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

        • Karma Medical Products in Edmonton announced it signed an agreement with North Coast Medical for the U.S. distribution of its FEPSim rehabilitation devices, which are used for hand and upper extremity therapy.
        • A study led by University of Alberta professor Shokrollah Elahi found that some of the problems associated with HIV infection, like rapid aging and inflammation, are linked to an elusive type of white blood cells called neutrophils.
        • Doctors at the Misericordia Community Hospital can do real-time checks on whether they’ve removed all cancerous cells from breast cancer patients using a Faxitron machine, which was acquired thanks to a $150,000 gift from an anonymous donor.
        • Wearing a compression bandage can improve arm lymphedema in breast cancer patients, according to a study led by U of A professor Margaret L. McNeely. Lymphedema is swelling that occurs in the arm on the side a patient underwent surgery for breast cancer.
        • A $50,000 donation to the Alberta Diabetes Foundation will go toward small-scale clinical trials for a potential cure to Type 1 diabetes. The money was donated by the Cosmopolitan Foundation of Canada’s Edmonton chapter.
        • Diabetics and advocates from Diabetes Canada say Alberta ought to cover the cost of blood glucose monitoring systems. The device, which can cost between $3,000 to $6,000 per year, is covered in other provinces including B.C., Saskatchewan, and Manitoba.
        • A group of medical and engineering students from the U of A flew aboard a zero-gravity flight to test bioengineered samples of knee cartilage. The team was investigating the gene expression of bioengineered cartilage tissue in microgravity, which they said could help them understand the development of osteoarthritis.
        • The University Hospital Foundation cancelled all in-person events for this year’s Festival of Trees, opting instead for outdoor or virtual ones. Money raised at the festival, which runs from Nov. 2 to Dec. 23, goes toward supporting people with end-stage kidney disease.
        • PulseMedica, a platform that combines laser technology and machine learning to treat retinal disease, was announced as one of five finalists that will pitch to investors in Startup TNT’s Investment Summit IV on Nov. 18.

Events

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