(Photo source: https://innovation.gg.ca/)
Six trailblazing Canadians are recipients of the 2017 Governor General’s Innovation Awards. UNB alumnus Paul Santerre (MScEng'86) is one of them.
The Innovation Awards recognize and celebrate outstanding Canadian individuals, teams and organizations -- "the pioneers and creators who strengthen our country, help shape our future and inspire the next generation."
Santerre is a chemical engineer and inventor of Endexo technology, a unique compound of surface-modifying macro molecules that are added to plastics during the manufacturing process of medical devices, like catheters. The special coating helps reduce clotting when the devices are used to treat patients, reducing the risk of adverse reactions and potentially deadly complications. Now being used in commercialized products in Canada, the US and Europe, Endexo is helping to improve treatment outcomes for thousands of patients.
In 2001, Santerre co-founded Interface Biologics Inc., a Toronto-based health technologies company. He served as founding president until 2004, and currently sits as chief scientific officer and member of the board of directors. Santerre has been published widely in peer-reviewed journals and is a listed inventor on more than 60 patents in the area of polymers, biodegradation, surface modification and drug delivery. He has held several significant leadership portfolios at the University of Toronto and is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Manning Award for Innovation/Entrepreneurship and a fellowship with the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences.
The awards ceremony was held on May 23 at Rideau Hall in Ottawa. Below is a video of Santerre receiving his award. Congratulations, Paul!
