Life Sciences BC News, August 1, 2024

Last weekend, cyclists raised a record $800,000 for pancreatic cancer research benefitting the BC Cancer Foundation. Pancreatic cancer is difficult to detect early and often resistant to existing treatments. Currently, the disease has a five-year survival rate of just 10%. Congratulations to over 650 participants who raised funds and made it up Cypress Mountain, including LSBC’s Board Chair, Ali Ardakani. Read more.

Dr. Glickman has been a member of our community for over 40 years. He is a BC based medical entrepreneur who co-founded numerous global biotech companies which have successfully brought innovative medicines to market. He has recruited and developed significant leadership and talent to the BC ecosystem and has served this community through several leadership roles where he has impacted policies that support the growth and maturation of our industry. Let’s raise a glass to Dr. Glickman! 

Tickets are selling fast for this year's Awards Gala presented by Farris. It’s a great opportunity to meet and mingle with sector leaders, connect with the life sciences community, and learn about some of the trailblazers leading the charge.

Get your tickets to the LSBC Awards Gala today.

We are excited to announce the companies presenting at this year’s revamped Invest in BC conference on October 29-30. This year, 30 presenting companies and well over 50 investors will be participating. Thank you to everyone who applied! See which companies will be presenting and register for the event here.

Tell us about your lab space needs: LSBC pulse survey

LSBC will be undertaking a short pulse survey by phone this August to gather important aggregate information on our sector’s lab space needs. Data will be anonymized and aggregated and available to the sector, including government, for planning purposes.

Help support this important data collection through participating in our very short phone survey if contacted. Or please reach out to us at Labspace@lifesciencesbc.ca

Member Highlights 

Vertex announces FDA acceptance of New Drug Application for Suzetrigine. Suzetrigine, an investigational non-opioid pain signal inhibitor, has the potential to treat millions of patients who suffer from moderate-to-severe acute pain each year. Read more. 

AbCellera and Lilly expand existing collaboration to develop antibody medicines. Building on a successful research collaboration established March 2020, which included eight de novo programs for targets selected by Lilly and an exclusive license to AbCellera’s COVID-19 antibody program. Read more. 

AbbVie completes acquisition of Cerevel Therapeutics. Cerevel’s clinical-stage assets complement AbbVie’s emerging neuroscience pipeline and leading on-market brands in psychiatry, migraine and Parkinson’s disease. Read more. 

Sustained Therapeutics announces first patient for cancer trial. The first patient has entered the Phase II/III trial of ST-02, Sustained Therapeutic’s innovative cancer medication targeting Upper Tract Urethral Carcinoma. Read more. 

Industry Highlights

The Province expands gynecological oncology surgical services to new regions and strengthens the teams providing care with more staff, including new gynecological oncologists. This is a positive move for women’s health, as “Over the past 10 years, rates of gynecological cancer have increased by almost 50%,” said Premier David Eby. Read more.

Qure.ai has obtained a Health Canada medical device license for its suite of medical imaging AI solutions. The solutions provided by Qure.ai are engineered to support diagnostic precision and efficiency, contributing to improved patient outcomes through the early detection of medical conditions. Read more.

The Government of Canada released the final report from the Canadian Drug Agency Transition Office’s Appropriate Use Advisory Committee on the appropriate use of medications. These recommendations will inform how to best develop and implement a pan-Canadian strategy for the appropriate use of prescription medications. Read more.

Canada and the United Kingdom are continuing to strengthen their collaboration in critical sectors like biomanufacturing and pandemic preparedness. Canada and the UK have established a collaborative fund, with £10 million from the UK and $16 million from Canada. In this first call for proposals, six innovative projects have been selected for funding, with Canada contributing approximately $3.4 million. Read more.

Kudos

Gilead Sciences was recognized as one of America’s Best Employers for Women by Forbes. Gilead facilitates an environment where women make a direct and meaningful impact, with a workplace culture that champions career advancement, pay equity, and flexibility. Read more.

Congratulations to Trisha Aldovino, who was recently announced as the recipient of BioTalent Canada’s 2024 Catalyst Award for Top New Hire. Trisha was honoured for her contributions to her role at Azura Associates International. Read more.

Three projects led by researchers from the UBC Faculty of Medicine were awarded over 2.2 million as part of the Government of Canada’s Team Grant: Strengthening the Health Workforce for System Transformation. Read more.

Nicole Desloges, Senior Vice President of People at LifeLabs, was nominated for the Canadian HR Leader of the Year award. The Canadian HR awards recognize the vital role of HR in organizational success. Read more.

People on the Move

The Research Universities’ Council of BC announced that Christina Zacharuk will be joining as their new Chief Executive Officer. Christina brings a wealth of experience from her 20-year career in BC Public Service, with expertise in every aspect of public sector bargaining and policy development. 

Applications Open

CASTL has launched their fall courses! An extensive collection of short-term training courses in biopharmaceutical manufacturing are available for registration. Each course is designed to prepare participants for real work scenarios and challenges with hands-on experience. Book now to secure your spot. Learn more.

The Canadian Women’s Chamber of Commerce is offering Flip the Script, a free self-paced online program to help you navigate the Canadian investment network and speak to investors in a way proven to get you more capital. Apply for the fall cohort by August 9, 2024! Learn more.

Registration is open for the next intake of the StrongerBC Future Skills Grant. The grant covers up to $3500 in eligible short-term skills training at a post-secondary institution. This offers an important opportunity to boost your professional skills and secure higher-paying roles. Learn more.

Skills + Training Needs Survey: share your voice with BioTalent Canada + CASTL and future-proof Canada’s bio-manufacturing workforce

By sharing your knowledge of what training is needed, you will directly contribute to creating a roadmap to future-proofing Canada’s bio-manufacturing workforce. 

What is involved: completing a 15-20 minute survey by August 9, 2024.

As a token of BioTalent Canada’s appreciation for your participation, you will receive an honorarium of $100. Learn more.

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

Member Spotlight

Zymeworks is a global biotechnology company committed to the discovery, development, and commercialization of novel, multifunctional biotherapeutics. Zymeworks’ mission is to make a meaningful difference for people impacted by difficult-to-treat cancers and other diseases. Zymeworks' complementary therapeutic platforms and fully integrated drug development engine provide the flexibility and compatibility to precisely engineer and develop highly differentiated antibody-based therapeutic candidates.

Zymeworks is rapidly advancing a deep pipeline of product candidates based on its experience and capabilities in both antibody-drug conjugates and multispecific antibody therapeutics across multiple novel targets in indications that represent areas of significant unmet medical need. In addition to Zymeworks’ wholly owned pipeline, its therapeutic platforms have been further leveraged through strategic partnerships with global biopharmaceutical companies. Learn more.

Until next week!

LSBC Team

September 10 - Join us on September 10, 2024, as we celebrate excellence in life sciences at the 26th Annual Life Sciences BC Awards, presented by Farris.

This distinguished occasion brings together British Columbia’s vibrant life sciences community to celebrate the outstanding achievements of our peers and recognize the tireless efforts of those who have devoted their careers to advancing health innovations.

October 29 & 30 - Life Sciences BC is pleased to announce the 9th annual Invest in BC presented by Lumira Ventures conference.

This highly anticipated event serves as a premier gathering for healthcare innovators in British Columbia, connecting them with global investors. This year we’ve reimagined the conference, offering attendees a dynamic two-day program featuring 30+ company pitches from pre-seed to public.

AbbVie Completes Acquisition of Cerevel Therapeutics

AbbVie announced that it has acquired of Cerevel Therapeutics. With the completion of the acquisition, Cerevel is now part of AbbVie...Read more.

Stryker Completes Acquisition of MOLLI Surgical

Stryker, a global leader in medical technologies, announced that it has completed the acquisition of MOLLI Surgical Inc., a privately held company specializing in the development of wire-free soft tissue localization technology for breast conserving surgery...Read more.

STEMCELL Launches Novel Cell-Engineering CellPore™ Transfection System

STEMCELL Technologies has commercially launched the CellPore™ Transfection System, providing a groundbreaking new technology with the potential to advance cell engineering research and the development of novel cell therapies to cure diseases…Read more.

AbCellera and Lilly Expand Collaboration to Develop Antibody Medicines

AbCellera announced that it has expanded its existing collaboration with Eli Lilly and Company (Lilly) to discover therapeutic antibodies for programs in immunology, cardiovascular disease, and neuroscience...Read more.

Vertex Announces FDA Acceptance of New Drug Application for Suzetrigine for the Treatment of Moderate-to-Severe Acute Pain

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated announced that the US FDA has accepted its New Drug Application submission for suzetrigine, an investigational pain signal inhibitor to treat moderate-to-severe acute pain…Read more.

UBC Medicine Researchers Awarded More Than $2.2 Million to Strengthen the Health Workforce

Three projects led by UBC Medicine researchers have been awarded over $2.2 million in federal funding as part of the Government of Canada’s Team Grant: Strengthening the Health Workforce for System Transformation...Read more.

Labcorp Expands Collaboration with Ultima Genomics to Advance Whole Genome Sequencing Applications and Oncology Testing Capabilities

Labcorp, a global leader of innovative and comprehensive laboratory services, announced an expanded collaboration with Ultima Genomics to utilize its UG 100TM sequencing solution and ppmSeqTM technology to explore new whole genome sequencing clinical applications...Read more.

InMed Pharmaceuticals Announces Favorable Behavioral Outcomes with INM-901 in Long-Term Preclinical Alzheimer’s Disease Study, Confirming Previous Short-Term Pilot Study Data

InMed Pharmaceuticals Inc., a pharmaceutical company focused on developing drug candidates for diseases with high unmet medical needs, announced positive results from initial data sets from a long-term preclinical Alzheimer’s Disease study...Read more.

BioTalent Canada Announces 2024 Catalyst Award for Top New Hire

BioTalent Canada proudly announces Trisha Aldovino as the recipient of the 2024 Catalyst Award for Top New Hire. Ms. Aldovino earned this achievement through her transformative contributions to Azura Associates International...Read more.

Health Canada Authorizes Vabysmo® (faricimab injection) for the Treatment of Macular Edema Secondary to Retinal Vein Occlusion

Roche Canada is pleased to announce today that Health Canada has authorized Vabysmo® for the treatment of macular edema secondary to retinal vein occlusion.1 RVO is the third indication for Vabysmo…Read more.

LifeLabs Nicole Desloges, SVP, People, nominated for Canadian HR Leader of the Year

We are thrilled to share that Nicole Desloges, our Senior Vice President of People, has been selected as an Excellence Awardee in the annual Canadian HR Awards...Read more.

Stem Cell Network Launches a New National Research Funding Competition in Regenerative Medicine

The Stem Cell Network announces the first of two national research funding competitions planned for SCN’s 2025-2029 funding cycle. This new competition will support world-class regenerative medicine research...Read more.

Fluzone® High-Dose Quadrivalent Vaccine Remains Preferentially Recommended to Protect Adults 65 Years of Age and Older Against Influenza

The National Advisory Committee on Immunization’s annual Statement on Seasonal Influenza Vaccines for 2024-2025 continues to recommend Fluzone® High-Dose Quadrivalent among the preferential influenza vaccines, over standard dose influenza vaccines...Read more.

AbbVie Announces European Commission Approval of SKYRIZI® (risankizumab) for the Treatment of Adults with Moderately to Severely Active Ulcerative Colitis

AbbVie announced that the European Commission has approved SKYRIZI® for the treatment of adult patients with moderately to severely active ulcerative colitis…Read more.

Augurex to Present Two Posters at ADLM 2024 in Chicago

Augurex Life Sciences Corp. is pleased to announce that it will be presenting two posters at the upcoming Association for Diagnostic & Laboratory Medicine in Chicago. The event will be held from July 28 to August 1, 2024...Read more.

Zymeworks Appoints Leone Patterson As Chief Business And Financial Officer

Zymeworks Inc., a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing a diverse pipeline of biotherapeutics to improve the standard of care for difficult-to-treat diseases, announced the appointment of Leone Patterson as Executive Vice President, and Chief Business and Financial Officer...Read more.

Sustained Therapeutics Announces First Patient for Cancer Trial

The first patient has entered the Phase II/III trial of ST-02, Sustained Therapeutic’s innovative cancer medication targeting Upper Tract Urethral Carcinoma…Read more.

Ontario Ministry of Health Announces a Universal Public Program with Beyfortus® this RSV Season

The Ontario Ministry of Health has announced a universal public program with Beyfortus® for all newborns and infants born in 2024 and through the 2024-2025 RSV season…Read more.

Province of New Brunswick Launches New Patient Summary with HEALWELL AI’s VeroSource Solutions

HEALWELL AI, a healthtech company focused on AI and data science, announced that the Department of Health in New Brunswick, in partnership with VeroSource Solutions Inc. & Canada Health Infoway, launched the first patient-mediated Patient Summary in North America…Read more.

Senior Manager, CMC, Quality Control

The Senior Manager, CMC, Quality Control will work flexibly across several small molecule drug development programs with an emphasis on managing outsourced testing and stability program for the cGMP API and drug product manufacturing and testing campaigns...Learn more

Clinical Scientist 1 or 2

The Clinical Scientist 1 or 2 will be a member of a highly collaborative Clinical Development team, with involvement in a diverse range of activities. This position reports to the Vice President, Clinical Development...Learn more

Biomanufacturing Training

Brunel has a current opportunity for a Biomanufacturing Trainer on a permanent basis. The position will be based in Vancouver. For further information about this position please apply...Learn more

Research Technician 2, Resource Facility

Xenon is seeking a Research Technician 2, Resource Facility to join our animal care team. This position will provide husbandry and facility maintenance to support preclinical research in drug discovery...Learn more

Industrial Postdoctoral Fellow, Research Associate and Research Scientist Positions

Pharma Inventor, Inc. is seeking energetic, result-oriented individuals with proven track records of success to join our dynamic team. The successful candidate is expected to have extensive experience in modern organic synthesis and medicinal chemistry...Learn more

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