University of Toronto students are addressing one of Mexico’s most urgent health-care challenges: equitable access to life-saving diagnostic tools. Through a cross-border collaboration with Mexico-based GSE Biomedical, and with support from Kolab Ventures, researchers from the Reach Alliance — including students from U of T Engineering — are working to advance medical device manufacturing and distribution in the country.
The Reach Alliance is a global consortium of cross-sector partners developing student leaders to co-create climate, public health and economic solutions with hard-to-reach communities. As part of this project, a team from the Reach Alliance is conducting a social impact market analysis to assess barriers and opportunities within Mexican medical device markets. At the same time, another group of students enrolled in a capstone course offered by U of T’s Centre for Global Engineering (CGEN), are working to design and prototype a self-sampling device for cervical cancer screenings. The two teams come together for joint workshops and collaborative activities throughout the process. Both were recently in Mexico for research purposes.
“Collaborating across disciplines has highlighted how different approaches to problem-solving can complement one another and lead to engaging conversations and new insights,” says Samantha Unger (EngSci2T3, BME PhD student), one of the Reach Alliance team researchers.
By bridging the gap between research and practice, the two teams are finding solutions that fill critical gaps in care. In many regions across Mexico, where health infrastructure is limited, the availability of essential self-collection, diagnostic and treatment tools are scarce. As a result, many people in these regions experience delays in diagnosis and treatment, leading to increased morbidity and mortality rates.
Researchers are analyzing how GSE Biomedical, a medical engineering startup, can advance and innovate amidst medical barriers including financial constraints, under-resourced health infrastructure and high costs of imported medical equipment.
“University partnerships with private companies like GSE give real life exposure to real life problems,” says Ramses Galaz, CEO of GSE Biomedical.
“Both the university students as well as our organization, GSE, have learned from each other.”
As part of their work, the teams were invited to present their research to representatives at the Canadian Embassy in Mexico City, who were keen to engage on the international collaboration. The discussion underscored growing opportunities for student-led research to contribute to cross-border innovation, health equity and partnerships.
Faculty mentor Professor Sarah Haines (CivMin) is inspired by the ways in which a research collaboration between the Reach Alliance and engineering can catalyze meaningful global change.
“This marks the beginning of a much larger conversation about equitable access to healthcare and lifesaving technologies, whether it’s through cervical cancer screenings or non-pharmaceutical disease prevention interventions,” says Haines.
“By co‑developing solutions together through these strong partnerships, we can create lasting, meaningful change for hard‑to‑reach communities.”
With both universities and cross-sector partners in their global network, the Reach Alliance has provided key support to the students. Faculty mentor Jorge Membrillo-Hernández, a professor in the School of Engineering at consortium partner Tecnológico de Monterrey (TEC), facilitated introductions between the teams and biomedical engineers and health professionals at TEC’s Mexico City campus. These connections offered the teams unique access to local technical expertise and sector insight.
This joint project opens the door for future cross-sectoral, interdisciplinary collaborations and provides opportunities to prepare students to create equitable and sustainable solutions.
