July 30, 2026 - Hello BioLinks readers

This week:

• BIV 2026 Life Sciences Magazine: members get 15% off
• Federal Pharmaceutical and Life Sciences sector task force report
• Last chance for Awards Gala early bird: ends tomorrow July 31
• Sponsorship opportunities available for Invest in BC
• Congrats to everyone who rode in the Cypress challenge

BIV 2026 Life Sciences Magazine - Media Kit
The BIV life sciences magazine provides a targeted opportunity to raise awareness of the scientific and economic importance of the life sciences sector. Its circulation includes members, industry associations, government agencies, and BIV subscribers. We will launch the 2026 edition at our Annual Awards Ceremony on September 9, 2026. Read Media Kit.

We encourage our members to take advantage of this unique advertisement opportunity. This year, we have negotiated with BIV exclusive member pricing for advertisements at a 15% discount. If you would like to learn more, please contact Tanya Kalra at tkalra@biv.com

Federal Pharmaceutical and Life Sciences Sector Task Force: Report to Ministers

The Pharmaceutical and Life Sciences Sector Task Force was announced by the Government of Canada on March 18, 2026. The report presents the advice from the task force to the Ministers of Health and Industry. It includes recommendations to address structural and operational challenges affecting timely access to medicines, affordability, security of supply and the resilience and competitiveness of Canada’s pharmaceutical and life sciences ecosystem. Read more.

Get Your Tickets to the Awards Gala Before Early Bird Ends Tomorrow!

Once a year, the community comes together to celebrate. Join us on September 9, 2026, for our annual Awards Gala. This distinguished occasion will leave you and your team inspired as we honour the outstanding achievements of our peers, share the success stories of the past year, and make meaningful connections. Get your tickets before the July 31 early-bird deadline here.

Sponsorship Opportunities Available for Invest in BC and One Booth Left

Get in front of 100 global investors. Make the connections that lead to strategic partnerships to build your business. Sponsorship opportunities are still available and there is only one exhibition booth left. Reach out to our Manager, Sponsorships and Memberships, Sarah Richards at srichards@lifesciencesbc.ca

It Was a Rainy and Successful Cypress Challenge Last Weekend

Members of our life sciences community, including our Events Manager, Alysia Golka, did not shy away from the rain as they climbed Cypress Mountain last weekend in support of pancreatic cancer research and care. In total $757,000 was raised to support BC Cancer. The Helix and Spokes team, for local life sciences executives is led by Ali Ardakani (Optigo and Novateur Ventures) and James Taylor (SOZO Intuition Systems). Ascender Bio also came out to support the cause. Congrats to everyone who made it up the mountain and raised funds for an excellent cause.

Member Highlights 

AbCellera partners with Vertex to discover multispecific T-Cell engagers (TCEs) for autoimmune diseases and other conditions. Leveraging its proprietary TCE platform, AbCellera will lead discovery and early development with Vertex funding R&D costs. AbCellera receives $28 million upfront and Vertex will have the right to develop and commercialize assets from the collaboration. Congrats to AbCellera on this exciting announcement! Read more.

Total Flow Medical receives FDA clearance for its femoral arterial cannula for cardiac surgery. Congrats to Total Flow, one of our Growth Catalyst Program companies, on this important milestone! Read more.

Ecosystem Highlights

A new kidney care centre at Surrey Memorial Hospital is expanding access to dialysis services, increasing treatment capacity to better support patients across Surrey and the surrounding communities. Read more.

Kudos

Congratulations to this year’s recipients of the Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute Research Challenge Michelle Danda, Galen Taylor Jones, Fiona Roome, and Allison Audrey Guia, where they will receive mentorship from an experienced VCHRI investigator in addition to funding to help them learn to successfully conduct a clinical research project. Read more.

UBC researcher Dr. Sarah Hedtrich has been awarded US $5.5 million as part of the ARPA-H THRIVE initiative to advance a precision gene-editing therapy for rare genetic, skin diseases, with the goal of delivering of a curative treatment. Read more.

Congratulations to Dr. Gina Ogilvie, Dr. Rhian Touyz, and Dr. Yves De Koninck on being recognized by UBC Faculty of Medicine for their outstanding contributions to cancer, brain health, and heart disorder research. Their groundbreaking work continues to advance scientific discovery, improve patient care, and make a lasting impact in Canada and around the world. Read more.

People on the Move

Congratulations to the newly appointed leaders at DIGITAL: Nadia Shaikh-Naeem, Chief Programs Officer; Atish K., Vice President of Finance; and Laurel Buss, Vice President of Government Relations. Their experience and leadership will continue to drive innovation and support the growth of Canada's technology sector. Read more.

Congratulations to Dr. James Tansey as he steps into the role as Renaissance Biosciences’ Board of Directors. Read more.

Applications Open

Canadian companies developing AgeTech, digital health, AI-enabled healthcare, and other innovative solutions for healthy ageing are invited to apply for the Indo-Pacific AgeTech Canadian Technology Accelerator (CTA). The program provides market-entry support, mentorship, and connections with buyers, investors, and strategic partners across Japan, Taiwan, Singapore, and Hong Kong. Applications close August 26, 2026. Learn more.

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

Membership Spotlight

Pullan's clients come to discuss their strategic objectives and augment their internal capabilities for securing co-development and licensing transactions. Pullan provides tailored support through several critical factors. Their network of contacts at pharmaceutical and biotech companies spans the globe; which maintain these direct links with key executives at biopharma organizations of all sizes. Learn more.

Kokua Pharma is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to transforming the emergency treatment of severe allergic reactions and anaphylaxis. Our lead product, REZQPUFF (KP001), is the first and only inhaled epinephrine — a needle-free, rapid-acting, titratable inhaler designed to deliver epinephrine directly to the larynx and lungs, the principal sites of anaphylaxis pathology. Learn more.

Until next week!

LSBC Team

September 9 - The 28th Annual Life Sciences BC Awards is a distinguished occasion that 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.

November 3-4 - Life Sciences BC is pleased to announce the 11th annual Invest in BC presented by Lumira Ventures. This highly anticipated event serves as a premier gathering for life sciences innovators in British Columbia, connecting them with investors and potential partners locally, nationally, and around the world.

argenx to Acquire Forte Biosciences, Inc., Adding First-in-Class anti-CD122 Antibody, FB102, to its Immunology Pipeline

argenx is acquiring Forte Biosciences to add FB102, a promising antibody therapy for autoimmune diseases, to its immunology pipeline… Read more.

GSK’s Shingrix (Recombinant Zoster Vaccine) prefilled syringe presentation approved in Canada

GSK's Shingrix vaccine is now available in Canada in a prefilled syringe presentation, making shingles vaccination more convenient for healthcare providers… Read more.

Idorsia advances global rollout of QUVIVIQ with Jamjoom Pharma partnership in Saudi Arabia and the Levant

Idorsia has partnered with Jamjoom Pharma to expand access to QUVIVIQ, its insomnia treatment, across Saudi Arabia and the Levant, supporting the medicine's global rollout… Read more.

Labcorp Launches Marker by Labcorp™ Genetic Health Panel, Expanding Consumer Access to Hereditary Genetic Risk Testing

Labcorp has introduced the Marker by Labcorp Genetic Health Panel, expanding access to hereditary genetic testing to help people better understand inherited health risks… Read more.

PrELIDEL® (pimecrolimus) cream Now Reimbursed Under Alberta’s Public Drug Plan for Eligible Patients with Mild to Moderate Atopic Dermatitis

ELIDEL® (pimecrolimus) cream is now covered under Alberta's public drug plan, improving access to treatment for eligible patients with mild to moderate atopic dermatitis… Read more.

New survey reveals Canadians underestimate chronic hepatitis B and its link to liver cancer

A new GSK survey found that many Canadians are unaware of the risks of chronic hepatitis B, highlighting the need for greater awareness and earlier testing… Read more.

Johnson & Johnson Announces a Proposed Resolution of Ovarian Talc Litigation

Johnson & Johnson has reached a proposed agreement to resolve the remaining ovarian talc lawsuits in the U.S… Read more.

Novartis receives Health Canada approval for ᴾʳRHAPSIDO® (remibrutinib tablets) oral treatment for adults with CSU

Novartis has received Health Canada approval for RHAPSIDO® (remibrutinib), providing a new oral treatment option for adults with chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) who remain symptomatic despite antihistamines… Read more.

Johnson & Johnson Introduces MONARCH™ Platform to the Middle East

Johnson & Johnson introduced the MONARCH™ Platform in the Middle East, expanding access to advanced technology for earlier detection of lung cancer… Read more.

AbCellera Announces Collaboration with Vertex to Discover Multispecific T-Cell Engagers for Autoimmune Diseases and Other Conditions

AbCellera and Vertex are collaborating to develop multispecific T-cell engager therapies for autoimmune diseases and other conditions…Read more.

Johnson & Johnson Announces Collaboration with Sail Biomedicines to Advance in vivo CAR-T Programs and Transform Autoimmune Disease Through Immune Reset

Johnson & Johnson has partnered with Sail Biomedicines to advance next-generation in vivo CAR-T therapies for autoimmune diseases. The collaboration aims to accelerate the development of innovative treatments that reset the immune system and improve patient outcomes… Read more.

Pfizer’s PREVNAR 20™ Selected for Québec’s Publicly Funded Pediatric Pneumococcal Immunization Program

Québec has added Pfizer's PREVNAR 20 to its publicly funded pediatric immunization program, helping protect infants against pneumococcal disease… Read more.

Johnson & Johnson Completes Acquisition of Firefly Bio, Inc. to Advance Next-Generation Oncology Innovation

Johnson & Johnson has completed the acquisition of Firefly Bio, expanding its oncology portfolio with next-generation technology to advance more targeted cancer therapies… Read more.

EMS and BD expand access to GLP-1 therapies in Brazil with semaglutide launch

EMS and BD are expanding access to GLP-1 therapies in Brazil through the launch of semaglutide, supporting treatment for obesity and type 2 diabetes… Read more.

Johnson & Johnson’s RYBREVANT FASPRO™ (amivantamab and hyaluronidase-lpuj) receives U.S. FDA Priority Review as potential first-in-class EGFR- and MET-targeted subcutaneous treatment for advanced head and neck cancer

Johnson & Johnson's RYBREVANT FASPRO has received U.S. FDA Priority Review as a potential first-in-class under-the-skin treatment for advanced EGFR- and MET-driven non-small cell lung cancer… Read more.

Total Flow Medical Receives FDA Clearance for Innovative Femoral Arterial Cannula for Cardiopulmonary Bypass

Total Flow Medical received U.S. FDA clearance for a new femoral arterial cannula designed to improve blood flow during cardiopulmonary bypass… Read more.

Post doctoral fellow (Mitacs) – Immunologist/in vivo model development

The candidate will head a multidisciplinary project leading the mechanistic characterization and development of new in vivo models for validated endotoxin-clearance enhancing lipid nanoparticle RNA drugs for treatment of severe bacterial infections… Learn more.

Marketing & Partnerships Manager

This role requires building and nurturing relationships with clinics and referral partners, coordinating clinic onboarding and partnership initiatives, and conducting customer and stakeholder interviews to better understand user and clinic needs... Learn more.

If you haven't already, sign-up for this and our weekly events newsletter

Follow LSBC on Social Media