May 7, 2026 - We'll see you at Web Summit next week

This week:

• Awards nominations are due on Friday!
• SMBE says farewell to Dr. Peter Zandstra as he steps into new role
• SR&ED financing strategy and tax program updates
• Life Sciences spotlight by TSX
• Survey: Is your company invested in the future of biotalent?

SBME Says Farewell to Dr. Peter Zandstra

The School of Biomedical Engineering (SBME) at UBC said farewell to Dr. Peter Zandstra as he concludes his tenure as Director. Since 2017, he has helped build SBME into a leading interdisciplinary hub and led milestones like the Gordon B. Shrum Building, Canada’s first purpose-built biomedical engineering facility. As he steps into his new role as Vice-President, Research and Innovation, we join the school in thanking him for his leadership and look forward to his continued impact. Read more.

SR&ED Financing as a Strategic Tool to Accelerate Early-stage Growth

In a conversation with BetaKit, Jason Robertson, co-founder and partner of Nimbus Synergies, shared why he recommends SR&ED financing to his portfolio companies, and how companies can use this tool strategically. In a tougher fundraising environment, startups are increasingly using this as a non-dilutive way to accelerate growth. By accessing tax credit advances upfront instead of waiting for refunds, companies can improve cash flow, reduce reliance on equity funding, and reinvest in R&D to scale faster. This not only strengthens a startup’s financial position but also enhances its attractiveness for future fundraising.

Budget 2026 also included updates to the program by re-allowing capital expenditures and increasing limits. Companies must claim the credit no later than 18 months after the end of the tax year in which the qualified expenditures are incurred. Read more.

Life Sciences Spotlight by TSX  

Canada is home to a dynamic, fast-growing biotech, healthcare, and medical innovation industry, with companies driving breakthroughs that are transforming lives and shaping the future of healthcare. Yet for many investors, the life sciences sector can seem difficult to navigate, with technical language and complex science creating barriers to understanding its full potential. This spotlight is designed to make the sector more accessible.

By showcasing the companies, innovations, and trends defining Canada’s life sciences landscape, this initiative helps investors better understand the opportunities within the market—so they can explore the sector with greater clarity and confidence. Congratulations to LSBC members included in the spotlight: Eupraxia, Molecular You, Rakovina, and Variational AI. Read more.

Is Your Company Invested in the Future of Biotalent?

CASTL - Canadian Alliance for Skills and Training in Life Sciences is exploring models of industry engagement for the BC Bioscience Reskilling Program. Participation offers valuable networking opportunities, deeper insight into BC’s innovative companies and products, and access to emerging talent trained for entry-level operator roles. Take the 3-minute industry survey here.

Member Highlights 

Eupraxia released new data from its ongoing Phase 1b/2a multicenter, open-label, dose-escalation study. Results indicated that scores for inflammation demonstrated improvements in all reported cohorts at both 12 weeks and 36 weeks. Read more.

Lexaria reports on progress towards its human pilot study #7. It is anticipated that receipt of ethics approval, completion of QC testing, and packaging of the qualified test articles will occur by early June. Read more.

Lumira Ventures, together with the Terry Fox Foundation and the Canadian Cancer Society, announce first close of the Cancer Breakthrough Fund. Read more.



“Surpassing our initial target and closing oversubscribed in just twelve months is a powerful validation that the market recognizes both the strength of this mission-driven investment opportunity and the urgent need for cross-sector collaboration in Canada,” says Peter van der Velden, Executive Chairman, Lumira Ventures. 

Novartis receives Health Canada approval for Fabhalta^®, an oral treatment for adults with a chronic, rare kidney disorder. Read more.

Ecosystem Highlights

The Peace Arch Hospital is upgrading its MRI services with nearly $5 million in new technology, helping provide faster scan times, improved patient comfort, and better access to diagnostic imaging for people in White Rock and South Surrey. Read more.

The Government of Canada is investing $30.3 million through the Youth Mental Health Fund to support 21 community-based projects focused on improving access to inclusive, culturally safe mental health services for young people across Canada. Read more.

Kudos

Congratulations to the finalists of the 2026 Bloom Burton Award, Ian Mortimer, Graham Rosenberg, Nate Tchaplia, and Ilia Tikhomirov. It’s great to see BC represented in the finalists again this year! Their leadership, innovation, and contributions to advancing Canada’s healthcare and life sciences sector continue to make a lasting impact across the industry.  Read more.

Congratulations to Kelly Apostle, Angela Devlin, Quynh Doan, and Kurt McBurney on receiving the 2025/26 Killam Teaching Awards, and to Karina Thiessen on receiving the Killam Graduate Teaching Assistant Award, in recognition of their outstanding contributions to teaching, mentorship, and student learning at UBC. Read more.

People on the Move

Dr. Govind Kaigala has been appointed as the Director Pro Tem of the School of Biomedical Engineering, where he will focus on advancing SBME’s strategic priorities to accelerate groundbreaking innovations in biomedical research, and strengthen ties to BC’s vibrant life sciences sector. Read more.

Congratulations to Dr. Jeymi Tambiah for being appointed as Eupraxia’s Chief Medical Officer, where his extensive development and leadership experience will help drive the late-stage development and expansion of the Gastroenterology pipeline. Read more.

Congratulations to Victor Roque for being appointed as BD’s Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. Read more.

Applications Open

Applications are now open for BIOTECanada’s Coast-to-Coast Competition, giving companies the opportunity to pitch leading investors and pharma leaders at the BIO International Convention from the Canada Pavillion. Only five companies will be selected, with the winner earning a presentation spot at the 2027 BIOTECanada Investment Summit in Whistler, BC. Applications close Wednesday, May 20. Learn more.

The CanExport Innovation program, is a funding program supporting Canadian organizations looking to build international research and development partnerships. Eligible applicants can access funding to help advance collaborative innovation opportunities with global partners. Learn more.

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

Membership Spotlight

PwC has more than 7,000 partners and staff in locations from coast to coast. With more than 110 years of excellence in Canada, we provide industry focused professional services including audit and assurance, risk assurance, tax, deals and consulting in areas such as cybersecurity and privacy, human resources, digital transformation and forensics. We help resolve complex issues and identify opportunities for public, private and government clients. Learn more.

Until next week!

LSBC Team

May 11-14 - The Web Summit is one of the worlds largest and most influential technology gatherings. In collaboration with our partners, Life Sciences BC is supporting and initiating a range of activities around Web Summit Vancouver to facilitate connection, visibility, and engagement across the life sciences sector.

May 21- McCarthy Spotlight Speaking Series: Building BC’s Future in Lipid Nanoparticles and mRNA is a discussion about the evolution of BC’s globally recognized LNP cluster. Discover how decades of research, a deep talent pool, and a thriving biotech ecosystem have positioned the province as a leader in this rapidly advancing field.

Johnson & Johnson Announces FDA Approval of STELARA® for Pediatric Crohn’s Disease

Johnson & Johnson announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Stelara for children aged two and older with moderate to severe Crohn’s disease, marking the first non-TNF biologic option for pediatric patients and expanding treatment choices for a condition with limited options…Read more.

CAPLYTA® (lumateperone) showed greatest improvement across Key Efficacy Outcomes among Adjunctive MDD Treatments in New Network Meta-analysis

Caplyta demonstrated the greatest improvement across key outcomes in a new network meta-analysis of add-on treatments for major depressive disorder, indicating it may be a strong option for patients who do not respond adequately to standard antidepressants… Read more.

SKYRIZI® (risankizumab) Secures Listing on Ontario and Alberta Formularies in Ulcerative Colitis

SKYRIZI® (risankizumab) is now covered in Ontario and Alberta for adults with moderate to severe ulcerative colitis, helping improve access to another treatment option for people living with this chronic inflammatory bowel disease… Read more.

BD and Wellstar Advance Patient Care and Safety with Medication Management Powered by AI

BD and Wellstar are using AI-powered technology to improve medication safety, support clinicians with real-time insights, and help streamline patient care across hospitals… Read more.

Eupraxia Pharmaceuticals Reports EREFS Data from its Ongoing Phase 1b/2a RESOLVE Trial in Eosinophilic Esophagitis at Digestive Disease Week (DDW)

Eupraxia Pharmaceuticals shared new trial data showing its investigational treatment for eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) may help improve symptoms and esophageal health in patients living with the condition… Read more.

Johnson & Johnson investigational Co-Antibody Therapy JNJ-4804 shows potential to raise the Bar for Clinical Efficacy in treating Refractory Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Johnson & Johnson shared new trial data showing its investigational therapy JNJ-4804 may help improve treatment outcomes for people living with difficult-to-treat inflammatory bowel disease… Read more.

Eupraxia Pharmaceuticals’ First Release of EoEHSS Sub Scores Data from its Ongoing Phase 1b/2a RESOLVE Trial in Eosinophilic Esophagitis at Digestive Disease Week

Eupraxia Pharmaceuticals shared new trial data showing its investigational treatment for eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) may help reduce inflammation and improve esophageal health… Read more.

Lexaria Updates Progress on Human Study #7

Lexaria Bioscience shared progress from its ongoing Human Study #7, evaluating its DehydraTECH™ technology to help improve the delivery and effectiveness of oral GLP-1 treatments… Read more.

Lumira Ventures, together with the Terry Fox Foundation and the Canadian Cancer Society, announce first close of the Cancer Breakthrough Fund

Lumira Ventures, the Terry Fox Foundation, and the Canadian Cancer Society announced the first close of the Cancer Breakthrough Fund, supporting the growth of innovative Canadian cancer companies and helping move promising research closer to patients… Read more.

Novartis receives Health Canada approval for ᴾͬ Fabhalta® Oral Treatment for Adults with C3G

Novartis has received Health Canada approval for Fabhalta®, a new oral treatment for adults living with C3G, a rare kidney disease… Read more.

Sanofi invests $294M to Expand AI Center of Excellence in Toronto and Accelerate Innovation for Patients

Sanofi is investing $294 million to expand its AI Centre of Excellence in Toronto, helping accelerate the development of medicines and vaccines while creating new high-skilled jobs in Ontario… Read more.

InMed Reports Third Quarter Fiscal 2026 Financial Results and Provides Business Update

InMed Pharmaceuticals shared its third quarter fiscal 2026 results and business updates, including progress on its Alzheimer’s drug candidate, INM-901, as the company continues advancing treatments for diseases with unmet medical needs… Read more.

Vertex Announces CASGEVY® Reimbursement Agreement for the Treatment of Sickle Cell Disease and Transfusion-Dependent Beta Thalassemia in Germany

Vertex has secured a reimbursement agreement in Germany for CASGEVY, helping expand access to this gene-editing treatment for eligible patients living with sickle cell disease and transfusion dependent beta thalassemia… Read more.

Pharmaceutical FDA GLP Drug Development - CEO

This position requires a CEO to lead a pharmaceutical company, raising funds, working with investors, and guiding a drug through FDA approval and clinical trials… Learn more.

R&D Scientist, Novel Ingredients

This position requires leading R&D as a scientist focused on developing novel ingredients, driving research, creating patentable innovations, and supporting the scale-up of seaweed-based solutions for food and biotech… Learn more.

Digital Marketing Specialist

This position is about building brand authority, managing social media communities, and optimizing web presence for both individual consumers (B2C) and healthcare/corporate partners (B2B)… Learn more.

Quality and Compliance Lead

This position requires ensuring company processes meet regulatory and quality standards, including managing audits and maintaining quality systems. It also involves supporting continuous improvement and working across teams to ensure compliance and operational excellence… Learn more.

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