TORONTO, April 22, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Four Canadian innovators received prestigious and valuable awards from the Arthritis Society last night to bring to life their solutions for fighting the fire of arthritis.
At the inaugural Arthritis Ideator Awards event, OPERAS received the Olga Munari Arthritis Ideator Award, and KneeKG and PROVA Innovations each received an Arthritis Ideator Award. They were selected by the panel of judges to each receive a $50,000 grant to help grow their ventures. Guided Hands was chosen as the People’s Choice Award winner based on the results of cross-Canada voting. The four winners were selected from among eight finalists who presented their innovations to the judges at the event held at MaRS in Toronto.
“We can’t wait to see the winners take their ideas to the next level,” said Vikram Vij, chef, restaurateur, author and one of the five VIP judges. “It’s time to put arthritis out of business.”
Vij was joined on the judging panel by business leader, philanthropist and restaurateur Mohamed Fakih, Medicom Group CEO Ronald Reuben, orthopedic surgeon Dr. Nick Yardley and Trish Barbato, President and CEO of the Arthritis Society. They selected the winners based partly on the originality of the innovation, potential for significant and lasting outcomes for people with arthritis, and readiness for market.
In addition to the $50,000 grant, the Arthritis Ideator Program gives innovators access to expert advice from the Arthritis Society and the broader arthritis ecosystem as they continue to develop their innovations, as well as to people living with arthritis who can support beta testing or provide feedback through focus groups or surveys.
“Arthritis is a huge challenge looking for bold solutions and we want to support bright minds as they create those solutions,” says Trish Barbato, President and CEO of the Arthritis Society. “We are embracing innovation like never before because we believe it is key to changing the lives of the six million Canadians living with arthritis.”
About the winners:
- OPERAS is an app-based program to empower active self-care, capturing information on the go, and providing trends on symptoms, disease activity and treatments. Says creator Linda Li, “With OPERAS, people with arthritis can monitor disease activity, keep track of medications, create action plans and collect and display physical activity data through an integrated physical activity tracker. It gives a detailed picture to help users lead healthier, pain-free lives.”
- KneeKG is a dynamic tool for diagnosing knee osteoarthritis by examining biomechanical markers while the knee is in motion, enabling custom treatment plans. “It’s like an electrocardiogram for the heart but for the knee. It tells the doctor exactly what’s going on in the knee, and what needs to be treated,” says Michelle Laflamme, CEO of Emovi, which produces KneeKG.
- PROVA Innovations offers ‘smart’ in-soles that aid in gait rehabilitation for people with early- and mid-stage knee and hip osteoarthritis. “Unlike anything else on the market, our innovative approach works in real time, outside of the clinic, whether a patient is walking, running or climbing stairs. And on any surface, our cueing learns and adapts,” says Matthew Rosato, PROVA Innovations founder.
- Guided Hands is an assistive device that guides hand movements to enable people with limited hand mobility to write, draw and access technology. Lianna Genovese is the CEO of ImaginAble Solutions, which produces Guided Hands. “Improving quality of life is our mission at ImaginAble Solutions. Together, the Arthritis Society and ImaginAble Solutions can enhance the quality of life for millions of people living with arthritis to enable them to live the life they imagine.”
Last night also marked the launch of the Arthritis Society’s new $25-million Innovation campaign.
“For too long, health charities like ours have played it safe. With six million Canadians living with arthritis and a dramatic rise in arthritis diagnoses expected in the next 20 years – safe is no longer an option,” says Barbato. “Our goal to raise $25 million by 2025 will be an important step forward to halt, and one day soon, extinguish arthritis. We have a disease to crush, and transformational innovation will help us do just that.”
To learn more about this campaign, visit arthritis.ca/innovationfund.
About the Arthritis Society
The Arthritis Society is Canada’s national charity dedicated to fighting the fire of arthritis with the fire of research, advocacy, innovation and information and support. With the support of our donors and volunteers, we are all in to end arthritis, so people with arthritis can live their best life free from arthritis. The Arthritis Society is accredited under Imagine Canada’s Standards Program. For more information, visit arthritis.ca.
For more information or to arrange interviews:
Danielle Milley
Senior Manager, Corporate Communications
Arthritis Society
416-206-3638
Dmilley@arthritis.ca
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/60b6ea6b-4791-464f-aed4-22777553f071
