May 15, 2025 - Hello BioLinks Readers!

This week:

• Wendy Hurlburt Heads to Asia Next Week
• Last Call for LSBC Awards Nominations – Due Tuesday
• Early-stage Companies, Apply for our 6-month Investor Readiness Program
• UBC Investor Showcase Highlights
• Countdown to Web Summit: 12 Days Away
• Investor Bus Tour – Apply to Network with International Investors
• Life Sciences Day at Web Summit
• Big Congrats to the AbCellera Team for Moving a Lead Asset into the Clinic!

Next week, Wendy Hurlburt, President & CEO of LSBC, will join a Canadian delegation travelling to Hong Kong for the Asia Summit on Global Health. The mission aims to raise the profile of British Columbia’s and Canada’s life sciences sectors in Asia, fostering increased visibility, trade, and business opportunities between the regions.

LSBC Awards nominations – the time is now! Don’t miss this year’s opportunity to honour the exceptional individuals and organizations in BC who are pushing boundaries in life sciences. With impact spanning groundbreaking research, bold innovation, and transformative leadership, let’s celebrate their achievements. Nominations are due by Tuesday, May 20 after the long weekend.

Applications are open for our 2026 Investor Readiness Program. The program pairs early-stage SMEs with our entrepreneurs-in-residence, leading professionals with years of sector knowledge, for 6 months of mentorship and education. IRP offers targeted support through experienced mentors, educational workshops, goal-setting sessions, peer feedback, and access to key industry conferences. Submit your application by June 15, 2025. Find program details and apply here.

Congratulations to LSBC Investor Readiness Program (IRP) graduate companies CereCura, ImageCyte, and TruMotion, for showcasing their innovations at the UBC Investor Showcase on May 13, 2025. 

Web Summit, the global stage for tech and investment, is only 12 days away! Kick off your Web Summit experience with the Innovation & Investment Insider Tours to connect with investors and strategic partners. Attracting over 600 investors including global asset managers, government-backed funds, and specialized venture firms, this is one not to be missed! Take part in this unique experience, apply today.

Each day of Web Summit Vancouver will highlight a different innovation sector in BC. Thursday, May 29, 2025 is Life Sciences Day with a full program to showcase what makes our sector stand out. The agenda details are now live! Learn more about what’s going on at the BC Pavilion on the Naturally Innovative website.

Big news from AbCellera—one of its lead antibody medicines is officially headed into Phase 1 clinical trials! Huge congratulations to the entire team on reaching this major milestone with approval from Health Canada. This promising new treatment is designed to help ease the symptoms of menopause and is the first to come from AbCellera’s platform focused on some of the toughest drug targets. A big step forward and bravo to everyone involved! Read more.

Member Highlights 

VoxCell BioInnovation, CeraCura Nanotherapeutics, and Total Flow Medical are the LSBC members that will be pitching on the world stage at Web Summit Vancouver. These companies were selected as one of twelve as part of the $10K Pitch: BC’s Startup All-Stars hosted by New Ventures BC and Innovate BC. Be sure to stop by the BC Pavillion during Web Summit and check out the pitches! Read more. 

AbbVie and ADARx Pharmaceuticals partner with a license agreement to develop siRNA therapies across multiple disease areas, including neuroscience, immunology, and oncology. This will leverage ADARx’s expertise and technology, which has the potential for precise gene silencing. ADARx will receive a $335 million upfront payment and will be eligible to receive several billion dollars in additional payments. Read more.

Innovative Medicines Canada promotes new data released by Statistics Canada confirming that Canada’s innovative pharmaceutical industry is more than a contributor to health, it is a driver of national economic growth and resilience. The industry contributed $18.4 billion in 2022 in total economic activity, marking a nearly 15% increase over 2021. It also invested up to $3.2 billion in R&D and supported more than 110,000 full-time jobs across the country—nearly an 8% increase in jobs over the previous year. Read more.

AbCellera announces positive pre-clinical results for its other lead antibody candidate for the treatment of atopic dermatitis. With the potential to be a best-in-class treatment for the condition, they are on track to advance the molecule to the clinic this year. Read more.

Industry Highlights

With the new streamlined credential recognition process expediting registration for U.S. nurses to work in BC, application volumes have surged by 127%. The registration process continues to become more efficient by leveraging common systems and exams, and by allowing direct applications to colleges without needing a third-party assessment. Read more.

Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) renewed their partnership with Mitacs to streamline access to joint funding and accelerate R&D across the country. Read more.

Kudos

Congratulations to Ali Tehrani, Co-Founder and CEO of Zymeworks and DCx Biotherapeutics Corporation, along with Mark Nawacki and Oliver Technow, for being finalists for the 2025 Bloom Burton Award. Read more.

Kudos to the recipients of the 2025 Life Sciences Ontario Awards - including LSBC member Zucara Therapeutics, recognized as Emerging Company of the Year. Read more.

People on the Move

Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institution appoints Dr. Gavin Stuart as the Vice President of Research. Read more.

The Canadian Alliance for Skills and Training in Life Sciences (CASTL) announces the appointment of Paula Casalino and Sarah Gallagher to its Board of Directors. Read more.

Aspect Biosystems welcomes Evert Kroon to its team as VP, Translational Sciences. Read more.

Applications Open

Applications are now open for CASTL’s BioWorks Training Program, a curated training solution designed to upskill your team based on your organization’s goals. Equip your workforce with in-demand skills in GMP biomanufacturing processes and professional skills training. Learn more.

Apply to the Novartis Health Equity Initiative and earn funding of $500,000 for projects in three areas of focus: Social and cultural inclusivity, health literacy and education, and support for newcomers to Canada. The application deadline is June 16, 2025. Learn more.

The Canada–Singapore 2025–26 Collaborative R&D Call for Proposals is now open. Canadian SMEs can receive up to 50% of eligible project costs, to a maximum of $600,000 CAD, for projects developing innovative products, processes, or tech-based services over 12–36 months. The registration deadline is May 26, 2025. Learn more.

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

Member Spotlight

Tulevik Consulting - Tulevik is a Life Sciences advisory and consulting firm specializing in global facilities and product transactions for pharmaceutical, biotech, and life sciences companies, and investors. Tulevik offers an extensive collection of expert pharma advisory services and solutions that are designed to help your company make strategic decisions and improve how you do business. Learn more.

G LAB Vital Signs Analytics Inc. - GLAB is a mobile health monitoring ecosystem that consolidates data from various devices into one platform, provides users with actionable health insights, and makes it easier to share information with healthcare providers for more informed care. Learn more.

Until next week!

LSBC Team

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.

May 27-30 - Join us for Web Summit Vancouver

Web Summit Vancouver is one of the most anticipated global technology conferences, bringing together industry leaders, startups, investors, innovators. Attending this event offers companies unparalleled networking opportunities, access to cutting-edge insights, and exposure to potential business growth avenues.

Kevzara® Approved in Canada for the Treatment of Adults with Polymyalgia Rheumatica (PMR)

​Health Canada has issued a Notice of Compliance (NOC) for Kevzara (sarilumab injection) for the treatment of adult patients with PMR, an inflammatory rheumatic disease...Read more.

U.S. FDA Approves EMRELIS™ (telisotuzumab vedotin-tllv) for Adults With Previously Treated Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) With High c-Met Protein Overexpression

​AbbVie announced EMRELIS™ has been granted accelerated approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of adult patients with locally advanced or metastatic, non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer...Read more.

AbCellera Receives Authorization from Health Canada to Initiate the Phase 1 Clinical Trial of ABCL635 for Vasomotor Symptoms Due to Menopause

AbCellera announced it has received a No Objection Letter (NOL) from Health Canada authorizing its Clinical Trial Application (CTA) for ABCL635...Read more.

AbbVie and ADARx Pharmaceuticals Announce Collaboration and License Option Agreement to Develop Next-Generation siRNA Therapies Across Multiple Therapeutic Areas

​AbbVie and ADARx Pharmaceuticals announced a collaboration and license option agreement to develop small interfering RNA therapeutics across multiple disease areas, including neuroscience, immunology and oncology...Read more.

CASTL Welcomes Two Accomplished Industry Leaders to Its Board of Directors

The Canadian Alliance for Skills and Training in Life Sciences (CASTL) is pleased to announce the appointment of Paula Casalino and Sarah Gallagher to its Board of Directors...Read more.

Canada’s Biomanufacturing Sector Faces 16,000-Worker Talent Gap

According to two new reports from the Canadian Alliance for Skills and Training in Life Sciences (CASTL), the country is on track to face a shortfall of 16,000 biomanufacturing workers by 2029...Read more.

New Statistics Canada Data Reinforces Life Sciences as an Economic Engine

New data released by Statistics Canada confirms that Canada’s innovative pharmaceutical industry is more than a contributor to health, it is a driver of national economic growth and resilience...Read more.

AbCellera Presents Positive Preclinical Data on ABCL575 at the 2025 SID Annual Meeting

AbCellera announced preclinical data on ABCL575, which will be presented as a poster at the Society for Investigative Dermatology (SID) Annual Meeting at the Hilton Bayfront in San Diego, California...Read 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.

Scientist – Chemoinformatics & Computational Chemistry

This position includes responsibilities such as lead data pipeline automation, benchmarking, and platform parameterization for drug design, while managing a data science team and cross-functional collaboration....Learn more.

Research Assistant/Technician 2

The Research Assistant will be responsible for assisting in research activities related to the ‘Patient and Caregiver Valued Outcomes in Liver Transplant’ Study. The Research Assistant will work closely with the study team and relevant stakeholders and partners to support all aspects of the study...Learn more.

Associate Director, AI and Advanced Analytics, VCHRI

The Associate Director, AI and Advanced Analytics, is a visionary leader who will establish and direct our artificial intelligence (AI) research program, positioning VCHRI as a national leader in healthcare AI innovation...Learn more.

If you haven't already, sign-up for this and our weekly events newsletter

Follow LSBC on Social Media