uOttawa News

OTTAWA, May 1, 2012  —  Medical device technologies developed by world-renowned scientist and inventor Dr. Tofy Mussivand and his team at the University of Ottawa Medical Devices Innovation Institute (MDI²) have positioned Canada at the leading edge of scientific breakthroughs in the field.

MDI²is working on 24 innovative medical device technologies. Projects such as the patent-pending, Portable DNA Extraction Device, a microchip that can identify a person’s DNA from a single fingerprint in less than 15 seconds and the Electronic Nose Device (Enose) that will provide non-invasive diagnoses of diseases like heart failure through breath and saliva tests using custom algorithms.

Combining his scientific, management and business expertise, Dr. Mussivand, director of the Cardiovascular Devices Division of the University of Ottawa Heart Institute and uOttawa professor (Faculties of Medicine and Engineering), is determined to turn the powerful tide of Canada’s current dependence on imported medical devices. “Medical devices are essential in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of diseases and help provide quality health care to Canadians,” says Dr. Mussivand. MDI² offers a number of inter-connected medical device-related programs to its students and fellows in the hopes of building the next generation of Canadian medical device professionals. The programs are grouped into four key focus areas: training and research; technology commercialization; service activities and sector awareness; and consulting.

“Having the opportunity to work on important medical device projects such as the Portable DNA Sequencing Device that can both contribute to the advancement of science and engineering and to the enhanced understanding of the human body is what led me to work with Prof. Mussivand,“ says Leah Labib, a biomedical engineering student who’s completing her master’s at MDI².

The wide-ranging collaborations of MDI² with over 55 partners in an extensive research network of hospitals, universities, industry partners, government agencies and other related organizations in Ottawa, across Canada and around the world have placed Dr. Mussivand and MDI²at the forefront of these significant advances in the medical device sector.

For more insight into Professor Mussivand’s research read the article “Leading Canada towards breakthroughs in the medical device sector” in the June 2011 issue of Research Perspectives.

About the University of Ottawa
The University of Ottawa is committed to research excellence and encourages an interdisciplinary approach to knowledge creation, which attracts the best academic talent from across Canada and around the world. It is an important stakeholder in the National Capital Region’s economic development.