Connaught Innovation Award

Fourteen researchers at the University of Toronto are receiving 2023-24 Connaught Innovation Awards to help accelerate the development and commercialization of technologies with high potential to have a positive impact on society.

“I would like to congratulate this year’s recipients of Connaught Innovation Awards, whose research is fostering solutions to some of the most pressing challenges of our time,” said Leah Cowen, �Թϱ��’s vice-president, research and innovation, and strategic initiatives. “From harnessing machine learning to improve interpretation of lung function tests to developing low-cost and scalable methods to monitor methane at landfills, these scholars are advancing novel ways to utilize technology to have a transformative impact in areas of critical importance in Canada and around the world.”

This year’s recipients are:

Edgar Acosta, department of chemical engineering and applied chemistry, Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering: Lecithin-based, self- micro/emulsifying delivery systems (SM/EDS) for drug and nutraceutical delivery
Ana Andreazza, department of pharmacology and toxicology, Temerty Faculty of Medicine: Mitochondrial Isolation Device (MitoDx)
Gisele Azimi, department of chemical engineering and applied chemistry, Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering: Supercritical fluid extraction for recycling of critical materials from E-waste
Opher Baron, Rotman School of Management: SiMLQ: Transforming process data into actionable insights
Chung-Wai Chow, University Health Network and Institute of Medical Science, Temerty Faculty of Medicine: Machine Learning to facilitate accurate interpretation of pulmonary function tests
Maryam Faiz, department of surgery, Temerty Faculty of Medicine: Astrocyte to oligodendrocyte reprogramming (A2O) for repair in chronic multiple sclerosis (MS)
Andrew Fraser, department of molecular genetics, Temerty Faculty of Medicine: Establishing methods for single-cell metabolomics using hydrogel-embedded barcode aptamers
Roman Genov, Edward S. Rogers Sr. department of electrical and computer engineering, Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering: Fast Pixel-Programmable Image Sensors for Cost-Effective Imaging without Motion Artifacts
Cynthia Goh, department of chemistry, Faculty of Arts & Science: Harnessing bacterial-surface interactions for rapid pathogen identification
Frank Gu, department of chemical engineering and applied chemistry, Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering: Magnesium ion crosslinked hyaluronic acid hydrogels for biomedical applications
Jörg Liebeherr, Edward S. Rogers Sr. department of electrical and computer engineering, Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering: Low-cost large-scale methane monitoring at landfills
Xilin Liu, Edward S. Rogers Sr. department of electrical and computer engineering, Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering: Energy-Efficient Edge Machine Learning Accelerator for Neuromodulation
Andreas Mandelis, department of mechanical and industrial engineering, Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering: Intravascular Differential Photoacoustic Catheter Imager for Quasi-Invasive Detection of Vulnerable Plaques and Calcification in Coronary Artery Atherosclerosis
Hani Naguib, department of mechanical and industrial engineering, Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering: Aerogel Film Materials for Thermal Management Systems

The Connaught Innovation Award, which provides one-time seed funding to support the development and commercialization of the researchers’ innovative technologies, is backed by the Connaught Fund – the largest internal university research funding program in Canada. Established 52 years ago through the sale of Connaught Medical Research Laboratories, which is known for the discovery and production of insulin, the fund supports �Թϱ�� scholars through programs such as the New Researcher Award, Community Partnership Research Program, Major Research Challenge for Black Researchers, McLean Award and international doctoral scholarships.

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12 �Թϱ�� researchers recognized with Connaught Innovation Awards

lanthierj — Thu, 01 Jun 2023 18:09:19 +0000

12 �Թϱ�� researchers recognized with Connaught Innovation Awards

Research & Innovation

lanthierj Thu, 06/01/2023 - 14:09

Faculty

Mississauga

St. George

Connaught Innovation Award

Department of Chemical & Physical Sciences

Department of Chemistry

Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering

Department of Materials Science & Engineering

Department of Molecular Genetics

Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering

Faculty of Arts & Science

IBME

Temerty Faculty of Medicine

University of Toronto Mississauga

landscape

Twelve researchers at the University of Toronto are receiving Connaught Innovation Awards to help accelerate the development and commercialization of promising technologies with strong socio-economic potential that will have a positive impact on society.

“The University of Toronto congratulates this year’s recipients, whose work is addressing some of society’s most important challenges,” said Leah Cowen, �Թϱ��’s vice-president, research and innovation, and strategic initiatives. “From energy-saving windows to the use of plant hormones as appetite suppressants or the development of therapeutic targets that hold promise for a broad range of neurodegenerative diseases, these researchers’ inventions have the potential to make life-changing impacts here in Canada and around the world.”

This year's recipients are:

Julie Audet, Institute of Biomedical Engineering: A tool to optimize complex formulations based on evolutionary computation accelerated by artificial neural networks
Denise Belsham, department of physiology: The use of a plant hormone CX as an appetite suppressant
Alan Cochrane, department of molecular genetics: Development of broad-spectrum, host-directed antivirals
Kevin Golovin, department of mechanical and industrial engineering: Reducing microplastic fibre pollution using low friction polymer brush as textile coatings
Glenn Gulak, department of electrical and computer engineering: A hardware accelerator for fully homomorphic encryption-based machine learning applications
Patrick Gunning, department of chemical and physical sciences, University of Toronto Mississauga: Development of an artificial intelligence-driven platform to explore the undruggable genome
Benjamin Hatton, department of materials science and engineering: Smart building facades for scalable operational energy management
Ronald Kluger, department of chemistry: Production and evaluation of hemoglobin-bis-tetramers for oxygen transport to increase supply of lungs for transplant by enhancing ex vivo perfusion of donor lungs
Eugenia Kumacheva, department of chemistry: A platform for safety evaluation of chemical agents
Janice Robertson, department of laboratory medicine and pathobiology: Targeting TDP-43 aggregation as therapeutics for TDP-43 proteinopathies
Paul Yoo, Institute of Biomedical Engineering: Novel electrodes for non-invasive electrical nerve stimulation
Yu Zou, department of materials science and engineering: Autonomous additive manufacturing system

The Connaught Innovation Award, which provides one-time seed funding to support the development and commercialization of the researchers’ innovative technologies, is backed by the Connaught Fund – the largest internal university research funding program in Canada. Established 50 years ago through the sale of Connaught Medical Research Laboratories, which is known for the discovery and production of insulin, the fund supports �Թϱ�� scholars through programs such as the Connaught New Researcher Award, the Connaught Community Partnership Research Program, the Connaught Major Research Challenge for Black Researchers, the McLean Award and international doctoral scholarships.

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Charlene Chu recognized with Connaught Innovation Award

Christopher.Sorensen — Thu, 31 Mar 2022 17:36:10 +0000

Charlene Chu recognized with Connaught Innovation Award

Research & Innovation

Christopher.Sorensen Thu, 03/31/2022 - 13:36

Faculty

Connaught Innovation Award

Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing

landscape

(photo by Stephen Frost)

Assistant Professor Charlene Chu of the Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing has received a Connaught Innovation Award for the development of Nightingale.ai, a smartphone-based application that will increase access to gold-standard rehabilitation after orthopedic surgery.

Leah Cowen, �Թϱ��’s vice-president, research and innovation, and strategic initiatives, praised Chu for her innovative work.

“Professor Chu’s work is cutting-edge,” she says. “With Nightingale.ai, her team will apply data-driven research to increase patient access to rehabilitation, mobilize post-surgery care, and ultimately improve health system efficiency.”

With support from the Connaught Fund, the Connaught Innovation Awards recognize research that helps accelerate the development and commercialization of promising technologies. Projects were selected for their strong socio-economic and commercial potential, and because they are expected to make a positive impact on society.

There are 12 additional Connaught Innovation Award recipients across the university – nine from the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering, and one each from �Թϱ�� Mississauga, the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy and the Temerty Faculty of Medicine.

Cindi Morshead recognized with Connaught Innovation Award

Christopher.Sorensen — Thu, 31 Mar 2022 17:33:21 +0000

Cindi Morshead recognized with Connaught Innovation Award

Research & Innovation

Christopher.Sorensen Thu, 03/31/2022 - 13:33

Faculty

St. George

Connaught Innovation Award

Temerty Faculty of Medicine

landscape

Professor Cindi Morshead of the Temerty Faculty of Medicine has received a Connaught Innovation Award for her team’s development of a novel gene therapy to promote the repair of the brain following injury.

Leah Cowen, �Թϱ��’s vice-president, research and innovation, and strategic initiatives, praised Morshead for the potential impact of her innovative research.

“Professor Morshead’s work is a shining example of how our researchers are tackling global health challenges,” she says. “By effectively regenerating new cells in the brain, this innovative gene therapy has the power to transform how we treat neurodegenerative disease in stroke patients.”

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Shirley Wu recognized with Connaught Innovation Award

Christopher.Sorensen — Thu, 31 Mar 2022 17:31:24 +0000

Shirley Wu recognized with Connaught Innovation Award

Research & Innovation

Christopher.Sorensen Thu, 03/31/2022 - 13:31

Faculty

St. George

Connaught Innovation Award

Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy

landscape

Professor Shirley Wu of the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy has received a Connaught Innovation Award for her team’s development of a “smart” microneedle patch to detect and treat hypoglycemia in diabetics.

Leah Cowen, �Թϱ��’s vice-president, research and innovation, and strategic initiatives, praised Wu for the potential impact of her innovative research.

“Professor Wu and her team are actively working to improve the lives of future generations,” she says. “The pain-free design of this first-of-its-kind smart technology will revolutionize how we treat and care for those who have diabetes.”

There are 12 additional Connaught Innovation Award recipients across the university – nine from the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering, and one each from �Թϱ�� Mississauga, the Temerty Faculty of Medicine and the Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing.

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Patrick Gunning recognized with Connaught Innovation Award

Christopher.Sorensen — Thu, 31 Mar 2022 17:29:30 +0000

Patrick Gunning recognized with Connaught Innovation Award

Research & Innovation

Christopher.Sorensen Thu, 03/31/2022 - 13:29

Faculty

Mississauga

Connaught Innovation Award

�Թϱ�� Mississauga

landscape

(photo by Lisa Sakulensky)

Professor Patrick Gunning of the University of Toronto Mississauga has received a Connaught Innovation Award to support his team’s work on the development of HDAC2 inhibitors for the treatment of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD).

Leah Cowen, �Թϱ��’s vice-president, research and innovation, and strategic initiatives, praised Gunning for the potential impact of his innovative research.

“DMD is a rare and debilitating disease that affects approximately one in every 3,500 newborn males,” Cowen says. “The work of Professor Gunning and his team focuses on an emerging therapy that shows great potential to effectively combat the disease and advance the field of regenerative medicine.”

There are 12 additional Connaught Innovation Award recipients across the university – nine from the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering, and one each from the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, the Temerty Faculty of Medicine and the Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing.

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Nine �Թϱ�� Engineering researchers recognized with Connaught Innovation Awards

Christopher.Sorensen — Thu, 31 Mar 2022 17:26:20 +0000

Nine �Թϱ�� Engineering researchers recognized with Connaught Innovation Awards

Research & Innovation

Christopher.Sorensen Thu, 03/31/2022 - 13:26

Faculty

St. George

Connaught Innovation Award

Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering

landscape

Nine University of Toronto researchers from the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering are receiving Connaught Innovation Awards to help accelerate the development and commercialization of promising technologies.

The winning projects were selected for their strong socio-economic and commercial potential and are expected to make a positive impact on society.

The awards are made possible through support from the Connaught Fund.

.“Congratulations to this year’s recipients – who are all pursuing innovative work that will address some of society’s most significant challenges,” says Leah Cowen, �Թϱ��’s vice-president, research and innovation, and strategic initiatives.

“For example, Gisele Azimi’s work on high-performance, low-cost aluminum-ion batteries will revolutionize the field of sustainable energy storage; Benjamin Hatton’s development of non-adhesive, microfluidic wound dressings will allow radical approaches for skin tissue regeneration, greatly improving a patient’s quality of recovery; and David Lie’s research in cybersecurity will lead to the development of new software technologies that will more effectively protect a user’s valuable personal data.”

The Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering recipients are:

Gisele Azimi of the department of chemical engineering and applied chemistry –High-performance and Cost-effective Aluminum Battery for Electric Transportation and Renewable Energy Storage
Sanjeev Chandra of the department of mechanical and industrial engineering – Thermal Spray Fabrication of Liquid Cooled Heat Sinks
Mark Chignell of the department of mechanical and industrial engineering – Target Acquisition Games for Measurement and Evaluation (TAG-ME) of Detailed Brain Function
Roman Genov of the department of electrical and computer engineering – Low-cost Camera for Motion-tolerant Adaptive High-dynamic-range Imaging
Benjamin Hatton of the department of materials science and engineering – Smart Wound Dressings for Active Control of Wounds and Skin Tissue Regeneration
David Lie of the department of electrical and computer engineering – Tools and Techniques to Perform Comprehensive Security Assessments
Milos Popovic of the Institute of Biomedical Engineering – “Take Home” Neurostimulation for Depression: Prototype Development and Proof of Concept Clinical Trial
Craig Simmons of the department of mechanical and industrial engineering – Cell Culture Medium to Improve the Maturity and Utility of Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-derived Cardiomyocytes
Ding Yuan of the department of electrical and computer engineering – CLP: Efficient and Scalable Search on Compressed Text Logs

There are four additional Connaught Innovation Award recipients across the university – one each from �Թϱ�� Mississauga, the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, the Temerty Faculty of Medicine and the Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing.

Read the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering story

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Emma Master recognized with Connaught Innovation Award

lanthierj — Mon, 29 Mar 2021 22:49:43 +0000

Emma Master recognized with Connaught Innovation Award

Research & Innovation

lanthierj Mon, 03/29/2021 - 18:49

Faculty

St. George

Connaught Innovation Award

Department of Chemical Engineering & Applied Chemistry

Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering

Women in STEM

landscape

Professor Emma Master of the department of chemical engineering and applied chemistry in the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering has received a Connaught Innovation Award to support her team’s work on plant-based, renewable alternatives to petrochemical compounds.

Grounded by what Master describes as “a deep appreciation of the carbon, energy, and function embodied by Canada’s boreal forest,” her team uses biocatalysts to upgrade major plant fibre components for use in renewable materials - instead of simply breaking them down into fermentable sugars.

“Our enzyme technology presents a more resource-efficient approach that maximizes the value of naturally occurring chemical structures present in the starting material,” Master says. “At the same time, our enzyme technology is designed to upgrade underused residues of major agricultural and forest practices, underscoring the potential impact of the technology on increasing resource efficiency.”

The associate director of BioZone, a centre of applied bioscience and bioengineering, Master is also co-leader of Genome Canada's SYNBIOMICS project that uses enzymes to upgrade biopolymers from trees, creating higher-value materials and heads the NSERC CREATE training program in open science for industrial biotechnology in the circular economy.

Awarded a Finland Distinguished Professor Fellowship in 2010, Master also received a European Research Council Consolidator grant in 2015. Last year, she was awarded a Future and Emerging Technologies Open grant to integrate bioscience, computational sciences and materials sciences for the advancement of biotechnologies in circular bio-based economies.

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Yu Sun recognized with Connaught Innovation Award

lanthierj — Mon, 29 Mar 2021 22:44:14 +0000

Yu Sun recognized with Connaught Innovation Award

Research & Innovation

lanthierj Mon, 03/29/2021 - 18:44

Faculty

St. George

Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering

Connaught Innovation Award

Department of Mechanical & Industrial Engineering

landscape

(Photo courtesy of NSERC)

Professor Yu Sun of the department of mechanical and industrial engineering in the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering has received a Connaught Innovation Award for his work on a minimally invasive, automated system for blastocyst biopsy.

During in vitro fertilization treatment, cells often need to be removed for genetic testing when the embryo has reached the blastocyst stage – a biopsy that helps mitigate the risk of genetic diseases and determine a viable embryo for implantation.

Sun’s automated system is expected to improve the blastocyst survival rate as well as the accuracy of genetic testing, compared to manual operation by skilled embryologists – and holds the potential to standardize the rapidly growing practice of blastocyst biopsy in more than 3,500 IVF clinics/hospitals worldwide.

The Connaught support will allow the team to develop the system to “its transformative potential,” said Sun, who holds a Canada Research Chair in Micro and Nano Engineering Systems. “The new technology will reduce the invasiveness to biopsied blastocysts and ensure the integrity of the collected cells.”

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Shirley Wu recognized with Connaught Innovation Award

lanthierj — Mon, 29 Mar 2021 22:13:15 +0000

Shirley Wu recognized with Connaught Innovation Award

Research & Innovation

lanthierj Mon, 03/29/2021 - 18:13

Faculty

St. George

Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy

Connaught Innovation Award

landscape

Professor Shirley Wu of the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy has received a Connaught Innovation Award to support her team’s work to develop an innovative nanotechnology-based platform for central nervous system diseases.

“Financial support to move this research forward is critical. There’s very little external funding for this type of work, so this internal funding is pivotal to move forward,” says Wu. “You need a bridge like this to move from discovery to commercialization, and we appreciate this opportunity very much.”

Wu’s research focuses on drug delivery and pharmaceutical nanotechnology. Her team’s nanoparticulate system can cross the blood-brain barrier – a protective structure that surrounds the brain – to deliver drugs or imaging agents. The platform has already been used to deliver drugs in an animal model of breast cancer brain metastasis and primary brain tumours, as well as to deliver an imaging agent for early detection of Alzheimer’s disease.

The technology is particularly exciting from a commercialization perspective because it serves as a platform that can be loaded with different agents to image or treat different central nervous diseases.

“We want to move forward and develop the technology for different applications, but the manufacturing process is the main bottleneck right now,” says Wu. “The Connaught Innovation Award will help us to overcome some of the barriers and prepare for commercialization.”

Read the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy story

Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy

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Connaught Innovation Award

14 �Թϱ��� researchers recognized with Connaught Innovation Awards

12 �Թϱ��� researchers recognized with Connaught Innovation Awards

Charlene Chu recognized with Connaught Innovation Award

Read more about Charlene Chu

Cindi Morshead recognized with Connaught Innovation Award

Shirley Wu recognized with Connaught Innovation Award

Patrick Gunning recognized with Connaught Innovation Award

Nine �Թϱ��� Engineering researchers recognized with Connaught Innovation Awards

Read the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering story

Emma Master recognized with Connaught Innovation Award

Yu Sun recognized with Connaught Innovation Award

Shirley Wu recognized with Connaught Innovation Award

Read the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy story

14 �Թϱ�� researchers recognized with Connaught Innovation Awards

12 �Թϱ�� researchers recognized with Connaught Innovation Awards

Nine �Թϱ�� Engineering researchers recognized with Connaught Innovation Awards