Life Sciences BC News, July 18, 2024

Digital health is prime to transform healthcare, with new technologies and innovations continuously improving patient lives and outcomes. The province is testing diagnostic services using digital tools to improve access and speed. A secure image-sharing platform will enable pathologists to diagnose and provide secondary consultations from remote locations within a cloud-based solution. This infrastructure will also enable the use of AI, supporting rapid diagnostics.

Three projects will be supported by the Province and PacifiCan, contributing up to $2.65 million through a new testbed via BC’s Integrated Marketplace, which is delivered by Innovate BC.

The Patented Medicine Prices Review Board (PMPRB) was created in 1987 as an independent body in part to help regulate the price of patented medicines in Canada. The PMPRB is in the process of updating its guidelines and has launched the second phase of consultations to engage stakeholders. A webinar will be hosted on August 13, 2024, to explain the Board’s approach and answer questions submitted in advance. Learn more and register here.

Our most prestigious event of the year is happening on September 10, 2024. Don’t miss out on your chance to celebrate our outstanding life sciences sector including the 2024 Company of the Year, Aspect Biosystems at our annual Life Sciences BC Awards presented by Farris. Aspect recently announced a $200 million partnership with the governments of Canada and BC, and are on a bold mission to pioneer an entirely new category of regenerative medicine. Aspect won the 2019 LSBC Growth Stage Company of the Year Award and we are thrilled to see the growth over the years. Connect with Aspect and other life sciences leaders and those who are driving innovation through scientific and entrepreneurial excellence. Secure your tickets today!

Photo from our 2019 LSBC Awards Gala (pre-pandemic!)

Applications close soon (July 31, 2024) for our annual Investor Readiness Program (IRP). Small or medium sized early-stage BC life sciences companies can apply for this unique and valuable program designed around individual coaching, educational sessions, goal setting, peer-to-peer feedback, and much more! Participants are paired with an entrepreneur-in-residence to support them in becoming investor ready. Apply here.

Join New Ventures BC at their next AccelerateIP Speaker Series on July 24. Leading patent practitioners will dive into a key startup topic: when to file patent applications.

Gain insider knowledge on sector-specific considerations, hear firsthand experiences with filing strategies, and leave with practical takeaways on how to tackle the complexities of IP strategy. Learn more and register here.

Member Highlights 

Johnson & Johnson strengthens pipeline to lead in atopic dermatitis (AD) with the completion of the acquisition of Yellow Jersey Therapeutics, gaining ownership of NM26, a Phase 2-ready, first-in-class bispecific antibody targeting two clinically proven pathways in AD. Read more.

WELL Health launches an AI-powered co-pilot for cardiologists to better assist in identifying patients at high risk of cardiovascular disease. Partnering with HEALWELL AI, the co-pilot will be deployed into WELL diagnostic centres. Read more.

Stryker completes the acquisition of Artelon, a privately held company specializing in innovative soft tissue fixation products for foot and ankle and sports medicine procedures. This expands the current range of products available to Stryker’s foot and ankle and sports medicine specialist customers. Read more.

Health Canada Approvals

This week there were multiple approvals from Health Canada including

• Merck’s invasive pneumococcal disease vaccine CAPVAXIVE®
• Roche’s ALK-positive early-stage lung cancer treatment Alecensaro®
• Roche’s diagnostic for blood glucose management cobas® pulse system
• Expanded use of Vertex’s treatment for cystic fibrosis TRIKAFTA®
• AstraZeneca’s combination chemotherapy treatment for EGFR-mutated advanced lung cancer Tagrisso®

New LSBC Member

BD is one of the largest global medical technology companies in the world and is advancing the world of health by improving medical discovery, diagnostics and the delivery of care. Learn more.

Kudos

For the third year in a row, LifeLabs has been named one of Canada’s Best Employers for Diversity by Forbes. This award recognizes Canadian companies that have demonstrated significant commitment to fostering and promoting diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility in workplace culture. Read more.

IQVIA was recognized as a Leader in the Everest Group Life Sciences Regulatory and Medical Affairs Operations PEAK Matrix Assessment 2024 survey. This recognition highlights IQVIA’s focus on innovation and its comprehensive solutions to drive drug development from molecule to market. Read more.

The Canadian Institutes of Health Research announced the recipients of their Strengthening the Health Workforce for System Transformation Grant! Congratulations to the winners, whose research drives evidence-informed solutions to strengthen Canada’s health workforce. Read more.

Labcorp has earned the top score of 100 on the 2024 Disability Equality Index. The index is a comprehensive benchmarking tool to help businesses make a positive impact on the unemployment or underemployment of people with disabilities. Read more.

People on the Move

Dr. Brian Kwon, researcher at the Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute, was recently appointed the new director of the International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries (ICORD). Dr. Kwon is also a surgeon-scientist with the Department of Orthopaedics at UBC, an attending spine surgeon at VGH, and a Canada Research Chair in Spinal Cord Injury. Read more.

David Clements joined the team at Santis Health, bringing nearly 30 years of experience in health and higher education to his new role. David specializes in health policy, stakeholder engagement, and communications. Read more.

Lexaria is preparing for strategic growth by expanding its management team and will be appointing a new Chief Financial Officer as Nelson Cabatuan will move to a role as consulting Chief Strategic Financial Advisor. Read more.

Applications Open

The School of Biomedical Engineering at UBC has opened their Capstone Program for another year! Industry and clinical leaders are invited to collaborate with the program to mentor and support the next generation of biomedical engineers while gaining innovative solutions for their ongoing projects. Learn more.

Accelerating Clinical Trials is looking to help Canadian biotech companies facilitate clinical trials! The Third ACT Consortium Meeting, on October 9-10, will focus on connecting Canadian biotech companies with ACT Canada researchers. Complete a preregistration questionnaire to schedule an interview. Learn more.

CASTL launched applications for the next two cohorts of their PEI Bioscience Reskilling Program. The 10-week program offers a comprehensive curriculum in key areas like health and safety, Good Manufacturing Practices, instrumentation, and lab skills. Apply before July 19 to join the August 21 cohort! Learn more.

Stem Cell Network announces a virtual workshop for early and mid-career researchers in the field of regenerative medicine on how to lead and engage high-performing multi-generational teams. Learn more.

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

Member Spotlight

Alectos Therapeutics discovers novel treatments to block

the underlying progression of neurodegenerative diseases.

Alectos identifies and develops innovative strategies to address complex neurological conditions, including Alzheimer’s disease

and Parkinson’s disease.

The Alectos pipeline is focused on creating new therapeutics to treat patients living with these disorders. Our GBA2 program is a disease-modifying approach to correct lysosomal dysfunction in neurodegenerative diseases, including Parkinson’s disease. This program has recently been partnered with Biogen. Our OGA program is a strategy to prevent the accumulation and spread of toxic protein aggregates in the brain. Alectos partnered with Merck to pioneer the development of the first clinical OGA inhibitor. Alectos has repatriated this program and we are applying our deep knowledge and IP to advance novel OGA inhibitors as treatments for Alzheimer’s disease, frontotemporal dementia, and ischemic stroke. We welcome partnership inquiries regarding our OGA program and our advanced preclinical development candidates. 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.

David Clements joins Santis Health, Adding to the Firm’s Health Policy Expertise

With nearly 30 years of experience in the health and higher education sectors, Dave Clements joins the Santis Health team, specializing in health policy, stakeholder engagement and communications...Read more.

Sugar-blocking Technology “Supercharges” Antibodies to Fight Cancer

Research teams led by GlycoNet investigators have teamed up to develop a technology that could lead to new cancer treatments. They’ve created a molecule that modifies the sugars on therapeutic antibodies in a way that equips them to fight cancer cells more effectively...Read more.

WELL Health Launches its AI-powered Co-pilot for Cardiologists Powered by HEALWELL AI to Help Improve Detection of Cardiovascular Disease

WELL Health Technologies Corp. and its investee company, HEALWELL AI Inc. are jointly pleased to announce the launch of WELL’s AI-powered co-pilot for cardiologists exclusively powered by HEALWELL AI, aimed at identifying patients at high risk of cardiovascular disease...Read more.

Positive Interim Body Weight Results from Lexaria’s Diabetes Animal Study

Lexaria Bioscience Corp., a global innovator in drug delivery platforms announces that interim results from the first four weeks of dosing in its ongoing diabetes animal study WEIGHT-A24-1 have been received and have already produced several noteworthy findings...Read more.

Lexaria Preparing For Strategic Growth

Lexaria Bioscience Corp., a global innovator in drug delivery platforms announces plans for strategic growth. Lexaria will be expanding its management team this summer as it prepares for the greater workload of multiple projects and initiatives...Read more.

Innovative Medicines Canada Urges Provinces to Accelerate Access to Medicines

Innovative Medicines Canada is committed to working with and supporting provincial governments to ensure Canada’s healthcare system is equipped with the most advanced treatments...Read more.

Health Canada Approves CAPVAXIVE®, (Pneumococcal 21-valent Conjugate Vaccine) for Prevention of Invasive Pneumococcal Disease in Adults

Merck, known as MSD outside of the United States and Canada, announced that Health Canada has approved CAPVAXIVE® (Pneumococcal 21-valent Conjugate Vaccine) for active immunization for the prevention of invasive pneumococcal disease...Read more.

CASTL Launches Next Two Cohorts of PEI Bioscience Reskilling Program

The Canadian Alliance for Skills and Training in Life Sciences, a national biomanufacturing skills and training organization, launches the next two cohorts of the PEI Bioscience Reskilling Program...Read more.

SBME Capstone Design Course – Call for Submissions

UBC’s School of Biomedical Engineering invites you to submit a project to our Capstone Design Course, to be undertaken by 4th-year undergraduate student teams from Sept 2024-May 2025...Read more.

Health Canada Authorizes Alecensaro® (alectinib) as the First and Only Adjuvant Treatment for People with ALK-positive Early-stage Lung Cancer

Hoffmann-La Roche Limited is pleased to announce that on June 27, 2024, Health Canada granted approval of Alecensaro® monotherapy as adjuvant treatment following tumour resection for patients with stage IB to IIIA* anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK)-positive non-small cell lung cancer...Read more.

Roche Diagnostics is Proud to Announce that the cobas® Pulse System is Now Health Canada Approved

Roche Diagnostics Canada is pleased to announce the launch of the cobas® pulse system following Health Canada’s approval. This is the industry’s first professional blood glucose management solution with mobile digital health capabilities to improve patient care…Read more.

Labcorp Earns Top Score on 2024 Disability Equality Index®

Labcorp (NYSE: LH), a leading global life sciences company, announced it has been named a Best Place to Work for Disability Inclusion after earning the top score of 100 on the 2024 Disability Equality Index®...Read more.

Labcorp and Naples Comprehensive Healthcare Announce Strategic Agreement for Lab Operations

Labcorp, a global leader of innovative and comprehensive laboratory services, has entered into a comprehensive strategic collaboration with Naples Comprehensive Healthcare in Southwest Florida to manage the daily operations of NCH’s inpatient lab operations…Read more.

National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) Recommends RSV Vaccines, Including AREXVY, for Older Adult Populations

The National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) has strongly recommended RSV vaccines, including AREXVY, to reduce the risk of RSV disease among individuals aged 75 and older...Read more.

Stryker Completes Acquisition of Artelon, Inc.

Stryker, a global leader in medical technologies, has completed the previously announced acquisition of Artelon, a privately held company specializing in innovative soft tissue fixation products for foot and ankle and sports medicine procedures...Read more.

Health Canada Grants Marketing Authorization for TRIKAFTA® (elexacaftor/tezacaftor/ivacaftor and ivacaftor) for People With Cystic Fibrosis Aged 2 Years and Older With Certain Rare Mutations

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc. announced that Health Canada has granted Marketing Authorization for the expanded use of PrTRIKAFTA® for the treatment of cystic fibrosis in patients aged 2 years and older...Read more.

Third Year in a Row, LifeLabs Named by Forbes as one of Canada’s Best Employers for Diversity

LifeLabs has once again been named one of Canada’s Best Employers for Diversity by Forbes. This is the third consecutive year LifeLabs has received this recognition. Forbes and Statista, the world-leading statistics portal and industry ranking provider, presents this prestigious award…Read more.

AbbVie Submits Regulatory Applications to FDA and EMA for Upadacitinib (RINVOQ®) in Giant Cell Arteritis

AbbVie announced that it has submitted applications for a new indication to the U.S. FDA and European Medicines Agency for upadacitinib (RINVOQ®; 15 mg, once daily) for the treatment of adult patients with giant cell arteritis...Read more.

Health Canada Approves Tagrisso® with the Addition of Chemotherapy for Patients with EGFR-mutated Advanced Lung Cancer

Health Canada granted a Notice of Compliance for Tagrisso® in combination with pemetrexed & platinum-based chemotherapy for the treatment of patients with locally advanced/metastatic non-small cell lung cancer…Read more.

Digitalization Partnership Streamlines Sterile Workflow in Japan

A renowned third-party sterilization service provider in Japan, medical bear, has forged a strategic partnership with Getinge in a transformation program focusing on digitalization of the company’s sterile supply flow…Read more.

Johnson & Johnson Strengthens Pipeline to Lead in Atopic Dermatitis with the Completion of the Acquisition of Yellow Jersey Therapeutics, Gaining Ownership of NM26

Johnson & Johnson announced that it has successfully completed the acquisition of Yellow Jersey, a demerged subsidiary of Numab Therapeutics to secure the global rights to NM26, a novel, investigational first-in-class bispecific antibody, in an all-cash transaction of approximately $1.25 billion…Read more.

IQVIA Named a Leader in Medical Affairs and Regulatory Operations by Everest Group

​IQVIA™ announces that a leading, independent research firm, Everest Group, has recognized IQVIA as a Leader in its Life Sciences Regulatory and Medical Affairs Operations PEAK Matrix® Assessment 2024 survey, which measures both market impact and delivery effectiveness…Read 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

Scaling mRNA production for design validation

To unlock the next generation of mRNA therapeutics, we need to be able to test mRNAs designs generated via deep learning in vivo. Your work will enable the first step toward this goal by developing methods to produce mRNA at a scale and quality sufficient for testing ML-generated designs in vivo...Learn more

Building formulation capabilities for mRNA design validation

Your work will enable us to formulate mRNA designs into LNPs with the goal of enabling us to better understand and model the performance of our mRNA designs within in vivo settings...Learn more

Associate, Polymer Chemistry

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

Senior Accountant

Reporting to the Controller, the Senior Accountant will play a leading role in the execution of all financial operations, including full cycle accounting, reporting, budgets, forecasting, client relationships, records maintenance, and developing a comprehensive set of controls to ensure accuracy...Learn more

Associate Scientist, Predictive Biology (14 Month Contract)

In this vital role you will focus on the development of an in vitro platform composed of patient derived cell lines and organoids that will allow us to better predict efficacy and safety liabilities in our Biologic drugs. Specifically, this role will involve the development, optimization, and maintenance of patient derived organoids...Learn more

Laboratory Animal Technician – 1 Year Contract

In this vital role you will support animal-based studies, husbandry, and vivarium operations and also provide technical and lab support for in-vivo research. Come do your best work alongside other innovative, driven professionals in this meaningful role...Learn more

Corporate Relations Manager

Reporting to the Vice President, Corporate Development, this role is one of the main cross-functional points of contact for: industry and provincial government representatives, as well as Genome BC Research & Innovation Managers (in both Health and Agri-food & Natural Resources groups), to ensure effective and timely communication...Learn more

Senior Manager, Internal LNP Manufacturing

As the Sr. Manufacturing Manager, you will lead a team of manufacturing Scientists and Associates to manufacture, test and ship LNP drug products for multiple partner programs...Learn more

Manager, Events

Life Sciences BC has an immediate opening for a Manager, Events, who has a passion for special event management to provide exceptional member and client experiences. In this role, you will be an integral member of the team...Learn more

BD is one of the largest global medical technology companies in the world and is advancing the world of health by improving medical discovery, diagnostics and the delivery of care. The company develops innovative technology, services and solutions that help advance both clinical therapy for patients and clinical process for health care providers. BD has more than 70,000 employees and a presence in virtually every country around the world to address some of the most challenging global health issues. BD helps customers enhance outcomes, lower costs, increase efficiencies, improve safety and expand access to health care. bd.com. [Learn more.]

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