The Ottawa Business Journal is reporting on a Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL) initiative that could ease the nation’s ventilator shortage as we grapple with the COVID-19 crisis.
CNL is part of a group of companies working to develop an easy-to-produce ventilator using off-the-shelf, accessible parts available from within Canada.
The move mirrors one undertaken in Italy.
The plan is to have a design ready to turn over to domestic manufacturers by the end of April.
The initiative will still conform to Health Canada’s strict regulations, but the process is being fast-tracked to address all the related technical, legal and regulatory challenges.
It’s another case of applying CNL’s expertise as problem-solvers working at what is in essence, the largest laboratory in Canada.
Helping develop the prototype ventilator is no stretch for a company that has (until recently) manufactured medical isotopes used in diagnostic procedures and cancer treatments.
Additionally, CNL has donated PPE supplies and loaned out its inventory of 3D printers for the manufacture of related supplies.
