McMaster unveils bold vision for health innovation at research showcase

“Discoveries in diagnostic research, AI-guided drug development, radiopharmaceuticals, infectious disease, digestive health, and metabolic disease were all on full display at Behind the Breakthroughs, McMaster University’s second annual health innovation engagement. The special event , held in L.R. Wilson Hall on April 23, connected McMaster researchers with industry experts, government representatives, community stakeholders and philanthropists for important dialogue around the future of health innovation in Canada. The showcase highlighted the many translational research activities underway at McMaster, with a particular focus on the initiatives led by NexusHealth , an innovation accelerator based at McMaster. Discussions also focused on McMaster’s plans for a new, on-campus BioInnovation Building . The initiative, the first of its kind will strengthen partnerships and help speed scientific discoveries down clinical and commercial development pathways. McMaster President and Vice-Chancellor Susan Tighe, who formally welcomed guests to the event, highlighted that McMaster’s recent breakthroughs in antimicrobial resistance , infectious disease research , and radiopharmaceuticals are cementing the university’s place as a leader in health innovation. “These recent developments come at a time when our current antibiotics are losing their power, when avian influenza is on the brink of making the leap into human populations, and while cancer remains a leading cause of death,” said Tighe. “The challenge of resolving these and other complex problems is highly motivating for our researchers, and our tradition of interdisciplinary work is helping McMaster to lead the way.” Paul O’Byrne, vice-president of the university’s Faculty of Health Sciences and dean of the Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine, said it’s for this reason that sustained investment in collaborative infrastructure and translational research has become such a critical priority for the university’s health sciences community. “McMaster researchers are deeply committed to making breakthroughs that address some of the world’s most pressing global health challenges,” said O’Byrne, who emceed the event. “To achieve this, we are creating an ecosystem that will help our breakthroughs live well beyond the lab.” Guests were invited to participate in a panel discussion, moderated by NexusHealth Executive Director Matthew Miller . Miller posed questions related to how NexusHealth will support the real-world implementation of health discoveries to an expert group that included Gianni Parise , vice-president of Research at McMaster, and professors Fiona Smaill , Eric Brown and Katherine Morrison . The panel also discussed how the Bioinnovation Building will transform cross-disciplinary and cross-sectoral collaboration, create new opportunities for entrepreneurship and collaboration, strengthen Canada’s health security and sovereignty, and support training the next-generation of scientists. Miller, who is co-leading the development of a new vaccine platform with Smaill and other McMaster scientists, also insights about how the COVID-19 pandemic illuminated new ways for diverse stakeholders and specialists to work together to expedite the research and development of critical health products. “We learned a lot from the pandemic, but we can’t wait for the next global health emergency to heed those lessons,” said Miller, who also directs the Michael G. DeGroote Institute for Infectious Disease Research at McMaster. “If you’re the parent of a child with an incurable disease, every day is an emergency — and it’s that kind of urgency that’s driving our work here at the university.” The event concluded with an immersive reception and science demonstration, led by researchers, staff and students, that enabled guests to interact with a variety of McMaster-made health products. The post McMaster unveils bold vision for health innovation at research showcase appeared first on McMaster News .

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