Cubresa’s Senior Leadership Team – (from left to right) Bob Schellenberg, James Schellenberg, Leah Friesen, Matt Hudson, Lisa Bako, Jonathan Li, Manjari Murthy, John Saunders. (Missing - Sanjay Shah). Photo by Doug Little
Business Profiles

A look inside

Manitoba’s Cubresa provides a world-leading window on the mind

If the last three years have taught us anything, it’s that advancing medical care and medical research is vitally important to the world. Medical research makes strides every day to improve the lives of patients of all kinds, and Winnipeg is home to a company on the cutting-edge of work to help dementia patients.

Making strides in Manitoba
Cubresa is a medical devices company striving to be a world leader in brain imaging. Its BrainPET scanner, designed to retrofit into existing magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machines, was developed by some of the brightest minds that are committed to helping Alzheimer’s patients and their loved ones. The BrainPET scanner provides human brain images for doctors to both provide earlier diagnosis and monitor therapy—plus it can also be used for epilepsy surgical planning and brain cancer diagnosis.  

The BrainPET system is intended to see molecular features in the brain below two mm in size. This information, coupled with the anatomical imaging obtained simultaneously from the MRI, is intended to provide scientists with new insights into disease research areas and in turn, help patients.

“After more than two decades without advances in therapies, there have been exciting advances made in the Alzheimer’s therapy market,” says James Schellenberg, Cubresa’s founder and CEO. “There is now hope for patients, and their families, as well for other dementias. We’re excited to contribute to this market, with the introduction of our BrainPET scanner—the world’s first commercial BrainPET insert system.”

Current state
The company has developed a “Foundational Client” program for early customers and has sold their first research BrainPET systems to Barrow Neurological Institute in Arizona, Lawson Health Research Institute in London, Ont., and the Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston with more coming onboard soon. “We are excited to be in discussions with other world-leading centres who specialize in brain research and offer world-class care,” says Schellenberg.

Cubresa’s Founder and CEO, Dr. James Schellenberg, is pictured with the Cubresa BrainPET scanner. Photo by Doug Little

Onward and upward
Known for its quality customer service and medical devices, Cubresa has plans for international expansion. “We have interest in our device from hospitals in the United States and Europe, and our device has been selected by three world-leading institutions already,” says Schellenberg. “From our manufacturing and R&D  base in Winnipeg, we will assist doctors and hospitals across the world to image the brain better. We have big plans.”

A hopeful future
As the population ages, brain imaging will only continue to increase in importance for medical practitioners around the world. That, plus new drug therapies for Alzheimer’s patients and a focus on mental health, there is much work to be done and advances to be made. Cubresa is proud to be developing solutions for the people that need it.

“Cubresa is excited to be a leader in the brain imaging marketplace,” says Schellenberg. “Our purpose is to make a difference for people who develop Alzheimer’s, dementias and other neurodegenerative diseases and brain cancers. We want to help patients lead better, longer lives with their loved ones, and it’s an exciting, meaningful and rewarding journey.”

Learn more about Cubresa and the BrainPET scanner at cubresa.com

Cubresa Inc.
800-136 Market Avenue
Winnipeg
204.272.2409
info@cubresa.com
Cubresa.com

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