September 7th, 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. You can find previous editions of BioLinks newsletters and other resources on our website at News/Publications.

Member Highlights 

In a recent PNAS publication, Gandeeva Therapeutics, in partnership with Prof. Todd Yeates and a UCLA team, unveils a novel approach for determining structures of small proteins that are bound to inhibitors, such as KRAS, using cryo-EM technology. Read about it here.  

New Members

We are pleased to welcome the following new LSBC Member: 

Westlab supports life science companies as they pursue breakthrough discoveries. From designing and furnishing laboratories with casework solutions and fume hoods to equipping and supplying laboratory equipment and consumables.

Welcome to the LSBC community!

Industry Highlights

BC has announced new PharmaCare coverage of medications used to treat rare diseases, including ALS, AHP, and LC-FAOD. This increased coverage aims to align with current clinical evidence and ensure better patient access. Learn more.

As part of its StrongerBC: Future Ready Action Plan, the province is also expanding graduate scholarship funding to enable students to “become our province’s next generation of researchers, innovators and leaders,” with an investment of roughly $15M over three years. Learn more.  

The Centre for Aging and Brain Health Innovation (CABHI) has announced funding for 19 Canadian agetech companies to receive up to $400K each to support their early-stage innovations aimed at improving the quality of life for older adults, people living with dementia, and caregivers. Learn more.

Kudos

Congratulations to Canary Medical for the impressive milestone of collecting over one billion data points from patients with their sensor technology! Learn more.

Kudos to our board member, Dr. Pieter Cullis of UBC, who is a recipient of the Harvey Prize in the field of Human Health. This accolade recognizes outstanding achievements in science and technology, human health, and significant contributions to humankind. Dr. Cullis is being honoured for his work developing nanomedicines employing lipid nanoparticle (LNP) technology. Learn more. 

Congratulations to Kardium for conducting a series of successful cases in the US, Canada and Europe with the Globe PF System as part of its IDE study. 

People on the Move

Natalie Dakers has joined the Integrated Nanotherapeutics Board of Directors, bringing her extensive expertise in the life sciences sector.

Molecular You welcomes new Chief Technical Officer Gene Shkolnikov, who brings over 20 years of leadership and innovation experience to the role.

Sernova Corp. has appointed Cynthia Pussinen as CEO, who brings over 25 years of global experience. Past President and CEO Dr. Philip Toleikis will remain with Sernova as Chief Technology Officer. Learn more. 

AbCellera welcomes Boston-based Dr. Gauri Nair as Sr. Director of Business Development.

Applications Open

NSERC is accepting applications for the Brockhouse Canada Prize for Interdisciplinary Research in Science and Engineering, which recognizes collaborative Canadian teams of researchers from different disciplines who have combined their expertise to produce achievements of outstanding significance in the natural sciences and engineering. Nominations are due Nov 28. Learn more. 

We invite you to explore our expanded list of current life sciences application opportunities by clicking on the following link: Applications Open.

The Last Word

It's the time of year when we bid farewell to our wonderful summer co-op students. Their support and talents are invaluable to our operations, and we extend our heartfelt wishes for success to our outgoing group, Marko Juvan, Grace Bu, and Maddy Dunsmore, as they return to their studies. Thank you for all your hard work!

We're also excited to welcome three new co-op members for the fall term! Dane Yule is pursuing a BA in Communications with a minor in Biology at SFU. Patty Qu is in the Bachelor of Psychology and Master of Management program at UBC. Niall Sendemiris is a 4th year Biology student at UBC. We look forward to working with you all in the upcoming months!

We receive funding support for our co-op placements from BioTalent Canada's Student Work Placement Program (SWPP). The 2023-24 program is nearing capacity, so if you plan to apply for funding, get your applications in soon! Learn more.

Until next week,

Wendy and the LSBC team

Avantor® Partners with Tobin Scientific to Provide End-to-End Solution for Research Lab Relocations, Sample Transport, and GMP Storage Services

Avantor, Inc., a leading global provider of mission-critical products and services to customers in the life sciences, advanced technologies and applied materials industries, has entered into an agreement with Tobin Scientific, a leading provider of biopharma cold chain, ambient storage, and transport & logistics services, to support end-to-end moves for U.S. biopharma customers looking to relocate their labs, research facilities, and samples. This partnership will deliver upon the growing customer need for complex logistics solutions with temperature-specific requirements... READ MORE

InMed to Present at H.C. Wainwright 25th Annual Global Investment Conference

InMed Pharmaceuticals Inc. (“InMed” or the “Company”) (Nasdaq: INM), a leader in the pharmaceutical research, development, manufacturing and commercialization of rare cannabinoids and cannabinoid analogs, announced that InMed’s Chief Executive Officer, Eric A. Adam’s will present a company overview at the H.C. Wainwright 25th Annual Global Investment Conference which takes place September 11-13, 2023 in New York City... READ MORE

PharmAla Begins Trading on OTCQB

PharmAla Biotech Holdings Inc., a biotechnology company focused on the research, development, and manufacturing of novel MDXX class molecules, is pleased to announce that it has qualified for trading on the OTCQB Venture Market in the United States operated by the OTC Markets Group Inc. and the Company’s common shares commenced trading today on the OTCQB under the symbol “PMBHF”. PharmAla’s common shares will continue to trade on the Canadian Securities Exchange under the ticker “MDMA”... READ MORE

Gene Shkolnikov Joins Molecular You as CTO to Drive Platform Innovations

Gene’s impressive career has been marked by his expertise in emergent technologies, with notable achievements in the Internet of Things (IoT), healthcare, and wearable technology sectors. As a seasoned innovator, Gene holds multiple technology patents and has been recognized with numerous awards in mobile innovation... READ MORE

NervGen Pharma To Present On Its Drug Candidate NVG-291 And Spinal Cord Injury At The H.C. Wainwright 25th Annual Global Investment Conference

NervGen Pharma Corp., a clinical stage biotech company dedicated to developing innovative solutions for the treatment of nervous system damage, announced that President & CEO, Mike Kelly, will present at the H.C. Wainwright 25th Annual Global Investment Conference on September 13, 2023... READ MORE

Sernova Corporation Announces the Appointment of Cynthia Pussinen as CEO

Ms. Pussinen’s expertise spans the drug development continuum from research through commercialization. She has led the development, licensure, commercialization and/or subsequent delivery to patients, of more than fifteen new medical therapies for patients globally, including Obizur® (Antihemophilic Factor (Recombinant), Porcine Sequence), Eraxis® (anidulafungin), Zmax® (azithromycin extended-release) and LUXTURNA® (voretigene neparvovec-rzyl), the first gene therapy approved in both the United States and the European Union... READ MORE

Royal Society of Canada Awards Three SFU Scholars With Country’s Highest Academic Honour

Three Simon Fraser University (SFU) scholars have been named to the Royal Society of Canada (RSC)—two of them as Fellows and one as a member of the society’s College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists—bringing SFU’s total number of active RSC members to more than 80 researchers...READ MORE

Seagen and Genmab Announce TIVDAK® (tisotumab vedotin-tftv) Improved Overall Survival in Patients With Recurrent or Metastatic Cervical Cancer Compared With Chemotherapy Alone

Seagen Inc. and Genmab A/S announced that the Phase 3 innovaTV 301 global trial in recurrent or metastatic cervical cancer patients with disease progression on or after front-line therapy who received TIVDAK® (tisotumab vedotin-tftv), compared with chemotherapy alone, met its primary endpoint of overall survival (OS)...READ MORE

Lonza and Vertex Celebrate Groundbreaking of Cell Therapy Manufacturing Facility in Portsmouth

Lonza and Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (Vertex) celebrated the groundbreaking of a dedicated manufacturing facility in Portsmouth, New Hampshire (US). This marks a milestone in the strategic collaboration between the two companies, which aims to accelerate the development and commercialization of Vertex’s potentially transformative cell therapies for type 1 diabetes (T1D)… READ MORE

Researchers Discover Common Origin Behind Major Childhood Allergies

The research, published in Nature Communications, identifies gut microbiome features and early life influences that are associated with children developing any of four common allergies — eczema, asthma, food allergy and/or hay fever. The findings could lead to methods of predicting whether a child will develop allergies, and ways to prevent them from developing at all...READ MORE

Seagen is a global biotechnology company that develops and commercializes transformative cancer therapies. We’re driven by a singular mission—to make a difference for people impacted by cancer. As an industry leader in antibody–drug conjugate (ADC) technology, we pioneered the science of harnessing antibodies designed to deliver cell-killing agents to cancer cells. Three of our four approved medicines are built on this technology.

We also focus our research efforts on novel targeted small molecule therapies. In addition, we are leveraging our expertise in empowered antibodies to build a portfolio of proprietary immuno-oncology agents. LEARN MORE

CABHI Invests $5 million in 19 Companies That Improve the Lives of Older Adults

The Centre for Aging + Brain Health Innovation (CABHI) today announced that it has funded 19 Canadian agetech companies to receive up to $400,000 each to support their early-stage innovations aimed at improving the quality of life for older adults, people living with dementia, and caregivers. The funding was made through CABHI’s Mentorship, Capital, and Continuation (MC2) Capital Program in partnership with National Bank, which supports early-stage companies in growing and scaling agetech solutions... READ MORE

Expanded Graduate Scholarship Funding Will Support Students

The Province is investing approximately $15 million in graduate scholarships over three years, adding $2,500 to each new graduate scholarship award. This funding will accelerate talent development and innovation, along with recruiting and retaining talent, and support graduate students’ success in British Columbia’s growing economy... READ MORE

BC PharmaCare Now Covers New Drugs for Rare Diseases

People in B.C. will benefit from BC PharmaCare’s new coverage of medications used to treat rare diseases, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), acute hepatic porphyria (AHP) and long-chain fatty acid oxidation disorders (LC-FAODs).Building on the StrongerBC: Future Ready Action Plan, the new higher award value of $17,500 will support graduate students with increasing costs... READ MORE

Scientist, Preclinical Research

Bold Therapeutics is seeking to hire a Scientist to join and expand their preclinical research team. A successful candidate will support Bold Therapeutics’ preclinical oncology research efforts, with a focus on cellular biology and understanding the mechanism of action of BOLD-100 and our other metallotherapeutics. The role involves collaborating with Bold Therapeutics’ research team, as well as our network of academic and industry partners, to advance the understanding of our key assets...LEARN MORE

Postdoctoral Position at Eyam Vaccines and Immunotherapeutics - Bioinformatician

This is a unique opportunity to experience collaborative research with leading industry and academic experts. The successful candidate will work both in-person, on site at our Vancouver/Greater Vancouver Area offices, and remotely on a project to create and use novel algorithms for the development of self-amplifying nucleic acid vaccines...LEARN MORE

Administrative Assistant, Research and Innovation

The position is responsible for providing administrative support to the two Research and Innovation Directors (Director, Research and Innovation Operations and Director, Data Science) and three Senior Managers (Senior R&I Manager, Health; Senior R&I Manager, ANR; Senior Programs Manager). As well as supporting the R&I Senior Management Team by coordinating, organizing, and executing general administrative duties, coordinating meeting logistics, providing general meeting support, executing travel and event management, and performing expense/invoice processing...LEARN MORE

Animal Technician

Alpha-9 is seeking a team-oriented Animal Research Technician to join the Translational Biology group within the organization. The ideal candidate will have experience in providing technical in vivo support for research programs, preferably with radioactive substances. This person will be responsible for laboratory animal care and well-being, in addition to conducting in vivo research experiments with experimental radiopharmaceuticals...LEARN MORE

Tenure-Track Assistant Professor Positions (2) Nanomedicine or Chemical Biology

UBC is seeking two full-time tenure-track Assistant Professor positions in their Nanomedicine and Chemical Biology Research Theme, where the research programs focus on many aspects of drug discovery, development and delivery. The major focus of this position will be the development of a cutting-edge, externally-funded, world-class research program. Other responsibilities will include teaching nanomedicine/drug delivery or chemical biology and other related topics to students in the BPSc, PharmD, and MSc/PhD programs, as well as new programs under development...LEARN MORE

Based in metro Vancouver, Westlab focuses on supporting life science companies as they pursue breakthrough discoveries. From designing and furnishing laboratories with casework solutions and fume hoods to equipping and supplying with laboratory equipment and consumables. The Westlab team is passionate about supporting the blossoming BC life sciences sector and is excited to be a helpful resource to any company that is looking to expand and grow in BC. LEARN MORE

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