MONTREAL, June 28, 2012 /CNW Telbec/ - Ingenio, a subsidiary of Loto-Québec, awarded its $5,000 Research and Development Prize to Montréal company Tactus Scientific during the Grands Prix nationaux awards ceremony held at the Centre des congrès de Québec on June 20, 2012, as part of the 14th annual Québec Entrepreneurship Contest. The event was attended by nearly 800 guests.
As Loto-Québec's R&D arm, Ingenio has been a partner of the Québec Entrepreneurship Contest for the past 12 years, giving concrete expression to the company's desire to support new businesses. The Ingenio prize is awarded to the company that, of the 17 finalists from throughout the province, most distinguished itself through its contribution to research and development in a specific sector by supplementing its main activities with innovative accomplishments or original research.
Tactus Scientific designs, produces and markets ultra-accurate sensors for applications in the scientific, industrial and medical fields. These detectors help researchers measure the mechanical properties of biological cells to understand and detect illnesses or devise new medical treatments.
After more than two years of experimentation, Tactus Scientific created the Mosquito in 2010, which is an optical fiber tactile sensor able to measure microscopic forces and displacement. The two inventors, Tiberius Brastaviceanu and Ivan Pavlov came up with the idea for the device during their work in a physiology lab at McGill University. Dissatisfied with the tools at their disposal, they decided to independently develop an instrument that would better meet their needs. The Mosquito, Tactus Scientific's first sensor, is so accurate that researchers are able to perform tactile sensing of individual cells to determine their response to experimental treatments. The McGill University Health Centre and the Montréal Heart Institute are two of the company's clients and partners.
"The Mosquito will be on the market very soon," said François Bergeron, one Tactus Scientific's promoters and scientist with additional training in business administration. "The prize awarded by Ingenio comes at an ideal time, as it will support our marketing plan, particularly the development of our web site and our participation in trade shows." The company was founded in May 2011 by Tiberius Brastaviceanu, Ivan Pavlov and François Bergeron. Electronics engineer Jonathan Olesik joined them later. The team at Tactus Scientific brings together a variety of experts, particularly in nuclear medicine, radiobiology and physics. In all, the four members of the group are able to speak six languages.
The selection panel chose Tactus Scientific because the product it presented resulted from a long and consistent research and development process. In addition, the entrepreneurs possess recognized expertise in their field, and the project is supported by serious stakeholders in the industry. "The tactile sensors designed by Tactus Scientific can make a real contribution in a number of sectors," said François Sansregret, Director of Ingenio's Project Office and Chair of the panel. "We believe that this company will have a positive influence and are pleased to give it a leg-up in its early stages."
About Ingenio - Created in 1998, Loto-Québec's R&D arm focuses primarily on the development of new lottery and gaming products, as well as new distribution methods, with an emphasis on international markets. Over the past few years, Ingenio has made its mark through the originality of its interactive multimedia lottery games and its use of the latest technologies. Further information, visit ingenio-quebec.com.
Image with caption: "François Sansregret, Director of Ingenio's Project Office, Jonathan Olesik, François Bergeron, Tiberius Brastaviceanu and Ivan Pavlov from Tactus Scientific (CNW Group/LOTO-QUEBEC)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20120628_C5148_PHOTO_EN_15839.jpg
Jean-Pierre Roy
Director, Media Relations
Loto-Québec
514-499-5151
François Bergeron
Director
Tactus Scientific
514-563-1603
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