Queen’s University researchers have gained recognition for the discoveries they have made in medicine, engineering, and the sciences, and innovations that have improved the lives of people around the world. To make sure that the university and the public continue to benefit from this work, Queen’s Partnerships and Innovation (QPI) provides partnership pathways and supports regional economic development. QPI also works to promotes the discoveries of university researchers who have assigned their intellectual property to Queen’s and whose work is ready for licensing and commercial application. QPI leads the commercialization processes, including the protection of the intellectual property, the creation of strategies to further its development, the search for funders, partners, and licensees, the negotiation of terms, the management of relationships, the collection of licensing and royalty revenues, and their disbursement to inventors.
For the third year, Queen’s spinoff companies have participated in the Ontario Bioscience Innovation Organization (OBIO®) Investment Summit and Early Technology Showcase in Toronto this past February.
Using intellectual property developed by Queen’s researcher, Dr. Doug Munoz, Dynamiris’ SimplyView™ technology combines eye-tracking technology with complex machine learning algorithms to detect and monitor neurological disorders objectively and non-invasively. It has the potential to profoundly benefit the treatment of Parkinson’s and other neurodegenerative diseases through earlier diagnosis. Dynamiris was given the opportunity to pitch to investors at the Summit.
“It was an honor to be invited to showcase Dynamiris among other promising early-stage health tech companies. The summit was a great opportunity for Dynamiris to network with potential collaborators, investors, industry leaders, and fellow entrepreneurs,” says Dr. Janis Kan, co-founder of Dynamiris. “We learned a lot from the other presenters, especially the reverse pitch session from industry leaders. We are excited for the interest we received from investors and look forward to reconnecting when we are ready for investment.”
Queen’s University was also represented by Dr. Irsa Wiginton, co-founder of mDETECT expressed similar value. mDETECT pitched their business and commercialization plan - one that has been highly de-risked, and which brought forth a lot of interest in venture capitalists that invest in biotech at an early stage. The company is a spin-off from Queen’s researcher Christopher Mueller’s team, which has developed a solid tumour cancer detection test that provides real time response to chemotherapy and early detection of relapse.
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“The summit was a great success as it allowed us to attend one-on-one meetings with investors - many of which have taken an active interest and are following up further,” says Dr. Wiginton. “We are confident that investors appreciate our clear and rapid path to market. Successful opportunities such as the OBIO Investment Summit bring us one step closer to launching a product that helps the lives of cancer patients.”
The annual event provides a forum for early stage and growing life sciences companies to connect with global investors, technology innovators and ecosystem partners. This year, the conference also included the Pharma and MedTech Business Development Forum, which brought together Canada’s life-science companies with corporate venture professionals to explore partnerships and licensing opportunities.
Queen’s Partnerships and Innovation has provided programs and services to Dynamiris and mDETECT with support from the Federal Agency of Economic Development for Southern Ontario via the TIAP Venture Builder Program, the ScaleUp Platform Project, the WE-CAN Project, and the Health Innovation Kingston (HI YGK) Project.