From blood innovation to biodefence: Next-generation health solutions for soldiers and civilians

Canada’s history of wartime medical innovation illustrates how defence needs can catalyze lasting improvements in civilian healthcare. As early as the First World War, Dr. Bruce Robertson, a military surgeon from the University of Toronto, demonstrated the benefit of blood transfusion on the battlefield (using whole blood). Other Canadian wartime inventions included the use of citrate as an anticoagulant for stored blood and mobile blood bags, and the idea of a central blood bank. These life-saving advancements became part of civilian medicine after war.

Fast-forward to 2026 and the current geopolitical climate is sparking strong interest in dual-use technologies (military and civilian) within the Canadian, and global, research community. Under Canada’s new Defence Industrial Strategy, the federal government’s commitment to increase defence-related research and development offers an opportunity to think beyond the short term and invest in strategic technologies with dual benefits.

Scientific advances in medicine, biology, and manufacturing can be just as consequential as hardware in the battlefield. One rapidly growing field with wide-ranging applications in both health and biodefence is glycomics, the study of complex sugar molecules called glycans. Glycans influence how cells interact, how infections spread, how immune systems respond, and even how blood group compatibility is determined. Canada has also developed capacity in this field through a national research and commercialization network called GlycoNet.

Blood innovation offers one of the clearest examples of the importance of glycans. Urgent needs for blood in trauma care are often stymied by the lack of the appropriate blood type (A, B or O). The same is true for organ donations where matching blood group antigens is critical for successful transplantation. Most people are familiar with ABO blood groups as the broad classification of blood types, but less commonly known is that 16 different ABO subtypes exist (determined by different glycans), which are crucial for organ donation as well as blood typing. 

Canadian glycomics researchers are already advancing more precise approaches to blood group analysis and transplant matching, which has clear applications for both military and civilian health. Researchers at the University of Alberta have used 21st century glycomics to revolutionize the blood typing assay, improving upon the current standard that was developed over 100 years ago. The new assay has unprecedented specificity and is being used to develop advanced organ transplantation and companion diagnostics that enhance transplant safety and could reduce organ waste.

Blood type conversion technology is another example of Canadian-driven innovation. Researchers at the University of British Columbia and the Canadian biotech company Avivo Biomedical were selected to join the NATO Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA) 2026 Challenge Programme to further refine their universal blood platform. Their process uses enzymes to remove a specific sugar molecule from an A or B blood group to convert it into the universal blood group O. They have shown the same can be done on lung tissue and kidneys, demonstrating utility in transplantation.

Beyond blood and transplant medicine, glycomics research supports the development of new diagnostics and therapeutics. Researchers at the University of Alberta have been working on a new diagnostic for scleroderma, a devastating disease that occurs in 1 in 2,500 people in Canada. Environmental exposure to solvents, silica and other factors common to military deployment leads to higher incidence of the disease in military personnel. A glycan-based diagnostic for scleroderma is being developed to enable earlier detection and could support new treatment directions.

The Canadian biotech sector also includes production of bio-therapeutics with demonstrated dual-use capability. PlantForm has developed a plant-based production of the protein butyrylcholinesterase to neutralize organophosphate toxins (nerve gas). This protein has engineered glycans that extend the circulation time in the blood to help combat the toxins. It also has applications in civilian medicine where simple mutant versions of this protein can protect people from cocaine overdose. It is predicted to have a role in addiction and relapse control as well.

Canada’s biotech sector is entering a period of significant growth and generating important capabilities that fit the dual-use mandate. While some defence applications are more immediately visible than others, strategic investments should encompass enabling technologies that strengthen preparedness, health security, resilient supply chains, and civilian wellbeing. A broader perspective of dual use can enhance national security while generating long-term economic and societal benefits. 

Countries that lead in enabling technologies attract talent, generate intellectual property, create high-value companies, and anchor domestic manufacturing. These advantages are not built overnight; they grow from sustained public investment in research, talent, and commercialization, strengthening economic resilience and sovereign capacity in times of disruption. Programs such as the Strategic Science Fund have supported national research and commercialization networks working in strategic fields such as glycomics.

Canada now has the opportunity to build on its strong science foundation and deliver wide-ranging benefits across national priorities while sustaining global leadership. As in past times of conflict-driven advancements, the question is not whether new capabilities will emerge, but where they will be built and scaled. By aligning defence investment with enabling fields such as glycomics and other cross-cutting technologies, Canada can ensure that solutions developed under strategic pressure translate into lasting gains for both national security and civilian health.