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What is FIBRE?
FIBRE is a first of its kind academic research platform in the field of textile-based wearable technologies operating under The KITE Research Institute banner at Toronto Rehab. As a member of University Health Network, the number one research hospital in Canada, our focus is providing exceptional human-centred design, accessibility, and health. We are a consortium of academic, corporate, and commercial partnerships, and are committed to creating textile-based technologies as solutions to a healthier world. Our multidisciplinary ecosystem is interconnected and all-encompassing. From identifying individual needs to designing, prototyping, educating, testing, and commercializing, FIBRE embodies a vision for the future. FIBRE is an enabler.
Our Mission
Our mission is to make care accessible to people through technology by designing, introducing, and integrating smart textiles across the healthcare system.
Our Vision
To become the world's leading research platform for developing and commercializing smart wearable health technologies. Medical wearables have the potential to monitor patient health remotely, restore function, allow partner industries to reach and exceed their potential and provide the ability to treat patients in isolated locations who have limited access to resources.
Director of Fabric - Dr. Azadeh Yadollahi
Dr. Yadollahi holds a Canada Research Chair-Tier 2 in Cardio-Respiratory Engineering, is a Senior Scientist at the University Health Network’s KITE research institute (UHN-KITE), an Associate Professor at the University of Toronto's Institute of Biomedical Engineering, and an adjunct faculty at the University of Manitoba. Dr. Yadollahi is Director of FabrIc-Based REsearch (FIBRE; www.kite-uhn.com/fibre) platform, with the vision to deliver revolutionary textile-based wearables for providing equitable access to healthcare, wherever users are.
Dr. Yadollahi’s research is focused on developing digital technologies to provide equitable access to healthcare for people with cardio-respiratory disorders. At UHN-KITE, Dr. Yadollahi leads the SleepdB laboratory, which includes state-of-the-art technologies to examine the intricate interplay between body fluid and cardio-respiratory disorders. SleepdB has gold standard clinical equipment to assess sleep and cardio-respiratory function. Moreover, through special infrastructure that enables full control of lighting and acoustics, SleepdB can realistically simulate home or in-hospital environments for technology development and validation. Yadollahi is a strong advocate of inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility (IDEA), and chairs UHN Research’s IDEA committee. Beyond UHN, she leads and co-leads several national initiatives to train the next generation of researchers and innovators to design digital technologies to promote health equity and IDEA.
To date, Dr. Yadollahi has authored and co-authored more than 80 peer-reviewed manuscripts, presented over 150 times in scientific conferences, filed 3 patents, and been invited to give 78 talks on her research at prominent national and international academic institutions.
Smart Materials and Textiles
World-leading materials science experts will develop synthetic polymeric fibres (polyester, nylon) that integrate nanoparticles to create customized mechanical, thermal, and electrical properties. Biologists and biomedical engineers will develop textile-based electrodes that enhance regenerative medicine, wound healing, and deep brain stimulation to treat neurological disorders such as Parkinson disease.
Following the construction of these biomaterials, researchers integrate smart components seamlessly into textiles and garments, enabling them to sense bodily changes (i.e., heart function, temperature, movement), generate energy (ambient radio frequencies, patient movement), transmit data, and deliver therapeutic interventions.
Inclusive Textile Design and Fabrication
Garments will be co-designed by fashion and human-centred design experts, caregivers, clinicians, engineers, and end-users such as patients who are disabled, aging or have other conditions. Integrating industry-leading design and testing during prototyping stages will ensure superior quality control and promote commercial viability.
Prototype System Integration and Validation
Researchers will gauge the effects of designed technologies on clinical outcomes and delivery of care. Care pathways will be developed to integrate the technologies into rehabilitative procedures by establishing clinical decision rules, initiating validation studies, and integrating data into clinical databases. Once the information has been collected, researchers will use machine learning algorithms to analyze smart garment data and develop closed-loop systems. These will enable the garments to respond to stimuli and deliver responsive therapeutic interventions.
FIBRE welcomes partners who share our vision of delivering care through the use of innovative technologies. FIBRE incorporates a unique mix of multidisciplinary expertise from across the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and beyond. We believe our eclectic team of like-minded innovators, accrued by recruiting specialists across a plethora of backgrounds and industries, is critical to reshaping preventative and rehabilitative care. Regardless of your specialization, we seek to collaborate with experts of all backgrounds. As a partner, you are celebrated and woven into our structure.
FIBRE is a collective that prides itself on access. By partnering with us, you will gain access to diverse patient populations for product validation and benefit from the resources and knowledge of our academic and industrial partners. Moreover, partnering with FIBRE is a testament to your foresight. You will be among the first to recognize a vision that stands as a beacon for interdisciplinary collaboration, service, and innovation in a field that continues to grow exponentially.
FIBRE is proudly based in the GTA. Within this rich and diverse region, FIBRE has innovation hubs in Toronto, a city ranked in the top five for tech talent in North America and can easily tap into a network of collaborators across Southern Ontario. With the continued support of our partners, FIBRE will not only disrupt the healthcare industry but will serve as a vehicle to integrate smart textile-based health technologies across the education, transportation and sports industries. If you would like to join FIBRE on this journey, please get in touch.
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FIBRE by the numbers
50
+
Researchers
8
Academic Partners
4
Hospital Partners
13.5
B
Medical Wearables Market
Canadian Academic Partners
International Academic Partners
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