One in eight people worldwide use psychiatric medications. But between long wait times to see a psychiatrist and months of trial and error to find the most effective prescription, many patients can’t get the psychiatric care they need in a timely manner.
Enter Axera, a startup formed by five students (Anna Ye, Emma Pollet, George Lau, Graham Taylor and Shelina Poudel) with backgrounds in three uOttawa units, Health Sciences, Electrical Engineering and Political Science. They saw an opportunity to solve this health care gap using their combined experience.
Using engineering, AI and health sciences
Pharmacomicrobiotics is the study of the interactions between the human microbiome and drug compatibility. By analyzing a patient’s stool sample and inputting the microbiome data into an AI predictive model, the AI can generate medication recommendations. Axera predicts this solution could cut wait times from seven months to just two to six weeks.
Axera hopes to secure funding to conduct a pilot study to validate its model. If successful, the startup aims to integrate the service in local clinics and then, expand across Canada and, eventually, globally.
Supporting student startups
Axera won first place in the Ideas category of the winter 2026 edition of the Engineering Pitch Competition, part of Design Day at the Faculty of Engineering. This competition provides a platform for aspiring founders to pitch their solutions to a panel of judges for a chance to win prize money and get support from potential investors.
