Telus supports 3D printing of swabs at CHUM

MONTREAL – The TELUS Friendly Future Foundation has made a major donation of $170,000 to the Centre hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal (CHUM) and its Research Centre to support an innovative project directly focused on the needs arising from the health crisis. The funds will help develop an alternative to nasopharyngeal swabs to address anticipated shortages of traditional swabs.

To achieve this, researchers at the Research Centre of the CHUM are focusing on a 3D printing strategy where engineers, researchers and clinicians combine their efforts to design, prototype and manufacture materials that will be tested by clinicians to address critical supply chain shortages.

“In the face of this urgent need for action, the Fondation du CHUM is extremely grateful that its project has been selected by the TELUS Friendly Future Foundation. It is an honour to be able to count on this support to carry out the research project for the production and 3D printing of swabs, an innovative project where cutting-edge technology allows us to develop autonomy to better cope with the current crisis,” said Julie Chaurette (pictured), president and chief executive officer of the Fondation du CHUM.

Since nasopharyngeal swabs are the preferred sampling method for rapid detection of COVID-19, it is essential to find an alternative to traditional swabs. This will allow teams at the CHUM, a specialized COVID-19 facility, to maintain their ability to diagnose infected patients, and to then isolate them and limit the spread of the virus within the population.

“Thanks to the innovative solutions of the Fondation du CHUM, we are confident that our contribution will facilitate COVID-19 screening in Quebec. Staying true to its social mission to build a promising future through technology, the TELUS Friendly Future Foundation is proud to contribute financially to the research and production of a new generation of swabs to prevent the spread of coronavirus within our communities,” said François Gratton, executive vice-president, group president, TELUS and chair, TELUS Health and TELUS Québec.

About the Fondation du CHUM
The Fondation’s mission is to provide a complementary source of funding for the CHUM. These funds will work to ensure that the centre maintains its status as a standard-setting and internationally recognized institution for medical treatment, teaching and research. The Fondation du CHUM serves as a catalyst and a driving force in carrying out the CHUM’s mission, with its numerous initiatives, fundraising activities (direct mailings, canvassing of individual donors, private foundations and corporations) and its capital fundraising campaign. It organizes benefit events whose reputation is now established. The Fondation also engages in complementary initiatives (which include the Clinique Santé-voyage) that have allowed it to achieve self-sustainability. To learn more about the Fondation du CHUM, visit https://fondationduchum.com/en/ or follow us on Facebook (facebook.com/FondationCHUM)

About TELUS
TELUS is a dynamic, world-leading communications and information technology company with $14.7 billion in annual revenue and 15.2 million customer connections spanning wireless, data, IP, voice, television, entertainment, video and security. We leverage our global-leading technology to enable remarkable human outcomes. Our long-standing commitment to putting customers first fuels every aspect of our business, making us a distinct leader in customer service excellence and loyalty. TELUS Health is Canada’s largest health care IT provider, and TELUS International delivers the most innovative business process solutions to some of the world’s most established brands.