Corporate Fact Sheet

The Westaim Corporation

The Westaim Corporation invests in high-potential businesses targeting large commercial markets. Its two technology investments, iFire Technology and NUCRYST Pharmaceuticals, aim to be leading players in their respective fields. Westaim has created a template for success through hands-on leadership and aggressive commercialization strategies by establishing corporate collaborations or licensing agreements that accelerate time to market.

iFire Technology has patented a developmental flat panel display technology based on thick dielectric electroluminescent (TDEL) technology, which features low-cost and high-performance potential. An inorganic electroluminescent display technology, TDEL is based on iFire’s patented thick dielectric structure that has the potential to enable excellent video performance and color saturation, while enabling scalability and low projected capital and module costs for manufacturing.

Combining low-cost potential with excellent performance characteristics, iFire's TDEL technology has the potential to become an affordable, high-performance alternative for the flat panel display, signage and specialty lighting markets.


NUCRYST Pharmaceuticals develops, manufactures and commercializes medical products that fight infection and inflammation using its patented atomically disordered nanocrystalline silver technology. NUCRYST has a successful wound care business and is one of the first companies to successfully launch a medical product based on nanotechnology. NUCRYST launched Acticoat™ dressings for burns and chronic wounds in North America in 1998 through its own sales force.

Advanced wound care products with NUCRYST's SILCRYST™ coatings have received FDA clearance and the approval of other regulators in more than 30 countries and are sold by Smith & Nephew plc under its Acticoat™ trademark. Acticoat™ products are used for a variety of wounds by hospitals, clinics, burn centres, doctors' offices, home healthcare agencies and nursing homes.

NUCRYST's wound care revenue was US$30.1 million in 2007 compared to US$24.4 million in 2006.

Building on its profitable and rapidly-growing SILCRYST business, NUCRYST is developing pharmaceutical products with its nanocrystalline noble metal platform to address medical conditions that are characterized by both infection and inflammation. NUCRYST has developed its nanocrystalline silver in a powder form for use as an active pharmaceutical ingredient, or API, known as NPI 32101.

NUCRYST is researching potential NPI 32101 pharmaceutical product opportunities in dermatology as an antimicrobial barrier to infection and in gastroenterology for the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease, such as ulcerative colitis.