The 2012 BioInnovation Challenge at BioPort Atlantic will be a larger event than last year, featuring seven participants, of whom at least three, have raised money previously.

The BioInnovation Challenge was launched in 2011 as the competitive event at BioPort, the main conference for biosciences in Nova Scotia. There were five participants last year, and ABK Biomedical, which is developing a product for the treatment of benign tumors in women, emerged with the $30,000 first prize.

The finalists -- a strong field given that almost half are proven to be investment-ready -- are:

* Dartmouth Medical Research, which is developing an absorbable bone glue to replace plates and screws in the repair of facial and small joint fractures.

* DeCell Technologies Inc, which is developing tissue repair products for the treatment of skin and other soft tissue conditions.

* Coccicorp, which is devising treatments for Coccidiodomycosis, or Valley Fever, a serious fungal infection that is difficult to detect and treat.

* Densitas, whose technology measures the density of breast tissue, an indicator of one of the risks for breast cancer.

* Mindful Scientific, which has developed the Halifax Consciousness Scanner technology to assess concussions. The company has already attracted angel funding from U.K. investor Permjot Valia.

* Performance Genomics, which is working on technology to predict reproductive longevity and fertility in dairy cattle. It has raised two rounds of Cedif financing and secured a loan from the Atlantic Innovation Fund. 

* And, SABRTech, which is developing a bioreactor to produce algae-based bio-products such as fuel, food additives and composites. The company this year won $300,000 in prize money and investment in Innovacorp’s CleanTech Open.

The winner of the BioInnovation Challenge will receive a $10,000 seed investment and a package of support services and mentoring valued at more than $30,000.