March 10th, 2023

Life Sciences BC seeks to raise the profile of our members and supporters, highlight their achievements, and promote BC's dynamic life sciences ecosystem. If you have news or a story to share, let us know.

Microcredential in Animal Cell Culture Starting May 8

BCIT has 20+ years of experience providing animal cell culture training to students in the Joint UBC-BCIT Honors B.Sc. in Biotechnology program. BCIT is now offering this specialized training in a condensed 2-week laboratory course to life sciences students, graduates, and professionals looking to expand their job-ready skills...READ MORE

Cytiva and TerraCycle Expand First-of-its-Kind Recycling Program

Global life sciences leader Cytiva and international recycling leader TerraCycle expanded their filtration device recycling program globally. Customers in the pharmaceutical, food and beverage, municipal water, and bioethanol industries in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, The Netherlands and the United Kingdom can now recycle their Whatman and Pall Life Sciences filtration devices...READ MORE

Nimbus Synergies Appoints Nancy Harrison to its Board of Directors to Strengthen its Position in Canadian Health Tech

Nimbus Synergies, investor, partner, and mentor to Canada’s most promising health technology companies, is pleased to announce the appointment of Nancy Harrison to the Board of Directors. Nancy is a nationally recognized life sciences entrepreneur and investor with almost 30 years of experience as an innovator and leader in the sector...READ MORE

Sernova Announces Initial Islet Transplantation in First Two Patients Enrolled in Second Cohort of its U.S. Phase 1/2 Clinical Trial for Treatment of Type 1 Diabetes

Sernova Corp. announced that the first two patients in the second cohort of its active U.S. Phase 1/2 clinical trial for the treatment of type 1 diabetes (“T1D”) and hypoglycemia unawareness received their first islet transplant into the higher capacity 10-channel Cell Pouch™. These patients will be monitored for safety and efficacy for three months after which a second dose of islets is anticipated to be transplanted in accordance with the protocol. Additionally, a third enrolled patient has now been implanted with the higher capacity Cell Pouch and awaits islet transplant in the coming weeks...READ MORE

Korro Bio and Genevant Sciences Enter Into Collaboration Agreement to Develop RNA Editing Therapeutic for Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency

Korro Bio, a leading RNA editing company focused on the discovery and development of novel genetic medicines, and Genevant Sciences, a leading nucleic acid delivery company with world-class platforms and a robust and expansive lipid nanoparticle (LNP) patent portfolio, announced that they have entered into an agreement to combine Korro’s powerful RNA editing platform with Genevant’s industry-leading LNP technology to develop a differentiated therapeutic option for patients with Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency (AATD). Terms of the agreement were not disclosed...READ MORE

Alpha-9 Theranostics Strengthens its Scientific Expertise with Key Appointments to Leadership Team and Scientific Advisory Board

Alpha-9 Theranostics, a clinical stage biotechnology company developing differentiated and highly targeted radiopharmaceuticals, announced the appointment of Jutta Wanner, Ph.D. as Senior Vice President of Drug Discovery. The company also announced the appointments of Jason Lewis, Ph.D. and Tom Ruth, Ph.D. to the newly formed Scientific Advisory Board.

• Dr. Jutta Wanner to lead R&D discovery efforts and support the continued expansion of Alpha-9’s differentiated radiopharmaceutical pipeline
• Dr. Jason Lewis and Dr. Thomas Ruth, internationally recognized leaders in the radiopharmaceutical space, to join Alpha-9’s SAB...READ MORE

Evonik and BellaSeno Advance Commercialization of 3D-Printed, Bioresorbable Implants

Evonik andBellaSeno, a developer of 3D-printed absorbable scaffolds, are working together to commercialize innovative 3D-printed scaffolds for bone regeneration. The bone scaffolds are made with Evonik’s Resomer® polymers and are used for large and complex bone defects. Both companies initially began collaborating in 2019 on scaffolds for chest wall and breast reconstruction...READ MORE

Nasal Photodisinfection Reduces Hospital Length of Stay, Readmissions and Antibiotic use in Substantial Study at Major Ottawa Hospital

One of Canada’s top research hospitals, The Ottawa Hospital, has presented results from its 2022 quality improvement study into patient outcomes after spinal surgery when using nasal photodisinfection for the prevention of surgical site infections (‘SSIs’). The study results were presented for the first time at the 2023 Annual Scientific Conference of the Canadian Spine Society in Quebec on Thursday 2 March, 2023...READ MORE

SignalChem Lifesciences Corp. Obtains NOL from Health Canada for Clinical Trial of AXL Inhibitor SLC-391 in Combination with KEYTRUDA® (pembrolizumab) in Subjects with Advanced or Metastatic Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

SignalChem Lifesciences Corp. announced that it has received a No Objection Letter (NOL) from Health Canada for its clinical trial “A Single-Arm, Open-Label, Phase 1b/2 Study of SLC-391, an AXL Inhibitor, in Combination with Pembrolizumab in Subjects with Advanced or Metastatic Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC)”. AXL, a member of the TAM family protein tyrosine kinases (Tyro3, AXL and Mer). Over-expression of AXL leads to growth and spread of tumors, metastasis, EMT, tumor microenvironment deregulation, immune evasion, and resistance to multiple anticancer therapies including PD(L)-1...READ MORE

National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) Provides Strong Recommendation for PREVNAR 20

The National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) has provided a strong recommendation for PREVNAR 20 for the following adult populations who have not been previously immunized with a pneumococcal vaccine or whose vaccination status is unknown:

• Adults ≥65 years of age
• Adults 50-64 years of age living with risk factors placing them at higher risk of pneumococcal disease.
• Adults who are 18-49 years of age living with immunocompromising conditions...READ MORE

ᴾʳBYOOVIZ™, First ᴾʳLUCENTIS® Biosimilar, now Available in Canada to Treat Debilitating Retinal Disorders

Biogen Canada Inc. announce that PrBYOOVIZ™ (ranibizumab injection), the first biosimilar referencing PrLUCENTIS® is now available in Canada to treat serious eye disorders including neovascular (wet) age-related macular degeneration (AMD), which can lead to rapid vision loss. The commercial availability of BYOOVIZ – an anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) biosimilar therapy – follows regulatory approval by Health Canada, a process subject to the same rigorous clinical testing and evaluation standards as all other biologic drugs...READ MORE

Gene Replacement Therapy Luxturna® Now Reimbursed in Ontario for Adult and Pediatric Patients With a Rare Form of Inherited Vision Loss

Novartis Pharmaceuticals Canada Inc. is pleased to announce that Luxturna® (voretigene neparvovec) is now funded by the Ontario government for the treatment of adults and pediatric patients with vision loss due to inherited retinal dystrophy caused by confirmed mutations in both copies of the RPE65 gene and who have sufficient, viable retinal cells.

• Ontario joins Quebec, Alberta and Saskatchewan to fund gene-based treatment for previously untreatable genetic retinal conditions1
• Luxturna® is the first and only pharmacological treatment for an inherited retinal disease designed to help improve functional vision in patients with RPE65-mediated inherited retinal dystrophies (IRDs)...READ MORE

Legislation Will Help Close B.C.’s Gender Pay Gap

New pay transparency legislation was introduced March 7, 2023, to help close the gender pay gap in B.C. – the next step on the path to pay equity. Once the legislation is passed, as of Nov. 1, 2023, all employers will be required to include wage or salary ranges on all publicly advertised jobs. In addition, as soon as the legislation is in force, B.C. employers will not be able to ask prospective employees for pay history information or punish employees who disclose their pay to co-workers or potential job applicants – actions known to contribute to the gender pay gap...READ MORE

Minister Ng Announces Expansion of the CAN Health Network

The Honourable Mary Ng, Minister of International Trade, Export Promotion, Small Business and Economic Development, announced that the Coordinated Accessible National (CAN) Health Network is expanding to Quebec, the territories and remote communities. The ability to expand nationally comes after an additional $30 million in financing through Budget 2022 was finalized, which also enables business growth from coast to coast to coast...READ MORE

Senior Scientist – Biologics

Abdera Therapeutics is seeking a Senior Scientist - Biologics. With a PhD in Molecular Biology, Immunology, Biochemistry or related field, with minimum 8 years relevant experience or equivalent

Industry experience with antibody discovery workflows, including discovery platforms and characterization are essential. The role holder will be the scientific lead for therapeutic antibody discovery programs.

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Head of Regulatory Affairs

Eupraxia Pharmaceuticals is seeking a Head of Regulatory Affairs who will help influence and shape the emerging clinical/regulatory strategy; and build, lead, and direct the work of the Regulatory function. This is an opportunity to work in a small, entrepreneurial, and highly motivating environment, with a strong emphasis on work/life balance and a supportive company culture. We offer a competitive salary, excellent benefits, and career development opportunities.

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Research Scientist 1, CMC, Process Chemistry

Xenon Pharmaceuticals is seeking a Research Scientist, CMC, Process Chemistry to join our team. The successful candidate will be involved in the development and optimization of synthetic processes for Xenon’s small molecule APIs. This position reports to the Research Scientist 3, CMC, Process Chemistry and will be located in the Vancouver location. The level of the position will be commensurate with the candidate’s education and industry experience.





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For more than three decades, Bosa Construction had earned its reputation on hard work, fair dealings, and pursuit of quality.

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PNI is a global leader in ushering in the next wave of genetic medicines in infectious diseases, cancer and rare diseases. They work with the world’s leading drug developers to understand disease and create the therapeutics and vaccines that will define the future of medicine.

PNI offers proprietary technology platforms and comprehensive expertise to enable researchers to translate disease biology insights into non-viral genetic medicines.

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