First Winners of Governor General’s Innovation Awards
OTTAWA—The Office of the Secretary to the Governor General is pleased to announce the inaugural winners of the Governor General’s
Edmonton, Alberta
The world’s first therapeutic medical application of nanotechnology
Nominated by:
UNIVERSITIES CANADA
Year: 2016
About the Innovation
Robert Burrell’s Acticoat, the world’s first therapeutic medical application of nanotechnology, is the first burn dressing to simultaneously kill bacteria and decrease inflammation. This revolutionized approach to wound care increases healing rates, reduces the need for skin grafts and cuts down on long-term scar management issues. With his innovation, Dr. Burrell has saved thousands of lives and limbs around the world.
About the Innovator
Dr. Robert E. Burrell is currently a Canada Research Chair in Nanostructured Biomaterials, the Sorensen Chair in the Commercialization of Biomedical Technology, and a professor and chair of biomedical engineering in the faculties of engineering and medicine & dentistry at the University of Alberta. He is one of the world’s leading experts on the use of advanced metallic films for therapeutic applications. He is a prolific inventor with over 300 patents and patent applications worldwide, including Acticoat dressings, the world’s first commercial therapeutic application of nanotechnology. He has received many awards recognizing his work on nanostructured materials in medicine.
