Page 89 - InvestAlberta-EDA-2025

Augmenting those prime conditions is the
province’s robust health-care data set, which
improves AI’s capabilities.
Mikata Health, headquartered in Calgary,
Alberta’s largest city, received $800,000
in funding from Alberta Innovates for the
development of its AI scribe, Mika. Mika aims
to help doctors complete paperwork, so they
can spend more time with patients and less
time at their desks.
CEO Kyle Nishiyama said in a 2024 press
release that the Mika AI Scribe technology will
help combat burnout in the medical profession.
“The technology addresses critical problems
of workloads and burnout for health-care
providers and will also help improve care for
Albertans,” Nishiyama said in the release.
By letting AI handle the paperwork, doctors
can refocus on the important work of caring for
patients, and even see more patients in a day.
Murphy says physicians report the scribe brings
joy back to their practice by letting them focus
on their patients.
Another Calgary-based company,
Symbiotic AI, was awarded nearly $800,000
by Alberta Innovates for an AI decision
support tool specifically for assessing
coronary artery disease patients for risk
factors. The tool helps doctors access
disparate information and analyze that data
to make informed decisions to treat individual
patients according to their unique needs —
something that is increasingly difficult for a
strained health-care system to accomplish.
While innovation happens in labs and
institutes, the impacts are being seen in
emergency rooms and doctor’s offices. Alberta
Innovates is working with their partners in the
health-care sector to get these technologies
into the hands of doctors, nurses and surgeons
who can use them to improve care.
“The potential for Alberta is tremendous,”
says Murphy. “We’re at the beginning of this
technology, and the opportunity is ripe for
AI in health care that can benefit the patient
and the practitioner.”
INVEST IN INNOVATION
Alberta is a place for innovators. One organization
leading the province’s innovative research is Calgary-based
Genome Alberta, which funds projects in a variety of
industries, including some of Alberta’s biggest sectors, like
agriculture and health. By investing in genomic research,
Alberta industries are staying ahead of the curve in this
constantly changing world.
Funding from Genome Alberta unites the province’s best
researchers, thinkers and entrepreneurs to come up with
new solutions to age-old problems. For businesses, Genome
Alberta opens new doors for increasing efficiency and
maximizing impact.
“Our investments are leading transformative projects,
and helping to de-risk R&D [research and development],
for precision agriculture, personalized medicine, bio-based
solutions for the energy sector and tackling environmental
challenges through innovative approaches,” says David
Bailey, president and CEO of Genome Alberta.
In 2022-2023, Genome Alberta provided over $190
million in investments for genomic research projects.
Genome Alberta is currently investing in expanding
genomic infrastructure and technology in Alberta’s research
facilities. With a total funding of $2.45 million, GlycoNet
Integrated Services and the Metabolomics Innovation
Centre will be able to broaden its datasets and improve
genomic research in the field of biology. Genomic research
on metabolics through the Metabolomics Innovation Centre
will equip researchers with new tools to assess exposure
to mycotoxins (toxic substances produced by fungi) and
measure environmental and dietary chemical exposures.
“Alberta is a hub of innovation in “omics” science,” says
Harleen Chahal, outreach and growth coordinator for
the Metabolics Innovation Centre. “With strong research
infrastructure, advanced equipment and access to pioneering
researchers, Alberta is an ideal location for advancing
“omics” sciences and their commercial applications.”
Across different fields, genomic research is transforming
Alberta’s economy, keeping the province’s key sectors
innovative and profitable — and attracting investors eager to
get in on the ground floor of new technologies.
AMPLIFY. ATTRACT. ACCELERATE.
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