Life Sciences BC News, September 12, 2024

This week we held our 2024 Annual LSBC Awards Gala...what a night! With over 600 in attendance, we are both grateful to and humbled by the BC life sciences community. Congratulations to all the award winners! Follow our social media channels for the winner videos, and more pictures of the energetic and celebratory evening. 

Tell us about your lab space needs: LSBC pulse survey

LSBC continues our pulse survey by phone to gather important information on our sector’s lab space needs. Data will be anonymized and aggregated and available to the sector, including government, for planning purposes.

Help support this important data collection through participating in our very short phone survey if contacted. Or please reach out to us at Labspace@lifesciencesbc.ca

Member Highlights 

Sonic Incytes announced the FDA clearance of Velacur® Determined Fat Fraction. This innovative measurement tool that measures liver fat is integrated into the Velacur® device software. Read more.

Evonik has officially opened a new facility in Darmstadt to meet the increasing demand for functional excipients for oral drug delivery. Read more.

Amgen British Columbia celebrates a milestone for the Amgen Biotech Experience (ABE), a program bringing labs to the classroom. ABE has now reached 1 million students in Canada and 15 other countries. Read more.

Moderna Canada marks a significant milestone, announcing that its manufacturing facility in Laval, Quebec, has been granted a Drug Establishment License (DEL) from Health Canada. Read more.

Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute describes a novel photothermal therapy device that shows promise as a non-invasive means of targeting cancer cells and enhancing immunotherapies. Read more.

Industry Highlights

The Ontario government is investing in two programs in the York Region that will expand diagnostic services in long-term care homes and help reduce hospital and emergency room visits. Read more.

Catalytic Health and Bedford Group Transearch are proud to announce the inaugural Canadian Life Sciences Top 20 Under 40 Awards. The new awards will recognize 20 Life Sciences leaders making an outsized impact in their industry and community. Read more.

The Province is moving forward with new guidelines to protect students and reduce the risks and harms of toxic-drug poisonings. BC’s Post-Secondary Overdose Prevention and Response Steering Committee was formed in May 2024. The committee has developed overdose prevention and response guidelines to support public post-secondary institutions. Read more.

EU and Canada launch Health Policy Dialogue to advance health priorities. The Health Policy Dialogue focuses on cooperation across three priority areas: antimicrobial resistance, health security (including climate-related health risks), and non-communicable diseases (including cancer and mental health). Read more.

Kudos

The new St. Paul’s Hospital, supported by St. Paul’s Foundation has officially topped out at 11 storeys, marking a significant milestone in its journey to deliver a state-of-the-art healthcare facility. Read more.

Karimah Es Sabar and Gary Segal, C.M. were officially invested into the Order of British Columbia last week during the investiture ceremony at Government House in Victoria. Congratulations to all British Columbians who received the honour. Read more.

Congratulations to the winners of the LMG Life Sciences 2024 Americas Awards, including LSBC members Gowling WLG and Mintz, who both received the award for “Impact Deal of the Year.” Read more. Mintz associate Adam Falconi was also recognized as a “Canada Rising Star.” Read more.

UBC Faculty of Medicine researchers Dr. Cheryl Wellington and Dr. John Gill are among 49 new fellows elected to the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences (CAHS) for 2024. Election to the academy is considered one of the highest honours for individuals in the Canadian health sciences community. Read more.

Kudos to the Science Fair Foundation BC’s 2024 Regional Science Fair Scholarship recipients! Nathan Hellner-Mestelman earned the Genome BC Scholarship, provided by Genome BC, Kate Czuczor received the Julia Lane Scholarship, and Stanley Wu won the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure Scholarship. Read more.

People on the Move

Jennifer Cox has joined AbCellera as VP, Translational Sciences. Read more.

Applications Open

Join leading healthcare innovators and investors at HealthTech Ignite on October 10 in Vancouver, hosted by Pender Ventures! HealthTech Ignite focuses on the art of building and scaling health tech companies. Use code LSBC25 for a 25% discount and register for a day of information sharing and networking opportunities. Learn more.

BIO International Convention’s Call for Sessions is now open. The Call for Sessions is your opportunity to showcase thought leadership by speaking on or helping build a panel for the BIO 2025 program. The submission deadline is October 17, 2024. Learn more.

Excellence in Canadian Board Governance at Women in Bio – Montreal is offering a professional development experience in Board Governance for women within Canada’s Life Science and Biotechnology sectors. The 2025 Cohort features a new partnership with the Rotman Executive Program. The deadline has been extended to September 25! Learn more.

BC Cancer, Providence Health Care, and Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute’s annual Knowledge Translation Challenge has begun. The program combines training, mentorship, and funding to help clinicians build skills and confidence. Submit your letter of intent by October 18. Learn more.

The CIHR Institute of Cancer Research Early Career Researcher Workshop takes place from November 26-27 in Toronto. This workshop supports the professional development of ECRs in cancer research. Applications close soon on September 30. Learn more.

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

Member Spotlight

Nimbus Synergies is a Vancouver based venture capital firm committed to supporting innovative, impactful, and diverse early-stage health technology ventures in Canada.

Since its inception in 2017, Nimbus has established itself as one of Canada’s top venture capital leaders in its ecosystem. Nimbus has accomplished this through its focus on high potential early-stage founders, its participation and community mentorship through numerous startup programs and accelerators, including Nimbus’ own startup hub, the GENERATOR, and its post-investment support including initiatives like its peer-to-peer mentorship program, the Nimbus CEO Roundtable.



By bringing these companies together to share resources, industry specific knowledge, and relationships, Nimbus is accelerating their growth and increasing their likelihood of success. Nimbus is significantly impacting the health technology sector through its leadership as investor, partner, and mentor. Learn more.

Until next week!

LSBC Team

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.

December 4 & 5 - Life Sciences BC, in partnership with Biotech Primer, is pleased to present BioBasics 101: The Biology of Biotech for the Non-Scientist.

This intensive two-day ‘master course’ is designed to help non-scientists gain a foundational understanding of the science that forms the backbone of biopharma so that you can converse more effectively with colleagues, clients, regulators, and scientists.

DUPIXENT® (Dupilumab Injection) Approved in Canada for the Treatment of Children Aged 1 Year and Older with Eosinophilic Esophagitis (EoE)

Health Canada has issued a Notice of Compliance (NOC) for DUPIXENT® (dupilumab injection) for the treatment of patients aged 1 year and older, weighing at least 15 kg, with eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE)...Read more.

Health Canada Approves KEYTRUDA® as Monotherapy for the Treatment of Adult and Pediatric Patients with Unresectable or Metastatic Microsatellite Instability-high (MSI-H) or Mismatch Repair Deficient (dMMR) Solid Tumours that have Progressed Following Prior Treatment and who have No Satisfactory Alternative Treatment Options

Merck announced that Health Canada has granted approval of KEYTRUDA® as a monotherapy for the treatment of adult and pediatric patients with unresectable or metastatic MSI-H or dMMR solid tumours...Read more.

2024 Life Sciences BC Strategic Partner of the Year Award: The School of Biomedical Engineering

The School of Biomedical Engineering is honoured to receive the 2024 Strategic Partner of the Year Award from Life Sciences BC...Read more.

Getinge Completes the Acquisition of Paragonix Technologies

Getinge has completed the previously announced acquisition of 100% of the shares of Paragonix Technologies, Inc...Read more.

Soothsaying with Soil: Genomics and Innovative Land Reclamation Research at the Mount Milligan Mine

With co-funding from the Mount Milligan Mine and Genome BC, researchers from Thompson Rivers University and Chu Cho Environmental are testing a new way to evaluate ecological recovery...Read more.

TREMFYA® (Guselkumab) Receives U.S. FDA Approval for Adults with Moderately to Severely Active Ulcerative Colitis, Strengthening Johnson & Johnson’s Leadership in Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Johnson & Johnson announced that the U.S. FDA has approved TREMFYA® (guselkumab) for the treatment of adults with moderately to severely active ulcerative colitis (UC)...Read more.

Eupraxia Pharmaceuticals Announces Data from RESOLVE Phase 1b/2a Trial of EP-104GI for Treatment of Eosinophilic Esophagitis

Eupraxia Pharmaceuticals Inc. announced additional positive clinical data from its RESOLVE Phase 1b/2a trial, which is evaluating the safety and efficacy of EP-104GI as a treatment for eosinophilic esophagitis (“EoE”)...Read more.

WELL Provides Corporate Update on Canadian Clinics Reflecting Strong Growth Momentum and Return on Invested Capital (ROIC) Performance

WELL Health Technologies Corp. is pleased to announce several important updates to its Canadian clinics business…Read more.

United Therapeutics Publishes its 2024 Corporate Responsibility and Public Benefit Report Highlighting its Progress Toward a Future Where No Patient Gets Left Behind—Ever

United Therapeutics Corporation announced the release of its 2024 Corporate Responsibility and Public Benefit Report...Read more.

UBC Welcomes Health Profession Students to New Training Facility in Surrey

More students will have the opportunity to train in the Fraser region for in-demand careers as physical therapists, occupational therapists and midwives thanks to a new UBC faculty of medicine education facility in Surrey...Read more.

TFRI Reaches Record High of 20 Active PPGs with Nearly $20 Million Awarded to Four Teams in 2024 Competition for Prestigious Terry Fox New Frontiers Program Project Grants

Four Canadian research teams will receive a total of $19.8 million in new and renewal funding to advance cancer research and improve treatments as the 2024 recipients of the Terry Fox New Frontiers Program Project Grants...Read more.

Dexamethasone Reduces Infusion-related Reactions in Patients with EGFR-mutated Non-small Cell Lung Cancer Treated with Intravenous RYBREVANT® (Amivantamab-vmjw)

Johnson & Johnson announced results from the open-label Phase 2 SKIPPirr study, which evaluated additional prophylactic strategies to reduce the incidence of infusion-related reactions (IRRs) with intravenous (IV) RYBREVANT®...Read more.

Evonik Starts Operation of New Spray Drying Facility for Pharmaceutical Oral Excipients

Evonik has officially opened a new facility for drying aqueous dispersions of EUDRAGIT® polymers at its site in Darmstadt...Read more.

Health Canada Approves AbbVie’s CONSTELLA® (linaclotide) for the Treatment of Functional Constipation in Pediatric Patients 6 to 17 Years of Age

AbbVie (NYSE: ABBV) announced that Health Canada has approved CONSTELLA® (linaclotide) as a once-daily oral treatment for children and adolescents 6 to 17 years of age with functional constipation...Read more.

BCIT and CASTL Celebrate the BC Biomanufacturing Training Facility

BCIT and CASTL, in partnership with the Province of BC and the Government of Canada, are revolutionizing life sciences training in British Columbia with the first-of-its-kind BC Biomanufacturing Training Facility (BCBTF)...Read more.

FDA Grants 510(k) Clearance to Sonic Incytes’ Velacur® Determined Fat Fraction (VDFF), a breakthrough for patients with MASLD and MASH

Sonic Incytes Medical Corp, a leader in point-of-care ultrasound, proudly announces that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted 510(k) clearance for its Velacur® Determined Fat Fraction (VDFF)...Read more.

Moderna’s Canadian Manufacturing Facility Receives Drug Establishment License From Health Canada

Moderna, Inc. (Nasdaq:MRNA) announced that its manufacturing facility in Laval, Quebec, has been granted a Drug Establishment License (DEL) from Health Canada...Read more.

New Survey Reveals Widespread Lack of Awareness about Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) Among Older Canadians, Despite Health Risks for this Population

Data from a new survey has highlighted significant gaps in knowledge among older Canadians about respiratory syncytial virus...Read more.

DIGITAL Accelerates the Commercialization of Canadian AI-driven Solutions

DIGITAL, Canada’s Global Innovation Cluster for digital technologies, celebrates the impacts delivered through its $500+ million investments in Canadian-led, AI-enabled innovations...Read more.

AbbVie Showcases Advancement of Solid Tumor Pipeline at ESMO 2024, with New Data in Tumor Types with High Unmet Needs

AbbVie announced that new data from its innovative antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) platform will be showcased at the upcoming European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress 2024 (September 13-17, 2024)…Read more.

Labcorp to Acquire Select Outreach Services from Ballad Health

Ballad Health announced it has reached agreement on a strategic collaboration with Labcorp to provide outreach laboratory services across the Appalachian Highlands region...Read more.

A Million Discoveries: How the Amgen Biotech Experience Shapes Future Innovators

Welcoming its one-millionth student, ABE isn’t just counting participants in Canada and 15 other countries; it’s celebrating a movement towards a more inclusive and engaging science education across the globe...Read more.

Breakthrough T1D and Integrated Nanotherapeutics Collaborate to Advance Development of an Immune Tolerizing Therapeutic to Treat Type 1 Diabetes

Integrated Nanotherapeutics (INT) has received an award from Breakthrough T1D (formerly JDRF) to advance INT’s technology to induce immune tolerance in type 1 diabetes (T1D)...Read more.

Expanding Province-wide Collaboration Through the Knowledge Translation Challenge

The Knowledge Translation Challenge is an annual program that has been run in collaboration with BC Cancer, Providence Health Care (PHC) and Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute since the first cohort in 2017…Read more.

RYBREVANT® (amivantamab-vmjw) Plus LAZCLUZE™ (lazertinib) Show Strong Favorable Overall Survival Trend Versus Osimertinib in EGFR-mutated Advanced Lung Cancer

New longer-term data from the MARIPOSA study confirm superior outcomes of chemotherapy-free RYBREVANT® plus LAZCLUZE™ regimen compared to osimertinib monotherapy as first-line therapy...Read more.

Chief Medical Information Officer

The Chief Medical Information Officer (CMIO) is responsible for the medical leadership that advances the utilization of technology-enabled information management systems, to ultimately improve quality outcomes for patients within clinical operations across the entire region...Learn more

Chief Executive Officer

The CEO is responsible for the overall strategic direction of the organization including the development and ongoing refinement of organization strategy, business development and revenue generation, structure, product development, partner and client relations...Learn more

Research and Innovation Manager, Data Science

Reporting to the Director, Data Science you will work with the Research and Innovation leadership and the other members of the Data Science team to implement Genome British Columbia’s (Genome BC) Data Science Strategy...Learn more

Specialist, Quality Assurance

We are seeking a Quality Assurance Specialist to be responsible for implementing and maintaining Augurex’s electronic Quality Management System (eQMS) in accordance with regulatory requirements, industry standards, internal quality requirements and specifications...Learn more

Sr. Manager, Regulatory Affairs

We are seeking a Sr. Manager, Regulatory Affairs to be responsible for working directly with our Global Head of Product R&D and external regulatory consultants on the FDA 510(k) submission for SPINEstat®...Learn more

Center of Excellence Postdoctoral Fellow – Immunogenecity Mitigation and Immunopeptidomics

We are seeking a postdoctoral fellow with previous training in immunology and biochemistry to help develop the next generation of screening tools to identify and quantify the presence of immunogenic sequences, motifs, and structures in candidate therapeutic molecules...Learn more

Associate Scientist – Experimental Immunology

Well-suited applicant will have broad laboratory training, deep scientific curiosity and a positive approach to working in a team-based research environment. This individual will also have a track record of creative problem-solving...Learn more

Associate – Experimental Immunology (12-Month Contract)

The position would involve the cell isolation from primary human tissues, primary cell culture, sample management and tracking and general assay development. Well-suited applicant will have broad laboratory training and a positive approach to working in a team-based research environment...Learn more

Senior Administrator, Human Resources

The Senior Administrator will be responsible for coordinating recruitment scheduling for executive level positions (VP and above), scheduling Senior Hire orientations and supporting training events for department heads...Learn more

Team Lead, Clinical Genotyping

Reporting to the Assistant Laboratory Director, the Team Lead, Clinical Genotyping coordinates and provides work direction to the Clinical Laboratory Drug Resistance Testing and Genotyping team...Learn more

Research and Innovation Manager, Health

The Research and Innovation Manager, Health is a collaborative member of the Research and Innovation team and works seamlessly across the organization...Learn more

HR Coordinator/Senior HR Coordinator

The Human Resources Coordinator/Sr. Human Resources Coordinator is responsible for ensuring the entering and coordination of data, documents and processes into the various HR systems in an accurate and timely manner to ensure flawless execution...Learn more

Manager, Capital Campaign

St. Paul’s Foundation is seeking a Manager, Capital Campaign to be an integral part of an established, respected non-profit on the cusp of opening an incredible new hospital, research complex, and health campus...Learn more

Senior Scientist, CMC, Drug Product

The candidate will be responsible for leading the development of suitable formulations for the in vivo assessment (including for GLP toxicology studies) of novel chemical compounds originating from our Discovery team...Learn more

Laboratory Assistant, Lab & Facilities

The Lab Operations Assistant will be responsible for a variety of tasks, including consumables inventory management, restocking lab supplies, shipping/receiving and maintaining equipment in good working order...Learn more

Senior Animal Care Technician (18 month contract)

The Sr. Animal Care Technician reports to the Director, In Vivo Resources and is responsible for the various technical procedures that support the scientific research conducted during the execution of in vivo studies...Learn more

Principal Scientist – Discovery Protein Sciences

The Therapeutic Discovery organization is seeking to fill a position at the Principal Scientist level in our Discovery Protein Sciences group in Vancouver, Canada. This position, which is laboratory-based, will support the design and generation of complex biological molecules...Learn more

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