The iBioMed Showcase

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Project By: Fatim Kalogo, Rida Khan, Julia Love, Thuvarakaa Sathiyamether, and Jocelyn Xu

About the Project: More than 82 million metric tons of PET plastic are produced yearly, with a lot of it accumulating in landfills in developing countries. As a result of its drastically long breakdown time, people in these countries often resort to burning plastic which can cause detrimental effects on their health. Our project involved using synthetic biology to clean up PET plastic in these landfills by using "Robo-PET". This robot will incubate genetically engineered E. Coli bacteria that can break down PET into terephthalic acid and ethylene glycol; two products that are non-toxic to the environment. 

Project By: Abeka Selliah, Zara Khan, Ashvikka Baskaran, Ethan Hagarty, and Ethan Meng

About the Project: Our novel solution to Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a nasal spray called "Myelin-Mist". The nasal spray has nanocapsules that are suspended in a liquid medium containing two different types of cells; undifferentiated oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs) and ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF). The two components, OPCs and CNTF, will be delivered in a nanocapsule, that is temperature-sensitive. This solution allows OPCs and CNTF to be evenly distributed within the brain before the active components are released. By delivering OPCs and CNTF into the brain together, we hope to promote myelination enough to reverse the harmful effects of MS. This is a solution that treats the root cause of MS to ensure the quality of life of patients are not compromised.

Project By: Clara Curic, Ziyuan Wang, Ursula Chui, and Matthew Siracusa

About the Project: Nadina, who has Multiple sclerosis, is currently in a wheelchair and desires a device to aid her in wheeling the right side of her wheelchair. She experiences severe spasticity of her right-side, but with our device she will be able to grip and move the right wheel by implementing a ratchet mechanism and ergonomic handle to propel her wheelchair in a way that works for her.       

Project By: Alexandra Levert, Olivia Carere, Qichen Nie, Sana Malik and Sri Sureshkumar

About the Project: With over 40% of the world's population exhibiting functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGIDs), it is important that these disorders are diagnosed with accuracy, timeliness, and cost efficiency to reduce the strain on public health care. Our team has developed a biological circuit that identifies FGIDs, including Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumours (GISTs), Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), and Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). We will implement the circuit into E. coli bacterium via several genetic edits. A drinkable solution with the modified E. coli will indicate if the patient has one of the three mentioned FGIDs by observing the color of their stool.

Project By: Emilie Kuepper, Bridget Latka, Karuka Khurana, and Joanne Lee

About the Project: "Speed It Up" is an at-home gait monitoring system for children with spastic diplegia cerebral palsy. "Speed It Up" is worn as a sock and tracks the angle the sole axis makes with the lower leg axis, using LEDs to indicate to the user if they have fallen outside of a "typical" angular range. The system also incorporates a level-based game in which the user can select the speed they wish to perform the test at, and a buzzer will sound to indicate when the child should take a step. Data outputs of joint angle throughout the session are relayed to the guardian graphically. Average cadence, speed, joint angle, number of steps, and the level completed, are compiled into a .csv file for clinician use.

Project By: Luka Zivkovic, George Song, Fahad Butt, and Sarah Abdel

About the Project: This project seeks to provide accurate and individualized wait time predictions that is acessible to hospital staff, patients, and patient relatives both in and outside of the Ophthalmology Clinic at St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton King Campus. By developing a predictive model and displaying such information, we seek to alleviate some of the frustration associated with long waits, and empower all stakeholders for a more convenient clinic experience.

Project By: Rosalie Wang, Sarah Arnold, Olga Vishnyakova, Kushi Bhojane, and Scott Berman

About the Project: Depression is expected to be the largest contributor to global disease by 2030, and is a critical health problem affecting the ability to think, feel, and act. Yet, treatment is often inadequate. We developed a solution using a synthetic biological circuit which targets tryptophan hydroxylase, an enzyme involved with serotonin synthesis.  

Project By: Ariel Motsenyat, Farah Kiwan, Michelle Quong, and Tammy Zeng

About the Project: The GoGlasses device consists of 3 gyroscope sensors, designed as a clip-on for glasses and a neck patch, to detect poor posture of the neck to aid in the treatment of non-specific neck pain. The user will be able to wear GoGlasses as regular glasses. Upon detection of sustained poor posture, the user will be alerted via vibration to improve their posture. A paired mobile application will allow users to initiate recalibration of the device and keep track of personal trends.

Project By: Derron Li, Yasameen Ihsan, Shane Golden, and Saakshi Arvikar

About the Project: Our solution, "Comfort Cosmetics", is a multifunctional makeup kit that enables accessible makeup application for patients with Multiple Sclerosis to promote confidence and independence. The kit includes a non-slip mat and automated multipurpose brush, which work together to eliminate the need for fine motor skills in makeup application.

Project By: Poonam Saha, Matthew Ho, and David Nasri

About the Project: Physician burnout is a work-related syndrome involving emotional exhaustion and a reduced sense of personal accomplishment, which can affect how doctors treat patients. Additionally, this can cause health care professional (HCP) partners to feel uncomfortable with being creative and be closed off to ambiguity. How could we find a solution to improve work-life balance and creativity? Our solution uses Google Calendar to plan creative tasks into our HCP’s weekly schedule (i.e., baking, knitting, and more). This way, time is scheduled out for creative activities and is incorporated into our HCP's pre-existing schedules, thus making these self-care endeavors just as important as work commitments.

Project By: Mary England, Xiya Liu, Troy Gonidis, and Patrick Clarkin

About the Project: "Wheeling N’ Healing" is a device made for our client, Nadina, who has Multiple sclerosis. Her diagnosis has affected her ability to use her wheelchair independently, as she experiences limited dexterity in her right hand and extensive spasticity in her arms and shoulders. "Wheeling N’ Healing" acts to provide Nadina with a sense of agency by providing a method to use her wheelchair unassisted. The handheld lever component makes contact with the knobs fixed around the right push wheel of the wheelchair to induce propulsion.

Project By: Anusha Broekhuyse

About the Project: Simulation-based medical training helps healthcare providers develop the skills needed to perform life-saving medical interventions. Imagine an accident, on a motorcycle, that on impact dislocates the pubic symphysis joint and forms a Butterfly Fracture. Anusha developed a 3D printed training model of the pelvis, encapsulated in silicone, that allows paramedics to practice their application of a T-POD Stabilizer, a device used to close Butterfly Fractures. Anusha instrumented the pubic symphysis with force sensors and the alignment of the bones will correspond to a green, yellow or red LED. An ultrasonic distance sensor will provide real-time information on the distance between the pubic bones while the T-POD Stabilizer is used in training

Project By: Akansha Prasad, Alicia Hartung, Jeff Suitor, and Lianna Genovese

About the Project: The risk of death in cooking fires is 5.5 times higher for people 85 and older, especially those with early-onset Dementia. Our solution is "Safe Eats"; a unique system that addresses safety concerns with older adults, such as fires caused by unintended appliance use and frustration due to complicated interfaces. The Safe Eats smart toaster oven uses Bluetooth and QR codes to safely heat meals for an older adult looking to improve or maintain their independence while also providing their caregivers with peace of mind.

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Student: Julia Ungureanu

About the Project: Viscoelastic materials show properties that are characteristic of both solids and liquids. In order to apply these materials as complex scaffolds, it is important to understand their mechanical properties.

Students: Alicia Tran and Angela Lin

About the Project:  Medical reports are often written with complicated terminology, we aim to create a program that is able to translate medical reports into everyday English so that patients without any medical background are able to read and understand them. This project aims to increase patient understanding of medical documents and allow patients to become more involved in decision-making processes regarding their own healthcare.

Students: Emnpreet Bahra and Mithilesh Venkatesh Kumar

About the Project: Our project's aim was to capture the process, methods and tools used in the IBEHS 2E06 class to support the personal development of design abilities and mindset shifts. Using vignettes as tools, we were able to glimpse into the minds of previous IBEHS 2E06 students. Learning more about their mindset shift and how design thinking works has enabled us to further understand that this is not a cookie-cutter process - educating for capability involves the complex interplay of many tools to generate diverse learning experiences!

Students: Elizabeth Evans, Tanya Hodkinson, Amber Monteiro, Meera Moorthy, Tammy Zeng

About the Project: With a role in global food supply and economy, bees are important to many ecosystems. Unfortunately, bee populations are declining, with the use of organophosphate pesticides (OPs) cited as a significant factor. We describe a synthetic biology circuit inserted in S. alvi bacteria to mitigate the lethal effects of OPs by delivering genes for organophosphate hydrolase (OPH), an enzyme which degrades OPs, and lysis proteins for OPH release into the bee midgut.

Students: Jade Cao, Danny Al-Sammak, Owen Johnstone, Emilie Kuepper, Shalimar Ramos

About the Project: Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration (nAMD) is an ocular disease wherein VEGF promotes the abnormal growth of blood vessels within the macula, causing irreversible vision loss. “Synthetic Biology to See” (SB2C) is a treatment injected into the eye which detects VEGF and produces the medication required to combat it on demand. With SB2C we can treat patients before any vision loss occurs!

Students: Sarah Arnold, Kailin Chu, Eric Guo, Aiden Simpson

About the Project: One Step A-head is a discrete toque, with impact-resistant padding, that can be worn around the home by those suffering from epilepsy. Using an orientation sensor, it detects movement consistent with a grand mal seizure and alerts caregivers or loved ones in the household so that proper actions can be taken. 

Students: Trevor Tung, Evelyn Cudmore, Yousuf Araim, Bridget Latka

About the Project: Approximately 3% of annual global plastic waste enters the ocean each year, with 8 million tonnes making their way into the ocean in 2010. Here we present a theoretical synthetic biology system which utilizes Synechococcus cyanobacteria already present in the ocean to increase the rate of PET ocean plastic degradation. Modelling the proposed circuit using Matlab Simbiology produced approximate models of the proposed system’s behaviour, with results suggesting that the system is capable of breaking down an average sized 9.9g water bottle in under three and a half hours, 1.1 million times faster than the natural degradation rate.

Students: Mayar Aljayoush, Sophia Aslanidis, Kailin Chu, Jonathan Jiang, Shazim Rahman, Grace Worfolk, Jocelyn Xu

About the Project: By 2031, over 1.4 million Canadians will be diagnosed with Alzheimer's. With the current clinical landscape, individuals are unable to get diagnosed until it is too late for treatments to be effective. A-Eye Care is an at-home diagnostic kit utilizing artificial intelligence and telemedicine to efficiently provide indication of early onset Alzheimer’s through the eye

Students: Emnpreet Bahra, Jacob Howran, Hunter Csetri, Manak Bajaj, Serenna Gerhard

About the Project: COVID-19 Accessibility Vehicle Accommodation Training (CAVeAT)  provides established rideshare drivers with PPE kits, OHSA cleaning protocols, and accessibility training. CAVeAT targets an overlooked customer base, aiming to establish a reputation of quality, integrity, and user-safety in providing COVID-safe transport to the visually impaired. 

Students: Julia Ungureanu, Zachary Burley, Cham Kudsi, Ben Sun, Ishan Vermani

About the Project: The presence of heavy metals in soil due to industrial expansion has become an increasing concern in the agricultural context. Metals such as arsenic interfere with plant growth, thus reducing crop yield and risking bioaccumulation in consumers. We introduce a synthetic biology approach for the bioremediation of arsenic. The proposed biological circuit consists of an E. coli based biosensor that uses bacterial expression to recognize arsenic and produce an arsenite specific metallothionein protein (MT) to create a neutral complex

Students: Megan Innes, Kulmanak Bajaj, Abdullh Mohmed

About the Project: In cases of severe knee osteoarthritis, patients experience significant pain and decreased joint function as a result of a loss of articular cartilage and damage to the meniscus. The most common intervention is a total knee replacement surgery. After initial surgery, there is tremendous variation among patients in terms of joint-functionality and mobility. We created a wearable device, the dynamic post-op knee brace that monitors and measures a patient's dynamic range of motion by providing accurate knee flexion and extension data during the joint rehabilitation process.

Students: Riyadh Baksh, Alexandra Colville-Reeves, Jordan Hoedt, Kate Panzica, Rabbea Sidhu

About the Project: Epithelial ovarian carcinoma is the fifth leading cause of cancer-associated mortality among females. The presented design solution offers a unique retroviral vector approach to the diagnostics and therapeutics of ovarian cancer. The engineered retroviral vector delivers beneficial genes and is modulated by an AND gate that requires two common biomarkers, CA125 and HE4, to run. Healthy p53 genes are integrated into the DNA of cancerous cells, mitigating tumour growth. Additional genes that are delivered include GFP for precise monitoring, and an HSVTK suicide gene, providing an alternate mechanism for eliminating cancerous cells.

Students: Sharanya Srirangam, Zhenia Sigayev, Mahum Javed, Maryem Abdullatif, Melaina Del Grosso, Sri Sureshkumar, Clara Yaromich 

About the Project: Our device, Neurolite, uses light therapy as a means to treat Progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), which administers near infrared light in the form of a neck brace onto the brain stem to relieve symptoms. The near infrared light therapy is a multi-agent approach that heals damaged neurons and promotes the growth of new neurons. It is a cost-effective at-home treatment, with a very comfortable design that will improve quality of life for PSP patients!

Students: Kayla Benson, Haotian Xue, Ben Rush, Angel Cai

About the Project: ACL tears are common, with around 250,000 injuries occurring in Canada and the United States each year. Restoration of balance is a key indicator of being able to return to sport after an ACL injury, and there are various balance tests that can test this. Stabili-knee is a biomedical device presenting a junction between wearable technology and rehabilitation. Using real-time gyroscope and acceleration data, Stabili-knee quantitatively tracks post-surgical ACL recovery by monitoring a patient performing the Star Excursion Balance Test.

Students: Khushi Bhojane, Julia Love, Abby McEwan, Akanksha Nehete, Michael Rezk, Sola Yatim

About the project: Friedreich’s Ataxia is an inherited neurodegenerative disease caused by a mutation in the FXN gene that affects up to 150 thousand individuals. Most treatments options on the market aim to manage symptoms without treating the cause of the problem. NeuroGENE Theraputics plans to use CRISPR Cas9 technology on hematopoietic stem cells isolated from FRDA individuals to remove the mutation in the gene, treating the problem right at the cause.

Students: Olivia Cirone, Sarah Cushnie, Shazim Rahman, Dylan Birks

About the Project: Up to 87% of the Parkinson’s Disease demographic faces freezing of gait (FOG) as a symptom - short, chronic episodes of muscle freezing due to disorientation in small spaces. With the end goal of encouraging independent living in mind, our team created The Ostium - an interactive, automatic doorway cuing system for PD patients. The device easily mounts to any doorframe, and uses a distance sensor and an automatic latching system to lock and unlock the door. Additionally, it uses LEDs, a laser pointer, and a speaker system as visual and auditory cues to help guide the user through FOG episodes.

Students: Wisley Chen, Yuvenne Deng, Jacqueline Hong, Lily Shengjia Zhong

About the Project: There is a rising elderly population across the globe and a growing inclination towards independent living. Seniors with chronic health conditions may be at risk of Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA). SCA can occur without warning. Its signs and symptoms are various, immediate and drastic, making it difficult for the seniors to reach out for help before it is too late. The Senior Alert Monitoring System, or SAMS, is a device that can monitor the user’s vitals using an oximeter and automatically contact the EMS when the vitals are indicative of SCA. Its unique ‘reject bottom’ design allows the users to dismiss false alarms. In this way, the device ensures that the user can get the help they need even if they have gone unconscious.

Project: Cardio Safe is design project by first-year iBioMed students. It's a wearable ear piece that detects early onset coronary artery disease. When asked what the team enjoyed most about this project, they mentioned using their problem-solving skills, learning various programming languages and always being able to learn something new from one another.

Students: Mariam Dawood, Gurleen Dulai, Varun Jain and Mithil Venkateshkumar

Project: A team of second year iBioMed students explored the possibility of preventing malaria through Modification of the Frep1 Gene in Anopheles Gambiae Mosquitoes. This team consisted of iBioMed students in the HESE, Electrical and Engineering Physics streams.

Students: 

Students: Matana Hendrickson, Cherrie Hung, and Sarah Rassenberg (not pictured)

Award: Best Presentation

Project: A 3D printed device that helps their client cut food without having to stabilize the food with her hand. The device supports the food with five different arcs at varying diameters, depending on the shape and size of the food.

Students: Konrad Grala, Amanda Tomkins, Justin Rosner, and Ahmed Abdel Halim Attia

Award: Best Project Design

Project: A wireless Bluetooth mouse, reconfigured to fit on a glove. The client has trouble using a mouse as she experiences spasms in their thumb and index finger. The glove allows her to use the side of her hand and her middle and ring finger to control the mouse.

Students: Madeline Waywell, Maya Ziolkowska, and Akil Hamilton

Project: An ergonomically-designed stylus integrated with machine-learning software to help their client write more easily. The spherical stylus is held in the writing hand supporting the fingers with slots. The machine-learning algorithm predicts the characters as the user writes.