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Record number of applications submitted with final selections all clustered in medical therapies and diagnostics

Entrepreneurial spirit is thriving at McGill, as shown by a record-breaking 31 applications to the McGill Innovation Fund (MIF) this year. Since its inception in 2020, the MIF has been a catalyst for cutting-edge innovation, and this year鈥檚 cohort marks the most competitive pool of candidates yet. The seven selected teams are all in the area of life science working to deliver groundbreaking technologies and solutions to global challenges.

Currently in its fourth year, the MIF is a university-wide funding competition for researchers and McGill startups seeking support to advance their developments from lab to market. The competition is open to McGill researchers who have a Report of Invention, or with companies who have a license agreement or equity arrangement with 香蕉视频.

The MIF offers three tiers of funding, Discover, Develop and Deploy. The $25,000 Discover award is for teams advancing lab research and validating their results. The $50,000 Develop award is for teams a bit further along the entrepreneurial path, working on product development, business strategy and market testing. Finally, the $100,000 Desjardins Deploy award is for teams who are incorporated and becoming active in the market.

Financial aid isn鈥檛 the only prize for winning teams; the MIF also features a unique support system, including advisory boards of industry experts, access to a group of sponsor firms who offer discounted services, subsidized student interns, and more. The MIF鈥檚 extensive resource framework further gives teams exclusive invitation to a number of events throughout the year, offering the opportunity to network with other entrepreneurs, business leaders and potential investors.

The MIF has quickly become a leader in advancing innovation, launching 10 new startups and supporting 20 teams in their development. As McGill鈥檚 largest entrepreneurial fund, the MIF has potential to spur economic growth in Quebec and beyond. 鈥淭he development the teams make due to the MIF funding and support are imperative for advancing change within our society, and pave the way for the future of medicine, health, and sustainability,鈥� said Mark Weber, Director of Innovation and Partnerships.

One challenge the MIF pays special attention to is antimicrobial resistance, a growing threat the UN predicts will become a leading cause of death by 2050. Our over-reliance on antibiotics to treat bacterial infections and disease has caused bacteria to become resistant to their effects, posing a grave threat to human health. Choosing to continue its support from last year, the McGill Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Centre contributed an additional $75,000 to selected teams dedicated to discovering innovative ways to prevent, diagnose and treat infections and in turn, curb the threat of antimicrobial resistance.

鈥淭herapeutic and diagnostic innovations are essential to curb the threat of AMR, a silent epidemic that could jeopardize innumerable advances in modern medicine. The MIF program continues to play a critical role in moving academic discoveries into the real world. Now in its second year, I am thrilled that the McGill AMR Centre will again support two exciting AMR projects through the MIF-AMR award鈥� said Dao Nguyen, Director of the McGill AMR Centre.

Antimicrobial resistance isn鈥檛 the only issue the MIF aims to address. Teams supported by the MIF dive into a wide range of challenges, ranging from medicine to AI and even the environment. Details on another exciting donation will be communicated in a future story, please stay tuned. Without further ado, let鈥檚 dive into this year鈥檚 winners and see what they have in store for us:

Discover - $25,000

• Oscillating Device for Bruxism (Professor Nathalie Reznikov): the team is working on therapeutic device to treat bruxism aka teeth grinding
• BubbleSense (Professor Wissam Shalish): a diagnostic tool to improve the function of Bubble CPAP machines used to support lung function of premature babies
• Ocuvista (Bishakh Rout): a method to enable the delivery of medications via contact lenses

Develop - $50,000

• Itaconate (Professor Karine Auclair): returning team for novel treatment for intracellular infections that leverages the body鈥檚 immune system (This team was also a recipient of the MIF-AMR Award)
• PhenEXA (Professor Sara Mahshid, Sripadh Yedire, Tamer AbdElFatah): a diagnostic system based on nanofluidics to optimize antibiotic treatments (also won the MIF-AMR Award)
• TissueTinker (Madison Santos): a 3D bioprinted tumor model platform to help develop effective cancer treatments

Desjardins Deploy Award - $100,000

• DOvEEgene (Professor Lucy Gilbert): a diagnostic tool for the early detection and prevention of ovarian and endometrial cancer.

Recipients will be recognized at the Passing the Torch event on February 6^th to commemorate past teams and welcome the new cohort into the MIF. Thank you to our judges and to all teams who participated!