November 5, 2026 - Hello BioLinks Readers

This week:

• Life Sciences Investment Week roundup
• Eyam Health wins a spot to pitch in Whistler
• Next week, LSBC travels to Europe

Thank You for Making Life Sciences Investment Week a Success

What a week! Over 100 investors landed in Vancouver on Monday which kicked off with networking opportunities ranging from a nature walk to our Investor Welcome reception. Tuesday and Wednesday were pitches and partnering at Invest in BC including a Women in Life Sciences breakfast hosted by Blakes. We wrapped up the week today at UBC with Life Sciences Day. Thank you to our presenting sponsor Lumira Ventures, and everyone who supported or attended this year. The impact and scale of Life Sciences Investment Week has grown each year, and we look forward to seeing its continued evolution.

Ryan Thomas, CEO of Eyam Health

Congratulations to Eyam Health for winning a spot to pitch in Whistler

On Day 2 of Invest in BC, we featured pitches from our biotech companies. Of the presenting companies on Day 2 this year, Eyam Health won the pitch spot in Whistler at BIOTECanada’s Investment Summit next year. Congrats to Eyam and thank you to everyone who took the stage on both days at Invest in BC.

Cologne, Germany, Photo: Radwan Menzer | Pexels

Next week, LSBC travels to Europe

Our team is off again next week to BIO Europe, Web Summit Lisbon, London Life Sciences Week, Jefferies, as well as a mission to Berlin. We look forward to supporting our BC-based companies in Europe, building connections, and expanding global partnerships, investment, and markets for BC’s life sciences sector.

Member Highlights 

Lexaria enters a new pharmaceutical agreement for DehydraTECH. Kelowna-based Lexaria announced that it has entered into an Agreement with an unnamed pharmaceutical company to investigate Lexaria’s DehydraTECH technology with one or more proprietary molecules. Read more.

Lonza announced the acquisition of US CDMO network from Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany. Lonza will acquire five manufacturing sites and approximately 1,100 highly skilled employees, more than doubling its US footprint with a US workforce of more than 6,000 employees. Read more.

GSK announced that Health Canada has approved Hibsago (bepirovirsen) as a finite treatment to achieve functional cure of chronic hepatitis B, a serious, progressive liver disease. Read more.

Kudos

British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) strengthened its research capabilities with the appointment of two new Canada Research chairs, Dr. Anika Singh and Dr. Mahsa Khalili. Read more.

IKOMED was honoured with the Gamechanger – HealthTech Award at BC Tech’s 2026 Technology Impact Awards, recognizing the company’s mission to make innovative medical devices that improve patient and medical staff safety and drive progress. Read more.

Variational AI was named the winner of the Gamechanger – AI Award at the BC Tech Association’s 2026 Technology Impact Awards, recognizing Variational AI as a leading company in the development and deployment of artificial intelligence. Read more.

UBC Medicine scientist Dr. Corinna Schindler has been awarded an Arthur B. McDonald Fellowship from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC). Read more.

People on the Move

Aon announced the appointment of Tom DuCharme to Global Financial Institutions Industry Leader. Read more.

British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) appointed Dr. Moein Manbachi as Director of the Smart Microgrid Applied Research Team (SMART). Read more.

Applications Open

Explore therapeutic R&D with BIS Foundations developed for early-career scientists moving into the industry. Explore drug development, gain industry insights, and build your network. Learn more.

The CASTL BC Bioscience Reskilling Program's new cohort starts January 4, 2027. Gain hands-on, industry-aligned lab skills, foundational knowledge of Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), and relevant industry exposure. Learn more.

The second round of Requests for Applications to the Digital Health Innovation Fund is now open for collaborative projects that advance adoption and practical use of the Digital Health and Discovery Platform and contribute to Canada’s digital health research and innovation ecosystem. Applications close December 18, 2026. Learn more.

The Sanofi iDEA-TECH Awards 2026-2027 are seeking innovative technology partnerships across seven thematic areas to accelerate precision medicine and therapeutic development. Submit a pre-proposal by December 11, 2026. Learn more.

The Health Research Foundation is supporting early-career researchers developing practical, scalable solutions that improve the efficiency, quality, and accessibility of clinical trials through the HRF–Banting Clinical Trial Innovation Discovery Award. Learn more.

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

Membership Spotlight

Mesentech is a clinical stage biotech company developing therapies for musculoskeletal diseases. Irodanoprost, a potent anabolic that promotes bone growth, has completed Phase 1 clinical studies. MES-3015, a novel systemically administered anti-cancer therapy that selectively distributes to bone, is being developed to treat metastases to bone and osteosarcomas. Learn more.

Until next week!

LSBC Team

November 25 - Life Sciences BC is pleased to announce the McCarthy Spotlight Speaking Series event will showcase the winners of LSBC’s 2026 Companies to Watch – Recognition Honour Roll! Meet the visionary leaders behind these companies as they share their success stories, achievements and what’s next.

January 22 - Life Sciences BC is pleased to announce our eighth annual Career Connect Day. This dynamic full-day event brings together students, job seekers, business leaders, and HR professionals to explore our extensive career exploration exhibitor hall and enjoy networking opportunities.

Zymeworks Enters into an Exclusive Global License and Collaboration Agreement with Roche for ZW209, a Trispecific T cell Engager Targeting DLL3

Zymeworks entered into a global license and collaboration agreement with Roche for the research, development, and commercialization of ZW209, a novel trispecific T-cell engager... Read more.

AbbVie TEMPLE Study Demonstrates Superior Tolerability and Efficacy of Atogepant (QULIPTA®) in Head-to-Head Migraine Prevention Trial

AbbVie announced the publication of results from the Phase 3 study evaluating the tolerability, safety, and efficacy of atogepant (QULIPTA) for the preventive treatment of migraine in adults... Read more.

Hibsago (bepirovirsen) Approved in Canada as the First and Only Finite Therapy Indicated to Achieve Functional Cure of Chronic Hepatitis B

GSK announced that Health Canada approved Hibsago (bepirovirsen) as a finite treatment to achieve functional cure of chronic hepatitis B... Read more.

Health Canada Approves (Pr)Ocrevus® (ocrelizumab) for Treating Pediatric Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis

Roche Canada announced that Health Canada approved Ocrevus IV, also known as ocrelizumab for intravenous infusion, for the treatment of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis... Read more.

Breakthrough Therapy Designation Granted by the FDA for Daridorexant in Pediatric Insomnia Disorder

Idorsia announced that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Breakthrough Therapy Designation to daridorexant for the treatment of insomnia disorder... Read more.

Lexaria Enters a New Pharmaceutical Agreement for DehydraTECH

Lexaria Bioscience entered into an Agreement with an unnamed pharmaceutical company to investigate Lexaria’s DehydraTECH technology with proprietary molecules... Read more.

Lonza Signs Agreement to Acquire US CDMO Network from Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, and Significantly Expands its US Presence

Lonza has signed a definitive agreement to acquire five CDMO manufacturing sites in the US, strengthening Lonza’s clinical and commercial development and manufacturing capabilities... Read more.

Creative Biolabs to Exhibit at AET US 2026, Supporting Next-Generation Therapeutic R&D

Creative Biolabs announced its participation in Antibody Engineering & Therapeutics to discuss antibody engineering, developability, and emerging biologic formats... Read more.

Research Technician/Assistant, Formulation

This role will work predominantly in the lab and take a lead in the organization and maintenance of the Formulation Development (FD) laboratory while supporting formulation-related activities... Learn more.

Director, Intellectual Property

This role is responsible for managing intellectual property matters, counselling senior business leaders, and developing and implementing patent portfolio strategies... Learn more.

Technician, Protein Expression & Purification

This role supports biologics discovery and preclinical research programs by leading the expression, purification, and characterization of biologic reagents.... Learn more.

Engineering Lead

The role will set technical direction, lead a small multidisciplinary team, and be accountable for getting hardware developed, products manufactured, and instruments serviced in the field... Learn more.

Director/Senior Director, Contracts and Transactions

The role will provide legal and transactional support across the organization, with a particular focus on research and development-related contracts and technology licenses and collaborations... Learn more.

Regulatory Affairs Associate

This role supports EBC's clients with regulatory strategy, submissions, and lifecycle documentation for medical devices and related life sciences products.... Learn more.

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