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mariner Endosurgery:
        Finding Local
        Champions

        Mariner Endosurgery specializes in soft
        tissue surgical navigation for general
        abdominal and gynecological laparoscopic
        surgery.
        Its platform LaparoGuard achieved FDA
        approval in 2018 and it is now in operating
        rooms at Hamilton General Hospital,
        Buffalo, NY and northern Europe.
                                                  A place of assets
        The platform uses cameras and trackers
        embedded in the instruments that calibrate   Hamilton’s innovation infrastructure and intangible assets
        the exact position of the tools and provide
        crucial information to the surgeon on a   are a key differentiator as a place to do business.
        screen. It sounds audio and video alarms
        when a safe buffer zone in encroached.    Hamilton is ideally located at the heart of a globally
                                                  renowned health innovation corridor that stretches from
        Mariner emerged out of the vision of      toronto to Buffalo, serving as a gateway to the north
        Hamilton surgeon Dr. David Langois. The   american market. Hamilton has ontario’s largest port, the
        company was incubated inside The Forge
        and Innovation Factory, took second place   busiest overnight express cargo airport in Canada, sits
        in the Synapse Life Science Competition   at the fulcrum of Canada’s rail network, and is connected
        in 2016, and was able to secure a round   to an enviable network of highways. the city has 11.8
        of early financing through the Angel One   million square feet of life science infrastructure, including
        Network.                                  1.38 million square feet of laboratory capacity dedicated
                                                  to research, teaching and clinical work.
        The start-up also received investment from
        the Bay Area Health Trust, and has worked   Hamilton is also blessed by the legacy of generous
        closely with research and surgeons at
        Hamilton Health Sciences and St. Joseph’s   philanthropists who have supported health and life
        Healthcare to develop and refine its product.  sciences in the city, including Charles and margaret
                                                  Juravinski, michael DeGroote, michael lee Chin, David
        “All of that help and support was critical.   Braley, marnix Heersink and the ron Joyce.
        A lot of people took a risk to back us and
        champion us. And the Hamilton Health      the Juravinski’s created a $100 million endowment
        Science Foundation was our first customer,”
        said Mitch Wilson, CEO.                   in 2019 that supports collaborative research across
                                                  HHS, SJHH and mcmaster. one of Canada’s largest-ever
        When a delegation from Norway hosted by   planned legacy gifts established the Juravinski research
        the Synapse Consortium came to Hamilton,   institute to improve treatment of age-related diseases,
        the team at Mariner Endosurgery met a     cancer, lung and respiratory care, and mental health.
        surgeon from Oslo University Hospital who is
        now using LaparoGuard.                    “Hamilton has all the necessary pieces, from fundamental
        “We wouldn’t have made it without all     research to clinical trials, and from business development
        the players in the Hamilton ecosystem.    to angel investors, to commercialize ideas,” says David
        We would have died on the vine without    Carter, Executive Director at innovation Factory. “the
        Innovation Factory, The Forge and Synapse.   effort in developing and pulling together this ecosystem
        They validated our technology, our market   has paid off and is now poised to attract large, domestic
        and they validated our business.”         and international players who need what Hamilton has to
                                                  offer.”

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