Life Sciences BC News, April 18, 2024

An active week for LSBC with events across both the country and the border. Our President & CEO Wendy Hurlburt joined the excitement in Toronto at this year’s Bloom Burton Healthcare Investor Conference. Xenon President & CEO Ian Mortimer highlighted Xenon’s significant progress towards advancing therapeutics for the treatment of neurological disorders. Several LSBC members also presented, including AbCellera, Eupraxia, Abdera, ESSA Pharma, Zymeworks, Aurinia, Zucara, Canary Medical, WELL Health, Notch Therapeutics, Gandeeva Therapeutics, and Mesentech.

LSBC Director of Partnerships and Events, Ryan Butt was also on the road at INNOVATEwest in Vancouver and Life Science Washington's Life Science Innovation Northwest in Seattle. At INNOVATEwest Rob Fraser, President & CSO of LSBC member Molecular You, took part in a fascinating panel and we also heard from Sue Paish, CEO of Digital.

LSBC presenting companies at Life Science Innovation Northwest in Seattle included Aspect Biosystems, Pfizer, Zymeworks, and Gilead Sciences.

The federal budget was released on April 16, with nearly $53B in new spending over five years, some of which is offset by $18.1 billion in new tax revenue including a change in capital gains inclusion. The budget includes announcements around the Pharmacare Act, which will provide single-payer coverage for essential medicines, funding to mitigate drug and medical device shortages, and $150 million per year for enhancements to the SR&ED program, with the patent box regime still under review. 

Research funding receives a $1.8 billion boost over five years, with a new capstone research funding organization and the establishment of an advisory Council on Science and Innovation. Postgraduates and postdocs will be happy to hear stipends will rise by the largest amount in 20 years, adding 1720 scholarships and fellowships after five years. The budget also announced $30 million over three years to support Indigenous participation in research.

Congratulations to TRIUMF, Canada’s sub-atomic physics research laboratory, located on the University of British Columbia’s Vancouver campus for receiving $399.8 million over five years. This investment will upgrade infrastructure at the world’s largest cyclotron particle accelerator, positioning TRIUMF, and the partnering Canadian research universities, at the forefront of physics research and enabling new medical breakthroughs and treatments, from drug development to cancer therapy. 

Member Highlights 

UBC adds 778 new student spaces in technology and life sciences, including 58 new spaces in graduate programs at the School of Biomedical Engineering, helping to address the growing demand for skilled talent. Two new programs will be introduced, a Bachelor of Data Science on the Vancouver campus, and a Master of Science in Biotechnology on the Okanagan campus. Read more.

Sanofi Canada makes a significant move to minimize environmental impact. Sanofi is investing $180M to build and update infrastructure to reduce carbon emissions by 30% and water usage by 20% across its 54-acre Toronto Campus by 2025. Read more.

WELL Health expands its Canadian clinic network, with an acquisition from Shoppers Drug Mart and adds ten clinics to its tech-enabled healthcare services. Read more.

New Members

IQVIA is a leading global provider of advanced analytics, technology solutions, and clinical research services to the life sciences industry. 

Avison Young creates a positive impact through commercial real estate to create healthy, productive workplaces for employees.

[Individual] Loki Jörgenson is a dynamic leader with 20+ years of tech startup experience in IT, Fintech, and Medtech. Loki provides strategic vision and direction, having developed emerging technologies from computational physics to data-intensive, machine learning, and predictive solutions. Today, he leads innovation and strategy at non-profit Circle Innovation.

Industry Highlights

The Patented Medicine Prices Review Board (PMPRB) will publish a discussion guide in summer 2024. The PMPRB is updating their guidelines to amend the Patented Medicines Regulations, that came into effect on July 1, 2022. These are used to review the prices of patented medicines and identify potential cases of excessive pricing. Read more.

Apotex acquires fast-growing pharmaceutical supplier Searchlight Pharma. In a significant move to diversify ahead of an expected initial public offering, Apotex which sells generics and biosimilars gains a foothold in patented drugs with Searchlight. More than 90 percent of Searchlight’s sales are in Canada, and it typically imports products from licensors. The addition of Searchlight changes the profile of Apotex, adding a growth driver to its business. Read more (subscription required).

Kudos

Congratulations to Michelle Sklar, Head of Venture Growth Strategy and Entrepreneur-in-Residence at entrepreneurship@ubc, who won the Community Builder category of the BCBusiness 2024 Women of the Year awards. Read more.

Kudos to Hamed Shahbazi, Founder, Chairman, & CEO of WELL Health Technologies, for being named the top healthcare innovator on Maclean’s 2024 Power List: Healthcare. Hear from Hamed and other trailblazing life sciences leaders at our upcoming Digital Health Conference on April 25. Read more.

People on the Move

InMed appoints Dr. David G. Morgan, PhD, a leading Alzheimer’s expert, to the company’s Scientific Advisory Board. Learn more. 

Applications Open

The Terry Fox Research Institute announced that their 2025 Funding Competitions are now open. The Terry Fox New Frontiers Program Project Grants support Canadian multidisciplinary teams exploring new frontiers in cancer research. The Terry Fox New Investigator Awards provide grants to outstanding young leaders developing their careers in cancer research. Letters of intent for both programs are due in June 2024. Learn more.

A new grant from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research is available for community-based research in one of four specialized research areas. $1.62 million is available to fund 13 grants. Apply by September 12, 2024. Learn more.

Applications are open for Amgen’s 2024 RAREis Global Advocate Grant. 75 grants worth $5,000 are available for global rare disease advocacy organizations providing support through community programs and disease education initiatives. Apply by May 31, 2024. Learn more.

The Greater Vancouver Board of Trade’s Trade Accelerator Program (TAP) is holding a Women- Led Cohort in June 2024. TAP is a 5-day program helping SMEs navigate the complex global trade ecosystem, accelerate export readiness, implement a market entry plan, and much more. Applications are due May 23, 2024. Learn more.

See our expanded list of current life sciences application opportunities on our website.

Member Spotlight

NervGen (TSX-V: NGEN, OTCQX: NGENF) is a clinical stage biotech company dedicated to developing innovative treatments that enable the nervous system to repair itself following damage, whether due to injury or disease. NervGen’s lead drug candidate, NVG-291, is being evaluated in a Phase 1b/2a clinical trial. The company’s lead target indication is spinal cord injury...Learn more.

Until next week!

LSBC Team

April 25 - We are thrilled to launch our inaugural Digital Health Conference on April 25, 2024. 

This day-long event will connect sector leaders for in-depth discussions on the important role digital health has in the future of healthcare.

May 29 & 30 - LSBC, in partnership with Biotech Primer, is pleased to present BioBasics 101: The Biology of Biotech for the Non-Scientist.

This intensive two-day ‘master course’ is designed to help non-scientists gain a foundational understanding of the science that forms the backbone of biopharma.

InMed Appoints Dr. David G. Morgan, PhD, a Leading Alzheimer’s Expert, to the Company’s Scientific Advisory Board

InMed Pharmaceuticals Inc. announced the addition of Dr. David G. Morgan, a renowned leader in neurodegenerative disease to its Scientific Advisory Board, reinforcing the Company’s commitment to advancing it’s INM-901 program in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease...Read more.

InMed Provides Update on INM-089 in the Treatment of Dry Age-Related Macular Degeneration

InMed Pharmaceuticals Inc. announced additional preclinical data for INM-089 further demonstrating positive pharmacological effects targeting dry Age-Related Macular Degeneration...Read more.

GSK Canada Expands Charitable Partnerships to Include Support of Environmental Sustainability and STEM

GSK is proud to announce new charitable partnerships in STEM education for underrepresented communities and environmental sustainability. The company’s newest philanthropic collaborations are an exciting opportunity to support our commitment to the health of our planet...Read more.

AGC Biologics Selects Cytiva to Provide FlexFactory Platforms in New Biomanufacturing Facility in Japan

AGC Biologics, in collaboration with the global life sciences leader Cytiva, is set to innovate its production line at its new facility in Yokohama, Japan with two FlexFactory manufacturing platforms...Read more.

Cytiva Unveils Latest Innovation for Large Scale mAb, Vaccine, and Advanced Therapy Manufacturing Processes – the Xcellerex Compact Single-use Magnetic Mixing System

Exhibiting at this year’s Interphex, Cytiva unveils the Xcellerex magnetic mixer, a single-use mixing system that has been specifically designed to address challenges faced by customers engaged in large-scale mAb, vaccine, and genomic medicine manufacturing processes...Read more.

Phase 3 SELECT-GCA Study of Upadacitinib (RINVOQ®) Showed Positive Results in Patients With Giant Cell Arteritis

AbbVie announced positive top-line results from SELECT-GCA, a Phase 3, multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, showing upadacitinib (RINVOQ®; 15 mg, once daily) in combination with a 26-week steroid taper regimen achieved its primary endpoint of sustained remissiona from week 12 through week 52 in adults with giant cell arteritis...Read more.

AbbVie Announces Late-Breaking Data at AAN Supporting Long-Term Safety and Efficacy of Atogepant (QULIPTA®) for Preventive Treatment of Migraine

AbbVie announced an interim analysis of an ongoing Phase 3, open-label 156-week extension study evaluating the long-term safety and tolerability of oral atogepant for the prevention of migraine in participants with chronic or episodic migraine...Read more.

NervGen Pharma Reports 2023 Year-End Financial Results And Operational Updates

NervGen Pharma Corp., a clinical-stage biotech company dedicated to developing innovative solutions for the treatment of nervous system damage, reported its financial and operational results for the year ended December 31, 2023...Read more.

UBC Medicine Members Work with Community Groups to Transform Local Health

Members of the UBC faculty of medicine community are working with community partners to address priority issues across B.C. through support from the 2023-24 Community-University Engagement Support Fund for projects...Read more.

UBC Expands Life Sciences and Technology Programs Thanks to Provincial Investment

UBC is adding 778 new student spaces over six years in technology and life sciences programs thanks to additional funding from the B.C. government. The funding adds new student spaces across the faculties of medicine, applied science, pharmaceutical sciences, and science...Read more.

Innovative Medicines Canada Statement on Federal Budget 2024

Innovative Medicines Canada remains concerned that the government’s proposed pharmacare model will not increase access to new medicines for Canadians, who currently have slower and more limited access to life-saving and life-enhancing treatments compared to patients in peer nations...Read more.

WELL Health to Expand its Canadian Clinic Network with Acquisition from Shoppers Drug Mart Inc. of Medical Clinics Operating as The Health Clinic by Shoppers™

WELL Health Clinic Network is pleased to announce it has entered into an agreement with Shoppers Drug Mart Inc. to acquire all of the primary care medical clinics operated by Shoppers under the name The Health Clinic by Shoppers™...Read more.

Sanofi Canada Invests $180M CAD to Build and Update Infrastructure to Minimize Environmental Footprint at its Toronto Campus by 50%

Sanofi, a global healthcare company announced an investment of $180M (CAD) at its Toronto Campus to build and update infrastructure to minimize its environmental footprint. This investment will reduce carbon emissions by 30% and water usage by 20% across the site by 2025...Read more.

Lexaria Receives Ethics Review Board Approval to Begin New GLP-1 Study

Lexaria Bioscience Corp. announces approval has been received from an independent third-party ethics review board, for human pilot study #2, investigating GLP-1 drugs and DehydraTECH...Read more.

Labcorp Announces First-of-Its-Kind Test for Early Indication of Neurodegenerative Diseases and Brain Injuries Using a Blood Draw

Labcorp announced the availability of the nation’s first test for glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), a critical blood-based biomarker for the early detection of neurodegenerative diseases and neurological injuries...Read more.

Numinus Wellness Provides Corporate Update

Numinus Wellness Inc. provides an update following unauthorized disclosure in an online newspaper which has come to its attention. Numinus has determined to focus on growth opportunities in the United States while shifting to a resource-efficient, capital-light model to continue to support Canadian organizations and therapists and healthcare professionals...Read more.

Senior Manager, Canada’s Immuno-Engineering and Biomanufacturing Hub

Working under broad directions from the Executive Director, CIEBH, the Senior Manager will manage operational and partnership activities of CIEBH, engage with researchers and industry partners to develop knowledge mobilization plans, while supporting implementation of initiatives for CIEBH...Learn more.

Scientific Project Associate

The Scientific Project Associate will work flexibly across several discovery-stage small molecule programs, providing critical compound logistics and contract management support...Learn more.

Clinical Trials Coordinator

The Clinical Trial Coordinator handles all aspects of enrolment and follow-up of clinical research study patients including initial recruitment of study subjects, continued follow up with enrolled subjects, and collection and maintenance of clinical research related data...Learn more.

Associate Director/Director, Quality, Regulatory & Supply Chain Systems

This role will be the IT business partner for the Quality, Regulatory and Supply Chain functions and will be the primary point of contact on all topics related to IT. The Associate Director/Director, Quality, Regulatory & Supply Chain System will partner with these groups to develop and execute against a functional technology roadmap...Learn more.

Assistant Professor in Cardiac Arrhythmias

The ideal candidate will lead a research program using stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes to investigate inherited arrhythmias and cardiomyopathies at the Cellular and Regenerative Medicine Centre...Learn more.

Clinical Trial Associate 1

The Clinical Trial Associate 1 will be an individual responsible for supporting Clinical Operations team members with project-specific support related to the conduct of clinical trials activities...Learn more.

Vice President, Process Development & Manufacturing

Reporting to the Chief Technical Operating Officer, this role requires a deep understanding of biopharmaceutical process development, cGMP manufacturing, and regulatory requirements associated with cell-based therapies and combination products...Learn more.

Associate, Biomaterials

Reporting to the Senior Manager, Biomaterials, the Associate, Biomaterials will contribute to polymer development, formulation, and characterization of biomaterials used to manufacture bioprinted tissues for preclinical studies and clinical applications...Learn more.

International Sales Account Manager

We are looking for an outgoing, self-motivated person to join our team as an International Sales Account Manager to assist the accelerating growth of our company. In this position, you will be responsible for the generating new business, help deliver awareness of our services to potential customers, and help position our company as a leader in the Microbiome Services Industry...Learn more.

R&D Technologist

The ideal candidate will effectively be conducting experiments for research projects and developing new product lines and working collaboratively with other lab talents on a daily basis, and work on the Admin/Office tasks as assigned. You will report directly to the CTO...Learn more

Senior Radiologist

As a Senior Radiologist, you will be responsible for providing expert medical guidance and support for the validation of our AI solution for Brain CT analysis...Learn more.

Scientist – Molecular Biology

As an accomplished Scientist, you will work within a high-performing team passionate about making an impact on human health. Your role is hands-on, in the lab, performing advanced molecular biology techniques to support the discovery of novel antibody therapeutics...Learn more.

Research Scientist, RNA

Reporting to the Director, RNA, the Scientist / Senior Scientist, RNA will work closely with the RNA Team and will be responsible for designing, executing, analyzing, and making recommendations on our research protocols related to internal and client-based projects, and subsequent data analysis...Learn more.

Welcome to LSBC!

Hologic is a global leader in women's health, dedicated to advancing early detection and treatment of diseases such as breast and cervical cancer. With a focus on innovation and cutting-edge technology, Hologic provides a comprehensive suite of diagnostic solutions, imaging systems, and surgical products that empower healthcare professionals and improve patient outcomes. Their commitment to improving women's health worldwide sets the standard for quality and excellence in the medical industry. By prioritizing research, development, and clinical expertise, Hologic continues to shape the future of healthcare through transformative solutions that address the evolving needs of patients and providers...Learn more.

IQVIA is a leading global provider of advanced analytics, technology solutions, and clinical research services to the life sciences industry. IQVIA creates intelligent connections across all aspects of healthcare through its analytics, transformative technology, big data resources and extensive domain expertise. IQVIA Connected Intelligence™ delivers powerful insights with speed and agility — enabling customers to accelerate the clinical development and commercialization of innovative medical treatments that improve healthcare outcomes for patients. With approximately 86,000 employees, IQVIA conducts operations in more than 100 countries...Learn more.

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