While reading the newspaper, you might see a story about a researcher who makes a discovery regarding the role of an enzyme or protein in a particular disease; another researcher might determine that one way of delivering healthcare services is more effective than another. But how does this information affect you? Knowledge translation and technology commercialization are two different ways that researchers transform the knowledge from research into direct benefits for your health

Story by Connie Bryson/Illustrations by Simon Kim

Dr. Breanne Everett always pictured her career in medicine as a straight line: undergraduate degree in science, medical school, residency, fellowship, and then a university appointment. But during her residency in the Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at the University of Calgary, Dr. Everett veered off the “straight and narrow.” She is now the president and CEO of a medical technology start-up company.

It all began with a clinical problem: diabetic foot infections and ulcers, which are one of the main complications of diabetes. The ulcers are most often caused by peripheral neuropathy—a condition in which the nerves of the hands and feet don’t work properly. This lack of sensory feedback can leave diabetic patients unaware that serious complications are developing, especially in their feet. In Canada and the U.S., 7% of people are diagnosed with diabetes; half of all diabetics develop peripheral neuropathy.

“Because their feet are numb, they are unaware when pressure is building up and so don’t change positions to unload the pressure. The result is tissue damage,” explains Dr. Everett. “I wondered whether it would be possible to use a sensor to substitute for the damaged nerves and alert the patient when there was excess pressure in their feet.” She consulted with medical colleagues and was eventually directed to Kip Fyfe, the co-founder of Dynastream Innovations Inc., an Alberta company that is a world leader in wireless technology for sport, fitness, and health monitoring. When Dr. Everett presented her vision to Fyfe, he immediately told her: “This is a company, not a research project. You should set it up now.” Dr. Everett recalls being shocked by the advice. “Founding a company had never even crossed my mind,” she says.

Nonetheless, Dr. Everett took the advice and founded Orpyx Medical Technologies Inc. in May 2010, along with engineer Marcel Groenland. At the time, Groenland was still in school, and Dr. Everett was working as a resident in plastic surgery. By the summer of 2011, both Groenland and Dr. Everett, who took a leave from her residency, were working full-time at Orpyx. In addition to her duties at Orpyx, Dr. Everett enrolled in the executive MBA program at the Haskayne School of Business at the University of Calgary. “I needed the business background and doing an MBA is really helping,” she says.

The company is close to commercializing its first product, the SurroSense Rx, and other products are in development (see Cool tools). Dr. Everett notes that Orpyx products are not only designed for use by people with diabetes. Although about 60% of the cases of peripheral neuropathy are caused by diabetes, neuropathy has other causes, and the pressure-sensing products would work just as well in those applications.

Looking back on her intense initiation into entrepreneurship, Dr. Everett is keen to encourage more of her medical colleagues to try their hand at it. “Physicians have a unique window into health problems that require innovative solutions, but the culture of commercialization is less developed in medicine. Because we think linearly about our careers, the possibility of diverting from the path never comes up. In medical school and in residency, commercialization should be presented as a legitimate career choice. Obviously, this career path is not for everyone, but it would get people thinking. There’s a real opportunity to make your mark in a very big space.”