Grants and Contributions:

Rapid and low-cost quantification of cardiac risk biomarkers in non-traditional settings

988343

$300,000.00

Mar 28, 2022 - Sep 28, 2022

There are numerous biomarkers present at low concentrations whose detection can provide valuable information pertaining an individual's health. Examples include but are not limited to; (i) antigens derived from SARS-CoV-2 whose presence in asymptomatic individuals is indicative of exposure or infection, (ii) cardiac troponin which when elevated is indicative of cardiac risk, (iii) various cytokine markers related to the "cytokine storm" seen in COVID-19 patients. NRC is seeking innovations which can be used in diverse settings by minimally trained users to assess a human sample for the presence or quantity of one or multiple biomarkers, using a single device (i.e. multiplex detection) as to provide information to inform a subsequent course of action. The course of action may be that an individual seeks specific medical care, or following a proactive screening for an infectious disease and not needing to modify their behavior, or that they are suspected to have been exposed to an infectious organism and that they need to seek further testing or care. While there are marketed products which can detect low concentrations of the aforementioned as well as other biomarkers, those products are confined to laboratories. The current COVID-19 pandemic has illustrated that there is significant need for an innovation which would allow individuals, or health care teams to test samples obtained via non-invasive means for the presence of one or multiple biomarkers present at low concentrations outside of traditional settings. The ability to detect and or quantify such biomarkers at low concentrations in nontraditional setting could prevent inadvertent spread of disease, or remote evaluation of individuals thus decreasing the burden on health care systems. Unfortunately, we do not currently have appropriate innovations.

National Research Council Canada

Grow Canadian companies through direct funding to support early stage, pre-commercial research and development, late stage prototypes, and to accelerate commercialization.

Mississauga, Ontario, CA L5L 4L4

172-2021-2022-Q4-988343

Grant

Grants and Contributions

738751494

For-profit organization

Vital Biosciences Inc.

National Research Council Canada/Conseil national de recherches Canada

Mississauga–Erin Mills

35060

Innovative Solutions Canada

Fuel the development and adoption of technological innovation in Canada

• Support the scale up and growth of Canada's innovators and entrepreneurs by having the federal government act as a first customer. • Stimuler l'expansion et la croissance des innovateurs et entrepreneurs canadiens en faisant du gouvernement fédéral le premier client des innovations canadiennes.

334512