MaRS Impact Health covers the most important issues facing the healthcare community

In April 2022, Katalin Karikó, senior vice president of BioNTech in Germany, was named one of this year’s recipients of the Canada Gairdner International Award, one of the top global prizes in biomedicine. She was recognized alongside Pieter Cullis, the University of British Columbia scientist whose development of nanomedicines provided the delivery mechanism for COVID-19 vaccines.

This discussion, moderated by Janet Rossant, Gairdner Foundation president and scientific director, will explore how the two scientists produced one of the most consequential and widely used medical interventions in a generation: messenger RNA vaccines against COVID-19.

This session will feature several initiatives that support high potential health ventures that are ready to tackle global markets. Hear from entrepreneurs who are growing across the United States and in international markets through a blend of tailored connections to financing, innovation partners and export markets, funding programs, workshops, mentorship and networking.

This session features pitches from six leading startups in digital health, followed by a Q&A with a panel of venture capitalists and industry thought leaders. Participants will have the chance to request 1-on-1 meetings with the presenting companies.

During the pandemic, we saw firsthand how misinformation and distrust in science has a direct impact on human health. False content amplified by social media makes it challenging for health officials and the public to navigate health information and make informed decisions. This discussion will explore the impact of misinformation and strategies for building trust in science and medicine.

Some of Canada’s top investors discuss major driving factors, challenges and prospects that will define the growth of the health innovation sector in the coming years.

Dr. Heather Ross, a UHN expert in cardiology, talks about how physiologic signs from Apple devices can help manage disease and prevent poor clinical outcomes.

This session features pitches from six leading startups in medical devices, followed by a Q&A with a panel of venture capitalists and industry thought leaders. Participants will have the chance to request 1-on-1 meetings with the presenting companies.

Kris Shah, co-founder and president of Baylis Medical, describes how a bootstrapped Canadian health innovator landed a U.S.$1.75-billion sale to Boston Scientific. Kris shares how he scaled Baylis from two employees to a workforce of 1,000 and offers his take on how Canada can improve innovation success in the medical device space.

Mix and mingle with fellow Impact Health attendees.

An ideal location for life sciences companies of all sizes to base their European operations, Switzerland’s dynamic ecosystem, underpinned by giants Roche and Novartis and leading academic institutions, provides excellent soft-landing options, research collaboration, ease of clinical trials and outstanding multi-cultural talent.

What are the best new models for bringing life science innovation to the market? Can commercialization and open science coexist? This discussion will try to square the seeming tension and essential partnership between intellectual property and open science in drug discovery.

A.I./M.L. innovations now affect almost every aspect of our lives. As the digital merges with the biological, many new opportunities will emerge in our ability to discover, deploy and market new therapeutics. Meet several A.I.-based ventures — Cyclica, BenchSci, ODAIA and deepCDR — changing our perspectives on pharmaceuticals as they move from bench to bedside.

The metaverse (or at least what it will become) has triggered the invention of a number of new medical devices and processes. And while critics have raised concerns about metaverse privacy and overhype, these healthcare products have real transformational substance. This panel features several ventures and clinicians using cutting-edge technologies to enhance care.

This session features pitches from six leading startups in biotechnology, followed by a Q&A with a panel of venture capitalists and industry thought leaders. Participants will have the chance to request 1-on-1 meetings with the presenting companies.

A discussion on gender equity in the biotech and life science industry, as well as the importance of prioritizing inclusive innovation in order to boost the commercialization of breakthrough science in Canada and tackle ongoing gaps in women’s healthcare.