Connect ’09, the BC Innovation Council’s (BCIC) premier event for technology start-ups and innovators took place last night in Vancouver and over 650 members of BC’s tech industry were in attendance.

Capping off the evening’s festivities was the presentation of the annual BC Innovation Council Awards and New Ventures BC Finalist Lungpacer Medical picked up the Emerging Technology Award. The Emerging Technology Award  recognizes a new venture at the pre-investment stage that has developed an innovative technology in BC and includes a cash prize of $25,000 which is to be used towards commercialization services for the technology.

Congrats to Founder & Chief Scientific Officer Dr. Andy Hoffer, Professor of Biomedical Physiology and Kinesiology at Simon Fraser University.

Lungpacer Medical Inc. was recognized for its Transvasular Diaphragm Pacing System. Its system has been developed to assist with the mechanical ventilation of critically ill patients in hospital intensive care units. Lungpacer electrodes are intravenously inserted into the body of a patient to rhythmically pace the diaphragm. This prevents or reverses rapid atrophy that can occur with muscle disuse in these patients. The Lungpacer technology results in faster recovery of a patient’s ability to breathe naturally, allowing them to leave intensive care sooner, thereby lowering hospitalization costs.

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