The Clinic Effect is a series, where we highlight current and past IP Innovation Clinic clients from our 15-year history of helping advance IP sophistication and support in Ontario and across Canada.

Once a novelty, 3D printing is now an integral part of innovation processes across many industries, from healthcare to engineering and aerospace, whether it is dental aligners or the fuel nozzles in Airbus passenger jets and more. Perhaps one of the more ambitious applications of 3D printing is Additive Construction (AC) and 3D Construction Printing (3DCP) and , formerly known as Printerra, is working to ensure that AC can move beyond one-off pilot projects into mainstream construction. 

We interviewed IP Innovation Clinic client, Leigh Newman, Aretek's cofounder and CEO, about how his ConTech (construction technology) company is innovating in the AC space and providing the full technical stack required for AC projects to scale.  

The Problem 

AC��falls under Additive Manufacturing,��a method of��creating an object��by��building it��one layer at a time��and usually refers to 3-D printing.¹ Though AC has been “technically possible for years”,��Leigh��explains that its adoption has been stalled because of three��“persistent” roadblocks:����

1. No clear regulatory pathway: AC falls outside of existing building codes; 

2. No locally sourced, code-appropriate mix designs: Building codes mandate parameters for additively manufactured elements; and,  

3. No trained workforce to operate AC equipment at a professional standard. 

“Our dedicated research and training facility on the 91��ɫ campus anchors that research and supports the hands-on training programs that build AC capacity inside construction organizations.”  

-Leigh Newman

The Innovation

Aretek, an AC Technology and Innovation Partner specializing in AC and 3DCP for housing and multi-story buildings, solves each of these roadblocks, so that AC can enter into mainstream construction. According to Leigh, the most visible of these efforts is regulatory. The company's research and training facility is based at 91��ɫ's Climate Data-Driven Design (CD3) Facility, where Professor Liam Butler in the Department of Civil Engineering at the Lassonde School has been working with Aretek through a multi-year research partnership to generate structural data and engineering proof that would help AC clear building code review. 

Through these efforts, Aretek was able to secure Canada's first Alternative Solution Permit for a 3D-printed structural wall as part of a net-zero, multi-story student residence at the University of Windsor, which is expected to be completed by summer 2027. In doing so, Aretek has laid the groundwork for a repeatable ‘permitting pathway’. 

Aretek is also working on printable mix designs, structural validation, and lower-carbon materials using Supplementary Cementitious Materials and industrial byproducts through its collaboration with eight Canadian post-secondary institutions—91��ɫ, Toronto Metropolitan University, Concordia University, Queen's University, Humber College, Carleton University, the University of Ottawa, and the University of Windsor. Leigh shares that Aretek's innovative practices also include AC integration into other modern building methods by combining AC with Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs) or modular system. 

What makes it all possible is Aretek.OS, the company's operating system built specifically for AC delivery. Aretek.OS standardizes design conversion, structural permitting, design-to-print workflows, and quality assurance. Leigh adds that this helps ensure that every project Aretek completes "makes the next one faster and more certain". 

The Impact 

According to Leigh, Aretek's most immediate impact will be affordability because AC offers a quicker and more cost-efficient pathway to housing construction.²

“AC offers a better, faster, cheaper path to multi-unit residential construction, which directly addresses the chronic shortage of attainable housing in both the public and private sectors.” 

- Leigh Newman

Leigh adds that a less evident impact of AC will be aesthetic. Whereas conventional construction has pushed neighbourhoods into a "defensive posture, resisting the boxy, low-design infill that often gets dropped into established residential communities," he says that AC remedies this. It allows more design freedom so that higher-density buildings can be better integrated into the neighborhoods they are built in.  

“That design freedom is also opening cultural possibilities. We are already working with First Nations who are interested in using AC to build with curves and artistic forms that reflect their culture, rather than being limited to what conventional construction can produce.” 

^{_{-Leigh Newman}}

The IP  

The 91��ɫ innovation ecosystem has been a key part of Aretek's journey from the research and training facility on Keele Campus to participating in YSpace programming. The IP Innovation Clinic supported Aretek through a tailored IP search and helped the company secure a grant they used for their initial patent research.  

“The IP Innovation Clinic has been a meaningful partner. They facilitated our initial deep dive and ran a thorough IP search to map other systems and competitors in the AC space, which gave us a clear view of where the genuine white space sat. ... The combination of the IP Innovation Clinic and the broader 91��ɫ network has shaped how we have been able to build Aretek as a platform company rather than as a construction firm with a printer.” 

^{_{-Leigh Newman}}

Next Steps 

Currently, Aretek is raising an investment round and are interested in strategic partners and collaborators who want to build the Canadian AC ecosystem with them. The company's target segments are purpose-built residential, missing middle, long-term care, and transitional housing. Their potential partners include:  

• Design/build firms 

• Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) 

• Architecture and engineering firms 

• AC operators 

1. Linke, R. (2026, January 29). Additive manufacturing, explained. MIT Sloan. https://mitsloan.mit.edu/ideas-made-to-matter/additive-manufacturing-explained ︎
2. Bayat, M., Kharel, S., & Li, J. (2025). On the Effects of Additive Manufacturing on Affordable Housing Development: A Review.��Sustainability,��17(12), 5328. https://doi.org/10.3390/su17125328�� ︎

The post 3D Printed Homes: A��Potential Solution to the Housing Crisis?�� appeared first on IP Innovation Clinic.

The Clinic Effect is a new series, where we highlight current and past IP Innovation Clinic clients from our 15-year history of helping advance IP sophistication and support in Ontario and across Canada.

When you think of healthy aging, what comes to mind? For many, it’s diet and exercise or managing chronic diseases as they arise. But, what if we could intervene much earlier to slow or even reverse the biological drivers of aging itself? That is exactly what Dr. Hyekyoung (Cindy) Sung, Research Associate and Project Manager in Dr. Gary Sweeney’s lab (Sweeney Lab)  at 91��ɫ, is working to achieve.  

Dr. Sung is utilizing her background in pharmacy, molecular biology, and translational medicine, amounting to over a decade of experience in academia and the pharmaceutical industry, to develop next-generation biologic therapies that address the root causes of aging-related disease. She is a CIHR REDI Early Career Transition Awardee, focused on extracellular vesicles (EVs), aging, and cardiometabolic disease.  

The Innovation 

Dr. Sung is leading a translational research initiative, “Harnessing adiponectin and extracellular vesicle biology to enhance healthspan.” She and the Sweeney Lab team are working to develop adiponectin-enriched extracellular vesicles, a novel therapeutic platform designed to target age-related metabolic and inflammatory dysfunction. Simply put, a treatment that uses the body’s own messaging system to reduce inflammation and support healthy aging.  

In parallel, the team is studying extracellular vesicles (EVs), which act like tiny messengers between cells, to help identify disease risk early and guide more personalized treatment decisions. 

“We’re addressing the urgent global health challenge of aging-related cardiometabolic diseases (CMD), including type 2 diabetes and heart failure. Despite treatment advances, most current therapies manage symptoms rather than the root causes such as chronic inflammation, disrupted inter-organ communication, and cellular senescence.”  

- Dr. Cindy Sung

The Problem 

As populations age, cardiometabolic diseases (CMB) such as type 2 diabetes and heart failure are becoming increasingly prevalent¹, placing growing strain on individuals and healthcare systems worldwide. These conditions are complex and progressive, driven by long-term biological changes that accumulate over time.  

While existing treatments have improved disease management, they largely intervene after significant damage has already occurred. Many therapies are designed to control clinical outcomes rather than address the deeper biological processes that drive decline with age.² As a result, patients often experience ongoing disease progression despite treatment. Dr. Sung’s work addresses this gap by focusing on the root biological changes of aging, instead of reacting to disease after it develops. 

The Impact 

The implications of this are wide-reaching, particularly for aging societies. By delaying disease onset and preserving physiological function, Dr. Sung’s work has the potential to reduce healthcare burdens while improving quality of life. Preventative and restorative approaches like Adipo-EVs could fundamentally change how care is delivered, shifting systems from reactive treatment to proactive health preservation. 

“By delaying disease onset and preserving physiological function, our innovation can help reduce the immense healthcare burden of chronic diseases, improve quality of life, and enable older adults to live independently for longer.” 

- Dr. Cindy Sung

Who This Helps 

 This innovation is designed to support: 

• Older adults at risk of metabolic dysfunction 

• Clinicians seeking precision therapies to delay or reverse aging-related decline 

• Biopharmaceutical companies and CROs exploring next-generation biologics or delivery platforms 

• Aging and longevity clinics looking for safe and scalable therapies 

Together, the therapeutic and diagnostic potential of Adipo-EVs allows for a tailored and effective approach to healthy aging. 

The IP  

Protecting this innovation has been a critical part of its development, with strong support from 91��ɫ’s IP Innovation Clinic. Dr. Sung credits Joseph Turcotte, Associate Director of the IP Innovation Clinic, Suraj Shah, Associate Director of Commercialization and Strategic Partnerships, and the entire IP Innovation Clinic team for their guidance throughout the patenting process. 

“I am grateful for the strong support from 91��ɫ, my research team, our clinical collaborators, and the IP Innovation Clinic. Together, we’re building a platform that could change how we treat aging and its associated diseases.” 

^{_{-Dr. Cindy Sung}}

Next Steps 

Dr. Sung and the team at Sweeney Lab are currently seeking:  

• Biotech or pharma partners to scale EV production and preclinical testing  
• Investors and translational research funds to support IND (Investigational New Drug) enabling studies  
• Collaborators for biomarker validation and patient stratification  
• Open to licensing discussions with CROs or companies interested in leveraging our EV engineering platform. 

1. European Society of Cardiology / Global Burden of Disease Study,��
   “Global, regional, and national burden of heart failure between 1990 and 2021 and projections to 2050,” July 8, 2025.��
   ︎
2. ��Eroglu T., Capone F., Schiattarella G.G., “The Evolving Landscape of Cardiometabolic Diseases,”��eBioMedicine (The Lancet), September 2024.��
   �� ︎

The post Targeting Aging at its Source���� appeared first on IP Innovation Clinic.

The Clinic Effect is a new series, where we highlight current and past IP Innovation Clinic clients from our 15-year history of helping advance IP sophistication and support in Ontario and across Canada.

Hip and knee replacements are among the most common surgeries¹,��making��advancements in join replacement care widely meaningful. ��Andre Hladio, Co-Founder and CTO of��Intellijoint��Surgical Inc.,��is committed��to improving that experience.��Drawing on his background��in engineering from the University��of Waterloo and a passion for MedTech��innovation,��he focuses on technologies that enhance patient mobility and support surgeons in the operating room.��

The Innovation  

Intellijoint Surgical’s mission is to improve patients’ lives by providing every surgeon with effective and easy-to-use technology. The company develops surgical navigation and planning products that support orthopedic surgeons performing hip and knee replacements.  

Andre describes the company’s work as an ongoing effort to create solutions that: 

• Help surgeons provide superior care����

• Align with the realities of today’s highly constrained healthcare system��

• Offer��viable��business economics����

“In short, the problem we are solving is a clinical one (i.e. improving patient outcomes), within a broader healthcare system and business context. Anything less than that would be��an impediment��to scaling, and thus at odds with our mission”��

- Andre Hladio

The Impact 

Intellijoint��prioritizes meaningful improvements to patient outcomes delivered in a cost-effective and responsible way. The company evaluates value in terms patient outcomes per dollar, taking a systemic approach to healthcare costs.

According to Andre,��Intellijoint��competes��with robotic technologies, which differ significantly from��the company’s��values.����He��argues that robotic systems tend to be “bulky, expensive, add time to surgical procedures and create significantly more surgical waste than Intellijoint." Meanwhile,��Intellijoint��offers an alternative that reflects its��commitment��to responsible, scalable innovation.��

Achievements & Milestones

To date,��Intellijoint��technology has been used for over��80,000 patients.��Andre notes this as his proudest accomplishment, emphasizing the company’s role in improving the lives of thousands of patients.����

Their key products include:  

• Intellijoint��VIEW®:��A web-based tool for planning hip and knee surgeries, including cup placement, implant templating, and aligning planning, all without needing Ct imaging.��

• Intellijoint��HIP®: Provides real-time measurements during surgery to support primary and revision total hip replacements.��

• Intellijoint��KNEE®: Assists surgeons during knee replacement by guiding measurements, instrument alignment, and bone cuts.��

The IP  

Andre offers clear advice for anyone beginning their own IP journey: start with the purpose. He emphasizes that understanding your broader��objective��is essential to��determining��the right IP priorities.��������

��“Excellence in product development and IP generation are intrinsically linked. In the��very early��days of product ideation and prototyping, we��sought��to get patent coverage and understand our patent landscape. We worked with the IP Innovation Clinic to help us get started on our IP journey.”��

_{-Andre Hladio}

The Company

To learn more about the company, visit their����and��follow them��on��.��

1. ��Inspira Health Network, “Top 10 Most Common Surgeries: What You Need to Know,” April 11, 2025.�� ︎

The post Intellijoint��Surgical: Advancing Orthopedic Care Through Accessible Surgical Technology�� appeared first on IP Innovation Clinic.

The Clinic Effect is a new series, where we highlight current and past IP Innovation Clinic clients from our 15-year history of helping advance IP sophistication and support in Ontario and across Canada.

When you think of public art, what comes to mind? If you did not say carbon capture, you would not be alone. Yet that is exactly what Vladimir Kanic, a PhD student at 91��ɫ, is developing. A transdisciplinary artist and the founder of Algyy Cleantech, Vladimir is redefining art’s role in society by creating living systems that clean the air we breathe.  

“My work bridges art, science, and biotechnology, addressing environmental challenges through carbon-capturing public art installations and carbon-negative construction materials.” 

- Vladimir Kanic 

The Innovation  

Vladimir’s latest project, “Growing Smart Cities with Living Algae Systems”, transforms public spaces into carbon-capturing ecosystems through living algae sculptures. They serve as functional artwork that can convert atmospheric carbon into breathable oxygen.  Vladimir also developed algal bioconcrete, a carbon-negative construction material using algae that turns atmospheric carbon into a stone-like substance. 

“My living art assumes an unusual function; it moves beyond aesthetics to operate as environmental technology, redefining the role of art as a living system, a tool for repair, and a model for regenerative design.” 

- Vladimir Kanic

The Problem 

Cities generate over 70% of global carbon emissions¹, and the existing carbon capture technologies only remove 0.01% of these emissions.² Currently, methods such as tree planting require vast tracts of land and decades to be effective, making them impractical for urban environments. Algae, however, are the planet’s principal carbon-capturing biotech.³ They can grow rapidly anywhere, and cities have many underutilized public spaces that could be transformed into algae farms or carbon-capturing art sites. 

The Impact 

Vladimir’s work has the potential to improve urban air quality and support climate-resilient infrastructure by transforming public spaces and architecture into carbon-capturing systems. This innovation advances multiple UN Sustainable Development Goals, including climate action, sustainable cities, and green innovation.  According to Vladimir, the primary audience for this work includes cities, real-estate developers, sustainable corporations, and city residents impacted by air pollution and climate-related threats.  

“Cities benefit by gaining practical, visually appealing solutions that transform urban pollution into sustainable resources, creating healthier communities, increased resilience against climate impacts, and opportunities for generating carbon credits and passive revenue.” 

^{_{-Vladimir Kanic}}

The IP  

For Vladimir, the IP Innovation Clinic at 91��ɫ has played a crucial role in supporting his journey. He refers to the Clinic as an “essential platform that benefits every student involved in research and innovation.”  

 “[The IP Innovation Clinic] has clarified complex intellectual property matters, strategized my patent filing approach, significantly eased the administrative and financial burden, allowing me to focus on innovation and research. ” 

_{-Vladimir Kanic}

The Next Steps... 

Vladimir and Algyy Cleantech are currently seeking:  

• Collaborators 

• Sustainability-focused investors  

• Research institutions and urban policymakers  

As the work expands, it could create green jobs in algae cultivation, biofabrication, and system maintenance, while generating long-term revenue through carbon credits, licensing, and public commissions.  

To learn more or connect, please reach out to idea@vladimirkanic.com. You can view Vladimir’s work on   and .   

1. World Economic Forum.��Net Zero Carbon Cities: Home. World Economic Forum Initiative. Retrieved January 13, 2026, from��. ︎
2. ��David Suzuki Foundation,��Why Carbon Capture and Storage Is Not a Real Climate Solution, January 2026. ︎
3. Käse, Laura and��Geuer, Jana K., Phytoplankton Responses to Marine Climate Change – An Introduction, 2018.���� ︎

The post Algyy��Cleantech:��Public Art That Can Clear Your Air���� appeared first on IP Innovation Clinic.

The Clinic Effect is a new series, where we highlight current and past IP Innovation Clinic clients from our 15-year history of helping advance IP sophistication and support in Ontario and across Canada.

From the increasingly commonplace use of wearable devices that monitoring vital signs to emerging breakthroughs in early disease detection, wearable technologies have the potential to transform how people engage with their health through individualized health monitoring and diagnostic capabilities. Amongst, these innovations in wearable technologies are Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCIs), systems that translate brain activity into actionable data. Promising applications of this type of technology range form using brainwave patterns to anticipate seizures to interpreting intended movements of individuals with impaired mobility.

However, the effectiveness of BCIs hinges on the quality of the brainwave data. Thus far, it is very difficult to collect accurate and actionable data outside of controlled clinical settings. Everyday movements, including blinking or speaking, introduce “noise” into the recordings, making it difficult to obtain usable signals. This limitation has slowed the progress of non-invasive BCI applications, including non-invasive electroencephalography (EEG) headsets and headbands, in real world settings.  

The Innovation  

Recognizing this gap, Dr. Hossein Kassiri, Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering at the Lassonde School of Engineering, and 91��ɫ alumnus Dr. Alireza Dabbaghian (PhD,’24), have developed a novel solution: An active digital EEG electrode designed to maintain high-quality brainwave recordings in everyday settings. Each electrode integrates low-noise amplification and on-electrode digitization, so the signal is converted to robust digital data directly at the scalp, greatly reducing artefacts from motion, cables, and the electrode–skin interface. Simply put, it is a sensor that turns brain signals into clean data right on your scalp, so recordings stay clear if even if you move around. Importantly, the electrode can be used for non-invasive EEG headsets and headbands.  

This opens the door to transformative applications in neurorehabilitation and personalized healthcare. For example, when combined with appropriate algorithms and interfaces, BCI wearables could support stroke survivors in regaining motor function by thinking about movement or enable more reliable EEG-based seizure prediction and monitoring in epilepsy. 

“Non-invasive BCIs live or die by signal quality. Our active digital EEG electrodes move the critical electronics right to the scalp, so each electrode becomes an intelligent sensor instead of a passive metal disk. That helps preserve tiny brain signals in the real world, not only in a quiet hospital room, and is essential if we want reliable BCIs in people’s homes, workplaces, and rehab settings.” 

- Prof. Hossein Kassiri

The Impact   

Recent market analyses placed the global electroencephalography (EEG) devices market in the range of approximately US$1.4–1.7 billion in 2024, with long-term projections indicating expansion to roughly US$3.5–4.7 billion by 2034, corresponding to a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of about 9.5–10.2%¹²³. Within this broader market, wearable EEG systems represent a rapidly growing sub-segment and are forecast to increase from approximately US$396 million in 2024 to nearly US$696 million by 2031, reflecting a CAGR of ~8.7%⁴.  Beyond EEG specifically, the global brain–computer interface (BCI) market is projected to exceed US$12 billion by 2034, highlighting accelerating commercial and clinical interest in technologies that translate neural activity into actionable information across healthcare, assistive technologies, and related domains⁵⁶. Collectively, these trends underscore both a substantial clinical need and a growing commercial opportunity for EEG solutions capable of delivering high-quality neural measurements in real-world, everyday environments. 

While EEG has long been used in hospitals to monitor brain activity, wearable BCIs could be game changers for collecting this data more broadly, allowing for continuous, real-time monitoring in homes and small community settings. Such devices can help reduce wait times and reliance on specialist care as well as help support early intervention. They also have the potential to ease pressures on healthcare systems while empowering individuals to take a more active role in managing their health.  

“If we can capture near-clinical-quality EEG outside the hospital, we open the door to much earlier and more continuous monitoring for conditions like epilepsy, stroke, and other neurological disorders. Instead of waiting months for a short hospital study, patients could be monitored over days or weeks in their usual environment, which is better for them and ultimately lighter on the health-care system.” 

- Prof. Hossein Kassiri

There also broader positive implications for Canadian society and beyond. Innovations, such as this from Professor Kassiri and Dr. Dabbaghian, contribute to a growing health tech sector while improving community health outcomes. 

The IP  

The IP Innovation Clinic, at Osgoode Hall Law School, along with the Office of the Vice-President Research & Innovation, at 91��ɫ, aided Professor Kassiri and Dr. Dabbaghian in their commercialization journey. Through pro bono IP assistance services, the team received assistance with patent searches, market research, and patent filing strategies, helping the inventors filing for patent protection. This IP groundwork supported the team’s successful application for a $125,000 Idea to Innovation grant from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC).  

“The IP Innovation Clinic and 91��ɫ’s research office were instrumental in turning this from a lab prototype into protectable technology. They helped us understand the patent landscape, refine our claims, and time our filings around publications. That support let us focus on the engineering while building an IP foundation that is credible for partners, investors, and public funders.” 

-Prof. Hossein Kassiri

Professor Kassiri and his team have also been connected with Ontario-based industry leaders and clinicians interested in piloting the technology. These collaborations are paving the way for real-world testing and integration of the electrode into existing medical devices.  

The Next Steps...  

The team has already partnered with neurologists to translate this technology into an ambulatory EEG device for epilepsy, and development of the full wearable headset is well underway. While these clinical and engineering efforts are progressing, they welcome collaborations that can strengthen validation, accelerate adoption, or extend the technology into new application areas. 

They are open to:  
• Clinical groups interested in outpatient or home-based EEG studies 
• Industry partners developing EEG headsets or BCI systems who see value in integrating on-electrode digitization 
• Strategic partners and early-stage investors aligned with scaling, regulatory planning, and manufacturing 

To learn more or explore collaboration opportunities, please visit the Neuro-IC Lab website () or contact Professor Kassiri at kassiri@yorku.ca. 

1. Transparency Market Research,��EEG Devices Market—Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast, 2024–2034, Transparency Market Research, Wilmington, DE, USA, 2024. ︎
2. ��Polaris Market Research,��Electroencephalography (EEG) Devices Market: By Type, End Use, and Region—Forecast to 2034, Polaris Market Research, Pune, India, 2024.��
   �� ︎
3. Precedence Research,��Electroencephalography (EEG) Devices Market Size, Share, Growth and Forecast 2024–2034, Precedence Research, Ottawa, ON, Canada, 2024.�� ︎
4. The Insight Partners,��Wearable EEG Device Market Forecast to 2031, The Insight Partners, New 91��ɫ, NY, USA, 2024. ︎
5. Precedence Research,��Brain–Computer Interface Market Size, Share, Growth and Forecast 2024–2034, Precedence Research, Ottawa, ON, Canada, 2024.�� ︎
6. Towards Healthcare,��Brain–Computer Interface Market—Global Forecast to 2034, Towards Healthcare, Pune, India, 2024. ︎

The post BCI Breakthrough: Advancing High-Quality Brainwave Recording Outside Clinical Settings���� appeared first on IP Innovation Clinic.