Hongshen Ma receives support from Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research

image

Hongshen Ma, a UBC mechanical engineering professor, has received funding support from the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research (MSFHR) to develop technology that may bring protein-based medicines to market more quickly and cost-effectively.

The support comes through the MSFHR’s Innovation to Commercialization (I2C) Program, which was established three years ago “to help researchers advance discoveries or inventions towards commercialization” in the health field.

A major bottleneck in the development of protein-based medicines is the need to produce big, complex molecules in sufficiently large quantities for clinical testing. Ma’s technology will use image-based screening to enhance the production of such proteins, which are currently made using cells grown in a laboratory or production facility.

By supporting researchers in their efforts to strengthen the performance and commercial viability of their technologies, the I2C program ultimately seeks to improve health outcomes and enrich the health innovation ecosystem in British Columbia. 

 

UBC Crest The official logo of the University of British Columbia. Arrow An arrow indicating direction. Arrow in Circle An arrow indicating direction. Caret An arrowhead indicating direction. E-commerce Cart A shopping cart. Time A clock. Chats Two speech clouds. Facebook The logo for the Facebook social media service. Social Media The globe is the default icon for a social media platform. TikTok The logo for the TikTok social media platform. Calendar Location Home A house in silhouette. Information The letter 'i' in a circle. Instagram The logo for the Instagram social media service. Linkedin The logo for the LinkedIn social media service. Location Pin A map location pin. Mail An envelope. Telephone An antique telephone. Play A media play button. Search A magnifying glass. Arrow indicating share action A directional arrow. Speech Bubble A speech bubble. Star An outline of a star. Twitter The logo for the Twitter social media service. Urgent Message An exclamation mark in a speech bubble. User A silhouette of a person. Vimeo The logo for the Vimeo video sharing service. Youtube The logo for the YouTube video sharing service. Future of work A logo for the Future of Work category. Inclusive leadership A logo for the Inclusive leadership category. Planetary health A logo for the Planetary health category. Solutions for people A logo for the Solutions for people category. Thriving cities A logo for the Thriving cities category. University for future A logo for the University for future category.