The Thompson Research Group has won first prize at a Pitch Competition hosted by the Sam Ibrahim Centre for Inclusive Excellence in Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Leadership (SICIEEIL) for founders within their Level Up, entrepreneurship training program.
Dr. Soha Ahmadi, a postdoctoral fellow at the Department of Chemistry, pitched the Thompson group's groundbreaking electrochemical biosensor for early detection of ovarian cancer—a device designed for rapid, accessible diagnostics at the point of care. "This award celebrates the innovation and real-world impact behind our mission to change the future of women's health by enabling faster, more accessible diagnostics."
Ovarian cancer is known as “the silent killer” because it hides without symptoms until it is too late for effective treatment, said Ahmadi. Over 80% of patients are diagnosed at advanced stages, when survival rates drop below 20%. Early detection can lead to survival rates of over 90%, but there is currently no effective early detection method.
“Our research group has been developing various biosensors for LPA detection. Among these, our electrochemical biosensor stands out as the most promising. It is sensitive, cost-effective, and requires no sample preparation.”
The Sam Ibrahim Centre (SICIEEIL) is a U of T accelerator dedicated to empowering entrepreneurs across every stage of their journey, from idea conception to business scaling and groundbreaking research.
The successful pitch comes on the heels of Professor Michael Thompson's being named in April as one of eighteen faculty members across the three U of T campuses who have been recognized with 2024-25 Connaught Innovation Awards in support of this research. Read the full article at Chemistry Stories.