U of T Engineering researchers and startup boutIQ solutions partner to advance heart repair therapies

Professors Craig Simmons and Julie Audet, in collaboration with boutIQ solutions Inc., a University of Toronto spinout company specializing in AI-driven media optimization, has been awarded a $421,000 research grant through the Stem Cell Network’s 2025 Research Funding Competition. The award will support a collaborative initiative with the Acceleration Consortium and University Health Network to enhance stem cell-derived therapies for heart repair, with boutIQ contributing its proprietary AI-powered platform to improve the maturation and function of therapeutic cells.

Founded by Institute of Biomedical Engineering (BME) professors Simmons and Audet, with clinician-scientist Dr. Neal Callaghan and researchers Dr. Heta Lad, Doris Adao, and Alice Feng, boutIQ solutions aims to transform the way cell culture media is developed. The company uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to design complex, chemically defined media that accelerates cell growth and boosts physiological performance. This is an essential step for making cell-based therapies more effective and clinically viable.

“We wanted to start this company because our platform can dramatically reduce the time and cost associated with the development of cell manufacturing processes,” says Audet, “This is often a critical bottleneck not only for cardiac cell therapy but for many other cell-based biotechnologies as they are often struggling to address stringent and extremely complex cell culture requirements.”

With support from the Stem Cell Network, boutIQ will partner with Drs. Milicia Radisic (University of Toronto), Michael Laflamme (University Health Network), and Yimu Zhao (Acceleration Consortium) to apply its technology to cardiac regenerative medicine. The goal is to develop optimized media that improves the function and maturity of heart cells derived from stem cells, helping them integrate more effectively into damaged heart tissue.

The company’s recent success builds on its growing reputation in Canada’s biotechnology sector. Earlier this year, boutIQ solutions was named the 2025 BBTV Grand Prize Winner at the Building a Biotech Venture Pitch Competition for its AI/ML-powered approach to media development for regenerative medicine, biotechnology, and cellular agriculture. The award included $25,000 in research funding from PRiME and Medicine by Design, a $5,000 BioHubNet VentureConnect Travel Award, a prize package from STEMCELL Technologies including product support and training, and a one-on-one mentorship session with the Creative Destruction Lab.

“The U of T partnership allows us to apply our media optimization tools to cutting-edge stem cell research,” says Heta Lad, “It’s an important milestone for boutIQ as we grow our portfolio and continue refining our platform to support more predictive, scalable cell manufacturing.”