We are proud to support these special COVID-19 projects with personalized coaching and financial support. These projects are aimed at short-term results to meet the urgent needs of health professionals and researchers - newly developped solutions will be announced shortly, while other research projects are being co-developed as part of the TransMedTech Institute's regular competitions.
| Splashguard-CG / Pare-paretoux |
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The SplashGuard CG protects caregivers by limiting the exposure to viral particle aerosols in contact with hospitalized patients, under respiratory assistance and continuous surveillance (i.e. intensive care, emergency room, operating room) in COVID19 infection settings. The objective is to reduce the number of contaminated caregivers, especially in the absence of all the necessary protective equipment (negative pressure chamber, N95 masks, protective visor, protective suit), and thus ensure better care for the patient. This specific protection is for any given procedure, including intubation, management of ventilation with high flow nasal cannula and non-invasive ventilation. At the request of Dr. Jouvet - Director of the Intensive Care Unit at CHU Sainte-Justine - the TransMedTech Institute helped mobilize a multidisciplinary team in the Living Lab spirit in just a few days. This alllowed to
This generated interest and made it possible to start clinical studies in record time in 7 centres in 3 different countries (Canada, France, Japan), and was used in particular for the non-invasive ventilation (NIV) of a first immunosuppressed Covid19 case at Sainte-Justine UHC. The speed of reaction and manufacturing, as well as the publication of evidence after the clinical trials illustrate the contribution of the TransMedTech Institute and all partners involved. Institutions supporting the project: CHU Sainte-Justine, Polytechnique Montréal, TransMedTech Institute This system is available open-source via the Réseau de recherche en santé respiratoire du Québec, see the Documents and Information Package. Polytechnique Montral article: Covid-19: des boîtiers de plastique pour protéger le personnel hospitalier |
Protection of health care personnel from viral particles aerosolized by hospitalized patients| Retreatment of N95 masks by hydrogen peroxide nebulisation (phase 1) |
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The expertise required was to coordinate the analysis, testing, validation and certification of ultraviolet based technologies for the reprocessing of N95 masks, in parallel with the mask reprocessing project by nebulization and hydrogen peroxide vaporization (above). The TransMedTech Institute facilitated the identification and technical-scientific analysis of possible solutions by bringing together experts and analysis laboratories to form a multidisciplinary team answering government requests by the following:
The Transmedtech Institute has therefore acted as an intermediary between the stakeholders in a Living Lab approach and has significantly contributed to ensuring continuity in the regulatory approval process for solutions prioritized by Public Health while maintaining a continuous link with the latter. All this was made possible thanks to close collaboration with key players. This project illustrates the TransMedTech Institute's role as a facilitator in the co-creation of solutions for medical devices. Institutions supporting the project: CHU Sainte-Justine, Polytechnique Montréal, INSPQ, IRSST, LSPQ, CERDM The INSPQ published the Mesures préventives concernant l'évaluation des options de désinfection des protections respiratoires N95 highliting the contribution of TransMedTech Institute. Polytechnique Montreal article: COVID-19 : L’Institut TransMedTech en voie de permettre la réutilisation des masques N95 (Photo : Debora Cartagena, USCDCP, licence CC0/Pixnio) |
From the onset of the pandemic, a group of researchers from several institutions came together to address the concern of health institutions and health care staff about the shortage of personal protective equipment, particularly N95 masks in the context of near-contact patient care.| Retreatment of N95 masks using UV (Phase 1) |
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It was crucial to evaluate retreatment technologies based on hydrogen peroxide nebulization and vaporization for the reprocessing of N95 masks. The TransMedTech Institute facilitated the identification and technical-scientific analysis of possible solutions by bringing together experts and analysis laboratories to form a multidisciplinary team answering government requests by the following:
The Transmedtech Institute has therefore acted as an intermediary between the stakeholders in a Living Lab approach and has significantly contributed to ensuring continuity in the regulatory approval process for solutions prioritized by Public Health while maintaining a continuous link with the latter. All this was made possible thanks to close collaboration with key players. This project illustrates the TransMedTech Institute's role as a facilitator in the co-creation of solutions for medical devices. Institutions supporting the project: CHU Sainte-Justine, Polytechnique Montréal, INSPQ, IRSST, LSPQ, CERDM The INSPQ published the Mesures préventives concernant l'évaluation des options de désinfection des protections respiratoires N95 highliting the contribution of TransMedTech Institute. Polytechnique Montreal article: COVID-19 : L’Institut TransMedTech en voie de permettre la réutilisation des masques N95 (Photo : Debora Cartagena, USCDCP, licence CC0/Pixnio) |
Outcomes of the TransMedTech COVID-19 Call for Innovative Solutions
When the need for health innovation is acute, who do you call for help?
Experts on issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic find themselves on the front line, facing many challenges. When time (and the patients who are waiting) is pressing, clinicians turn to researchers with whom they have already worked and built trust, who have demonstrated their credibility and expertise, and who, under the circumstances of COVID-19, will be able to act quickly, mobilizing the knowledge of universities, hospitals and research centres, as well as the necessary material resources. On March 16, the TransMedTech Institute launched its call for needs, expertise and innovative solutions, in order to support the most relevant and feasible proposals in the short term (1 to 6 months), while providing support and funding for their implementation.
Among more than 75 proposals, some 15 have pre-qualified for support and TransMedTech financial support in "ultra fast track" mode. They cover the continuum of care, such as our regular projects for the development of medical technologies for the prevention and treatment of diseases, as well as the analysis of data from medical devices.
The COVID-19 innovation is often found in the protocols and vital access to personal protective equipment. TransMedTech favours solutions that emerge from the needs demonstrated in the field. Access to front-line clinicians in healthcare institutions makes it possible to identify, for example, equipment that has already been approved that can be "redirected" and then set up interdisciplinary teams to complete the expertise with scientific rigor until new protocols are approved and integrated into the healthcare system. There is an unprecedented mobilization of the entire society, which has generated thousands of initiatives of all kinds in recent weeks. As Executive and Scientific Director of TransMedTech, Prof. Carl-Éric Aubin stresses "the importance of co-constructing relevant and validated solutions. It is also important to consult with the various stakeholders in order to include the regulatory aspects and all the logistics of implementation in the healthcare environment. The projects we support will be examples of excellence and agility without putting scientific rigor and patient and caregiver safety to one side".
From the outset of the competition, many proposals and applications were received, particularly from front-line clinicians. Projects approved by our scientific committee and then concerted with partner institutions that have held similar competitions (MEDTEQ, IVADO, CQDM, PROMPT, Génome Québec and the working group FRQ, MEI, MSSS) benefit from TransMedTech's accelerated co-development support. TransMedTech acts as an "intermediary" in this ecosystem, as soon as the need is expressed by users, and coordinates the assembly of the necessary expertise and resources and the implementation of innovative solutions with stakeholders. This expertise comes from the pool of researchers at the five founding institutions (Polytechnique Montréal, Université de Montréal, CHU Sainte-Justine, CHUM and the Jewish General Hospital) and more than 50 active partners in the Montreal medical technology ecosystem, the highly qualified personnel of the scientific platforms supported by TransMedTech, and the mobilization of biomedical engineering students and TransMedTech fellows.
Original call for proposals issued on March 19, 2020
TransMedTech Institute stands in solidarity with its institutions and the public by announcing the new "Technological Innovations - COVID-19" competition.
Call for needs, technological innovations and expertise to fight COVID-19
We are no longer receiving proposals. Competition deadline April 6, 2020.
As part of its mission to mobilize innovation in medical technologies, the TransMedTech Institute is launching a specific call for proposals. In the wake of the global effort to counter the COVID-19 pandemic, the focus is on clinical needs, expertise and/or technological innovations. The call aims to set up collaborative projects rapidly to develop "innovative technological solutions likely to respond to the many challenges of the current VIDOC-19 crisis". New initiatives shoud be able to have a start date within 2 to 4 weeks, and main deliverables achievable within 2 to 6 months.
Proposal form: download here
We also support the initiatives of our partners.
More info: CQDM
More info: MEDTECH
More info: Code-life-challenge
More info: ministère de l'Économie et de l'Innovation et FRQ (télécharger ici)
