Kingston-area health tech companies share federal FedDev funding

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KINGSTON — Five health technology companies are to share more than $280,000 in federal funding.

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Helix Funding is meant to support early-stage and scaling life sciences businesses with a focus on innovation and accelerating commercialization.

The funding is provided by the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario) and delivered by the Kingston Economic Development Corporation.

“Helix Funding is a critical investment in the growth of our regional life sciences economy,” Donna Gillespie, chief executive officer of Kingston Economic Development Corporation (KEDCO), said in a news release. “By combining federal support with a deeply connected validation network, we are helping companies move faster from innovation to commercialization, creating jobs, attracting talent, and reinforcing Kingston’s role as a life sciences hub in Eastern Ontario.”

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The recipient companies are to receive support from the Validation Network, a network of more than 20 Kingston Life Sciences companies and agencies.

“Helix Funding is designed to meet companies where they are and help them overcome real commercialization barriers,” said Ben McIlquham, KEDCO’s investment manager of Life Sciences and Health Innovation. “These projects are advancing regulatory strategy, clinical validation, and go-to-market execution, critical steps for scaling life sciences innovation and attracting future investment.”

The objective of the Helix Funding program include supporting more than 100 businesses and creating or maintaining more than 400 high-quality jobs in the next three years.

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“Canada’s life sciences innovators are driving breakthroughs that improve health outcomes while strengthening our regional economies,” said Evan Solomon, the federal minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario. “With government of Canada support, the Kingston Economic Development Corporation’s Helix Funding program is helping early-stage companies accelerate commercialization, scale their technologies, and create high-quality jobs here in Eastern Ontario. Congratulations to the successful companies — your projects exemplify the potential of our region to lead in health innovation.”

Among the recipients of the funding include:

• Cntrl+ Inc., is developing a vaginally inserted bladder support device for women experiencing stress urinary incontinence.
• eTransplant is developing a secure, patient-centred digital application to modernize communication between kidney transplant patients and their health-care teams.
• LenSense Inc. is developing a non-invasive smart contact lens system for continuous monitoring of intraocular pressure in glaucoma patients.
• mDETECT Inc. is developing a liquid biopsy platform for the detection of multiple cancers.
• Octane Innovation Inc. is advancing a wearable electromagnetic field device designed to treat chronic pain.

“Support from the Helix Funding has been crucial in advancing the commercialization of LenSense, a Queen’s University–developed smart contact lens for glaucoma patients,” said Tanzila Afrin, product manager at LenSense. “It enabled the hiring of PSG to lead key regulatory activities, which are essential for the upcoming pilot clinical trial, the first step toward commercialization.”

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