News

Researcher Dr. Qingping Feng is proof of the axiom it takes years to become an overnight success.

So, he’s willing to wait a while longer, if that’s what it takes, to know for certain that the sepsis treatment he has worked on for more than two decades will save millions of lives.

Feng has been named the 2020 WORLDiscoveries Vanguard Innovator of the Year, an honour that celebrates market-ready research, for his team’s development of the protein annexin A5 into a pharmaceutical that may become the world’s first effective treatment for sepsis, including when it arises as a complication of COVID-19.

Several London, Ontario news outlets broadcast an exciting, commercialization ready device, explaining the value it could bring if brought to market.

The Portable Temperature Regulating Device for Medical and Temperature-Sensitive Products Packaging and Transportation, a project headed up by Kamran Siddiqui, Professor in the Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering at Western University, allows for the transport of organs and vaccines at the exact temperature needed in order to ensure the integrity of its contents.

Traditional devices are built without controls and have difficulty sustaining a fixed temperature (hot or cold). The new device developed by Siddiqui and Steven Jevnikar, his former graduate student and now a research associate at Lawson Research Institute, can be controlled and maintained at a constant-set point temperature independent of the surrounding temperatures for an extended period of time. The device also has the capability to vary the temperature to different set points for different time durations during transportation. There is also no need for an external electrical source, and it can also be controlled and monitored remotely.

The project has recently received an NSERC Grant for further development.

Lisa Cechetto, Executive Director of WORLDiscoveries delivered a virtual presentation to new faculty introducing them to our office.

WORLDiscoveries three key messages are covered:

1. Western is a creator owned institution
2. WORLDiscoveries is more than just a patent office; we offer other services and educational programs
3. When we compare ourselves to other tech transfer offices, particularly in Canada, we are among the most successful

WORLDiscoveries welcomes seven PhD graduates, medical students and scientists from across the country to be part of the sixth cohort of its Medical Innovation Fellowship (MIF) program.

More than just a patent office, WORLDiscoveries has several educational offerings; the MIF being our hallmark program, WD also administers the Proteus Innovation Competition, Graduate Student Innovation Scholars program and professional development workshops regarding patents and intellectual property.

Four technologies originating out of research conducted here at Western have been featured in AUTM’s monthly newsletter that goes to tech transfer professionals around the world.

The four technologies featured were submitted to AUTM’s Better World Project, an initiative started more than a decade ago to help explain how tech transfer and the commercialization of research makes an impact.

These stories put a spotlight on the value of the technologies themselves but also how faculty and scientists are able to find new sources of research funding through commercialization partnerships with industry – all while advancing technologies that make significant contributions to improving the lives of people globally.

Established in 2011 in response to the changing global economy and an increasing demand for world-class technologies in Asia and operating out of offices in in Hong Kong and Nanjing of Jiangsu province, WD Asia is the first permanent technology commercialization entity in Asia ever created by a Canadian organization.

Over the years, WD Asia has achieved a series of successes in facilitating licensing deals, research collaborations, and the creation of start-ups for London’s researchers valued at $30 million CAD total.

By early 2019, with the support from many strategic partners and years of development, WD Asia has grown into a successful professional services provider dedicated to helping research institutions and high-tech small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) across Ontario form intellectual property and innovation partnerships in China.

Western Medical Innovation Fellows Bashar Yafouz, Wagner H. Souza, and Maryam Majedi participated in the fifth annual Proteus Innovation Competition and through their abstract, business plan proposal and business pitch grabbed one of the top three $5,000 prizes and the chance to license and market the technology.

The Fellows, part of Western’s Medical Innovation Fellowship (MIF) program which immerses early career scientists, engineers and clinicians in a training and research-heavy environment with the goal of developing future leaders and innovators of world-class medical technologies.

The skills learned from their program gave them a competitive advantage when they decided to participate in the Proteus Innovation Competition – an intense, four-month competition that takes three newly developed technologies from Ontario research institutions and challenges teams to plan their commercialization. It is a partnership among WORLDiscoveries, Western Entrepreneurship, Western Research Parks, TechAlliance, McMaster University and the University of Windsor.

Becoming an entrepreneur takes a lot of ambition. The best time to start was yesterday. The next best time to start is May 5!

The ‘Master the Entrepreneur Skillset’ is a six-week online program that will introduce you to the tools and mindset required to succeed as an entrepreneur. You do not need an idea or a pre-existing team to join the program. Just an open mind and a willingness to learn and explore your full potential. For a limited time, our program is being offered for free to Western alumni, students, faculty, and staff (all tuition and fees waived). Space is limited. Sign-up today to claim your spot.