June 12, 2025 - Hello BioLinks Readers!

This week

• Celebrating Nancy Harrison’s BIOTECanada Gold Leaf Award
• Next Week: Team BC at BIO Boston
• The Dilawri Foundation Donates $60M to VGH & UBC Hospital Foundation
• Call from the Province for BC Companies to Share Your Experience with AI

Collaboration lies at the heart of BC's unique ecosystem. Underlying that is the people and the networks we cultivate and build. We're excited to highlight a true ecosystem builder, and are thrilled to celebrate Nancy Harrison on her recent Gold Leaf Award for Industry Leadership (Ecosystem Builder) from BIOTECanada.

Photo from Nancy Harrison, Venture Partner, Amplitude Ventures, Wins 2024 Barry Gekiere Lifetime Legacy Award.

With a career spanning more than 30 years, Nancy Harrison is one of Canada’s most successful biotech investors. An established leader in both operations and venture capital, Nancy is currently a Venture Partner at Amplitude Ventures. She tirelessly gives back with the generosity of her time. Nancy has been an Entrepreneur in Residence for our Investor Readiness Program and served as past LSBC Board Chair. Congrats to Nancy and thank you for all that you do. Kudos to the other Gold Leaf Award winners: enGene, 35Pharma, and Diane Gosselin!

Next week, Team BC will show up strong at the Canada Pavilion for BIO Boston. Our delegation of 40 companies exemplifies the ingenuity and resilience that define our sector. We are the fastest-growing life sciences sector in Canada and arguably have the largest biotech subsector. Connect with our delegation to explore partnerships and discover why British Columbia is a global destination for life sciences innovation. Learn more about the BC companies attending BIO here.

VGH & UBC Hospital Foundation announced a generous $60 million donation from the Dilawri Foundation. It is inspiring to see Dilawri apply some of the massive commercial success it has achieved to philanthropic and human health initiatives since the establishment of the Dilawri Foundation in 2002. This transformative gift, the largest in the history of VGH & UBC Hospital Foundation, includes $35 million to help fund a proposed new multi-use tower and $25 million for an unprecedented Innovation Fund. Read more.

Invitation to Share Your Experience with AI in BC – Your story matters

The Ministry of Jobs, Economic Development and Innovation (JEDI) is exploring how industries in BC are adopting artificial intelligence (AI) technologies and wants to hear directly from BC businesses about their real-world experiences with AI.

Whether your business is developing or adopting AI or has yet to adopt AI, JEDI is collecting stories from BC businesses to better understand what’s working, where challenges exist, and what kinds of support could make a difference. This feedback will help shape future policies, programs, and strategies for AI in BC.

The stories are voluntary and anonymous. It uses SenseMaker, a unique research tool that enables the collection, analysis, and interpretation of large-scale qualitative and quantitative data to help better understand complex situations. It provides a more nuanced picture than standard surveys through gathering real-world narratives and stories and analyzing patterns, trends, and themes.

Your participation will help shape our future AI policies, programs, and strategy.

Please click here to share your story.

Member Highlights 

Roche Canada announces Health Canada authorization of PiaSky® (crovalimab for injection) as the first monthly subcutaneous therapy indicated for the treatment of paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH). Read more.

Genome BC announces funding for eDNA projects. During the pandemic, our public health and response systems were put to the test. Since then, advances in genomics have been leveraged in environmental and public health monitoring. One application used environmental DNA technology (eDNA) to monitor COVID-19 virus levels in wastewater. Recent investments, announced by Genome BC, are expanding the potential of this technology, particularly in remote, rural, and indigenous communities. eDNA is a powerful tool that uses trace genetic material left behind in water, air and soil to detect pathogens, assess ecosystem health and support environmental decision-making. Read more.

Industry Highlights

Burnaby Hospital in BC performed its first hip replacement using the Mako Robotic Arm Assisted Surgical System, marking the first procedure of its kind in Western Canada. Read more.

Kudos

Kudos to UBC Pharmaceutical Sciences alumnus Dr. Ric M. Procyshyn for being awarded the King Charles III Coronation Medal for contributions to mental health in Canada. Read more.

People on the Move

WELL Health Technologies Corp. has appointed Ric Leong as Chief Accounting Officer. Read more.

Sanofi Canada appointed James Guy as Country Lead, Canada and General Manager, Specialty Care. Read more.

President of Simon Fraser University Joy Johnson has been named Chair of the Research Universities’ Council of BC. Read more.

The UBC Faculty of Medicine announced Dr. Wyeth Wasserman as Vice Dean, Research. Read more.

Applications Open

The PHSA Supply Chain Innovation Intake program helps bring new healthcare innovations into BC’s health system. The program helps identify and adopt new products, technologies, or services that can improve healthcare. Suppliers with solutions can submit them via the intake form for review. Learn more.

Apply to Canadian Technology Accelerator AI in Biopharma Germany, a program focused on artificial intelligence solutions in advanced manufacturing. This 8-week hybrid program supports high-growth Canadian companies ready to scale into the German and UK markets. The deadline is July 2, 2025. Learn more.

Participate in the Canadian Bioproduction Technologies R&D Partnering Delegation to France on September 22-26, 2025. This is an opportunity for Canadian SMEs to collaborate with French partners on co-innovation projects in bioproduction technologies. The expression of interest deadline is June 15, 2025. Learn more.

Applications open for Canadian Institutes of Health Research’s Operating Grant: ECRs in Human Development, Child and Youth Health. This funding opportunity supports early-stage researchers advancing knowledge and impact across biomedical, clinical, health services, and social, cultural, environmental, and population health pillars. Learn more.

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

Member Spotlight

Abdera Therapeutics Inc. is a precision oncology company leveraging antibody engineering to design and develop next-generation targeted radiation therapeutics for cancer - one of the most cutting-edge and highly promising areas of drug development. The company is built on a proprietary modular technology platform optimized for the delivery of radioisotopes to selectively destroy tumor cells while sparing healthy cells. Abdera is using this platform to enable the rapid development of a broad range of safe and efficacious therapies serving cancer patients with limited treatment options. Learn more.

Ondine Biomedical Inc. is developing non-antibiotic therapies for the treatment of a wide variety of complex bacterial, fungal and viral infections. The Company is focused on developing and commercializing innovative products using its patented light-activated platform technology, Photodynamic disinfection (PDD). PDD eradicates pathogens by using a non-thermal light source with a specific wave length and a photosensitizing solution that selectively stains the targeted pathogens. Learn more.

Revau is Canada’s largest privately owned Managing General Agent (MGA), specializing in complex risk solutions for the life sciences and healthcare sectors. With deep, long-standing relationships across both the domestic and London insurance markets, we bring global expertise to local innovation. Learn more.

Until next week!

LSBC Team

June 25 - Join us for Summer Social

LSBC’s most anticipated event of the summer is the Annual Summer Social! It’s a lively evening of relationship-building with different teams, past colleagues, business partners, and friends. It’s an excellent opportunity to meet people and expand networks. The spirit of collaboration in BC continues to set us apart from other clusters, and this occasion is a chance to gather as a community. We celebrate the life sciences sector and kick off the summer together.

May 27-30 - Join us for our 27th Annual Life Sciences BC Awards

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.

Delivering AI’s Promise of Better Health Care

UBC AI and Health Network brings together researchers, clinicians and health system partners to apply Canadian-made AI solutions to the challenges facing patients and health systems...Read more.

Lexaria’s DehydraTECH-Liraglutide Human GLP-1 Clinical Study Supports Pathway to Potential FDA Registration as an Orally-Delivered Capsule

Lexaria Bioscience Corp. announces that human study GLP-1-H25-5 which compared oral capsules of DehydraTECH-liraglutide to injected Saxenda®-branded liraglutide has been successfully completed...Read more.

U.S. FDA Approves Expanded Indication for AbbVie’s MAVYRET® (Glecaprevir/Pibrentasvir) as First and Only Treatment for People with Acute Hepatitis C Virus

AbbVie announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a label expansion for MAVYRET® (glecaprevir/pibrentasvir), an oral pangenotypic direct acting antiviral (DAA) therapy...Read more.

Health Canada Authorizes PiaSky® (crovalimab for injection) As the First Monthly (Every Four Weeks) Subcutaneous Treatment for People With Paroxysmal Nocturnal Hemoglobinuria (PNH)

Hoffmann-La Roche Limited announces that Health Canada has authorized PiaSky® (crovalimab for injection) as the first monthly subcutaneous therapy indicated for the treatment of paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria...Read more.

IQVIA Launches New AI Agents for Life Sciences and Healthcare

IQVIA’s new custom-built AI agents using NVIDIA technology are designed to enhance workflows and accelerate insights for life sciences...Read more.

New Real-world Study Reveals Oral Corticosteroid Overuse in Patients with Chronic Rhinosinusitis with Nasal Polyps

A new Canadian real-world study, ACTIONS revealed patterns of oral corticosteroid (OCS) use among patients with chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) prior to starting biologic treatments...Read more.

Sanofi Appoints James Guy as Country Lead, Canada and General Manager, Specialty Care

In this role, Guy will lead Sanofi’s Canada Country Council, which manages the operations of the company’s three business units and functions. Guy will also head the Specialty Care business unit in Canada...Read more.

Jade Biosciences Presents JADE101 Preclinical Data at the 62nd European Renal Association Congress Demonstrating Potential for Best-in-Class Profile in IgA Nephropathy

Jade Biosciences, Inc. announced a detailed preclinical characterization of JADE101, its anti-A Proliferation-Inducing Ligand (APRIL) monoclonal antibody, in development for IgA nephropathy...Read more.

BIOTECanada Announces 2025 Gold Leaf Award Winners, Spotlighting Leadership and Innovation in Canadian Biotech

BIOTECanada is pleased to unveil the winners of the 2025 Gold Leaf Awards, recognizing the exceptional achievements of the individuals and organizations advancing Canadian biotechnology...Read more.

Vertex Presents New Data on Benefits of ALYFTREK® and Importance of Achieving Lower Sweat Chloride Levels at the European Cystic Fibrosis Conference

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated announced data across multiple studies demonstrating positive clinical and quality of life benefits of treatment with CFTR modulators and, in particular, ALYFTREK...Read more.

New Genomics Investments Expand eDNA Monitoring in BC’s Remote and Indigenous Communities

On World Environment Day, Genome British Columbia (Genome BC) is proud to announce significant new investments that will expand Canada’s capacity for environmental DNA or RNA (collectively called ‘eDNA’) monitoring...Read more.

WELL Health Announces Appointment of Ric Leong as its Chief Accounting Officer

​WELL Health Technologies Corp. is pleased to announce the recent appointment of Ric Leong, CPA, CA, BSc. as WELL’s Chief Accounting Officer, effective May 20th...Read more.

Associate Director, AI and Advanced Analytics, VCHRI

The Associate Director, AI and Advanced Analytics, is a visionary leader who will establish and direct our artificial intelligence (AI) research program, positioning VCHRI as a national leader in healthcare AI innovation...Learn more.

Plant Engineer

This position is responsible for providing facility and process engineering support for the manufacturing of drug products. This role is part of the Site Engineering department at Vancouver whose responsibilities include maintaining and strategic improvement planning for plant and assets...Learn more.

Manager, Fianacial Planning & Analysis

You will be a key contributor to the budgeting, forecasting, and strategic planning processes, delivering actionable insights to drive business performance. You will partner cross-functionally to support financial decision-making, prepare executive-level reports, and analyze financial trends...Learn more.

Corporate Relations Manager – Agriculture & Natural Resources (ANR)

This role is one of the main cross-functional points of contact for: the agricultural and natural resources industries and corresponding provincial government representatives, as well as Genome BC Research & Innovation Director(s)...Learn more.

Scientist II, Discovery Biology

The successful candidate will play a key role in leading biological strategies and lab activities supporting platform development and preclinical drug discovery programs...Learn more.

Manager/Senior Manager, Quality Assurance, GMP

The selected candidate will work collaboratively with multidisciplinary teams and ensure adherence to GMP regulations and regulatory requirements in support of Xenon’s clinical development programs and NDA preparation...Learn more.

Director, IR and Corporate Communications

Responsible for the co-ordination & execution of all internal and external communication for the company. Key stakeholders include financial regulators, potential investors, shareholders, Board Members and employees...Learn more.

Manager, Strategic Initiatives

The Project Manager is responsible for overseeing a portfolio of strategic research, infrastructure, and training projects and cross-sector initiatives that enhance lab space, technology platforms, early-stage biomanufacturing, and clinical trials capacity....Learn more.

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