Tricca Technologies Inc. brings futuristic research technology to the masses. Tricca works closely with Alberta labs to make inexpensive, portable, and easy to use metabolomic technologies a reality. The science of metabolomics is still young and growing at a significant rate. Despite the many potential applications of metabolomics and the growth of the field, many labs and companies have found it difficult to operate due to the expense, and complexity of developing these applications. Tricca has developed and is developing technologies that make metabolomic applications simple and inexpensive to produce. With our cooling system, biological samples can be shipped inexpensively without dry ice, and with our in-development metabolite sensors, specific and quantified measurements can be made affordably without the need of a post-doctorate and their thousand dollar machines.
Tricca wants to work with you. It is difficult and expensive to turn manual assays, or other lab technology into a working prototype. By working closely with labs, Tricca has developed its experience in producing prototypes that can bring-in investors or automate menial lab procedures. Whether you want to automate an assay, or develop a new time saving bench-top tool, Tricca is the company for you.
Dr. Scott MacKay received his undergraduate degree in Engineering Physics and his PhD in Electrical Engineering both at the University of Alberta. He works with Dr. Wishart and Dr. Chen and founded Tricca with them.
James Cook is a recent graduate from the University of Alberta. He is the project manager at Tricca and has been integral in making the first few prototypes. His work involves 3D printing, CNC machining, app programming, and embedded systems programming.
Dr. David Wishart is a professor at the University of Alberta Faculty of Science. He is a world-leading researcher in the fields of metabolomics and precision medicine. He is a Fellow of Royal Society of Canada. He has connections to industry and research in bioinformatics and the development of diagnostic medical tests. He led the “Human Metabolome Project” and is the current director of The Metabolomic Innovation Centre (TMIC).
Jie Chen received his PhD degree in electrical and computer engineering from the University of Maryland, College Park, USA. He is currently a Professor in the Electrical and Computer Engineering and an adjunct professor in the Biomedical Engineering Department at the University of Alberta.
Dr. Jie Chen is a Fellow of IEEE, a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering, and a Fellow of the Engineering Institute of Canada. He has co-authored two books, 190 journal and conference proceeding papers. He holds ten patents awarded, several of which have been either used in production or licensed by various companies.
Tricca’s colour sensor is proof that qualitative colour sensing works for measuring metabolites. Each reaction reacts with a sample to produce a colour and the degree to which the colour has developed is directly proportional to the amount of metabolite present in the sample. This colour can then be measured by a computer under controlled lighting conditions, and related to a concentration. After measuring multiple metabolites this way, the sensor device then uses a built-in algorithm to make a medical assessment of the sample. Quantitative colour assays are well studied, and affordable, meaning they provide an excellent alternative to traditional methods of measuring metabolites.
Tricca has developed a novel form of synthetic ice and a specially designed reusable plastic container called the IceKube for shipping frozen biological or chemical samples. With the IceKube, samples can remain frozen below 0 °C for >3 days and below 4 °C for >5 days without the need for dry ice.
Tricca is experienced in making lab tests work consistently and in the field. We work closely with labs to ensure that prototypes work with the operator rather than against them. Lab projects are dynamic and Tricca builds prototypes that adapt to the project.
