2020-2021 Cohort of Innovation Fellows

Dr. Dalton is a biomedical engineer specializing in advanced micro/nano manufacturing technologies for biomedical applications. His research outcomes often include opportunities to develop customized medical micro-devices for clinical use. Furthermore, his extensive background in knowledge translation, supports his collaborative and interdisciplinary research approach to advancing healthcare solutions.

Dr. Dalton’s academic career showcases the importance he places on connecting innovation to finding solutions to real-world problems. In 2017, he co-founded Neuraura Biotech Inc., a spin-out company focused on understanding the brain and how biomedical engineering can be used to help people affected by neurological, psychiatric and sensory disorders. His research on brain machine interfaces, helped him develop microelectrodes used for sensing action potentials of individual and groups of neurons in-vitro. Additionally, his team designed 3D microelectrodes use to analyze and track electrical activity in the brain, which offer a breakthrough in diagnosing and treating brain conditions. Based on this research, Dr. Dalton has four patents pending, which form the technological foundation of his spin-out company Neuraura. 

Since its creation, the Neuraura team has won multiple entrepreneurial competitions and received numerous awards and honours. Winning the 2018 TENET i2c competition, provided initial funding which enabled the spin-out to complete additional milestones and build research momentum. Graduating from the first cohort of the Creative Destruction Lab - Rockies (CDL) program led to many important connections in the Calgary entrepreneurial ecosystem and beyond. Additionally, Colin and Neuraura were selected to represent the Schulich School of Engineering, the University of Calgary, and Canada in the 2018 Falling Walls start-up of the year international competition in Germany. 2019 was another successful year for Neuraura. The company was accepted into the Canadian Technology Accelerator in San Francisco (CTA), in collaboration with California Life Sciences Institute (CLSI), followed by wins at the Banff Venture Forum, and the XPOMET© Medicinale in Berlin. Neuraura capped off 2019 as an ASTech Award finalist for Outstanding Science and Technology Start-Up.

As someone who actively champions technology, innovation and giving back, Dr. Dalton will use his Innovation Fellowship for two main purposes. First, he plans to formalize an internal mentorship program at the University of Calgary. This will allow Dr. Dalton time to engage in mentoring students and student teams, helping them navigate through the current innovation ecosystem. Furthermore, he will continue to develop and build relationships with the Hunter Hub, Creative Destruction Lab – Rockies (CDL), student iGEM teams, hack-a-thon programs, and other campus innovation groups to strengthen the campus innovation culture. Secondly, Dr. Dalton will establish an entrepreneurial ‘alumni group’ to inspire the next generation of entrepreneurs. Consisting of successful entrepreneurial academics, students, and others in Calgary, they will mentor students, provide feedback, speak at events, and share their diverse experiences related to business, innovation and why they chose their entrepreneurial path.

Quote from Dr. Colin Dalton:

"The Parex Innovation Fellowship will enable me to share my entrepreneurial journey and experiences to inspire and mentor the next generation of entrepreneurial students and leaders, so they can thrive and grow, propelling the University of Calgary to be an economic driver in the province and beyond."

Dr. Heyne’s research focuses on photochemistry and photobiology with an emphasis on the production and detection of singlet oxygen. Her research incorporates nanotechnology, and is highly multidisciplinary encompassing synthesis to cell culture, with an aim to understand and control the production of reactive oxygen species in biological environments.

Based on the current antimicrobial strategy, it is estimated by 2050, close to ten million people will die from an infection each year. With limited innovation in the disinfectant marketplace since the 1960’s, Dr. Heyne’s research has inherent commercial potential in health care and other commercial industries, by offering an innovative solution to combatting antibiotic resistant microbes by using engineered light-activated disinfectant that kills microorganisms on contact.

Dr. Heyne is the CEO and one of three co-founders of hnu Materials Inc., a Calgary start-up offering Advanced Wound Care solutions to support the health care industry. Using nanotechnology, they have developed a safe and non-corrosive solution to eradicate infections.

Dr. Heyne and her colleagues developed a nanomaterial derived from cellulose (paper) that is activated through ambient light to produce reactive oxygen species resulting in a strong bacterial effect. The nanomaterial can be combined to water to create a water-based disinfectant. A provisional patent has been issued for, both, the process to make the nanomaterial and its efficacy towards several microbial populations. This technology is truly disruptive as there are no other market comparators at this time in North America.

Participating in the Creative Destruction Lab – Rockies (CDL) program provided Dr. Heyne access to business expertise and mentors who evaluated the technology and assisted with introductions to key contacts in industries requiring disinfection. Through the CDL program, extensive market research was conducted to help narrow the focus for product application to the health care industry, with a focus on wound healing. Furthermore, conversations with the Ward of the 21^st Century (W21C) and the IMPACT Clinical Trials Program have garnered wide-spread support for the project. Before the product can be approved for clinical trials, meetings with Health Canada and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are important milestones to obtaining regulatory approval for this technology.

Dr. Heyne is passionate about building an entrepreneurial culture among students in the Chemistry Department. She plans to develop a working lunch series for graduate students who have an interest in taking their research findings from the lab to commercial application. Using a business approach, chemistry students will learn how to evaluate their project and create a complete business plan that will result in students being able to successfully pitch their ideas to potential investors. Dr. Heyne intends to invite highly qualified personnel (HQP) to provide guidance, feedback and mentorship to the chemistry students throughout the process.

Quote from Dr. Belinda Heyne:

"I became a scientist to transform creativity into problem solving, along the way I discovered how entrepreneurship can translate research from successful to impactful... As an Innovation Fellow, my goal is to enrich our students’ learning experience by encouraging them to embrace an entrepreneurial thinking mindset and inspire more women to become innovative leaders"

Dr. Hugenholtz’s expertise covers the interface between meteorology and geoinformatics. His current research focuses on developing innovative technologies to locate, measure and quantify fugitive methane emissions to help mitigate environmental impacts in the energy sector to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs).

With new federal emissions regulations taking effect in January 2020, there is an opportunity to improve and replace current methane detection methods with innovative technologies that are quicker, efficient, and cost effective. As global practices trend toward tight monitoring and explicit consideration of carbon intensity, domestic markets for new and improved technologies in this area are increasing.

To address this challenge, Dr. Hugenholtz’s research team developed the Portable Methane Leak Observatory (PoMELO) – a rapid vehicle-based methane emissions mapping system that detects, attributes, and quantifies methane emissions from oil and gas equipment. The map of emissions is used to direct close-range methods to constrain the emitting sources and determine if repair is needed.

In under three years, Dr. Hugenholtz and his team have accelerated PoMELO from a concept to a commercial-ready system. PoMELO has completed four demonstration projects for the oil and gas sector, based on a competitive application and selection process. Fall 2019, PoMELO was the only Canadian and university-based technology selected for the Stanford / US-based Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) Mobile Monitoring Challenge. Single-blind testing at the end of 2019 showed that PoMELO is near equivalent in detection to handheld regulatory methods.

Additionally, the research team has completed the first commercial version of their system and are discussing licensing opportunities with a number of firms interested in deploying this best-in-class technology.

Dr. Hugenholtz will use his Innovation Fellowship to train and mentor highly qualified personnel (HPQ), who will be instrumental in developing and commercializing the next project – PoMELO Passive. Building on the current PoMELO technology, Passive will support deployment on vehicles performing other tasks in the oilfield, with commercialization set for early 2021. Additionally, he plans on hiring two undergraduate students to join his research team. These students will be integrated into PoMELO commercialization activities and given an opportunity to develop a prototype and explore the commercialization opportunities. Lastly, Dr. Hugenholtz will participate in entrepreneurial programming offered through a number on and off campus organizations, such as: The Hunter Hub, Innovate Calgary, and the Energy New Ventures Competition. This will allow him time to manage and accelerate his research and commercialization activities in his lab and business partners.

Quote from Dr. Chris Hugenholtz:

"The University of Calgary is producing world-class research and innovation to reduce the carbon footprint of the oil and gas sector. Opportunities like the Parex Innovation Fellowship are critical because they give researchers the support they need to translate university innovations into game-changing commercial solutions."

Dr. Sanati-Nezhad’s research focuses on the development of integrated bioinspired microdevices using microfluidics, biosensors and tissue engineering approaches for disease modeling, biological systems modeling, and drug discovery. This research has commercial potential by developing new assays to address the challenges to detect, monitor, and screen molecules and bioparticles that are sensitive and selective.

Dr. Sanati-Nezhad holds five international patents, licensed two technologies, and has extensive innovation experience in the biomedical engineering field. Dr. Sanati-Nezhad and his research team have created a number of sensing start-ups to advance research technologies that can be embedded within profitable products.

Established in 2018, XoTech Aspect Inc. supports innovative technology to isolate and detect cancer exosomes in urine and blood for early detection for bladder and lung cancers. The team has support from the Canary Foundation with the aim of making this device clinically for cancer diagnosis and screening. A translation grant application is currently being reviewed by the Alberta Cancer Foundation to clinically validate this technology.

Dr. Sanati-Nezhad is the co-founder of OfBrains, a start-up committed to developing the first Parkinson’s Disease (PD) diagnostic tool using team biomarker proteins in tear samples from PD patients. Private investment is aiding the development of an assay for rapid PD diagnosis. Clinical validation is supported by Dr. Davide Martion, Director, Movement Disorder Program at the Hotchkiss Brain Institute at the University of Calgary.

Developed by their technical team, Criticare DX is a start-up with the only combined capillary microfluidics and electrochemical nano-biosensors in the world, developing a few different point of care platforms to detect various biomarkers in the blood of patients with brain injuries, cancer, and infection. To date, the technology has demonstrated 88 per cent clinical sensitivity and 85 per cent selectivity for the detection of brain injuries. This research is supported by NSERC, Mitacs, Discovery Grants, Engage and Dr. Sanati-Nezhad’s Canada Research Chair (CRC). With the support of CIHR COVID-19, Criticare Dx will adopt its technology for developing new home-based digital health diagnostic and monitoring biosensors in order to rapidly detect and monitor COVID-19 for population screening. He also lends his expertise to CardiaI, which develops electrochemical sensors as an in-vitro diagnostic tool for rapid detection of heart diseases and COVID-19.

Dr. Sanati-Nezhad and his research team created two start-ups supporting biosensor technology for rapid detection of bacteria and antibiotic supportability testing. He is a co-founder of  Wireless Fluidics, which develops the innovation microfluidic-microwave sensing technologies for biomedical and energy applications.

To address the Rapid Response to COVID-19, Dr. Sanati Nezhad’s team rapidly developed IP-protected Canadian swabs (called MapleSwab) needed for the use of diagnostic kits for detection of COVID-19 patients. His company Shapetry Labs Inc., received Health Canada authorization to use MapleSwabs in Canada. Their new MapleSwab-Nano is coated with an exceptional nanomaterial which significantly improved the performance of sample collection.

With his Innovation Fellowship, Dr. Sanati-Nezhad plans to expedite the technology transition from the lab by defining a clear business vision for the product or service and identifying stakeholders and customers. By accessing business and technology expertise from the Life Sciences and Innovation Hub (LSIH) and the Haskayne School of Business, Dr. Sanati-Nezhad will have additional support with assessing health technology, risk assessments, and training on technology scale-up advise.

Additionally, he will continue to mentor his team as they work through the regulatory processes with Health Canada and the Federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to secure approvals for various products supported by their start-ups. This includes establishing a network of consultants and advisors to help post-doc trainees and graduate students develop pitch presentations and communication skills to increase the chance of receiving funding from government and investors. Students will learn the valuation skills needed to transition their ideas from the research lab to a sustainable business.

Quote from Dr. Amir Sanati-Nezhad:

"My goal is to combine our local innovations in engineering and biomedical technologies with the entrepreneurship and regulatory experiences of the experts in this field to establish breakthrough and game-changing electronic-health (e-health) monitoring systems. This will contribute to the biomedical sector in Calgary, the innovation and entrepreneurial hub, and benefit Alberta and Canada in developing and commercializing a health technology strategy."

Dr. Shemanko’s research focuses on breast cancer, with an emphasis on bone metastasis (when the cancer has spread to the bone) related to early detection and therapeutic interventions for this disease. Bone metastasis is painful and not curable. It’s estimated between 30 – 50% of patients who are given the standard treatment for bone metastasis relapse. The need for better patient treatment is essential. Therefore Dr. Shemanko’s research innovation includes drug repurposing to accelerate and improve current drug treatments for patients, as well as developing a blood-based predictive test for bone metastasis.

Since 2018, Dr. Shemanko has secured three competitive research grants to further her innovation research goals. She is one of five researchers in Canada to receive an Upcycle Drug Repurposing Grant from the Cancer Research Society. By using a live cell-based drug screen, Dr. Shemanko plans to identify a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved drug that can be repurposed to improve bone metastasis treatments. The benefit to this innovative approach is being able to fast-track a drug for clinical use, because safety profiles from previous testing are readily available and the drug has undergone necessary scientific rigor.

Having already identified a biomarker signature for bone metastasis, Dr. Shemanko received funding from the Early Cancer Detection Initiative (ECDI) and the Cancer Early Detection Call of the Alberta Cancer Foundation in partnership with Alberta Health Services (AHS), to verify if the blood-based biomarker signature could help identify women who have developed bone metastasis compared to those who have not. Currently, no blood test exists to detect or predict a person’s risk of getting this disease. Identifying the biomarker signature and developing a clinical test are important innovations directly impacting patient outcomes.

Dr. Shemanko will use part of her Innovation Fellowship to create her own start-up company with the goal to attract investors, further develop her research through to commercialization and protect, both, her intellectual property and her research innovations. Not only will this start-up contribute to the economic development in Calgary, it will also contribute to training high quality professionals (HQP) in this research field.

Dr. Shemanko is instrumental in bringing together research expertise within the University of Calgary and through affiliations with other cancer research networks. She will also use her fellowship to support and mentor trainees. Committed to creating networking opportunities for cross-faculty and inter-provincial collaboration between researchers, Dr. Shemanko will provide opportunities to connect trainees with experts to help develop ideas, encourage innovation and launch big ideas to advance their careers.

Quote from Dr. Carrie Shemanko:

"This fellowship will help bring me closer to my vision of making a difference in the lives of cancer patients, with the chance to improve patient care and quality of life. While basic science research is the foundation of innovation and discovery, the application of basic science research is key to its greatest impact."

Dr. Thangadurai’s research area is in solid-state materials science and technology. His current research includes the development of next generation all-solid-state batteries for energy storage, and solid oxide fuels cells (SOFCs) for energy conversion. Not only will his research impact the future of electrical mobility, it also has positive implications for our environment by reducing greenhouse carbon dioxide emissions, and economic benefits by creating advanced technologies for a sustainable future.

As founder and science advisor for Ion Storage Systems, a solid-state battery company in Maryland, Dr. Thangadurai understands the connection between research and business. Working with industry, Dr. Thangadurai continues to build research capacity for his field, as well as develop and improve battery technology based on industry requirements. A current collaboration project with Geometric Energy Corporation looks at developing an all-solid-state sodium ion battery for energy storage. Dr. Thangadurai’s expertise in battery technology is internationally recognized and he is routinely invited to speak and present at technical events worldwide. Most recently, he presented at the Beijing WeLion New Energy Technology Co. Ltd., China and the Ford Motor Company, US.

Dr. Thangadurai will utilize this innovation fellowship in developing entrepreneurial and innovation initiatives. He is coaching one of his PhD students to lead a start-up company for lithium sulphur battery development. The IP related with this opportunity has been protected and discussion are underway for the candidate’s training with the Foresight-Platform Launch Program. Secondly, he is working towards establishing a western Canadian battery innovation hub at the University of Calgary. This hub will advance next generation battery technologies and position the University as a key player, both, nationally and internationally in this research field.

In addition to the above, Dr. Thangadurai will provide innovation and entrepreneurial mentorship to undergraduate and graduate students and establish set office hours at the Hunter Hub to help with the mentoring process. To boost the innovation activities at the University of Calgary, Dr. Thangadurai plans to collaborate with the University of Alberta, Innovate Calgary, and Western Canadian Economic Development (WCED) to organize a number of events where researchers, industry experts and stakeholders can explore commercialization and innovation, as well as look for business development opportunities.

Quote from Dr. Venkataraman Thangadurai:

"The Parex Innovation Fellowship provides a great opportunity to transform the proof-of-the concept research into real world applications and also enables direct connections with students and colleagues who are interested in entrepreneurial activities."