Making Impact Podcast

In this episode of the Making Impact Series, Helen is joined by Vangelis Vergetis, co-founder of Intelligencia. Vangelis has spent the last 15 years in healthcare, particularly on the interface between life sciences, technology, and data science. Prior to founding Intelligencia, Vangelis spent about a dozen years as a consultant at McKinsey and at Hakluyt, working with clients across different areas within healthcare. He is a board member and member of the executive committee at the Alliance for AI in Healthcare (AAIH), and a member of the advisory board for Cornell’s department of Computer & Information Science (CIS).

Intelligencia helps bring novel therapies to patients faster and more efficiently by applying Data Science to drug development. Based on a unique wealth of proprietary and expertly curated data, Intelligencia has been pioneering the use of Machine Learning algorithms to assess, quantify, and reduce the risk of clinical development.

0:59 - Vangelis’s background & origin story

3:24 - Focusing on risk & drug development

7:20 - The question of building the product vs buying the product

10:15 - The main value proposition and benefits for utilizing Intelligencia

13:12 - The ultimate impact that Intelligencia is having on patients & their journeys

15:49 - Where Intelligencia is as a startup

18:18 - What impact Vangelis is looking to make in the industry

Resources

In this episode of the Making Impact Series, Helen is joined by Hassan Jaferi, Chief Executive Officer at Bitnobi Inc. and Co-Director of UTEST at Toronto Innovation Acceleration Partners. Hassan is a commercialization professional that helps researchers and scientists develop their products for commercial markets – through patents, licenses and entrepreneurial ventures. He wants to ensure that commercialized products benefit people around the world.

Bitnobi was founded in March 2016 at York University with the full support of Innovation York and Toronto Innovation Acceleration Partners. Bitnobi's patented system was designed and developed by big data, cloud computing and cybersecurity experts who identified the problem of sharing Big Data across varying data infrastructure with different types of users.

Toronto Innovation Acceleration Partners (TIAP) is a member-driven not-for-profit organization which was created in 2008 (at that time under the name “MaRS Innovation”) by Toronto’s top universities, institutions and research institutes, and the MaRS Discovery District. Their mandate is to bring the members’ most promising research breakthroughs to market.

0:50 - Hassan’s background & origin story

2:38 - Types of innovations worked on at UofT & technologies that stand out

7:09 - Exciting projects transferring out of UpfT in healthcare and life sciences

10:35 - Why Bitnobi was started & the pain points it helps solve

15:00 - The future vision for Bitnobi and additional opportunities

18:30 - Examples of collaboration in the life sciences perspective

Resources

In this episode of the Making Impact Series, Helen is joined by Milos Popovic, Director of the KITE Research Institute at UHN Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, and Professor with the Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering at the University of Toronto.

The research arm of the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, KITE, is a world leader in complex rehabilitation science and is dedicated to improving the lives of people living with the effects of disability, illness and aging. KITE’s areas of focus include prevention, restoration, enhanced participation and independent living. Researchers are actively engaged in developing new treatments, devices and products as well as gathering evidence that guides changes to policy and public opinion.

1:57 - Milo’s origin story & background

6:52 - Developing technology that solves physical challenges in the human body

12:21  - The unexpected journey to entrepreneurship

19:40 - Current projects at Toronto Rehabilitation Insitute (KITE)

27:40 - How Milos would like to make impact with his work

Resources

In this episode of the Making Impact Series, Helen is joined by Ketaki Desai, VP of Business Development at Ontario Centre of Innovation & Board of Director Member for Brainstage, Inc.

OCI builds bridges between sectors, sparking vibrant collaborations that lead to the creation of products and jobs that make a real impact in the lives of Ontarians — now and into the future. OCI helps ensure Ontario is where next happens. They accelerate job creation through innovation, commercializing game-changing research by connecting industry and academia.

1:40 - Ketaki’s origin story & background

8:04 - Developing a new model for undergraduates to gain research experience

10:21 - Founding a startup after identifying a problem

15:37 - Working in the education technology sector followed by health tech & manufacturing analytics

19:40 - Building the vision out from research to commercialization as an investor

22:44 - Diversifying investments for returns & bringing in the right talent

27:49 - Current initiatives: the market readiness fund & advanced technology networks

35:03 - Ketaki’s vision for making impact

Resources

In this episode of the Making Impact Series, Helen is joined by Viraj Mane, co-founder of Lactiga. Lactiga is an award-winning, venture-backed biotherapeutics company developing novel biologics to treat and prevent infections with a focus on improving the quality of life in patients with Primary Immunodeficiency Diseases.

Viraj earned a PhD in Human Genetics from Baylor College of Medicine then completed two postdoctoral fellowships at the U.S. FDA and the University of Maryland spanning immunology, virology, drug delivery and nanotechnology. His leadership of Lactiga’s research and intellectual property programs has led to 3 issued patents, registered trademarks, an NIH Emergency Award, several additional awards, and Sponsored Research Agreements with multiple research institutions.

Lactiga is a biotechnology company focused on developing novel biologics to tackle even the most severe mucosal infections in immunodeficient patients. They are unlocking the full therapeutic value of human milk to create the next generation of anti-infectives that can battle even the world’s most dangerous pathogens.Their technology targeting mucosal infections has the potential to address unmet medical needs in patients of all ages.

1:08  - Introduction to Lactiga & Their Origin Story

6:31  - Going From the Initial Idea to Creating a Business

9:46 - Education & Donations Around Milk Banks

17:10 - The Importance of Networking and Connections in Business

19:50 - Patents & the Venture Capital Process

22:40 - Where Lactiga is as a Company Now

25:25 - Funding Announcement for Lactiga

30:20 - Other Uses for Breast Milk Being Utilized

34:07 - The Future Vision for Lactiga

Resources

In this episode of the Making Impact Series, Helen is joined by Amol Deshpande,

Senior Director, Ecosystem-Health Sciences at MaRS Discovery District. Amol combines a clinical background of 25 years in chronic pain with evidence-based decision making, including domain knowledge in cannabis in chronic pain and QI projects to improve pain medicine and a strategic process to help navigate the healthcare space.

MaRS Discovery District is a launchpad for startups, a platform for researchers, and a home to innovators. They support over 1,400 Canadian science and tech companies that are tackling some of society’s greatest challenges, providing them with tailored resources at every stage of their growth, from startup to scale-up. They focus on the four sectors — cleantech, health, fintech, and enterprise software — where the potential is greatest to build high-impact companies that strengthen the economy.

MaRS brings together the innovation community to grow the economy and make an impact. From advisory services to connections to talent, capital, customers and They also provide access to the MaRS ecosystem, a curated community of entrepreneurs, investors, corporates, academics and government partners.

1:12 - Introduction to MaRs and Amol’s Origin Story

3:38 - Bringing new technologies into the healthcare industry as a start-up

5:11 - Challenges in implementing new technologies

9:20 - Identifying solutions to healthcare problems & bringing them into the ecosystem

14:50 - Breaking down the silos between regionalism

20:25 - Challenges in retaining talent in the industry

23:00 - Upcoming initiatives at MaRS

27:02 - Amol’s ultimate vision for the ecosystem

Resources

In this episode of the Making Impact Series, Helen is joined by Priti Chawla, Board & Executive Director of Obesity Matters. Obesity Matters works to empower their community, allowing them to share their thoughts, reduce the feelings of isolation and frustration and provide credible resources. With Obesity Matters, Priti hopes to redefine obesity through the lens of empathy and compassion, shifting to a positive narrative, and helping more people live their best lives.

Priti is a visionary, research-driven business leader, community builder, and strategist who is advancing an advocacy platform for people living with obesity and mobilizing the quality of care they receive. Having seen weight bias and discrimination play out in her own life, Priti understands the delicate psyche of those who are struggling with body image issues and experiencing obesity stigma. She learned that fad diets do not work, that weight management is not about merely having the willpower to avoid high-caloric foods, and, most importantly, that her self-worth is not determined by the number on a scale.

1:08 - Introduction to Obesity Matters

6:00 - The different types of stakeholders in the community of Obesity Matters

10:12 - Top 10 predictions of what the future might look like initiative

14:00 - Challenges in changing biases and policies in society

17:58 - Diet culture and commercial weight loss programs

22:54 - Education around weight & nutrition

27:25 - Eat Play Love initiative

29:50 - The future vision for Obesity Matters

Resources

In this episode of the Making Impact Series, Helen is joined by Albert Tai, CEO of Hypercare, a platform that connects healthcare colleagues through real-time scheduling, on-call management, and secure messaging on any device. Hypercare understands the pain points of healthcare workflow that prevents clinicians from providing the high-level care that they want to their patients.

We discuss how Albert saw the need for improved communication in the healthcare industry and the impact that it was having on patients. He shares how he created a solution to solve these painpoints so that providers can have more effective communication.

1:24 - Introduction to Hypercare

5:30 - Technology in the Healthcare Industry

9:10 - Finding a solution to the communication problems in healthcare

13:24 - How Hypercare is making impact in hospitals

19:18 - Expanding Hypercare into new settings and locations

20:48 - The vision & future of Hypercare

24:17 - New integrations to improve communication

Resources

In this episode of the Making Impact Series, Helen is joined by Liam Kaufman, co-founder of Winterlight Labs, a revolutionary platform that uses speech patterns to detect early signs of brain disorders.

Winterlight has developed a tablet-based assessment that is fast, objective, and stress-free. By analyzing speech alone, they can detect cognitive impairment associated with dementia and mental illness. Their assessment can be used in life science research, senior care and clinical settings.

1:22 -  Introduction to Winterlight Labs

3:12 -  Using technology for early diagnosis

4:05 -  Using technology for early diagnosis

5:37 -  Reducing the effects of Alzheimer's

7:21 -  Can preventative measures stop degeneration of Alzheimer’s?

7:54 -  How technology can be used to prevent and detect early Alzheimer’s diagnosis

9:03 -  Using Winterlight Labs technology in Pharma

11:03 - Identifying Accessibility Challenges for Patients

13:02 - Monitoring early signs of Alzheimer’s at all ages

15:42 - Using Winterlight Labs technology to support other therapeutic areas

17:14 - How Winterlight Labs will be used in the future of digital health

Resources