Success Stories

A Thunder Bay Success Story

XLV Diagnostics Inc.

From the lab to the market:  Thunder Bay Regional Research Institute, Ontario Institute for Cancer Research, Sunnybrook Research Institute, and MaRS Innovation join forces to launch new start-up medical imaging company

In the medical imaging world, Dr. John Rowlands is a star.

His advanced medical imaging technology is already used by radiologists around the globe to produce continuous digital images, like those used in mammograms to detect breast cancer.

Now Dr. Rowlands and his team at the Thunder Bay Regional Research Institute (TBRRI) have a new breakthrough called X-ray Light Valve (XLV). It’s an inexpensive, efficient and portable alternative to digital X-rays with a fraction of the radiation exposure. The technology is of being brought to market under the name XLV Diagnostics Inc.

Dr. Rowlands compares the benefits of this new technology to that of the film industry’s switch to digital cameras.

The technology is expected to shape the future of medical imaging. It has a wide array of applications in radiography, but is less expensive to manufacture than current imaging tools used in the industry today.

“Manufacturing costs, based on our technology, would be one-third of the price of what it costs to manufacture a flat-panel system today,” Dr. Rowlands said.

That’s because the new imaging system uses commercial technology, like what you would find in a regular computer scanner, rather than medical technology.

A lower manufacturing cost means wider access to this equipment. The goal is to use the XLV technology in rural Canada first, then expand its use into emerging markets such as China and India — places where many people don’t have access to these life-saving tools.

The XLV system is currently in the first phase of being brought to market, with some high-quality prototypes in the works, but Dr. Rowlands can see future clearly.

“We hope to have our manufacturing facility set up in Thunder Bay, which would mean a significant number of jobs created,” said Dr. Rowlands.

Dr. Rowlands credits those who’ve supported his research along the way. Most recently, the creation of the TBRRI and its partnership with Sunnybrook Research Institute, Ontario Institute for Cancer Research, and commercialization expert, MaRS Innovation and the Ontario Network of Excellence (ONE) who are all working together to drive this research to market.

Research at TBRRI has been funded by the Ontario Research Fund – Research Excellence program.

Ontario’s best and brightest, like Dr. Rowlands, are changing the world through innovation, making life-saving technology more affordable and accessible around the world. And they’re making breakthroughs across the province – including right here in Thunder Bay.