Ontario is at the forefront of sweeping change in the global health and life sciences sector. In particular, the province’s medical technology sector, which includes 26,200 workers and more than 1,300 companies, is producing innovative technologies ranging from advanced devices that enhance sight to machine learning software that can detect health problems like heart disease or dangerous pathogens. Check out these innovative Ontario-based companies that will be at the 2019 MedTech conference. Axiom Real-Time Metrics Toronto, Ontario Axiom Real-Time Metrics delivers intuitive, powerful and cost-effective services and solutions focused on successful clinical trial execution and management. Axiom’s eClinical suite, Fusion, with 15+ optional modules, serves as a complete connected hub for clinical data and operational needs, enabling sponsors to tailor their solutions based on evolving study requirements. Brighter Sight Kanata, Ontario Brighter Sight is a Human-Systems-Integration company specializing in technology, especially wearable technology for first responders. The company has implemented innovative approaches to using “smart eyewear” applications for paramedics and other first responder services. Brighter Sight’s AR/VR headsets help first responders focus on what is critical – saving lives. Clinsytes Inc. London, Ontario Clinsytes provides clinical insights to life science companies, helping them improve operational performance, decrease time to market and deliver results to stakeholders in drug/device development and trial management. Clinsytes provides support to sales teams to develop key opinion leaders, clinical in-servicing and training, as well as assisting with market expansion to Canada and Europe. Cohesys Toronto, Ontario Cohesys has developed BoneTape, a biodegradable surgical tape which employs a novel adhesive system combined with a flexible polymer film, providing fracture stabilization for non-loadbearing regions of the midface. It is flexible and simple to use, allowing it to easily adapt to the contours of facial bones, while eliminating the need for plates and screws. BoneTape can reduce procedural time and many of the complications associated with the current standard of care. eMurmur Ottawa, Ontario eMurmur ID uses advanced machine learning to identify and classify pathologic and innocent heart murmurs, the absence of a heart murmur, and S1, S2 heart sounds. The end-to-end mobile and cloud solution supports the workflows of healthcare providers performing cardiac auscultation and has multiple applications including primary and specialty care, hospitals, health system, health plans and telehealth networks. Exact Imaging Markham, Ontario Exact Imaging is a global leader in high-resolution micro-ultrasound systems enabling real-time imaging and guided biopsies in the urological market for prostate cancer. Exact Imaging’s micro-ultrasound platform enables a whole new level of resolution with the benefits of ease of use, affordability, and an extension of the current urological workflow. Urologists are now able to perform targeted prostate biopsies, with or without the addition of MRI. Fian Technology Inc. Toronto, Ontario Infections associated with improper hand hygiene costs the North American healthcare system between $36 and $45 billion annually. Fian is aiming to reduce the spread of infectious disease by improving the frequency and duration of hand washing. The company’s interactive hand washing signs help educate patients, visitors and healthcare workers about this issue in real-time, using interactive feedback and anonymous hand hygiene data. ForceN Inc. Toronto, Ontario ForceN Inc. provides a digital sense of touch for high reliability robotics and instruments used in surgery. The technology behind this is a thin, conformal force-sensing film technology (ForceFilm™) that can be laminated on to any stiff structure to sense the forces applied, by measuring the minute deformation(s) of the structure itself. ForceFilm adds a surgeon-equivalent sense of touch at the tip of robotic surgical instruments without modifying the instrument operation (especially the tissue contacting surface) to greatly expand surgical capability. Intellijoint Surgical Inc. Kitchener, Ontario Intellijoint Surgical Inc. is a medical technology company that develops and commercializes 3D mini-optical navigation solutions. Intellijoint’s flagship product, intellijoint HIP provides surgeons with real-time, intra-operative measurements to ensure proper positioning of orthopaedic implants during hip arthroplasty. Intellijoint is committed to driving clinical results through the development of solutions that are accessible, fast, and easy-to-use. Interface Biologics Toronto, Ontario Interface Biologics Inc. (IBI) develops transformative biomedical polymer technologies that improve the safety and effectiveness of medical devices. IBI’s surface modification additives blend directly into medical device resins during manufacturing to create a surface resistant to blood clotting and bacterial adhesion, without the need for coatings. This polymer enabled drug platform provides controlled release of pharmaceuticals directly from device surfaces or as stand-alone drug reservoirs. IRegained Inc. Mississauga, Ontario IRegained Inc. is a company that is changing the way we look at strokes. As most people know, a stroke is a life-changing event. While IRegained can’t undo the stroke, it can greatly aid with the process of recovery. The products and services offered by IRegained address the physical rehabilitation needs, primarily hand function, of people who sustained a brain injury caused by a stroke or accident and were left with an impaired ability to use their hands. Ironstone Product Development Toronto, Ontario Ironstone Product Development (IPD) is an ISO 13485:2016 certified medical device development company. They assist clients with all aspects of medical and health product development and commercialization. IPD’s team members have successfully commercialized dozens of innovative medical and healthcare products. The company works with entrepreneurs and established companies to help define the right product and find the most efficient way to get it in the hands of the clinicians and patients that need it. Their background includes extensive work in engineering and clinical affairs as well as regulatory strategy. This enables them to understand the details underlying how a product works both technically and clinically while clearly communicating this to regulatory bodies. Jones Packaging Inc. Brampton, Ontario Jones Packaging Inc. is internationally recognized for their expertise in printed packaging, contract packaging and medication dispensing and delivery products. From folding cartons, labels, leaflets, pouching, blister packaging, vial filling and secondary packaging to a wide range of specialized dispensing and adherence products for pharmacies, hospitals and long-term care, Jones Packaging offers many options to simplify the process for its customers while maximizing brand value and ensuring consumer well-being. The unique integrated services include graphic and structural design consultation and risk assessment, as well as full manufacturing and filling capabilities. Matrizyme Pharma Corporation Toronto, Ontario Chronic Total Occlusion (CTO) is a highly prevalent condition, that is rarely addressed by angioplasty due to limited success and technical difficulties. Matrizyme’s collagenase formulation softens the hard plaque, facilitates guidewire crossing and enables interventional cardiologists to treat CTOs successfully using conventional techniques. Having completed two clinical trials, Matrizyme is planning a single pivotal IDE registration trial. Mespere LifeSciences Waterloo, Ontario Mespere LifeSciences Inc. is a technology-based medical device innovator focused on non-invasive, disruptive solutions in cardiac and neuro hemodynamic patient monitoring. Their mission is to reduce the need for invasive clinical procedures by offering non-invasive solutions that are more cost effective, easier to use, safer, painless and that improve patient outcomes. Some of their solutions include central venous pressure, jugular venous oxygenation, cardiac output/index, depth resolved cerebral tissue oxygenation with cerebral blood volume index and beat by beat blood pressure and SpO2. Mespere LifeSciences products are validated against the gold standard invasive methods and are proven to be just as accurate and reliable for broad clinical applications. Prolucid Technologies Inc. Mississauga, Ontario Prolucid provides software and services to help medical device companies design, build and maintain connected devices and applications. Prolucid’s IoT product Devicestream™, provides a simple and fast way of adding connectivity to medical devices, systems, and data, while ensuring full compliance with security and regulatory requirements. Prolucid’s cloud solutions can be customized for each application, including custom dashboards, analytics, machine learning, and health IT connectivity, and include managed services to simplify ongoing maintenance and support. Safety Labs Inc. Ottawa, Ontario Caring for a growing population of elderly and High Cost High Need (HCHN) patients is a major challenge to global healthcare systems. Safety Labs’ innovative solution addresses this by delivering comprehensive healthcare, wellness and social connectivity through the medium of televisions in seniors’ homes. Remote patient monitoring and virtual doctor visits through Safety Labs Inc. helps reduce hospital readmissions and ER visits while enabling regular and constant “touch” with client conditions. SaluTech Toronto, Ontario SaluTech has developed a patent-pending conductive biomaterial (CBM) to reduce Atrial Fibrillation (AF) by resynchronizing the erratic electrical signals in the atria. CBM is a non-toxic, long-lasting, and biocompatible nano-membrane that mimics the velocity of healthy heart tissue. Animal-model research data supports that CBM can significantly reduce AF duration and prevents persistent AF in the long-term. SaluTech is completing large animal studies and looking to move forward to start clinical trials. Steadiwear Inc. Toronto, Ontario The Steadi-One, is a battery-free glove designed to intelligently stabilize the wrist joint in Essential Tremor and Parkinson’s disease patients. Such tremors are debilitating and render the simplest daily activities such as eating, drinking and writing impossible. The Steadi-One is based on cutting edge stabilization technology inspired from earthquake mitigation design, allowing users to go about their daily activities with significantly less frustration thereby restoring independence and improving quality of life. Swift Medical Inc. Toronto, Ontario Swift Medical is a leader in digital wound care management, delivering advanced wound care visualization and touchless measurement through its smartphone-ready Swift Skin and Wound software. Swift streamlines clinical and administrative wound care management workflows, from image capture and automatic risk scoring to assessment scheduling and claims submission. Today, Swift Skin and Wound is in use by more than 3,000 healthcare facilities to monitor over 100,000 patients, streamlining over $1 billion in reimbursements. Verv Sudbury, Ontario Verv thinks outside the box, focusing on health monitoring through biochemistry testing by using a finger prick of blood and a smartphone. As easy to use as a glucometer, with only a finger prick of blood, the platform allows for multiple tests on one disposable cartridge – which collects the blood, separates the plasma in 3 minutes and performs assays that can be read within 15 minutes – and is all controlled by the consumer’s smartphone. No more waiting in doctors’ offices, driving to the lab, large needles drawing multiple vials of blood and waiting days for results. Subscribe to learn more about Ontario’s life sciences and medical technology sector
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