Imagine a contact lens that monitors a diabetic’s glucose levels through a person’s tears. Though not on the market yet, it is the patented wearable technology designed by Waterloo, Ont.-based Medella Health.

This company is in the homestretch of commercialization – a harrowing feat for many university-born concepts in Canada, as countless ideas never make it past the research stage thanks to high costs and years of red tape around ownership of intellectual property (IP).

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