Life Sciences BC News, January 9, 2025

For those on the front line of in-person relationship building and negotiations, we are excited to partner with Novateur Academy to bring to Vancouver our Biotech Business Development & Licensing Masterclass: Blueprint for Success on March 3-5, 2025. This is a unique immersive educational experience that will draw from industry experts to develop practical knowledge for business development professionals. Apply today.

Looking for a job in the life sciences? Join us on January 24 for our annual Career Connect Day at the Vancouver Convention Centre for inspiring career journeys and one of the largest life sciences career expos of the year, featuring over 20 life sciences employers. Show up and make your own luck, register here.

LSBC’s annual Access to Innovation is the must-attend event for timely and relevant conversations about the sector. This year, we’re discussing the promise of cell and gene therapies, the new VCH-VCHRI AI hub, IP policies to advance innovation, and the future and present of nanomedicines to name a few topics. Register today.

Member Highlights 

Genevant Sciences announced that they have entered into a collaboration and nonexclusive license agreement to develop novel mRNA-LNP immunotherapies targeting Epitopea’s proprietary aberrantly-expressed tumor specific antigens, for an undisclosed oncology indication. Read more.

Vertex announces FDA approval for expanded use of TRIKAFTA® and ALYFTREK™ for the treatment of cystic fibrosis. Read more about TRIKAFTA® and ALYFTREK™.

NervGen announced that it has completed enrollment in the chronic cohort of its Phase 1b/2a clinical trial for its investigational lead molecule, NVG-291, in individuals with spinal cord injury. Read more.

Evonik partners with ST Pharm, a company that manufactures active ingredients for gene therapy, to expand its RNA and nucleic acid therapeutic services. Read more.

Johnson & Johnson’s posdinemab and tau active immunotherapy receive FDA fast track designations for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. Read more.

Eyam Vaccines and Immunotherapeutics rebrands to Eyam Health. This change underscores the company’s broader mission to address global health challenges through innovative solutions and advanced technologies. Read more.

Industry Highlights

Read about the top 10 medtech deals of 2024, led by Johnson & Johnson’s $13.1 billion acquisition of Shockwave Medical. Read more.

Fraser Health’s artificial intelligence assistant, Fraser lives on the Digital Front Door, a key component of Fraser Health’s Digital Twin, the first digital transformation project of its kind for a health authority in BC. The digital twin provides a digital replica of Fraser Health’s physical operations and real-time information that can be used by staff to make data-informed decisions. Read more.

Kudos

Farris Counsel, Jenifer Chilcott, has been awarded a lifetime membership by Island Women in Science and Technology (iWIST). The lifetime membership award recognizes Jenifer’s visionary leadership and professional commitment to advancing women in STEM. Read more.

Congratulations to Wendy Lisogar-Cocchia for her appointment as the new Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia. Read more.

Congratulations to Dr. Manish Sadarangani on his induction into The Royal Society of Canada. Read more.

People on the Move

Borealis Biosciences appoints Christian Hordo as CEO and expands Series A financing. Read more.

Applications Open

Join Web Summit’s ALPHA startup programme, which is an ideal environment for showcasing your brand, giving you the opportunity to pitch your product to a global audience and take your business to new heights. Connect with investors, meet potential customers, and build valuable connections. Learn more.

Applications are now open for the International Society for Cell & Gene Therapy’s full-tuition scholarship for the 2025 Cell Therapy Leadership Training Program. This program delivers training experience, combining lectures, discussions, mentoring, and networking sessions. The deadline is January 31, 2025. Learn more.

Apply for Summer by Design, an intensive program for PhD students and post-doctoral fellows from Canadian and international universities, which will run from June 2 to 11, 2025, at the University of Toronto. The deadline is January 20, 2025. Learn more.

Applications for Stem Cell Network’s international travel awards are open. Applications are currently being accepted for conference travel occurring between January 1, 2025 and March 31, 2025. Learn more.

Seize Your Moment in the MedTech Spotlight: The stage is set for you to lead the charge in medtech innovation. Make your mark by submitting your session for the upcoming 2025 MedTech Conference. Apply by February 21, 2025. Learn more. 

Join CASTL’s Elevate Program, a 6-week national training initiative aimed at advancing Canada's biomanufacturing sector through comprehensive training. Apply to be part of the next cohort. Learn more.

Looking for skilled Engineering students to support your organization? UBC’s Applied Science Co-op Program connects you with motivated students from 14 disciplines, including Biomedical, Chemical and Biological, Computer, and Manufacturing Engineering. Students will bring valuable skills and make meaningful contributions to your team. You may also be eligible for funding to help subsidize a portion of the student’s salary. Recruitment for Summer 2025 (May-August work-term) starts on January 1, 2025. Learn more on the UBC Applied Science Co-op website or contact apsc.bd@ubc.ca.

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

Member Spotlight

Redlen Technologies Inc. - Redlen Technologies was founded by Bob Redden, whose work with the Canadian Space Agency involved growing crystalline materials in microgravity on the Mir and International Spice Station.

From a five-person team to over 200 employees, Redlen has revolutionized semiconductor crystal growth, producing Cadmium Zinc Telluride (CZT) sensors for medical imaging, security, and non-destructive testing. Its innovations have transformed medical CT scanners, improving resolution, diagnostic accuracy, and reducing radiation, akin to the leap from black-and-white TVs to 4K displays. With design wins from Fortune 500 companies, Redlen’s success led to its $430M acquisition by Canon Inc. in 2021, marking a milestone for B.C.’s tech industry. Known for its STEM opportunities and inclusive culture, Redlen is a leader in innovation and a great place to work. Learn more.

Until next week!

LSBC Team

January 24 - Life Sciences BC 6th Annual Career Connect Day

This dynamic full-day event brings together life sciences employers from across the sector, post-secondary students, and job seekers.

February 26 - Join us for our 10th Annual Access to Innovation conference.

This premier full-day gathering welcomes life sciences leaders and trailblazers from academia, research, health institutions, government, and industry to engage in insightful discussions on the ever-evolving trends, developments, and policies shaping British Columbia’s thriving sector.

Johnson & Johnson’s Posdinemab and Tau Active Immunotherapy Receive U.S. FDA Fast Track Designations for the Treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease

Johnson & Johnson announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Fast Track designation to posdinemab...Read more.

Veteran Leaders in Business and Pharma Join Eyam Health’s Board of Directors

Eyam Health is proud to announce the appointments of Mary Filippelli and Lana Hoogenboom to its Board of Directors...Read more.

Evonik Partners With ST Pharm to Increase its Offerings for RNA and Nucleic Acid Delivery

Evonik is partnering with ST Pharm, a company that manufactures active ingredients for gene therapy, to expand its RNA and nucleic acid therapeutic services...Read more.

Aspect Biosystems Raises US$115 Million Series B Financing to Advance Bioprinted Tissue Therapeutics

Aspect Biosystems, a biotechnology company pioneering the development of bioprinted tissue therapeutics, announced that it has closed a US$115 million Series B financing round...Read more.

RYBREVANT® (amivantamab-vmjw) Plus LAZCLUZE™ (lazertinib) Show Statistically Significant and Clinically Meaningful Improvement in Overall Survival Versus Osimertinib

Johnson & Johnson announced positive topline results for the gold standard endpoint in cancer treatment of overall survival (OS) from the Phase 3 MARIPOSA study...Read more.

Rakovina Therapeutics Announces Receipt of AI-Derived Drug Candidates and Advancement to Preclinical Validation

Rakovina Therapeutics Inc. announces the successful synthesis of novel small-molecule drug candidates designed under the Company’s artificial intelligence (AI) platform collaboration...Read more.

In The Press Banner Clinical News Qu Biologics’ Immunomodulator Improves Fatty Liver Disease

Qu Biologics Inc. is pleased to report exciting data demonstrating that Qu Biologics’ QBECO SSI markedly improves fatty liver disease and its deleterious consequences in an animal model of preexisting obesity...Read more.

Eyam Health Announces Corporate Name Change to Reflect Expanded Mission and Technological Advancements

Eyam Vaccines and Immunotherapeutics is rebranding to Eyam Health, effective January 2025.  This change underscores the company’s broader mission to address global health challenges...Read more.

HEALWELL AI Announces Upsize in Bought Deal Offering to $55 Million

HEALWELL AI Inc., a data science and AI company focused on preventative care, is pleased to announce that it has entered into an amended agreement...Read more.

Vertex Announces US FDA Approval of ALYFTREK™, a Once-daily Next-in-Class CFTR Modulator for the Treatment of Cystic Fibrosis

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved ALYFTREK for the treatment of cystic fibrosis...Read more.

Vertex Announces U.S. FDA Approval for TRIKAFTA (elexacaftor/tezacaftor/ivacaftor and ivacaftor) to Include Additional Non-F508del TRIKAFTA-responsive Variants

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the expanded use of TRIKAFTA® for the treatment of people with cystic fibrosis...Read more.

Getinge and 908 Devices Partner to Enhance Bioreactor Capabilities for Continuous Monitoring of Key Cell Culture Parameters

908 Devices’ MAVEN provides highly precise, on-line monitoring and control of glucose and lactate without any loss of bioreactor volume, enabling biopharma scientists to maintain nutrient and metabolite concentrations...Read more.

Epitopea and Genevant Sciences Announce Collaboration Agreement

Epitopea and Genevant Sciences announced that they have entered into a collaboration and nonexclusive license agreement to develop novel mRNA-LNP immunotherapies...Read more.

CASTL Launches New BioWorks Training Program to Upskill Canada’s Biomanufacturing Workforce

The Canadian Alliance for Skills and Training in Life Sciences (CASTL) is pleased to announce the launch of the CASTL BioWorks Training Program...Read more.

Borealis Biosciences Appoints Christian Hordo as CEO and Expands Series A Financing

Borealis Biosciences announced the appointment of Christian Hordo as CEO; a $30 million infusion from an extension of the Series A led by Westlake BioPartners; and the addition of three new board directors...Read more.

Labcorp And Graves Gilbert Clinic Announce Strategic Agreement for Lab Operations

Labcorp, a global leader of innovative and comprehensive laboratory services, has entered into a comprehensive strategic agreement with Graves Gilbert Clinic to manage the lab operations of its main full-service laboratory...Read more.

Lexaria’s Registered GLP-1 Study #4 Begins Dosing

Lexaria Bioscience Corp., a global innovator in drug delivery platforms, announces it has begun dosing in the Company’s Phase 1b, 12-week chronic study GLP-1-H24-4...Read more.

Healthmark – A Legacy of Innovation in Infection Control

Healthmark develops and markets innovative solutions that help healthcare facilities deliver surgical instruments and life-saving medical devices to patients...Read more.

Health Sciences Faculty Win Terry Fox Grants Funding Patient-led Cancer Research

The Patient Voices in Research initiative is funding 10 team research projects across Canada, including the two being led by assistant professor of professional practice...Read more.

Lexaria Forms New Scientific Advisory Board

Lexaria Bioscience Corp. announces the creation of its new Scientific Advisory Board (“SAB”) to assist in guiding Lexaria’s rapid drug delivery platform technology and development plans within pharmaceutical industry…Read more.

Johnson & Johnson Submits Application to the European Medicines Agency Seeking Approval of a New Indication for IMBRUVICA® (ibrutinib) in Adult Patients with Previously Untreated Mantle Cell Lymphoma (MCL) Who Are Eligible for Autologous Stem Cell Transplant

Janssen-Cilag International NV, a Johnson & Johnson company, announced the submission of a Type II variation application to the European Medicines Agency (EMA)...Read more.

InMed Announces Results of 2024 Annual General Meeting

InMed Pharmaceuticals Inc. confirmed that the matters put forward before shareholders for consideration and approval as set out in InMed’s notice of meeting and management information circular...Read more.

Director, RNA

NanoVation Therapeutics (NTx) is looking for a collaborative and results-driven Director, RNA, to lead our RNA department and strategy. Our ideal candidate is a hands-on collaborative leader with a proven track record of contributions in the field of RNA translation and mechanisms of control...Learn more

Industry Relations Associate

The Industry Relations Associate reports to the Manager, Industry & Business Development and leads various pipelines of the society’s revenue generation activities such as ISCT Annual and Regional Conferences...Learn more

Scientist – Biologics Discovery (14-month contract)

The primary responsibilities of this role include leading the implementation of automation solutions to streamline routine lab tasks, managing and tracking samples and data, and enhancing productivity and consistency in laboratory processes...Learn more

Operations Manager

Kirke Management Consulting is looking for an Operations Manager that establishes the appropriate internal processes required to increase efficiency, better communication and increased quality in the delivery of our services...Learn more

Regulatory Affairs Associate

We are currently seeking for a dynamic Regulatory Affairs Associate who will be responsible to register and maintain regulatory approvals in the global markets that the RAMP products are sold in to support the core purpose of saving lives globally through providing tools that aid in diagnosis in acute care settings...Learn more

Administrative Coordinator

The Administrative Coordinator will be responsible for supporting the efficient and smooth operation of the office including supporting shipping, receiving, courier activities, and providing broad support to the Genevant team as required...Learn more

Tenure-Track Assistant Professor Position in Nanomedicine or Chemical Biology

The major focus of this position will be the development of a cutting-edge, externally-funded, world-class research program. Other responsibilities will include teaching nanomedicine/drug delivery or chemical biology and other related topics...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

Detector Product Engineer

In this position you will have a hands-on role in ensuring we fully understand our detector performance. The duties and responsibilities include production validation and application engineering, product verification, problem solving, and more...Learn more

R&D Process Development Engineer

Join our R&D Process Development team in a hands-on position where you will work with semiconductor manufacturing tools, execute advanced data and root cause analyses to develop novel techniques that advance our technology development...Learn more

Hardware Test Engineer

This role is crucial in designing test hardware, maintaining production equipment, troubleshooting issues, and conducting user training to ensure a robust and reliable test system infrastructure...Learn more

Senior Manufacturing Engineer

As a member of the Manufacturing Engineering team, you will be expected to have a wide breadth of knowledge of all production processes and act as the first point of contact for any feedback or problems raised by the manufacturing team...Learn more

Manager, Supply Chain

We are seeking a Manager, Supply Chain, who will be working directly with our VP Commercial Operations in leading Augurex’s manufacturing operations, optimizing supply chain processes and ensuring compliance with our Quality Management System...Learn more

Director, Diagnostics Manufacturing

The Director, Diagnostics Manufacturing will be a key driver of Augurex’s commercial success, positioning the company as a leader in autoimmune diagnostics...Learn more

Director, Finance

This role is a steppingstone to the senior leadership team, and an ideal role for an ambitious, hands-on finance professional with a breadth of skills and desire to apply their financial and business acumen in a rapidly growing company...LLearn more

LIR Life Sciences - LIR life Sciences is engaged in the research, development and commercialization of products intended to address weight loss and longevity through novel polypills and new mechanisms of delivery of these therapies. They intend to make these treatments accessible to everyone for a fraction of the high costs currently in place by drugs like Ozempic and Mounjaro.

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