September 4, 2025 - Hello BioLinks Readers!

This week:

• Welcoming our New Co-op Students to the LSBC team
• Globe and Mail Commentary on the Significance of Biotechnology in Canada's Defence Strategy
• Deadline Approaching for Ad Booking in the Annual Life Sciences Magazine 
• Sep 17: Get Ready for Invest in BC Webinar 
• Featuring LSBC Strategic Partner of the Year: Providence Health Care Ventures  

Welcome to the first week of September. We look forward to a busy fall, full of sharing member milestones, celebrating accomplishments within the life sciences sector, and gathering at events to network, collaborate and learn from each other.

LSBC Welcomes Three New Co-op Students This Fall 

We look forward to supporting their growth and celebrating their contributions over the coming months. 



We also want to thank our departing co-op students, Trixie Tobias and Cynthia Wei, for their valuable contributions. We wish them all the best in their future endeavors!   

Investing in Biotech: Canada’s Strategic Advantage 

A recent Globe and Mail commentary underscored the importance of including health and biotechnology in Canada’s defence strategy, highlighting Vancouver-based AbCellera as a leading example. The company’s COVID-19 antibody breakthroughs contributed to the global pandemic response, demonstrating how investments in biotech can ensure we are more prepared for future emergencies and strengthen Canadian biomanufacturing capacity and global leadership in innovation. 

The article was co-authored by Carl Hansen, CEO of AbCellera, and Dr. Peter Zandstra, Director of UBC’s School of Biomedical Engineering and an LSBC board member. Read more (subscription required).

Life Sciences Magazine Returns This October! 

Produced in partnership with BIV, the annual Life Sciences magazine highlights the businesses, ventures, and trends shaping the sector, along with the 2025 LSBC award recipients. It’s distributed to BIV subscribers, at LSBC events, and at the annual Awards Gala.  

LSBC members can showcase their organizations through advertising opportunities, with members receiving a 15% discount. The magazine will be distributed in early October, with an ad booking deadline of September 10.  



Learn more about this opportunity by contacting BIV Senior Account Manager, Tanya Kalra. 

Prepare for Invest in BC 2025: Join Our “What to Expect” Webinar

Get an insider preview of Invest in BC 2025 with Life Sciences BC and BIO at our, “Get Ready for Invest in BC 2025: What to Expect,” webinar on Wednesday, Sep 17. Learn about the conference agenda, networking opportunities, and see a live demo of the BIO Partnering™ system. Don’t miss this opportunity to prepare. Sign up for this free webinar here.

Featuring LSBC Strategic Partner of the Year: Providence Health Care Ventures 

This week, we’re featuring our 2025 Strategic Partner of the Year, Providence Health Care Ventures (PHC Ventures). 

PHC Ventures provides vital support to innovators seeking to validate and commercialize their products and ideas. By connecting new solutions with clinical environments, co-developing technologies, and leveraging medical data for AI development and complex research projects, PHC Ventures continues to position BC as a leader in health innovation. 

Recognized for its outstanding contributions to BC’s life sciences sector, over the past five years PHC Ventures has and continues to build on Providence Health Care’s long history of pioneering advancements, including leading or contributing to 11 significant projects, such as the innovative Intelligent Network for Point-of-Care Ultrasound initiative. 

PHC Ventures has demonstrated exceptional commitment to advancing the life sciences sector in BC through their visionary leadership, strategic collaborations, and commitment to scalable innovation that benefits the broader health system. 

We look forward to celebrating with the PHC Ventures team on October 2, 2025! 



Tickets are selling fast; we are over 80% full for the Awards Gala. Book your tickets today.

Member Highlights 

Bausch Health launched the YUN ACN skincare line in Poland, featuring probiotic and prebiotic formulations for acne-prone skin, including Repair Cream, Wash gel, and Micellar water. Read more. 

Idorsia is advancing its commitment to the science of sleep and insomnia with a symposium and eight poster presentations at World Sleep 2025, the global congress for sleep medicine and research, taking place in Singapore this September. Read more.

Eupraxia Pharmaceuticals announced the first 12-month clinical results from its ongoing Phase 1b/2a RESOLVE trial of EP-104GI for eosinophilic esophagitis. Read more.

Jade Biosciences has dosed the first cohort of participants in a Phase 1 healthy volunteer trial of JADE101, which is an investigational monoclonal antibody designed to selectively inhibit the activity of A PRoliferation-Inducing Ligand in patients with immunoglobulin A nephropathy, an autoimmune kidney disease. Read more.

Roche Canada announced that VABYSMO® (faricimab injection) is publicly funded on the Ontario Drug Benefit Program for the treatment of macular edema secondary to retinal vein occlusion. With this addition, VABYSMO is now covered for all three of its approved indications in Ontario, offering patients a single, comprehensively funded treatment option. Read more.

United Therapeutics Corporation announced its TETON-2 study evaluating nebulized Tyvaso® (treprostinil) Inhalation Solution for treatment in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis met its primary endpoint of demonstrating improved absolute forced vital capacity versus placebo and achieved several key secondary endpoints with statistical significance. Read more.

Genome BC funded two Society Issues Competition projects to investigate improvements to access for genetic testing for hereditary cancers, exploring both cascade testing and population-based testing in the BC healthcare system. Read more. 

Industry Highlights

In a message marking Cancer Awareness Month, the Honourable Marjorie Michel, P.C., M.P., Canada’s Minister of Health, noted that cancer remains the country’s leading cause of death, with two in five Canadians expected to be diagnosed in their lifetime. She highlighted the nearly $4 billion in research investments from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research over the past 25 years that have advanced targeted therapies and immunotherapies. Read more.

Experts say U.S. public health funding cuts could have spillover effects in Canada, particularly in areas like vaccine access, infectious disease monitoring, and cross-border health collaboration. Canadian specialists note the importance of maintaining strong systems on both sides of the border to safeguard public health. Read more. 

People on the Move

Thank you to Jill Earthy for her outstanding leadership as the inaugural CEO of InBC, where she built a strong foundation and positioned the organization as a vital source of capital for BC companies. We welcome Dr. Daniel Muzyka as Acting CEO while InBC begins the search for its next leader. Read more. 

Gowling WLG (UK) LLP has appointed Sarah Felger as its new Chief Operating Officer, overseeing operational strategy across the firm’s offices in the UK, Europe, and the Middle East. Read more. 

Applications Open

BioTalent Canada’s Career Starter Program offers employers up to $20,000 in wage subsidies and employer support to hire youth facing employment barriers. Placements include training, mentorship, and diversity supports, helping grow Canada’s bio-economy while fostering an inclusive workforce. Read more.

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

Member Spotlight

AON - Aon Reed Stenhouse is a part of Aon Corporation, the world’s largest international retail brokerage organization with over 500 offices in more than 120 different countries. We offer our clients the knowledge and experience of 46,000 risk management and insurance professionals worldwide. Locally in British Columbia, we have offices located in Vancouver, Victoria, and Kamloops.

We actively work with our life sciences clients to identify and manage risk. It is not enough to just insure risk, we want to help you avoid the loss altogether, and if the loss does occur by chance, our assistance can facilitate a smoother, more successful recovery. Contact us for information on: Supply Chain Risk Management Directors & Officers Clinical Trials Liability Cyber Intellectual Property Trade Credit Product Liability Key Person Protection Marine Cargo Business Interruption Property. Learn more.

Until next week!

LSBC Team

October 2 - 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.

October 28 - 29 - Join us for our 10th Annual Invest in BC presented by Lumira Ventures

Life Sciences BC is pleased to announce the 10th 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.

Idorsia’s TRYVIO – First FDA-approved therapy to Target the Endothelin Pathway for Systemic Hypertension 

Idorsia Ltd. released an OnDemand investor webcast outlining how TRYVIO™ (aprocitentan) – the first and only hypertension therapy targeting the endothelin pathway – fits into the treatment landscape for difficult-to-control hypertension...Read more.

Bausch Health Launches YUN Probiotherapy™ ACN Skincare Line in Poland 

Bausch Health Companies Inc. announced the launch of the YUN ACN skincare line in Poland, offering probiotic and prebiotic formulations designed for acne-prone skin...Read more.

Idorsia Furthers the Science of Sleep and Insomnia at World Sleep 2025 

Idorsia Ltd. continues its commitment to furthering the science of sleep and insomnia with a symposium and eight poster presentations at World Sleep 2025, a global scientific congress bringing the best of sleep medicine and research...Read more.

First Set of 1-Year Clinical Results from RESOLVE Trial in Eosinophilic Esophagitis (EoE), Durable and Sustained Symptom & Tissue Responses after Dosing with EP-104GI

Eupraxia Pharmaceuticals is leveraging its proprietary Diffusphere™ technology designed to optimize local, controlled drug delivery for applications with significant unmet need and announced additional positive clinical data from its ongoing Phase 1b/2a RESOLVE trial...Read more.

Jade Biosciences Announces First Cohort Dosed in Phase 1 Healthy Volunteer Clinical Trial of JADE101, a Novel and Potentially Best-in-Class Anti-APRIL Monoclonal Antibody Being Evaluated for the Treatment of IgA Nephropathy 

Jade Biosciences, Inc. focused on developing best-in-class therapies for autoimmune diseases announced that it has dosed the first cohort of participants in a Phase 1 healthy volunteer trial of JADE101...Read more.

VABYSMO® (faricimab injection) Now Publicly Funded for Macular Edema Secondary to Retinal Vein Occlusion (RVO) in Ontario 

Roche Canada is pleased to announce that VABYSMO® (faricimab injection) is now publicly funded for macular edema secondary to retinal vein occlusion on the Ontario Drug Benefit Program...Read more.

United Therapeutics Corporation Announces TETON-2 Pivotal Study of Tyvaso® Meets Primary Endpoint for the Treatment of Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis

United Therapeutics Corporation, announced that its TETON-2 study is evaluating the use of nebulized Tyvaso® (treprostinil) Inhalation Solution for the treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) met its primary efficacy endpoint of demonstrating improvement in absolute forced vital capacity...Read more.

AbbVie Announces Updated Results From Phase 2 EPCORE® NHL-6 Study Evaluating the Potential for Outpatient Monitoring of Epcoritamab in Patients With Relapsed/Refractory (R/R) Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma (DLBCL) 

AbbVie announced updated results from the Phase 2 EPCORE® NHL-6 trial (NCT05451810) evaluating the feasibility of dosing and monitoring patients in the outpatient setting for the first full dose of epcoritamab monotherapy...Read more.

New Real-World Data Elevating Patient Perspectives Highlight the Need for Scientific Advancement in Maternal Fetal Immunology at ISUOG 2025 

Johnson & Johnson announced that six abstracts, including an oral poster presentation, will be shared at the 35th International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology World Congress...Read more.

Principal Immunoengineer – Protein Design & Immunogenicity (Large Molecule Discovery)

You will lead translational efforts in protein design with a mission to eliminate or reduce immunogenicity in large molecule therapeutics. This pivotal role bridges experimental immunology and computational science to ensure novel biologics are safe and effective from the outset...Learn more.

Senior Scientist – Directed Evolution & Protein Design, Large Molecule Discovery 

This role will specifically involve leading our enzyme engineering efforts around discovering novel therapeutics for rare and genetic diseases. Such efforts will entail the use of directed molecular evolution and rational design, including computational approaches...Learn more.

QC Team Coordinator

Proactively collaborate with stakeholders of various functional groups to prioritize the work for QC to meet the business needs to achieve the best-in-class operation for a Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO)...Learn more.

Manager, Memberships & Sponsorships

This role will manage the portfolio of the members and sponsors. With responsibility for securing agreements, the Manager, Memberships and Sponsorships leads acquisition and retention strategies and the research of members’ and sponsors’ needs and opportunities...Learn more.

Scientist - Structural Biology 

This position supports comprehensive molecular insights and structure-based design for drug-target assessment, mechanism of action, protein-protein and protein-ligand interactions, as well as protein engineering to facilitate drug discovery across various therapeutic areas...Learn more.

Research Assistant, In Vivo Pharmacology 

Seeking an experienced research assistant to work in the Preclinical Group, reporting to the Senior Research Scientist, Preclinical. The research assistant will be responsible for conducting and supporting in vivo/in vitro studies to characterize the pharmacodynamics, pharmacokinetics/distribution...Learn more.

Associate Scientist, Purification Analytics (12 Month Contract)

This specialized group is responsible for the high-throughput generation of tool and lead candidate large molecules for therapeutic discovery programs. It leverages a state-of-the-art, fully automated Biofoundry to produce recombinant DNA and protein...Learn more.

Research Associate I, Translational Biology & Pharmacology

The successful candidate will spend the majority of their time performing, analyzing, and interpreting endpoint assays to support in vivo pharmacology workflows, generating critical data to inform go/no-go decisions in platform development and preclinical drug discovery activities...Learn more.

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

Follow LSBC on Social Media