Sahan Ranamukhaarachchi

Cybersecurity experts are increasingly being asked to help Canadian healthcare organizations navigate the opportunities and risks of using AI in healthcare. In response to this, we have created a new guide that advises on how to build an infrastructure of trust to facilitate AI adoption in healthcare in a safe and responsible way. Download the guide to learn more: https://bit.ly/3UsbQ8k

8

1 Comment

Grateful to Rachel Bartholomew for sharing the challenges she and many women face in femtech and taking action with Hyivy Health and Femtech Canada. Among the critical core message of the article, a few eyeopening callouts: 💰 The global market potential for endometriosis treatments alone is predicted to be between US $180B and $250B ⚖️ Funding for companies treating erectile dysfunction was 6x higher than for those concentrating on endometriosis ⏳ It takes an average of 7 years for women to get an endometriosis diagnosis from when they first notice symptoms 🌍 About 1/3 of women around the world discontinue hormonal birth control in the first year because of either side-effects or health concerns 📉 Ovarian cancer survival rates haven’t improved in decades 📜 It wasn’t until 1993 that the U.S. Congress passed a law mandating the inclusion of women in government-funded clinical trials; in Canada, there are guidelines but no legal requirements to ensure women are part of research design and trials

37

FluidAI Medical is leading a consortium of Canadian medtech companies in launching the Postoperative Patient Management Platform (PPMP) project, building on the success of the Continuous Connected Patient Care (CCPC) initiative. This project, part of Canada's Global Innovation Cluster for digital technologies (DIGITAL), aims to advance postoperative care through AI and machine learning technologies. The consortium includes Medtronic Canada ULC, Excelar Technologies, Providence Health Care Ventures, and the University of Waterloo. Their goal is to develop advanced predictive analytics to forecast postoperative complications like anastomotic leaks and respiratory depression. DIGITAL CEO Sue Paish emphasized the project's significance, stating, "AI will revolutionise global health care systems by providing greater access and better outcomes for Canadians and for people around the world." The project will initially be deployed at Providence Health Care's St. Paul's Hospital in Vancouver, with plans for expansion across Canada and internationally. FluidAI CEO Youssef Helwa highlighted the project's innovative approach: "By integrating AI and continuous monitoring into the PPMP project, we are developing a platform that not only facilitates earlier detection of complications but also sets a new precedent for proactive, data-driven patient care." This collaboration aims to improve patient outcomes, enhance hospital efficiency, and drive significant cost savings in postoperative care. https://lnkd.in/e3gjKJPy Stay informed and ahead of the curve by following Practical Patient Care on LinkedIn for the latest industry news and insights! #PracticalPatientCare #AIinHealthcare #PostoperativeCare #MedTechInnovation #DigitalHealth

4

💡 Major Milestone in Biotech Innovation! 💡 Vancouver’s Aspect Biosystems has secured an impressive $115M USD in Series B funding, led by Dimension Ventures and supported by Novo Nordisk, Radical Ventures, and more. This funding fuels Aspect’s groundbreaking work in bioprinted tissue therapeutics, combining AI-powered bioprinting, computational design, therapeutic cells, and biomaterials to create functional cures for serious diseases. CEO Tamer Mohamed emphasizes the transformative potential of these disease-modifying treatments, while Nan Li of Dimension praises Aspect’s leadership in regenerative medicine. 🌟 Read more about this biotech breakthrough and what it means for healthcare’s future. #Biotechnology #Innovation #RegenerativeMedicine #Bioprinting

50

1 Comment

CANADA PIONEERING OPEN AI-ASSISTED SURGERY - Dr. Amin Madani and his team at University Health Network are leading advancements in AI to enhance #surgery to reduce errors and improve patient care globally. Quick summary: - Dr. Amin Madani, a general surgeon at UHN, integrates AI with surgical procedures to improve precision and outcomes. - His research revealed that human limitations, like scope of vision, often cause preventable surgical errors. - The UHN team launched a prototype using AI to guide safe incisions in real-time, now being tested in procedures like breast and colorectal surgery. - Future vision: Dr. Madani envisions a global AI data infrastructure to offer surgical guidance in remote areas. - Currently, their AI model delivers anatomy-based alerts during surgeries, supporting minimally invasive procedures. “My dream is one day we can have a global data infrastructure where we can create the algorithms and disseminate them anywhere in the world, anytime.” — Dr. Amin Madani, General Surgeon and Director of the Surgical AI Research Academy, University Health Network Click below to read the full story in McLeans Magazine👇 NAVIGATING AI: Ask AI is an independent nonprofit that's been helping people stay one step ahead of artificial intelligence opportunities and disruptions since 2017. Join monthly newsletter: https://lnkd.in/gA2aB_Ef AI innovator? Share demo: https://lnkd.in/gc43EUDu Business leader? Share insights: https://lnkd.in/gV8wVAVx Startup or investor? Join Venture Match: https://lnkd.in/ga7q5Ned Event organizer? Let's collaborate: https://lnkd.in/gnMurTF5 #canada #artificialintelligence #healthtech #healthcare #innovation #opentech

1

Neuraura Biotech Inc., an Alberta based medical equipment company, is on a mission to improve the quality of life of patients dealing with Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). This hormonal condition, often affects the functionality of a woman’s ovaries. While the root cause of this condition is still unknown, people with PCOS can suffer from a range of symptoms including infertility and insulin resistance. Although the condition affects up to one every five women, it is currently one of the many areas of women’s health that is heavily under researched. Addressing this gap in research and treatment is the inspiration behind Neuraura’s development of a wearable bioelectronic device to offer an accessible and personalized treatment to women suffering from pelvic pain and discomfort from #PCOS. To enable users of the device to control, monitor and assess information during the course of their treatment, the company decided to develop a mobile application. WIMTACH was a trusted resource for the Neuraura team for this project. “When we had the opportunity to work with [WIMTACH], we realized there was a part of the development when it comes to software that was a pretty incredible opportunity to tap into,” said Dr. Pierre Wijdenes, Neuraura’s CPO. #projectcollaboration #research Read more: https://lnkd.in/gFz93fX5

21

2 Comments

Understand the Role of AI in Delivering Better Care Dive into our newest white paper, The Role & Potential of Artificial Intelligence in Transforming Canadian Healthcare, and discover how AI can elevate patient outcomes, optimize operations, and ease the burden on clinicians. With expert opinions and strategic insights, this guide is essential for healthcare leaders aiming to successfully adopt and scale AI solutions. What You'll Find: ✔️ Key AI Applications: Explore opportunities that transform care delivery. ✔️ Implementation Strategies: Overcome common challenges with practical solutions. ✔️Expert Recommendations: Gain insights to align AI initiatives with healthcare priorities. 👉 https://hubs.li/Q02WwPJ30

1

👩‍⚕️ 💪 🌷 Daily Dose of Health Insights August 4 👩‍⚕️ 💪 🌷 🔹 Today's Highlight: New incubator supercharging women-focused health startups in Canada "Rachel Bartholomew, CEO of Hyivy Health, faced outright disbelief when pitching her groundbreaking vaginal dilator, “Floora,” a device that combines auto-dilation and heat therapy to revolutionize pelvic floor health. Despite its innovative design, investors often dismissed her pitch, reflecting a wider issue in the field of women's health. Women-led startups, particularly in Femtech, face daunting funding hurdles. Only 4% of Canadian venture capital and even less in the U.S. and Europe supports women-founded ventures. To combat this, Bartholomew launched Femtech Canada, a powerful network of over 120 companies dedicated to women's health. The market potential for conditions like endometriosis, which impacts millions, is staggering—up to $250 billion globally. Yet, funding lags far behind conditions like erectile dysfunction. Bartholomew fights to shift the narrative and push for recognition of the crucial, often overlooked, economic and health impacts of women’s health issues. Dr. Joss Reimer from the CMA highlights the ongoing struggle for gender equity in healthcare, reminding us that women's health research was only mandated in the 1990s. Bartholomew’s work is a crucial step toward balancing this inequity." 🔎 Why Stay Updated? In the rapidly evolving field of healthcare, staying informed is crucial. Whether it's groundbreaking research, policy changes, local health events, or wellness tips, these updates are designed to enhance your understanding and keep you at the forefront of medical knowledge. 👩‍⚕️ Our Commitment to Community Health: At Terra Nova Medical Clinics, we believe in empowering our community with information. Knowledge is not just power; it's health. By sharing these updates, we hope to foster a well-informed community that is proactive about health and wellness. 📲 Join the Conversation: We encourage you to engage with our posts, share your thoughts, and spread awareness. Let's create a healthier, more informed community together. #TerraNovaMedical #RichmondBC #HealthCanada #FamilyPractice #StayInformed https://lnkd.in/gdpeH7NX

2

OraQ AI, a Calgary-based healthtech startup founded by Dr. Amreesh Khanna (CEO), Dr. Michael Parchewsky (CCO), and Wayne M. (CTO), has raised $2.6 million CAD in seed funding led by Alberta-based angel physician group AngelMD. The company’s AI-powered clinical decision support platform helps dental professionals assess patient risk by analyzing dental and medical records. Stay ahead in the startup world! 🌟 Get a weekly digest of key happenings and insights delivered to your inbox every Monday morning. Don't miss out—subscribe now: https://lnkd.in/eR7sehfi 🚀 #HealthTech #AI #DentalTech #Funding

53

18 Comments

#PNPTCAlberta Alumni Saventic Health has raised 2.1M USD in bridge funding. 🎊 To date, Saventic Health has developed 50 AI algorithms capable of identifying the most common rare diseases. The company collaborates with global pharmaceutical companies and is currently running projects with 11 of the 30 largest players in the industry. Learn more 👉 https://lnkd.in/g-wJexKi Alberta Innovates Edmonton Unlimited Calgary Economic Development

35

We are thrilled to announce that we have completed venture selection for the 2024/25 cycle! This year, CDL-Vancouver is welcoming 80 innovative startups into our four technical Streams: 🔬 Biomedical Engineering Stream: For ventures pioneering the future of healthcare with cutting-edge technologies and medical advancements. 🌎 Climate Stream: For ventures tackling the most pressing environmental challenges with breakthrough solutions for a sustainable future. 🌐 Compute Stream: For ventures driving the next wave of digital innovation through advancements in computing, AI, and machine learning. 💎 Minerals Stream: For ventures revolutionizing the minerals and mining industry with sustainable and innovative approaches. Over the next nine months, the ventures will achieve critical inflection points through leveraging the mentorship and support from our accomplished entrepreneurs, angel investors, economists, scientists, and industry partners. We are excited to see them accelerate their growth and achieve their ambitious goals! Follow CDL-Vancouver for updates on the programming cycle and venture progress! #BiomedicalEngineering #Climate #Compute #Minerals

86

2 Comments

With CoVaRR-Net’s funding ending in March, members reflect on the Network’s impact. In Part 2, they talk about CoVaRR-Net’s role in training 195 #HQP, strengthening the future of Canadian health research. Additionally, CoVaRR-Net has equipped academics with the skills to communicate complex health concepts in accessible ways, ensuring that more Canadians are informed about critical health issues. Read more: https://lnkd.in/gtc4tW5w

7

Choosing to be ethical in 2025. Our convenience might be someone else’s duress. How much are values, culture, civilisation worth protecting? Unjust practices are a downward spiral that in the long run destroy the fabric of society, leading to conflict, unrest, turmoil, crime and poverty. It might seem we’re winning, saving a buck, getting comforts… But at what cost, actually? Values, culture, civilisation are expensive, they require vigilance, scrutiny and yes, sacrifice. How can we live a more ethical life? How are we going to scrutinise our habits and make conscious choices?

5

Calgary-based healthtech startup OraQ AI has raised $2.6 million CAD in seed funding to advance its clinical decision support platform for dental practices. The round was led by AngelMD, with participation from the Centre for Aging + Brain Health Innovation, Startup TNT, and various dentists, physicians, and family offices. 𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗗 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗗𝗘𝗧𝗔𝗜𝗟𝗦 👉 https://lnkd.in/eBsday-Z Guy Amini Amreesh Khanna Dr. Reena Gajjar Mike McGuire Sylvain Chiasson Neil Bothwell Edgar Bermudez, PhD Cathren Rodriguez Anuja Patel Michael Parchewsky Will Murray #startups #founders #finance #fundingnews #privateequity #venturecapital #dentists #healthtech

26

9 Comments

Cannabis: Where's the harm? If I were regulating the biopharma industry in Canada, I would look to harms: health outcomes associated with consumer dependency (if any exist), vectors of consumption, production practices, AOO (age at which routinized use is established), among other variables to determine what sort of regulatory regimes may be necessary to protect Canadians from associated harms. But most of this range of considerations doesn't apply to cannabis. Because cannabis is a benign psychotropic substance. We need not get into the THC toxicity argument here. But critical questions remain of the larger policy regime specific to intoxicants. Let's say every $1 collected in sales tax from alcohol sales is counterbalanced by every $1 expenditure on associated harms in healthcare costs, and this relation is (guessing here, because this data is kept from the public) a ratio of about 1:1000. We'd have to include social harms in our factoring, things like property crime and interpersonal violence, law enforcement interventions, juridico-legal costs, morbidity (i.e., lost hours of work factored across the total population) and so forth. The argument against cannabis in such contexts is a difficult one to make. But that's not saying Health Canada hasn't tried. In 2014 the regulator's umbrella research institution, the CCSA (Canadian Centre on Substance Use & Addiction) researchers claimed to have determined about $8billion in associated cannabis healthcare harms. But a deep-dive into the findings revealed that this $8bn included costs like: poisoning, suicide and attempted-suicide that resulted in ER visits, deleterious mental health outcomes (like psychotic episodes resulting in morbidity), HIV, Hepatitis, as well as a host of other morbidity outcomes which, of course, have almost $zero to do with cannabis use. But the CCSA findings were used to justify a number of insidious practices, like the drafting of repressive legislation, increased law enforcement funding, etc. For a full break-down of this ongoing scam, Susan Boyd and Connie Carter's Killer Weed is the ultimate source for Canadian examples (find it here: https://lnkd.in/gn8wYjAd). The larger problem remains the ideology that cannabis is a pernicious substance. If there's work to be done, it includes breaking down the assumptions that contribute to this red herring. The chain of logic presently runs: 1. cannabis is a toxic substance that must be strictly regulated and restricted; 2. cannabis is so toxic it has a history of A. turning consumers into rapists and heroin addicts, and B. being produced by gun-toting maniacs (in other words, go back to 1.); 3. because cannabis is toxic, it can only be produced by already-wealthy white bio-pharma hedge-fund bros; 4. and because cannabis is thusly toxic, it can only be distributed by the very strictest of government oversights. And the evidence of harms that supports all this overkill hyper-mania? Still nothing.

1

Our upcoming Angel Investing 101 session, Angel Investing in MedTech: Insights and Strategies for Navigating the Biotech Landscape, will be presented by Nick Kuryluk, OBIO and Canadian Stem Cell Network medtech pitch assessor and commercialization trainer, pitch panelist at Altitude Accelerator, and member of the Brampton Angels. 🌟 This session will provide angel investors with a comprehensive overview of the medtech landscape, covering key trends, market opportunities, and the unique challenges of investing in this sector. The presentation will dive into essential components from innovation to commercialization, including: - Technology & Clinical Validation, - Regulatory Pathways & Reimbursement Complexities - Market Access Concluding with actionable takeaways, the session will equip investors with the tools needed to evaluate and support medtech innovations effectively. 🚀 Register here: https://hubs.ly/Q02WGdwJ0

7

📢 Exciting news for the future of  biomanufacturing in Canada! OBIO® and CATTI are thrilled to announce the launch of the Biomanufacturing for Advanced Therapies Training Program - a transformative initiative funded by Upskill Canada, powered by Palette Skills, & the Government of Canada! 🎉 This program is based on a stackable credentialing approach and designed to develop the specialized skill sets needed in Canada’s rapidly growing advanced therapies biomanufacturing sector, including cell and gene therapies (CGT). By equipping participants with critical expertise, this initiative supports the domestic commercialization of advanced therapies and addresses the escalating demand for skilled professionals across Canada. Learn more: https://bit.ly/3NPNNfH #Biomanufacturing #AdvancedTherapies #TrainingProgram #CellAndGeneTherapies #OBIO #CATTI #UpskillCanada #PaletteSkills #GovernmentofCanada Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada | Innovation, Sciences et Développement économique Canada

18

1 Comment