12 U of T researchers recognized with Connaught Innovation Awards
Published: June 1, 2023
Twelve researchers at the University of Toronto are receiving Connaught Innovation Awards to help accelerate the development and commercialization of promising technologies with strong socio-economic potential that will have a positive impact on society.
鈥淭he University of Toronto congratulates this year鈥檚 recipients, whose work is addressing some of society鈥檚 most important challenges,鈥 said Leah Cowen, U of T鈥檚 vice-president, research and innovation, and strategic initiatives. 鈥淔rom energy-saving windows to the use of plant hormones as appetite suppressants or the development of therapeutic targets that hold promise for a broad range of neurodegenerative diseases, these researchers鈥 inventions have the potential to make life-changing impacts here in Canada and around the world.鈥
This year's recipients are:
- : A tool to optimize complex formulations based on evolutionary computation accelerated by artificial neural networks
- : The use of a plant hormone CX as an appetite suppressant
- : Development of broad-spectrum, host-directed antivirals
- : Reducing microplastic fibre pollution using low friction polymer brush as textile coatings
- : A hardware accelerator for fully homomorphic encryption-based machine learning applications
- , University of Toronto Mississauga: Development of an artificial intelligence-driven platform to explore the undruggable genome
- : Smart building facades for scalable operational energy management
- : Production and evaluation of hemoglobin-bis-tetramers for oxygen transport to increase supply of lungs for transplant by enhancing ex vivo perfusion of donor lungs
- : A platform for safety evaluation of chemical agents
- : Targeting TDP-43 aggregation as therapeutics for TDP-43 proteinopathies
- : Novel electrodes for non-invasive electrical nerve stimulation
- : Autonomous additive manufacturing system
The Connaught Innovation Award, which provides one-time seed funding to support the development and commercialization of the researchers鈥 innovative technologies, is backed by 鈥 the . Established 50 years ago through the sale of Connaught Medical Research Laboratories, which is known for the discovery and production of insulin, the fund supports U of T scholars through programs such as the , the , the , and international doctoral scholarships.
