it to hello@taprootedmonton.ca for consideration. Become a “Roundup Cultivator” and sponsor Taproot Edmonton to help them chronicle health innovation in Edmonton. Learn more