If your professor had three minutes to explain the merits of a widget to a crowd of Bay Street’s finest, how many could do it within the time limit? Not many, as evidenced by last Tuesday’s bioengineering research showcase held at the Koffler institute, where 11 U of T researchers were each given three minutes to speak to a gathering of industry representatives on the commercial merits of their inventions.

A panel of three judges selected the pitch made by medical biophysics Professor Lothar Lilge as being the closest to a commercially viable product. Lilge’s gadget uses light to identify young women who have the highest risk of developing breast cancer. The device scans each breast with red and near-infrared light. It produces a spectrum that illustrates the density of the breast tissue.

Breast tissue density is a significant risk factor in the development of breast cancer, according to Professor of Medical Biophysics Norman Boyd. Denser tissue, which produces dark patches on mammograms, indicates higher risk.

“Mammograms show that different women have different amounts of dense tissue,” says Boyd. But he found that the risk of breast cancer increases five-fold for women whose opaque patches cover more than 75 per cent of their breast tissue.

Breast tissue density is highest in early adulthood. Boyd says that is when taking preventative measures, such as adopting a low-fat diet, can bring benefits. “The risk of developing breast cancer is affected by cumulative exposure, meaning the time spent at a given density.”

With the device he has developed, Lilge aims to identify high-risk individuals and monitor their risk. “If you identify them in their twenties or thirties, mild interventions can reduce the risk,” he says.

Unlike mammograms, the device only uses light. Another advantage is that regular check-ups would provide feedback to each patient, providing reinforcement as well as a way to assess whether diet and exercise regimens are making a difference, or if more stringent measures like chemotherapy need be considered.

Lilge says the place for his technology is in doctor’s offices and cancer screening centres. “It could become similar to your physician taking your blood pressure,” he says. But the price per unit needs to drop, from the current price of $40,000 (USD) to less than $10,000 in order for it to be cost-effective. Currently undergoing clinical trials, Lilge says his device is starting to get noticed, but he needs to found a company in order to market the product.

By winning the research showcase Lilge will have an audience with a venture capital company, who will further advise him on commercializing his technology, says Darlene Homonko of the U of T Innovation Foundation. She was one of three judges who reviewed the proposals.

According to Homonko, a good presentation should be focused on the product, its market and its competitors. “It should not get into the gritty aspects of how it works,” she says. “The presenters should be product-oriented-we discourage general lab presentations.” She also mentioned that many scientists went over the three minute mark.

Technology transfer, which involves spinning off companies or licensing patents and intellectual property to outside companies, earned U of T $3.7 million in 2003-2004, according to the Innovation Foundation.