Halifax, NS
This Halifax startup develops original optical filtering technologies for modern eyewear. Coloursmith is led by CEO Gabrielle Masone, who originally moved to the East Coast to attend Dalhousie University and stayed to build her company. The company raised a $600,000 pre-seed round in June 2019.
Coloursmith has had a global presence from the start, working with a number of world leaders in vision care. Its current focus is in medicine and eye protection, specifically blue-light blocking contact lenses. Coloursmith is also working on sport-specific lens applications, such as adding sport lenses to contacts, providing UV and anti-glare protection, and depth perception without compromising visibility.
“Initially, when you got the virus, it was thought you got it and either recovered or you died,” Lloyd said. They now know that some patients feel wiped out for months, experience sleep disturbances, brain fog and the inability to focus and other longer-term symptoms, she said, acknowledging the differences in symptoms people experience is something scientists are only beginning to comprehend. Emily Bodechon, a health-care worker and long-hauler in Quispamsis, is a patient participating. I got sick in March, said Bodechon, and was sick for four weeks. At the time everyone thought if you have mild to moderate symptoms, which she did, you would recover quickly, Bodechon said. But after a week-long reprieve from the illness, a new wave of symptoms arrived.
Dr. Vett Lloyd (courtesy Mount Allison University)
What will the long-term health effects and possible complications be for COVID-19 patients?
A study by researchers at Mount Allison University is now underway to find out.
Biology professor Dr. Vett Lloyd and her students began the project by launching an online survey last fall.
“We are learning more about this virus, and its variants, every day,” says Lloyd.
“Considering how many people have already been affected, and how many more will become infected as the pandemic continues, learning more about the long-term effects of COVID-19 is essential in measuring its full impact on people’s health globally.”
Saint John, NB, Canada / Country 94
Jan 28, 2021 7:31 PM
Dr. Rose McCloskey, a nursing professor at UNB Saint John, is partnering with the Loch Lomond Villa on a research project to learn how to prevent the spread of illness in long-term care facilities. (Photo submitted by UNB)
A research project which aims to simulate the long-term care environment to better understand how COVID-19 spreads bring together UNB Saint John and the Loch Lomond Villa.
Rooms will be built which are identical to long-term care facilities in 3600 square feet of space provided by the Villa.
Nursing Professor Dr. Rose McCloskey said they will use mannequins in place of people.
Today in Funding: PLATO, BreatheSuite, TrojAI
Three Atlantic Canada startups, PLATO, BreatheSuite, and TrojAI, have recently announced fresh funding rounds to fuel their growth. Here’s the latest on who raised, how much, from whom, and what they’ll be putting the new funds toward.
PLATO receives $500,000 CAD from Raven Indigenous Capital
Fredericton-based PLATO Testing has received a $500,000 investment from Raven Indigenous Capital Partners.
The equity funding round closed at the end of November, and will be used to support the training and employment of First Nation, Métis, and Inuit students as software testers.
PLATO specializes in training and employing Indigenous software testers to provide diverse software testing solutions to clients throughout North America. It focuses on projects that would have typically been sent offshore.