Yonatan Morocz听is in his final year of his PhD in the听Biological and Biomedical Engineering (BBME) Program听and听was awarded the听MI4 Innovation Prize, for his and听Prof.听Juncker鈥檚 innovation, AnemoSwab.听听
听
From the听CLIC Website: Diagnosis of respiratory infections is time critical, as treatments like those for influenza are effective only within short windows, and rapid detection helps limit transmission through isolation. Samples are typically collected via nasopharyngeal or anterior nasal swabs, which are invasive, uncomfortable and discourage frequent testing.听AnemoSwab听proposes a new method that captures sample material from exhaled aerosols present in breath using a small 3D printed device, the听AnemoSwab.听
Yonatan Morocz, PhD Candidate, Biomedical Engineering, 涩里番;听
David Juncker, Professor, Biomedical Engineering, 涩里番 - Scientific cofounder, CSO听
听
Q: First听and foremost,听congratulations on winning the MI4 Innovation Prize for听AnemoSwab!听Could you tell us about your academic and research journey听prior to听the creation of听AnemoSwab?听
I鈥檝e听had quite听a long experience听with research... it听actually started听in high school, which I did in Boston. At the time, I was volunteering at Brigham and Women鈥檚 Hospital, where we were working on intraoperative mass spectrometry. In cases involving cancer patients, we would analyze swabbed tissue samples from the brain during surgery to help inform real-time clinical decision-making.听
After that, I moved to Montreal for my Undergraduate degree at 涩里番 in Bioorganic Chemistry. That gave me a solid foundation, but I was always drawn to building things and exploring how ideas could be translated into something tangible. Following my听undergrad, I did a six-month internship in computational chemistry at a contract research organization (CRO), where I worked on designing drug compounds for pancreatic cancer.听After this, because I really enjoyed both designing and building things, and I wanted to integrate life sciences听in my work, I decided to pursue a听Master鈥檚 in Biomedical Engineering.听听
I joined David Juncker鈥檚 lab largely because of my interest in their work on 3D printing. Even before starting graduate听school, I had already bought my own 3D printer and was experimenting with it during the COVID-19 pandemic,听designing听and fabricating projects at home. That hands-on experience ended up being听really useful听during my Master鈥檚, and it also set the stage for how听AnemoSwab听eventually came about.听
听
Q:听Can you tell us more about听AnemoSwab听and how听this听came about?听听
When I first joined the lab, this project听didn鈥檛听exist. I was initially planning to work on bioprinting organs, specifically 3D printing structures out of extracellular matrix to create organ-like systems, and I worked on that for about four months. However, since I started my PhD at听the tail听end of the pandemic, aerosol-based transmission was a major area of interest. There were still many unanswered questions around how infectious individuals were, how superspreading events occurred, and听overall听how to better measure transmission risk. At the time, we听didn鈥檛听have strong systems in place to study this properly.听
Around then, research was听emerging听from Europe on portable aerosol sampling devices that could help estimate viral load and infectiousness. David showed me some of these papers, and we both became听very interested听in the area. At that point, I was already a few months into听my work in听a lab that focused on 3D printing and diagnostic devices, so it felt like a natural direction to explore how we could build on these developments.听That鈥檚听really when the project started to take shape, around January 2022.听
Initially, we were interested in aerosol sampling as a more direct measurement compared to nasopharyngeal swabs, which were the standard for COVID testing at the time. Aerosol sampling has the advantage of capturing the actual transmission vector, which can听provide听more direct insight into how infectious someone is. That kind of information is useful not only for diagnostics, but also for public health decisions, like assessing transmission risk or听determining听whether healthcare workers should isolate.听
At the same time, there was also a very practical issue:听people disliked swabbing. Because of that, testing compliance听wasn鈥檛听always ideal.听So,听we were also motivated to develop something non-invasive, something that would be as simple as breathing into a tube,听similar to听a breathalyzer, where the sample could then be used for testing.听
Within a couple of months, we had our first prototypes, although they were听very far听from the听final version. The progress was听definitely not听linear... we would make advances, then hit setbacks, then move forward again. It was a long iterative process to get to where the technology is today.听
We鈥檝e听been working on this for almost five years now, so there has been a lot of science and engineering involved in bringing it to this stage. At the same time, people now tend to understand the general concept much more easily, largely because of the shared experiences听we鈥檝e听had as a society through COVID.听
听
Q: When you were developing this innovation, did you have the idea that you would one day bring it into a competition like the Clinical Innovation Competition?听Was听this a goal for you?听听
Pretty early on, we听identified听that the technology was something we wanted to patent because it was novel, so it was implicit from the beginning that we believed it had value and could potentially be brought into settings like innovation competitions.听That said, there were a lot of听ups and downs听along the way, so at times that goal felt more tangible than at others. But overall, it was always at least partially in mind as we developed the work.听
We filed a provisional patent in 2024, and we are now听in the process of entering听the national phase, with the technology currently patent pending.听
听
Q:听What was your experience听participating听in the Clinical Innovation Competition, and听what do you think helped听AnemoSwab听stand out to the judges?听
The competition involved a lot of work to familiarize myself with the听different aspects, particularly the business side, which was a learning experience for me. It听wasn鈥檛听my first pitch competition, so I had already gained some experience over time. Initially, we lacked knowledge around the market and commercialization aspects, but through experience, and with support from the 涩里番 Innovations + Partnerships Office and the Technology Transfer Office, we gradually started to gain听a better understanding. That knowledge also became transferable across different competitions we听participated听in.听
In terms of what made our pitch stand out,听I think one key factor听was that it was quite different from many of the other projects. A lot of the other teams were focused on AI-assisted clinical planning or management tools,听whereas听we were one of the few teams with a physical diagnostic听component.听听
The innovation is also very听timely听and relevant in the context of disease transmission, especially with increased attention on emerging infectious diseases,听like hantavirus,听in the media. Understanding aerosol-based transmission is crucial for informing public health policy, particularly in how we think about the spread of new diseases.听
In addition, we have intellectual property in place (patent pending), and a clinical study听coming听soon.听I think the judges were able to see that this was a serious, well-developed project, and all of these elements came together into a strong overall package.听
听
Q:听How has this experience influenced your future research or career goals?听
The project and competition have听shifted my perspective a bit. When I finished my work at the CRO听prior to my Master鈥檚, I was听very impressed听by the resources and infrastructure they had, and I initially envisioned myself working in a company setting focused on R&D with that level of support. Now, I see things a bit differently. In the start-up space, even though there are听sometimes听fewer resources, there is a lot of room for innovation, and things move and evolve very quickly. That environment allows for a lot of flexibility to adapt to听new information, learn continuously, and iterate in real听time,听which is something I find very appealing.听
听
Q:听What advice would you give to students and trainees who are interested in translating their research into real-world innovation and听participating听in competitions like this?听
I鈥檝e done a number of innovation competitions, and I really think there is no downside to participating and pitching your idea.听The only听real cost听is time, but what you gain in return, especially听feedback, is incredibly valuable. It forces you to think about aspects of your project you might not have considered before. For example, you might have a great technical solution, but if it is too costly or not scalable, it may not be听viable听in practice. That kind of feedback has really helped guide our own development process.听
At the same time,听you have to keep听trying.听We have submitted a lot of applications, and the success rate听in these competitions is typically听quite low.听There are many talented people with strong ideas, so you are competing against a lot of them. Because of that, you听can鈥檛听give up.听You just have to keep trying and keep improving along the way.听
听
Q: Can you think of any modifications听you听made听after competing in other听innovation听competitions?听
We've听changed how we phrase what we provide and learned how to better communicate and market our innovation so that it resonates with different audiences. We now focus more on what will matter most to the people listening to the pitch. As a scientist, it did not come naturally to 鈥渟ell鈥� the work, since I tended to present things very critically. Over time, I realized I could adjust the way I present the product so that it is better received and more clearly understood by listeners.听
I have also presented this work at conferences, student symposiums, and other venues beyond pitch competitions, and each of these experiences has provided different feedback that has helped us develop the innovation further. Through this,听I have come to appreciate how important it is to synthesize information effectively and to communicate it in a way that is accessible to non-expert audiences.听
听
Q:听Is there anything else you would like to share听with our readers听or any advice for fellow students?听听
I feel听very fortunate听to have a supervisor who actively encourages this kind of work and leads a lab with many听previous听start-up projects. From the beginning, he saw the potential for patenting this and developing it into something beyond just a research project.听Because of that,听I think finding a supervisor who supports the direction you want to take and whose vision is aligned with yours is really important.听
If you are at the start of your program and think you might one听day听be interested in entrepreneurship or innovation, I would encourage you to keep in mind the potential commercial value of your work. Do not be shy about bringing those ideas up with your supervisor early on.听
听
Thank you, Yonatan, for sharing your insights, and congratulations on your CLIC听success. We wish you all the best on the road ahead!