Welcome to the second issue of The Blue Door Quarterly, your snapshot of the University of Toronto's industry partnerships. We hope you will find stories that inspire you to reach out and develop your own collaboration with our research, training, and innovation communities.
Toshiya Eguchi, Executive Vice-President & Executive Officer Responsible for Technologies of Konica Minolta, Inc., and David Wolfe, Acting Associate Vice President International Partnerships for U of T celebrate the renewal of a strategic partnership.
Melanie Woodin has been named U of T's next president, commencing her five-year term on July 1st, 2025. Prof. Woodin is a renowned neuroscientist who currently serves as Dean of U of T's Faculty of Arts & Science.
The University Health Network and U of T have established a landmark clinical data- and materials-sharing agreement to accelerate patient-centric research collaboration, an initiative known as the KITE Collaborative.
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U of T researchers partner with Insilico Medicine, combining quantum computing and generative AI with classical computing methods to create molecules targeting a previously “undruggable” cancer-driving protein.
11 startups competed for $100K in prizes during the annual Desjardins Startup Prize pitch event that took place on March 6th during the 2025 Entrepreneurship Week.
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U of T's research translation prowess was on full display at this year's Entrepreneurship Week, featuring pitches from U of T's hottest startups, more than $100K awarded in prizes, and insightful conversations with founders, investors and industry experts. Over the last 5 years, U of T-affiliated companies have raised over $12B in investments and created over 17K jobs.
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With over 240 attendees, with a focus onbridging the gap between scientific breakthroughs and real-world healthcare solutionsthis year’s PRiME Symposium brought together leading experts to discuss the latest advancements in precision medicine and drug discovery.
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The Centre for Quantum Information and Quantum Control at U of T recently hosted Quantum Days 2025, the country’s premier quantum science and technology event. Co-organized with Deep Tech Canada, the event brought together over 400 representatives from academia, government, and industry here in Canada and from around the world.
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The Centre for Research and Applications in Fluidic Technologies (CRAFT) will be hosting their 18th annual research symposium on May 8th and 9th. Come learn about the latest advancements in microfluidics.
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Toronto Tech Week will take place in Toronto from June 23 to June 27, 2025. The annual weeklong, citywide event will bring together partners from the tech community to host hundreds of experiences, from panels and fireside chats to demos, hackathons, open houses, social events, and more
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Meet the changemakers who are using AI to create a materially better future at the 2025 Accelerate Conference taking place this year from August 11 - 14 in Toronto.
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Interested in innovative technology, policy, social, or finance solutions for a cleaner, greener future?Save the date for U of T's Climate Positive Energy Research Day taking place on August 14, 2025.
Professor Omar Khan
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As the Canada Research Chair in in Nucleic Acid Therapeutics, Professor Omar Khan knows a thing or two about disruptive technologies. With appointments at both The Institute of Biomedical Engineering, and The Department of Immunology, along with affiliations to both the Medicine by Design and PRiME institutional strategic initiatives, Omar is at the forefront of two disruptive life-sciences disciplines: mRNA technologies and stem cell therapies. By combining these advances with expertise across a constellation of diseases and biologies you will find the foundational elements of the OFK LAB that Omar leads. In his own words, “We create RNA nanotechnologies to cure diseases and solve bioengineering challenges.”
Global interest in mRNA technologies exploded during the COVID-19 pandemic as these innovations became the foundations on which the most effective vaccines were developed. As you might imagine, therefore, Omar's work does not reside within an ivory tower. The OFK LAB is an applied science and engineering research group tackling real-world problems and finding practical solutions. Working with major global corporations like Moderna, his work seeks to create innovative drug delivery mechanisms and improve the performance of critical biological subsystems like the vascular, lymphoid, and immune systems. His work even touches on vaccine development and making agricultural systems more robust.
In short, Omar's work is centered on the development of nanotechnologies to enhance patient care, primarily through the delivery of nucleic acids to regulate gene expression for therapeutic purposes.
As a major player in Canadian health innovation, Moderna believes that academic-industry partnerships form the backbone of Canada’s Life Sciences Strategy. With world leading expertise in both nanoparticle and mRNA technologies, Omar is shaping the future of drug delivery, vaccine development, and precision medicine, making him a driving force in life sciences and biotechnology. Together, Omar and Moderna are striving to make a significant impact in the prevention and the treatment of numerous unmet medical needs.
- Rahbar Rahimpour, Moderna
Omar's research, though, doesn't only find its way outside of academia through his corporate partnerships. Emerging from his postdoctoral research, Omar was the Scientific Founder and Chief Scientist of Tiba Biotech in Boston. He has also recently co-founded Azane Therapeutics with several of his U of T graduate students, a company dedicated to commercializing lipid-nanoparticle based RNA therapeutics. Finally, as an mRNA nanotechnology and vaccine expert, he is regularly featured in television, radio and print news.
Omar is open to expanding his roster of collaborators to include new corporations, not-for-profits, or academic institutions. Reach out viaThe Blue Door or directly to Omar if you think you may want to collaborate with him or his colleagues.
Here are some ways to get involved over the next few weeks, months, and years.
U of T's Engineering Partnerships Office (EPO) at 800 Bay Street is a home base in Toronto's downtown Discovery District for companies looking to lease private office space or host an event. Boasting 4000 square feet of highly configurable multipurpose space and accommodation for up to 250 guests, the EPO is a great place from which companies can connect with U of T's talent, research, and entrepreneurial communities. For more information or to schedule a visit, contact the EPO.
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The Innovations & Partnerships Office (IPO) and UTEST (U of T’s accelerator for research-based startups) are connecting corporations with early-stage companies based on U of T research with an eye towards facilitating commercial relationships, offering opportunities for investment, or joining forces on projects of mutual interest. They are also providing those companies and other start-ups in the ecosystem with the IP literacy they need to protect their assets and promote investment and growth. Find out more about UTEST.
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Build your talent pipeline by hiring co-op students from over 130 disciplines across U of T at U of T Co-op. U of T Co-op students are best-in-class and ready to make an impact for corporations large and small, both domestically and abroad. Find out more about U of T Co-op.
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The new Social Agentics Lab (SAL) was recently launched by Matt Ratto in The Faculty of Information at U of T. The SAL aims to be at the forefront of Agentic AI research by bringing together academic scientists, the public sector, and corporate partners to advance the study and implementation of AI agents that inter-operate with human-centered organizational structures. Find out more about Matt Ratto.
The Centre for Research and Applications in Fluidic Technologies (CRAFT) is a hub for precision fluid control on the micron scale with applications in engineering, medicine, biology, and chemistry. As a joint effort between U of T and the National Research Council Canada, CRAFT aims to accelerate the creation, commercialization and adoption of leading-edge microfluidic technologies. Registration is currently open for the July 9-11, 2025 Microfluidics Professional Course, a crash course in microfluidics for industrial researchers. Find out more about CRAFT.
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U of T has catalogued the specialized equipment and infrastructure it hosts across its three campuses. These Institutional Core Facilities are available to be used by academic and industrial collaborators alike on a fee-per-use basis. Learn more about U of T's Institutional Core Facilities.
Think you know how to speak Canadian? Test yourself with this quiz put together by U of T linguist Sali Tagliamonte for the University of Toronto Magazine (with a little help from Microsoft Copilot 😉).
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We hope you enjoyed the Blue Door Quarterly. If you want to follow up on any of the above or learn about how you can form a partnership with U of T, reach out to us at bluedoor@utoronto.ca or visit us at bluedoor.utoronto.ca.
-The Blue Door Team
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