It's hard to find the words

May 1, 2025 - This week:

• LSBC Awards: Nominate a Deserving Organization or Individual
• Next Week: Bloom Burton Healthcare Conference 
• Good Luck to Investor Readiness Program Grads at the UBC Investor Showcase
• Countdown to Web Summit, 26 Days Away
• Last Chance to Join the Life Sciences Investor Bus Tour
• ICYMI – Perfect Pitch Webinar
• Upcoming: R2WSV Investor Readiness Event
• Jade Biosciences Merges with Aerovate Therapeutics

LSBC Annual Awards is a hallmark of community for the sector, we undeniably are a rising tide that lifts all boats. Do you know a changemaker who has made a difference, someone who is not only excellent but generous? Which companies stand out? Nominate them today! This year, we have two awards for Emerging Company of the Year (one for Biotech and one for Medtech/Digital Health). Nominations are due by midnight on May 20, 2025. Learn more on our awards web page.

Mark your calendars for October 2, 2025, and join us at the Vancouver Convention Centre West for the 2025 Life Sciences BC Awards Gala, a special night of celebration. Keep an eye out for ticket sales, which will open soon.

See you in Toronto! LSBC President & CEO Wendy Hurlburt will attend the Bloom Burton Healthcare Investment Conference (BBHIC) on May 5-6, 2025. Mintz will be hosting a networking event on Sunday, May 4 for early-stage life sciences companies and investors. Good luck to all LSBC member companies presenting at BBHIC next week.

We’re also cheering on Investor Readiness Program (IRP) graduate companies CereCura, ImageCyte, and TruMotion who will be taking the stage at the 2025 UBC Investor Showcase on May 13, 2025, at UBC Robson Square.

Next week, we host our final in our three-part series of R2WSV events. Join us on May 8 in person. Hear from Brenda Irwin, Managing General Partner at Relentless Venture Fund, about how to effectively engage with investors. Learn from her expertise as she delves into current health tech investment trends, strategic decision-making, the influence of market conditions, refining your investor target list, and ways to be impactful. Get your free tickets here.

Congratulations to Jade Biosciences on completing its merger with Aerovate Therapeutics. Raising a $300 million oversubscribed private investment round sets Jade Biosciences up with a strong financial foundation for its mission to develop leading autoimmune therapies. Read more.

Member Highlights 

Lumira Ventures and the Terry Fox Foundation announce a first-of-its-kind collaboration between a philanthropic organization and a venture capital firm with a mission to invest in best-in-class cancer-focused companies. The team closed the market at the TSX to celebrate the partnership. Read more.

Optigo Biotherapeutics, a preclinical-stage biotechnology company focused on discovering and developing transformative therapies for blinding neovascular diseases announces a presentation at Eyecelerator and a preclinical data poster at the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) 2025 Annual Meeting. Read more.

DCx Biotherapeutics makes an exciting announcement in a foundational deal to accelerate the development of first-in-class multi-modal ADCs. DCx will in-license key discovery platforms and programs from Repare Therapeutics. The deal expands the team with ~20 talented scientists, and lab space in Montreal from Repare to serve as the discovery and translational core for DCx. Read more. 

AbbVie receives FDA approval for RINVOQ® (upadacitinib), now the first and only oral Janus Kinase (JAK) inhibitor approved for the treatment of Giant Cell Arteritis in adults. Read more.

Industry Highlights

Government of BC opens new involuntary care beds at Surrey Pretrial Services Centre, providing specialized care for people in custody facing mental health, addiction, and brain injury crises due to toxic-drug overdoses. Read more.

Kudos

Congratulations to IQVIA’s Marie E. Lamont, head of Real World Solutions, and Dr. Joanne Hackett, vice president, Health System Services, for winning Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association Luminary and Rising Star Awards. Read more.

Kudos to Dr. Kishor M. Wasan, Distinguished University Scholar and Adjunct Professor in Department of Urologic Sciences UBC for being awarded the 2025 Canadian Society of Pharmaceutical Sciences Lifetime Achievement Award.

People on the Move

Rakovina Therapeutics Inc. appoints Mr. Yevgeniy Meshcherekov and Dr. David Kideckel to its board of directors. Read more.

Susan Brown, President & Chief Executive Officer of Interior Health, announces retirement by the end of 2025. Read more.

Applications Open

Apply to the Canadian Institutes of Health Research’s Institute/Initiative Community Support Grants competition that will help fund planning and dissemination activities on research topics such as gaps and opportunities in the health research landscape, clinical care, and more. The deadline is June 19, 2025. Learn more.

Set your co-op students up for success! Apply to CASTL’s BioBridge program, a subsidized, hands-on, employer-aligned training program for co-op students in biomanufacturing and bioprocessing roles. Training sessions are May 26-30, 2025, or June 2-6, 2025. To learn more or reserve, contact Kelsey@castlcanada.ca.

Applications open for CIHR and Michael Smith Health Research BC’s Health System Impact (HSI) Fellowship, a program supporting PhD students and postdoctoral fellows to promote evidence-informed policy and highlight policy-relevant research. The deadline is July 3, 2025. Learn more.

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

Member Spotlight

Santis Health - Santis Health is an integrated communications, government relations and strategy firm exclusively focused on providing first-class counsel and support for clients in the health and life sciences sectors. We operate from an understanding of the context within which our clients work – including expert knowledge of the decision-making processes at play in government and across the health system, the actors and factors that weigh on those processes, and the best possible way to drive collaboration and impact. Learn more.

Until next week!

LSBC Team

May 8 - Join us for Road to Web Summit Vancouver: Investor Readiness

The final session of our R2WSV program will focus on preparing your business for investor engagement. With over 600 investors, ranging from angels to top VC firms, expected to attend Web Summit Vancouver, this is your opportunity to strategically position your business for growth. 

May 26 - Join us for Innovation & Investment Insider Tours

The Innovation & Investment Insider Tours is a curated investor experience showcasing groundbreaking innovation in cleantech, life sciences, and creative tech. Connect with high-growth companies, industry leaders, and investors in a dynamic setting designed for meaningful conversation. The event will begin with transportation from downtown Vancouver to Surrey, the fastest-growing city in the Metro Vancouver region, for a networking lunch, followed by three sector-specific investment tours.

Newly Launched DCx Biotherapeutics In-Licenses Discovery Platforms and Retains Talent and Infrastructure from Repare Therapeutics to Accelerate Development of Multi-Modal Antibody Drug Conjugates

DCx Biotherapeutics Corporation announced an agreement with Repare Therapeutics Inc...Read more.

New Genomics Projects to Improve Disease Testing and Treatment

UBC Faculty of Medicine researchers have received new funding from the Government of British Columbia, with Genome BC and Genome Alberta, to accelerate the future of patient care and genetic testing...Read more.

BMC to Exhibit at CPHI Americas 2025 – Booth #945A

BMC will showcase its end-to-end biomanufacturing expertise and specialized services. Our team will discuss tailored manufacturing solutions and potential partnerships with pharmaceutical and biopharma companies...Read more.

BMC to Attend the 2025 Bloom Burton & Co. Healthcare Investor Conference

BMC will be represented by Patrick Daoust, Business Development Manager, who will take part in strategic meetings to highlight BMC’s expertise in biomanufacturing and explore new opportunities for collaboration...Read more.

Augurex to Participate in the SPARTAN 2025 Annual Meeting in Toronto, Canada

Augurex Life Sciences, a leader in autoimmune biomarker-based diagnostics, announced its participation in the SPARTAN 2025 Annual Meeting...Read more.

Bold Therapeutics Presents Late-Breaking Poster on BOLD-100’s Unique Ability to Mitigate Oxaliplatin-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy (OIPN) at AACR Annual Meeting 2025

Bold Therapeutics Inc. announced that its Sr. Director of Preclinical Development, Mark Bazett, PhD, is presenting BOLD-100’s potent neuroprotective properties later at the AACR Annual Meeting...Read more.

Rakovina Therapeutics Showcases Preclinical Results of Novel AI-Discovered Cancer Therapies at AACR 2025

Rakovina Therapeutics Inc. announced the presentation of new preclinical data from two of its lead programs at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting...Read more.

Cytiva and Asimov Collaborate on Next Generation Cell Line Design and Process Development

Asimov is collaborating with Cytiva to provide customers with an integrated offering for optimized biologics production...Read more.

RINVOQ® (upadacitinib) Receives U.S. FDA Approval for Giant Cell Arteritis (GCA)

AbbVie announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved RINVOQ® (upadacitinib), 15 mg, once daily, for the treatment of adults with giant cell arteritis...Read more.

Acuitas Therapeutics Demonstrates Enhanced mRNA-LNP Activity in Cancer and Viral Vaccine Development

Acuitas Therapeutics, a global leader in lipid nanoparticle (LNP) delivery systems, shared key findings from its latest mRNA-LNP therapeutic research during the 2025 World Vaccine Congress...Read more.

AbCellera Presents Data Showing Preclinical Efficacy of PSMA x CD3 T-Cell Engagers at AACR 2025

AbCellera announced new data on its PSMA x CD3 T-cell engagers (TCEs), presented as a poster at the American Association for Cancer ResearchⓇ 116th Annual Meeting at the McCormick Place Convention Center...Read more.

Jade Biosciences Completes Closing of Merger with Aerovate Therapeutics and Previously Announced Private Placement of Approximately $300 Million

Jade Biosciences, Inc., a biotechnology company focused on developing best-in-class therapies for autoimmune diseases, announced the completion of its previously announced merger with Aerovate Therapeutics, Inc...Read more.

IQVIA Celebrates Marie E. Lamont and Dr. Joanne Hackett, Winners of Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association Awards

IQVIA™ announced that Marie E. Lamont, head of Real World Solutions, and Dr. Joanne Hackett, vice president, Health System Services, have been honored by the Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association (HBA)...Read more.

Zymeworks Presents New Data from Multiple Development Programs at 2025 AACR Annual Meeting

Zymeworks Inc. announced the presentation of six posters with new preclinical data from its preclinical, development-stage, and clinical programs at the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting...Read more.

Roche Canada and Alberta Cancer Foundation Partner to Improve Outcomes for Albertans Facing a Cancer Diagnosis

The Alberta Cancer Foundation and Hoffmann-La Roche Limited announced a new partnership that will redirect $1 million of its investment with the Foundation towards programs in Cancer Care Alberta...Read more.

Kardium Announces 1-year PULSAR IDE Study Results for its PFA device – the Globe® PF System

Kardium Inc. announced late-breaking, one-year clinical trial results for its innovative pulsed field ablation (PFA) device—the Globe PF System...Read more.

Augurex to Attend British Society for Rheumatology 2025 Annual Meeting in Manchester, UK

Augurex Life Sciences Corp., a leader in biomarker-based diagnostics for autoimmune diseases, announced its attendance at the British Society for Rheumatology (BSR) 2025 Annual Meeting...Read more.

Optigo Biotherapeutics Announces Presentation at Eyecelerator and Preclinical Data Poster at the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) 2025 Annual Meeting

Optigo Biotherapeutics announced their presentation of data related to their long-acting retina delivery platform and drug candidates at the Eyecelerator meeting...Read more.

Groundbreaking New Data on Hologic’s AI-Powered Mammography Technology to Be Presented at SBI

Hologic, Inc will be presenting pivotal new research conducted by a top-tier healthcare facility focused on the company’s AI-driven mammography technology...Read more.

Eupraxia Pharmaceuticals to Present at Investor and Scientific Conferences in April and May

Eupraxia Pharmaceuticals Inc. announced that the Company’s management and scientific teams will present at the following investor and scientific conferences in April and May...Read more.

ITM and Alpha-9 Oncology Enter Into Supply Agreement for Therapeutic Medical Radioisotope Actinium-225

ITM Isotope Technologies Munich SE and Alpha-9 Oncology announced the signing of a supply agreement for Actinium-225 (Ac-225) to support the development of Alpha-9’s radiopharmaceutical programs...Read more.

Acuitas Therapeutics to Present Data on Latest LNP Safety and Activity Profiles at ASGCT 2025

Acuitas Therapeutics announced two poster presentations and one oral presentation highlighting the its latest research on enhanced LNP delivery mechanisms and safety profiles across several preclinical models...Read more.

Abdera Therapeutics to Present Key Updates on its Radiopharmaceutical Development Pipeline at the 2025 American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting

Abdera Therapeutics Inc. announced two upcoming presentations at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting...Read more.

Communications Specialist, Content and Events

The Communications Specialist is a member of the Communications and Societal Engagement team. Reporting to the Senior Communications Manager you are an impeccable storyteller who is comfortable creating content for all media...Learn more.

Research Associate 2, Biology

The incumbent will provide technical in vivo support for our preclinical drug discovery projects. The successful candidate will conduct in vivo pharmacology experiments to characterize the pharmacokinetics, efficacy and safety of compounds...Learn more.

Research Associate 3/Senior Research Associate 1, Biology (In Vivo)

The incumbent will provide technical in vivo support for our preclinical drug discovery projects. The successful candidate will conduct in vivo pharmacology experiments to characterize the pharmacokinetics, efficacy and safety of compounds...Learn more.

Director, CMC

This position is responsible for managing all technical operations for the supply of existing and new sustained-release drug products, including manufacturing, manufacturing process development, formulation development, analytical and stability testing, and quality control...Learn more.

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