Winners of the 2024 Proof of Principle Grant Competition

The SickKids Industry Partnerships & Commercialization (IP&C) office is thrilled to announce the winners of the 2024 Commercial Proof of Principle (PoP) Grant Competition! This annual competition provides SickKids researchers with crucial funding and support services to advance their promising discoveries toward commercialization, with the goal of attracting new investment, enabling partnerships, and creating new life science companies.

On October 9, 2024, researchers had the opportunity to present their innovative projects in a Dragon’s Den-style pitch event to an expert panel of commercial and scientific reviewers. The competition, which focuses on moving early-stage discoveries towards commercial products, is a cornerstone of SickKids’ mission to transform research into impactful healthcare solutions.

After careful evaluation, the following researchers were named as this year’s recipients:

Christine Bear, Senior Scientist, Molecular Medicine: Comparison of SickKids CFTR Potentiator to Ensifentrine in Ameliorating COPD in In-Vitro and In-Vivo Models

Jayne Danska, Senior Scientist, Genetics & Genome Biology: Platform Conversion of Novel Antibody Biomarkers for Type 1 Diabetes and Patient Response to Preventative Immunotherapy

Lynne Howell, Senior Scientist, Molecular Medicine: In Silico Designed Glycoside Hydrolases for Treatment of Biofilm Infections

These winning projects showcase the cutting-edge innovation happening at SickKids and are poised to make a significant impact in both research and healthcare.

IP&C’s Commercial Proof of Principle (PoP) Grant Competition is an initiative that helps SickKids researchers move their discoveries and inventions towards commercial products. It provides funding and resources to de-risk early-stage projects, positioning them for the next steps in commercialization, including partnerships, licensing, or even the creation of start-up companies.

Through this competition, IP&C aims to support innovations that will improve lives and transform healthcare. If you would like to learn more about the PoP Grant Competition, contact the IP&C office at ipc.requests@sickkids.ca

Stay tuned for more updates as we continue to advance SickKids innovations from the bench to bedside, and beyond!

The success of the PoP Grant Competition would not have been possible without the expertise and dedication of our panelists. We extend our heartfelt thanks to the commercial and scientific reviewers who evaluated the pitches and offered invaluable feedback:

Commercial Reviewers:

• Jeremy Bridge-Cook, Chief Scientific Officer, Genomadix Inc.
• Megan Dover, Junior Partner, Cross Border Impact Ventures
• Evelyn Pau, Operating Principal, Amplitude Ventures
• Suman Rao, Senior Associate, Lumira Ventures

Scientific Reviewers from SickKids:

• Greg Beilhartz, Technical Innovation Investigator, Molecular Medicine
• Michelle Maxson, Scientist, Cell Biology
• Lauryl Nutter, Technical Innovation Investigator, Genetics & Genome Biology
• Amy Wong, Scientist, Developmental & Stem Cell Biology