11th annual Innovation Showcase highlights McMaster’s response to COVID-19

Innovation Showcase, 2019. Because of pandemic restrictions, this year's event will be virtual.

BY Rafik El Werfalli

December 10, 2020

It may be virtual, but it is still innovation at its finest.

After ten years of hosting the ‘must-attend’ Innovation Showcase, the McMaster Industry Liaison Office (MILO) will present the 11th annual Innovation Showcase virtually on December 16th, 2020 from 9 am-noon.

This year’s theme – “McMaster Tackles COVID-19” – will focus on the accomplishments of researchers ranging from the development of products to support widespread testing, vaccine, and treatment options to the manufacturing of protective equipment for Canadians.

The half-day event will kick-off with a keynote address by McMaster alumnus Michael Duong, head of innovation at Hoffman La-Roche Canada, and an expert in personalized medicine. Duong has been a leader in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry for over a decade and will share his insights on personalized healthcare and some key innovation strategies in the industry, specifically during the pandemic.

Participants will have the opportunity to hear first-hand from a number of McMaster researchers about their work and its impact during the pandemic:

  • Vaccine Development presented by Karen Mossman and Matthew Miller.
  • Personal Protective Equipment presented by Ravi Selvaganapathy and Alison Fox-Robichaud
  • Tracing and Mutations around COVID-19 presented by Andrew McArthur and Hooman Derakhshani
  • COVID-19 Testing and Sample Transportation presented by Yingfu Li and David Bulir
  • COVID 19 Treatment Strategies presented by Donald Arnold and Ishac Nazy
  • Global NEXUS for Pandemics and Biological Threats presented by Gerry Wright and Eric Brown

To wrap up the morning, two student teams – Superior Innovations and MAC Active Lives! – who placed first and third respectively in the 2020 Digital Inclusion Challenge, will present their winning pitches to attendees.

Gay Yuyitung, executive director of MILO says the Innovation Showcase is intended to celebrate the success and innovations of McMaster’s research community and is a great opportunity to bring together researchers, students and leaders from industry and government.

“We are excited to be hosting the Innovation Showcase this year, even if it can only be held virtually,” she says.

“There’s so much research going on at McMaster, and our expertise and capabilities have and continue to play a key role in advancing the development of products and policies to address key challenges related to the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Registration for the event can be found here.