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Dr. Larry Wang

Dr. Larry WangA professor of Biological Sciences at the University of Alberta, Dr. Larry Wang’s research interest was in animal hibernation in mammals: how they are able to hibernate and what can be learned to help humans withstand cold temperature. Dr. Wang wondered why humans were unable to warm up from fatal body temperatures like animals do. For example, hibernating squirrels are able to heat up using their fat for bodily functions such as shivering.

Wang’s research led to the development of the Cold Buster Bar, a snack created to help humans produce heat by helping the body burn fat through muscle activity. The bar is designed to sustain exercise for up to three hours, using the energy from the body’s own fat reserves. While initially produced for the Canadian Armed forces, it was also applied to enhancing the physical performance of athletes, and even assisting those who want to lose weight.

Now called the Access Bar, the discovery helped Dr. Wang launch his own spin-off company, L & R Wang Enterprises Ltd., and is marketed worldwide under a variety of trade names.

Much of the information on this page is from "Patent Portraits, A Celebration of Inventions and Patents from the University of Alberta," published in 1996 by the Office of the Vice-President (Research and External Affairs) in collaboration with the Industry Liaison Office, now known as the Research Services Office.

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