Myomar Molecular, a biotechnology startup that helps track and manage muscle degeneration, is the big winner of the Venture North PITCH 2025 competition.
The company took home two awards during the Oct. 2 Sudbury event — the Judges’ Choice Award and the Peter Dal Bianco Award — for total prize money of $15,000.
Founded in 2021 by Dr. Rafaela Andrade, Myomar uses a simple urine test to monitor muscle metabolism, which can provide insight into various conditions such as frailty, sarcopenia (age-related loss of muscle mass and strength), and muscle degeneration.
Clients provide a urine sample, which is sent to the Myomar lab for analysis and used to measure key biomarkers related to muscle metabolism. The company then generates a report with recommendations.
The idea is to detect muscle deterioration earlier in life so people can take precautions to live more healthfully and avoid related injuries.
The service is targetting people over the age of 40, women who are in menopause, athletes, and users of GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1) medication.
Although she hails from Halifax, NS, Andrade has relocated the business to Sudbury.
Venture North PITCH is jointly hosted by NORCAT and Northern Ontario Angels.