Alberta Medical Device Innovation Consortium (A-MEDICO)
Advanced technologies for the development and implementation of sophisticated medical interventions
A-MEDICO is a pan-Alberta network of researchers, industry, and healthcare stakeholders poised to reorganize, reinvigorate, and redefine Alberta’s medical device sector.
The mission of A-MEDICO is to develop new medical technologies with the communities they will serve, and implement new, sustainable, accelerated access pathways for the adoption of transformative medical device technology solutions.
Connecting existing but underutilized strengths, the network will drive innovations, create new industry leaders, and strengthen Alberta’s economy.
This project is funded by the Government of Alberta Major Innovation Fund
Contact Us
For more information on A-MEDICO or to find out how you can get involved, contact:
Michael Kallos
Lead Principal Investigator (PI)
mskallos@ucalgary.ca
bmeresearch@ucalgary.ca
Why A-MEDICO?
Access to timely and effective healthcare continues to be a challenge to the approximately 1 million Albertans living in rural and remote settings, as well as other underserved populations including the aging, Indigenous communities, women and children. Advancements in healthcare delivery are needed, and innovative medical devices will be critical to addressing vulnerabilities in health status and access to care.
Medical devices can be used for monitoring, diagnosing, preventing, mitigating, or treating different conditions. Many of our current medical device technologies are not appropriate for underserved populations such as rural or remote settings because they are costly, cannot be transported, or involve expensive instrumentation or biosafety requirements.
A-MEDICO will address these needs by developing new medical technologies with the communities they will serve and implementing new, sustainable, accelerated access pathways for the adoption of transformative medical device technology solutions that have the potential to improve health and address the unmet clinical needs of vulnerable/underserved populations.
Research Themes
Over the first 5 years, A-MEDICO will deliver solutions in four themes:
Building on existing strengths in Alberta-based point-of-care and portable diagnostic technology platforms, we plan to develop at least 10 diagnostic technology platforms.
Our objective is to affect a shift in rapid, accurate and on-site diagnosis for pathogen infections, cancer, brain injuries, diabetes, neurodegenerative diseases, cardiovascular, and cerebrovascular diseases and to radically change and personalize clinical management using our omic-, optical- or imaging-based diagnostic platforms.
Continuous patient monitors can aid in early diagnosis of disorder/disease progression, assessment of treatment effectiveness, and modification of precision diagnosis and treatment for personalized care. This approach will identify risks and assist those who are most in need of intervention prior to disease/disorder progression.
We will develop microfluidic patches, flexible electronics, wearable sensors and biosensors, smart contact lenses, digestible capsules, portable imaging devices, integrated wearable systems, devices that operate on the internet of things, and tools for data-driven predictive health.
We will put health monitoring medical devices technologies into the hands of all Albertans, which enables the optimization of care for, “the right patient, the right treatment, at the right time.”
We will develop bio-electronic prostheses, assistive medical robots and exoskeletons to help in facilitating mobility, preventing secondary conditions resulting from reduced mobility, and improving independence and quality of life.
Our innovations will be especially focused on children, older adults and persons with neurological conditions (e.g., spinal cord injury, brain injuries, stroke, multiple sclerosis or Parkinson’s disease) who collectively require expansive healthcare support.
The deliverables for this theme will be new approaches for enhancing postural stability and preventing falls, augmenting upper limb function in the performance of daily activities, supporting functional walking at home and during community ambulation, and preventing secondary complications such as pressure injuries (previously known as bed sores or pressure ulcers), deep vein thrombosis, cardiovascular degradation, and spasticity.
The improved function and mobility afforded by the use of these new technologies will help manage chronic diseases, provide post-acute care, enhance the safety of older adults and persons experiencing disability, improve the users’ engagement in managing their health and enhance their participation in society.
We will improve healthcare delivery through innovative, enabling technologies, intelligent robotic surgery, adaptable therapy simulations, novel educational tools, service solutions, and policy changes.
Innovations under this theme will focus on cutting-edge technologies for the delivery of lifesaving treatments at home and in rural and remote communities such as dialysis treatments through affordable, portable, home-based devices equipped with digital monitoring abilities.
We will also expand on Alberta-renowned advances in image-guided treatments and surgical robotics leading to increased precision and improved outcomes. Image-guided surgical robotics will focus on hardware and software that allow surgical robotics to work in tandem with surgeons, supporting and augmenting their skills.
Our team members’ effective partnership with Alberta Health Services promises the early adoption of our medical devices, especially in the areas of long-term life-saving treatments including dialysis, precision radiation therapy and effective surgical approaches.
Platform Technologies
The A-MEDICO network of researchers, industry and government partners includes facilities offering seven key platform technologies that will be required for the development of the new devices required by the challenges identified in our four themes.
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Diagnostic bioassays, biosensors, lab-on-chip, and point-of-care, and wearables
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Advanced functional materials and integration
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Imaging and optical systems
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Systems integration including data processing and analytics
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Modelling and visualization
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Robotics, actuators and human interfaces
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Prototyping, testing, quality assurance, technology validation, and pilot/semi-scale manufacturing
We will create opportunities to break down silos and bring together various platform technologies to drive research within and between the four themes.
Activation Platforms
A-MEDICO will establish three Activation Programs that will help to address the gaps of current programs and resources that exist in Alberta, and be the driving force of the program.
Training – Skilling and Upskilling
We will build a multidisciplinary industry-focused training network to establish Alberta as a global leader in multifaceted training of talent for developing innovative medical device technologies for the improved human health, quality of life, and disease management. We will also serve as a resource for industry upskilling, re-training and upward mobility of Albertans.
Commercialization, Translation and Partnerships - Advancing the Alberta Health Technology Ecosystem
We will build a sustainable, comprehensive medical device ecosystem in Alberta to continuously facilitate and expedite prototyping, validation, usability analysis, commercialization, adoption and pivoting of established and emerging medical device technology solutions in Alberta, for new and existing SMEs and MNEs, continuing to diversify the economy.
Community Engagement, Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility (IDEA)
We will establish a strong network of community engagement teams to enable end-user centred precision solutions for different communities. This will also include an IDEA Framework relevant to medical devices in Alberta built by engaging individuals and communities for medical device technology adoption in a healthy Alberta. A key outcome will be the establishment and growth of impactful relationships with Indigenous peoples in Alberta, a process that will take the full duration of the MIF. Community engagement will be integral at each stage of this project.