Imagine a world without blood constraints.
That’s the vision of Avivo Biomedical, a groundbreaking technology to convert blood and organs into universally accepted types. This innovation has the potential to eliminate blood-type constraints and expand the donor pool significantly. As a UBC spinoff company who participated in Innovation UBC's Venture Founder program in 2020, Avivo exemplifies the power of translating academic research into real-world applications.
Laying the Foundation for Innovation
The story of Avivo Biomedical began in 2010 with UBC Researchers, Professor Stephen Withers and Professor Jay Kizhakkadathu. Their initial invention disclosure introduced enzyme systems designed to remove A and B blood group antigens. However, in collaboration with the research team, Innovation UBC's inventions and licensing team assessed the technology, and determined that the enzyme activity was not yet clinically viable. A second disclosure in 2013 showed improved enzyme systems, but clinical needs were still unmet.
Not giving up, Withers and Kizhakkadathu’s persistence paid off in 2019, when they developed a significantly enhanced enzyme system. Demonstrating improved clinical relevance, this innovation opened the door to commercial discussions with organizations like Canadian Blood Services.
Bridging Research and Entrepreneurship
In 2020, Peter Rahfeld, a student of Withers joined Innovation UBC’s Venture Founder program, gaining essential business knowledge and strategic mentorship. They moved on to the HATCH Venture Builder program, a collaboration with the Institute for Computing, Information, and Cognitive Systems (ICICS) to further enhance their commercialization strategy.
Their journey was marked by key milestones, including the development of a research collaboration with eminent organ-transplantation researchers at the University Health Network (UHN) in Toronto, which generated critical data on the performance of the enzyme system for transplantation applications.
With the instrumental support of Innovation UBC’s Entrepreneur-in-Residence, Karen Boodrum, along with access to networks of investors, industry leaders, and tailored programming, the team advanced Avivo’s business capabilities and established valuable partnerships. Through one-on-one coaching and mentorship, they not only developed their venture but also expanded their network in preparation for launch and growth. Notably, they successfully recruited key team members from their mentors, a pivotal step in shaping Avivo’s success. Graduating from the HATCH Venture Builder program in 2023 further solidified Avivo’s position as a scalable venture poised to deliver global impact.
The Merger of entrepreneurship@UBC and the University Industry Liaison Office (UILO)
Avivo Biomedical’s success highlights Innovation UBC’s role in supporting its journey, from the beginning to present day. During Avivo’s early stages, entrepreneurship@UBC and the University-Industry Liaison Office (UILO) provided extensive support. Today, these two units merged to form a unified entity, Innovation UBC to better support the UBC research community to bring their inventions to impact.
This new structure combines the strengths of both organizations, offering a seamless suite of services to empower UBC researchers and their collaborators. While Avivo’s journey began before this unification, the support it received exemplifies the mission of Innovation UBC to generate social and economic benefits for British Columbia and Canada.
This merger ensures that ventures like Avivo Biomedical continue to thrive, accelerating transformative innovations that benefit society and shape the future of healthcare.
About Us
Innovation UBC supports pathways for UBC’s research community to bring their inventions to impact. Through research partnerships, technology transfer, and venture building services, UBC researchers have access to a robust ecosystem of services and support to strengthen their translation opportunities. Innovation UBC is committed to strengthening knowledge and understanding of the commercialization process through mobilizing university inventions for society's benefit. Our goal is to accelerate UBC research inventions to global impact with focused support rooted in removing systemic barriers across the continuum of research translation activities.
