Skinopathy is a medical technology company in Toronto that is on a mission to provide accessible healthcare on demand. By integrating advanced artificial intelligence with smartphone technology, Skinopathy allows patients to screen for skin cancer and other conditions from home, bridging the gap between early detection and specialized medical intervention.

In this episode, host Jim Wilson speaks with co-founder and CEO Keith Loo about the company’s "accidental" beginnings during the COVID-19 pandemic. What started as a conversation between friends about the alarming rise in late-stage skin cancer became a life-saving tool now used globally. Keith discusses the technical challenge of building AI that works on all skin tones, navigating Canadian healthcare bureaucracy, and the emotional weight of building a company that helps patients "cancel their funerals."

This conversation explores the intersection of high-tech innovation and human-centric care, highlighting how a tool meant to be given away for free evolved into a clinically validated platform that outperforms traditional diagnostic standards.

Join host Jim Wilson for a conversation with Zaid Atto, founder and CEO of Xpan in Vaughan, Ontario.

Xpan is a medical device company focused on minimally invasive surgery, developing a new approach to surgical trocars used in laparoscopic procedures - tools that haven’t changed much in decades, despite being used in millions of procedures every year.

Zaid shares how the idea started while he was studying biomedical engineering at the University of Toronto, after hearing firsthand from surgeons frustrated with the limitations of existing devices. He walks through the journey from a university capstone project to building a company, and why he chose to move beyond research and into entrepreneurship to bring real solutions to patients.

This episode offers a grounded look at what it takes to turn a real clinical problem into a viable medical device.

NMX Research and Solutions is a specialized biopharma firm in Laval, Quebec, that is helping scientists find new medicines faster. By using tools like NMR spectroscopy and Fragment-Based Lead Discovery, NMX bridges the gap between lab research and real-world cures while mentoring the next generation of Canadian biotech leaders.

In this episode Jim Wilson sits down with founder Steven LaPlante to trace his journey from a dairy farm in upstate New York to the front lines of drug discovery. Steven discusses the "shoveling manure" work ethic that fueled his move into science, his childhood spent building farm tools with a welder and torch, and what it was that eventually brought him to Montreal.

This conversation explores the role of curiosity in innovation, the shift from big pharma "four walls" to the fast-paced world of startups, and how a background in biophysics became the foundation for a revolution in medicine. From Hepatitis C to COVID-19 research, Steven explains why "building your own tools" is the secret to solving the world's biggest health challenges.

This week we reach into our archive for a throwback conversation with Matthew Miller who is a distinguished scientist and academic leader at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario.  Listen in as Matthew shares his journey from a small town in Ontario's cottage ciuntry to becoming a key leader in Canada's infectious disease research community.

Listen in as Matthew discusses how serendipity and mentorship shaped his career, the challenges of starting a lab, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on his work.

Matthew also touches on the importance of basic science funding and his vision for the future of health sciences in Canada. Tune in as Jim and Matthew discuss the Next Great Big Ideas on the horizon in infectious disease research and how they just might transform the health of Canadians and the economy of Canada.

Vive Crop Protection is a leading agri-tech company in Mississauga, Ontario that is dedicated to helping farmers "do more with less." By focusing on development over discovery, Vive combines synthetic chemistry with bio-based pesticides to create high-performance products that lower costs for growers while reducing the environmental footprint of traditional farming.

In this episode, host Jim Wilson sits down with CEO and co-founder Darren Anderson to trace his journey from a chemistry-obsessed high schooler in Sarnia to the head of a major Canadian innovation success story. Darren discusses the "accident of history" that led to his birth in West Virginia, his burnout during undergraduate studies at the University of Toronto, and the pivotal influence of his PhD supervisor, Dr. Cynthia Goh, who saw the entrepreneur in Darren before he saw it himself.

This conversation explores the critical role of humility and luck in business, the transition from a "perfect" academic mindset to the fast-paced world of startups, and how a specialized background in chemical physics became the foundation for a sustainable revolution in agriculture.

 AxCell Labs is a biotech startup company in Sherbrooke Quebec that is developing a new generation of biomaterials designed to help the body heal itself.
 
Their core innovation is a specialized scaffold made from bacterial cellulose—originally derived from a local kombucha culture—that provides a physical structure for human cells to colonize and regenerate soft tissue lost to trauma, surgery, or cancer.

In this episode, host Jim Wilson sits down with CEO Jérémie Chaussé to share the "accidental" origin story of the company, which began when two university students went door-to-door hunting for kombucha scoby to start their first lab culture.

Jérémie discusses the grit required to navigate a three-year master’s degree while acting as his own tax accountant, the critical technical pivot they made after a failed animal trial, and how their "scaffold" technology provides a new benchmark for reconstructive surgery.

This conversation offers a candid look at the reality of student entrepreneurship, the importance of securing intellectual property early, and how a bit of "kombucha luck" turned into a high-stakes medical mission.

Join host Jim Wilson for a conversation with Simon LaPointe, founder and CEO of EncephalX in Sherbrooke, Quebec.

EncephalX is a medical device company focused on helping people recovering from severe head injuries and strokes. Their main invention, the Dynamic Cranioplasty System, aims to turn two dangerous brain surgeries into one by creating a special implant that allows the brain to swell and heal safely without having to leave a piece of the skull out.

Simon shares how a college internship took him out of the classroom and directly into operating rooms, where seeing the reality of brain trauma changed his career path. He talks about the patience it took to study the problem for months before ever building a prototype, the challenge of starting a business during the pandemic, and how a "moving" skull piece can save patients from a second high-risk surgery.

This episode offers a clear look at how a young engineer is using simple mechanics to solve a massive healthcare problem and get patients home sooner.

Join host Jim Wilson for a conversation with Dylan Horvath who is founder and principal of Cortex Design in Toronto, Ontario. 

Cortex helps MedTech teams take medical devices from early concept through to commercialization, with a focus on designing for real users and the full set of stakeholders who influence adoption. 

Dylan shares how a childhood obsession with robotics led him into systems design engineering, then into industrial design, and ultimately into building Cortex into a specialized MedTech practice. They talk about the high-stakes Qualcomm Tricorder XPRIZE experience, what it taught the team about focus and execution, and why usability, workflow, and practical realities like cleaning and procurement can determine whether a device succeeds in the market. 

This episode offers a clear look at what it takes to turn complex ideas into viable, commercial medical products and the potentual pitfalls of the entrepreneurial journey.

In this episode of NGBi Lab, host Jim Wilson welcomes Loreen Wales, the Founder and CEO of Revive Wellness and My Viva.

Discover the harrowing origin story that fueled Loreen's mission: a near-fatal accident at age 19 that left her with a miracle survival and a relentless drive to transform how we deliver patient care.

From her early days as a dietitian in Edmonton to realizing that the healthcare system lacked a personalized, scalable plan for patients, Loreen discusses her 18-year journey of building a holistic digital health platform.

From the grit required to transition from a "bricks and mortar" clinic to a global technology company, to the reality of a "10-year overnight success," this conversation dives into the conviction and risk required to innovate in the health sciences sector.

In this episode of NGBi Lab, host Jim Wilson welcomes Akeem Gardner, CEO and Founder of Canurta Therapeutics. Discover how Akeem transitioned from law school and farming into the biotech space to build a company developing botanical drug candidates for neurodegenerative diseases, with a lead program targeting ALS.

From his unconventional entrepreneurial journey and the shift from ingredient supplier to full biotechnology company, to the stark financial realities of funding clinical trials, this conversation dives deep into the conviction and risk required to innovate in the life sciences sector.

Tune in to learn about his vision for Canurta Therapeutics and what it takes to found and run a startup in Canadian Life Sciences.