Health Innovation Roundup
Oct. 7, 2026
Close to a third of the "top 10 companies to watch" pitched health innovation at the sold-out kickoff party for Edmonton Startup Week. Held on Oct. 5 at Edmonton Unlimited, the event showcased Pulmvita, Proholistic Discovery, and RNARevive alongside the other seven companies to be feted at Launch Party on Oct. 8. Pulmvita co-founder and CEO Cole Christianson's pitch for advancing respiratory aids was vivid. "Imagine this: Every morning when you wake up, you know you cannot leave your house without dragging around this oxygen source … Your life shrinks down to the length of this oxygen tube," he said. "Our goal is to restore freedom for these patients." The company plans to submit its more portable, reliable, and efficient oxygen-delivery devices to Health Canada and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2027. Why invest? The company has already raised $2 million, estimates the global opportunity at $10 billion, and has completed clinical trials.
Proholistic Discovery president Richard Tseng took the stage to stress just how challenging drug development is and how his company plans to fix that. It makes an inference-powered engine meant to reduce failure rates. Tseng noted that only one in 10 drug candidates is successful because of disconnects in the process. "(Our tech) works like predicting rain," he said. "Dark clouds, strong wind, and low temperature mean little alone, but together they tell you to bring an umbrella." Proholistic Discovery has already worked with five paying clients, has MOUs signed in the United Kingdom and Taiwan, and counts Nobel Laureate Sir Michael Houghton among its advisors.
Nina Karpoff, co-founder and business development lead at RNARevive, talked about how the company's tech is similar to a recipe generator. She too stressed the time, expense, and difficulty of drug development, which RNARevive's platform to deliver self-amplifying RNA therapeutics could ease. Karpoff told Taproot earlier this summer about the company's many accomplishments and its path to commercialization. Attendees got a bonus pitch from emcee Catalina Vasquez, co-founder and COO of Nanostics, maker of non-invasive tests for prostate cancer. The pitch inspired Michele Evans of Prairies Economic Development Canada to offer a later conversation about funding.
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Headlines
- Many of the 27 companies that pitched for Startup TNT's fall investment summit work directly or indirectly in health or bioscience. They include Conserve Medical, FeynMed Solutions, LumiSERS, MagnetaMR, Proholistic Discovery, RISE Neuroprosthetics, SenseHuman.AI, SpectraCann, Theragraph, and Zylotex. The field is expected to be narrowed down to five by Oct. 27, and those companies will compete at the finale on Nov. 12.
- MagnetaMR will showcase its portable whole-body MRI platform as part of the Canadian delegation to the 2026 Association of the United States Army in Washington, D.C., this month. The company is developing a portable, AI-informed, low-field MRI device that could cost as little as 10% of the current price of $1.5 million to $3 million for conventional, fixed-place MRI. It is one of 15 finalists in the Alberta Capital Connect program, making it eligible for a prize at the ASTech Awards on Nov. 6.
- A University of Alberta team that includes Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute fellow Ross Mitchell secured a $1-million grant from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. The five-year project will develop and test AI tools to identify intestinal tracts in CT scans, a step toward monitoring inflammatory bowel disease.
- The Business Development Bank of Canada shone a light on RUNWITHIT Synthetics, one of the bank's financing recipients. The piece traces RWI's award-winning work on synthetic twins that empower decision-makers to address myriad issues, including health. The piece details the launch of Synthetic Canada and other projects, noting RWI's human-first approach. "We felt people were really the whole point," said co-founder and CEO Myrna Bittner. "If you couldn't relate those systems to saving and helping people, then you were missing out."
- Health Cities has opened a call for point-of-care tests and portable diagnostic tools for rural and community-based care. It plans to test selected solutions in existing care settings to assess their clinical value and feasibility. The call for innovation closes on Oct. 22.
- The team behind the University of Alberta's Co-designing a Smartwear Revolution project is holding its first art show at the McMullen Gallery in the University of Alberta Hospital until Oct. 25. Core Concerns, Care Embodiments examines smartwear and its potential in the complex web of care. Curated by Ginger Carlson, it features artists Dylan Brenneis, Calli Giroux, Michelle Kwasnycia, Brooke Leifso and Mona Dehghanzadeh Sahi, Monique Mah, Samantha McLeish, Aynaz Raoufian, Sheryl Spencer, and Al Young. An opening reception takes place on Oct. 9.
- Alberta Innovates and InnoTech Alberta jointly hosted Get to Know Day for the Edmonton Regional Innovation Network on Oct. 1. Participants included ReiSpace, which helps organizations and their people navigate mental health support, and Tallawah, which makes pain-relief products.
- The SilverTech Summit on Oct. 2 connected innovators with older adults to discuss technology designed for seniors. "A senior's question can send an idea in a better direction," organizer Karen Murdock posted. "We have more listening and building to do, and yesterday gave us plenty to work with."
- Innovation leaders gathered at the Family Medicine Innovation Forum on Oct. 2 and 3, Dawn Osland of Osland Medical Billing Tools noted. Speakers included Reg Joseph of Health Cities, Ashif Mawji of ScaleGood Fund, Arden Tse of Yaletown Partners, Cam Linke of Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute, and others. "The energy throughout the event was contagious," Osland wrote. "It's inspiring to see so many organizations working together to improve access to care, strengthen clinic workflows, and support better outcomes for patients across Alberta."
- Saffron Centre raised more than $130,000 at its Sept. 10 Igniting Hope Gala toward the estimated $1.7-million cost of a new facility. The centre provides therapy, court support, and education for survivors of sexual violence in the Edmonton region.
Social innovation
- Edmonton city councillors are considering whether sanctioned outdoor encampments could be an alternative to dismantling homeless camps. Speakers at a council committee meeting, including members of the Edmonton River Valley Conservation Coalition, called on the city to fund outdoor spaces for unhoused people, while chief bylaw officer David Jones warned such sites could cost as much as heated shelters and become hot spots for gang activity. Jones said bylaw officers have issued 7,904 trespassing tickets so far in 2026, along with about 1,900 property bans.
- The City of Edmonton opened applications for its 2027 Civic Youth Fellowship, which offers people aged 19 to 30 a paid 10-week placement in municipal government. A new partnership will coordinate placements on Indigenous priorities for selected First Nations, Métis, and Inuit fellows. Applications close Oct. 18.
- James Robinson, executive director of the Edmonton Downtown Business Association, reflected on a Recovery Day event in Churchill Square and how downtown's health depends on supporting those suffering from addictions and mental health challenges. "If we want Edmonton's recovery to continue, we must scale up investments in people, programs and partnerships that support recovery," he wrote.
- Survivors of federally operated Indian hospitals are helping to design a $385.5-million foundation for healing, research, education, and commemoration under a court-approved settlement. Many people from the Northwest Territories were sent to Edmonton's Charles Camsell Hospital for tuberculosis care, the redeveloped site of which includes art dedicated to Indigenous peoples who suffered there.
- Personal trainer Kayla Gray is hosting Rezzgirl Fitness classes at Iskwew Health to help other women find healing. Gray said working out helped her move past addiction and abuse. "Fitness saved my life," she told Global News Edmonton. Iskwew Health owner Michelle Nieviadomy added that "movement is medicine," making Rezzgirl Fitness a perfect fit for her exercise and wellness studio.
- Parkdale resident Perpetua Alfazema is working to bring solar power to a health centre in Kapasseni, Mozambique. "Empowering the women to power the village" is the goal, she told Rat Creek Press. Two women from Kapasseni have been selected for training to install and repair solar equipment.
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More health news
- The Alberta government is providing more than $330,000 to fund 140 pre-treatment beds in Edmonton for people waiting to enter addiction treatment. The beds are intended to support people who have completed detox and need stable housing and support while awaiting placement in a treatment program. Oxford House will provide two homes with 24/7 support, including addiction counselling and recovery coaching, with one home designated for women and the other for men. The province said Edmonton accounts for more than half of Alberta's opioid-related deaths and noted that Oxford House has supported nearly 1,200 Albertans through pre-treatment services in Calgary since 2023.
- Poundmaker's Lodge Treatment Centres has closed its St. Albert day program because it lacks ongoing provincial funding and is seeking about $600,000 to restart it. The culturally grounded program served Indigenous people in the Edmonton area, and its operator said more than 140 people were on the waiting list when it closed. "We have made the decision to focus our limited resources on direct service: working alongside clients, supporting their recovery and sitting with them in ceremony," the organization said in a social media post.
- Four former Alberta medical school deans, including Tom Marrie of the University of Alberta, asked Ottawa to intervene in Alberta's dual-practice health-care model. They argued it violates the Canada Health Act; the province disagrees. The rules let eligible surgical specialists apply to work in both public and private systems.
- Elton Davidge of the Strathcona Community Hospital Foundation urged residents to learn about the hospital and guide the foundation's priorities as Alberta reorganizes healthcare. "When did you last think about Strathcona Community Hospital — not because you or someone you love needed it, but because it belongs to our community?" Davidge wrote in an opinion piece. "Do you know what services it provides?"
- In an opinion column, University of Alberta rheumatologist Stephanie Keeling said Alberta Blue Cross's public plans now take two to three months to process special drug authorizations, up from the usual five to 10 business days. She warned that delays risk interrupting treatment for chronic conditions. "(You are) only as healthy as your continued treatment — that stopping means your symptoms return," she wrote. "This is the constant fear many Albertans on public Alberta Blue Cross with chronic diseases face right now."
- Murals by Edmonton artists in a new pediatric surgery clinic at the Stollery Children's Hospital are designed to make kids more comfortable with care. "These types of spaces mean the difference to kids, from having a good experience at the hospital to making it a little bit less scary," Cheryl Spencer-Morley of the Stollery Children's Hospital Foundation told CTV News Edmonton.
- WestJet said Edmonton's Haul for Hope raised $50,000 for Hope Air to help patients and caregivers travel for medical care. Nine teams pulled a WestJet plane 100 metres at Edmonton International Airport.
- New international heart attack guidelines urge doctors to account for women's lower troponin levels when assessing possible heart attacks. University of Alberta researcher Colleen Norris said her research found about 300 women a year were discharged from Alberta emergency departments and returned with a heart attack within 30 days.
- A campaign is encouraging Edmontonians to safely store and return unused prescription and over-the-counter drugs through pharmacies. Substance Canada said the initiative aims to reduce access to medications that could be misused. The Alberta Pharmacists' Association has a list of all pharmacies that will accept unused medications.
Happenings
Here are some events coming up soon:
- Oct. 7: Freedom in Focus: The Legacy of George Hunter starting at 9am at University of Alberta (Oborowsky Degner Seminar Hall)
- Oct. 7: Estate Taxes starting at 1:30pm online
- Oct. 7: Estate Administration 101 starting at 6:30pm at Central Lions Senior Citizens Recreation Centre
- Oct. 8: Executorship: Prepare Your People, Not Just Your Paperwork starting at 10am online
- Oct. 8: Your Legacy, Your Way starting at 1:30pm online
- Oct. 8: Wills & Estates 101 starting at 6:30pm at Daisy Chain Book Co. (High Street)
- Oct. 9: Wills and Estates Q&A starting at 10am online
- Oct. 9: Flannel Fest Fundraiser starting at 5:30pm at Heritage Park Pavilion
And here are more to keep in mind:
- Oct. 14: Making Sense of Vaccines: Answers to common questions and misconceptions about adult immunization online
- Nov. 3: Henry Marshall Tory Lecture: Fire Weather in a Hotter World at Kipnes Health Research Academy
- Nov. 19: The Future We Can Afford at ArtsHub Ortona
Visit the Taproot Edmonton Calendar for many more events in the Edmonton region.
This roundup was sponsored by Applied Pharmaceutical Innovation.
API is one of Canada's largest not-for-profit life sciences commercialization organizations. We catalyze growth in the life sciences sector by addressing key challenges that hold companies and innovators back.