Following last week’s BC Budget 2022, Ravi Kahlon, Minister of Jobs, Economic Recovery and Innovation, along with Adrian Dix, Minister of Health, made the truly exciting announcement that the Province will provide nearly $195 million in grant funding to Michael Smith Health Research BC (Health Research BC) and Genome BC. This announcement anchors BC as a leader in life sciences, reinforcing how our sector is stronger than ever. From healthcare to climate change to food security, this investment will deliver significant societal, environmental, and economic benefits across BC and support the rapid growth in the sector.
With International Women’s Day on March 8th, we are excited to celebrate the growing opportunities for the talented women working in life sciences by highlighting some recent and future sector events that propel women forward – such as the February 11th Aspect Biosystems’ Women in Biotech Panel Discussion, and the upcoming webinar on March 8th entitled “Tipping the Balance – Driving Gender Parity on Life Sciences Corporate Boards”, which I’m delighted to be participating in. Accompanying me on this panel, which is moderated by Tasha Kheiriddin, are many distinguished leaders including Deborah Blake (Study Director, Research Scientist at Charles River Laboratories, Chair Women In Bio, Greater Montreal), Kiersten Combs (President, AstraZeneca Canada), Anie Perrault, (General Manager, BIOQuébec and Chair, Genome Québec Board of Directors), and Amie Phinney (Senior Director, Partnerships, adMare BioInnovation).
This past Monday was Rare Disease Day, a global initiative to promote equity and increase understanding of rare diseases and how they affect quality of life. About three million Canadians are impacted by a rare disease, and yet most aren’t widely acknowledged or remain misunderstood. There are currently about 7000 rare diseases recognized and the scientists, innovators, and entrepreneurs in this area are doing incredible work to deliver novel solutions. With their campaign ‘Rethinking Rare’, LSBC member Takeda Canada helped further awareness, shining a light on the patients, caregivers, technologies and treatments that breakdown barriers in the rare space while emphasizing the breadth and depth of the rare disease community.
This week also marks the first-ever Shingles Awareness Week (February 28 - March 6). One in three adults will develop shingles in their lifetime, and over 90% of adults above the age of 50 already carry the virus that causes shingles inside them. LSBC member GSK is collaborating with the International Federation on Ageing (IFA) to raise awareness of shingles and its prevalence.
Kudos to the Bold Therapeutics team for their recent announcement of BOLD-100 advancing into a global Phase 2 trial in the treatment of advanced GI cancers, which is among the most difficult-to-treat and refractory solid tumours.
Congratulations to the following on various awards achievements this past week: Gowling WLG partner Brenda Pritchard was one of six Canadian marketers and the first-ever lawyer to be recognized in the 2022 Canada’s Marketing Hall of Legends; Kathleen Lisaingo, AbCellera’s Co-founder and VP, Discovery was named among The Peak’s 2022 Class of Emerging Leaders; and Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP recently announced that 196 lawyers and 92 practice groups were recognized in the 2022 edition of The Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory. Congratulations also to biotech veteran Ali Tehrani for joining Amplitude Ventures as a Venture Partner.
And a quick reminder that our next event, Invest in the West presented by Amplitude Ventures, is quickly approaching on March 10th. This event showcases life sciences excellence across Western Canada. Grab your ticket today!
Finally, I want to highlight how life sciences companies are showing support for Ukraine. More than 150 leaders of biotech companies and life sciences investors have signed a letter committing to “complete economic disengagement” with Russia. Furthermore, several of our members have also announced donations this week. I am proud to be a part of a sector that demonstrates leadership in times of crisis and hope that this call to action inspires others in this humanitarian effort.
Wendy and the LSBC team
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Where were you 30 years ago? We’re celebrating 30 years of Life Sciences BC this year by celebrating 30 years of life sciences in BC. Please visit our survey and add your favourite memorable event from our vibrant life sciences sector.
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Bold Therapeutics Successfully Completes Phase 1b Trial and Advances into Global Phase 2 Trial of BOLD-100 in the Treatment of Advanced GI Cancers
Since its founding in mid-2018, Bold Therapeutics has made rapid and efficient progress. Bold Therapeutics’ BOLD-100 advanced into a global Phase 2 trial in the treatment of advanced GI cancers, among the most difficult-to-treat and refractory solid tumours with a mean survival time of only 5-7 months ...READ MORE
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Interim Phase 4 Data Support TAKHZYRO® (lanadelumab) as an Effective Treatment to Reduce Attacks in Hereditary Angioedema Patients
Takeda presented four abstracts including interim real-world data from the observational Phase 4 EMPOWER study of TAKHZYRO® (lanadelumab) as a treatment for people with Hereditary Angioedema Type I or II in North America, as well as findings from a post-hoc analysis of the HELP Open Label Extension study of long-term safety and efficacy of TAKHZYRO in HAE patients 12 years of age and older at the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology 78th Annual Meeting ...READ MORE
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The Genesis of Shingles Awareness Week
GSK is collaborating with the International Federation on Ageing (IFA), to raise awareness of shingles through the first-ever global Shingles Awareness Week (February 28 – March 6). The theme for this year is “Shingles Is Here,” to illustrate that if you are 50 or older, the virus that causes shingles is most likely already inside you ...READ MORE
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Late-breaking Data at 2022 AAAAI Annual Meeting Show Dupixent® (dupilumab) Significantly Improved Signs and Symptoms of Eosinophilic Esophagitis
Positive detailed results from a second Phase 3 trial showed that Dupixent® (dupilumab) 300 mg weekly significantly improved the signs and symptoms of eosinophilic esophagitis at 24 weeks compared to placebo in patients 12 years and older ...READ MORE
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Late-breaking Phase 3 Data at 2022 AAAAI Annual Meeting Show Dupixent® (dupilumab) Significantly Reduced Itch and Hives in Patients with Chronic Spontaneous Urticaria
Detailed results from a Phase 3 trial showed that adding Dupixent® (dupilumab) to standard-of-care antihistamines significantly reduced itch and hives at 24 weeks in biologic-naïve patients with chronic spontaneous urticaria compared to antihistamines alone in this investigational setting ...READ MORE
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The Globe and Mail Quotes John Pecman in an Article on Global Antitrust Reforms
The Globe and Mail quotes Ottawa Senior Business Advisor John Pecman in an article on global antitrust reforms. “You harm economic growth by imposing too many rules and regulations,” said John Pecman ...READ MORE
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Evonik Launches First Renewable Isophorone-Based Products
Since inventing isophorone chemistry during its search for new ways to reuse acetone, Evonik has continued to develop a variety of isophorone-based products at its plants across the globe. Now, sixty years later Evonik has made another important breakthrough for the chemical industry ...READ MORE
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Aon Acquires Tyche Platform To Expand Insurance Consulting Capabilities For Clients
Aon plc announced it has acquired actuarial software platform Tyche from technology and software firm RPC Tyche. The transaction significantly expands Aon's existing capabilities to help re/insurer clients rethink access to capital and make better business decisions ...READ MORE
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Boehringer Ingelheim and Lifebit Announce Partnership to Capture Transformational Value of Health Data
The leading research-driven biopharmaceutical company Boehringer Ingelheim and precision medicine software company Lifebit Biotech, Ltd. announced partnership in which Lifebit will support Boehringer Ingelheim in building a scalable data, analytics, and infrastructure platform within its IT environment ...READ MORE
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NervGen Pharma Reports 2021 Year End Results and Provides Update on Phase 1 Study
NervGen Pharma Corp., a clinical stage biotech company dedicated to developing innovative solutions for the treatment of nervous system damage, reported its financial and operational results for the year ended. “We have continued to make important progress in our Phase 1 clinical trial with NVG-291 in the fourth quarter of 2021 and early 2022,” stated Paul Brennan ...READ MORE
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GSK Introduces Haleon to Investors
At an update to investors, GSK announced that the proposed listing of Haleon (the newly independent company to be formed following the demerger of the GSK Consumer Healthcare business) is expected in July 2022, and will provide detail on the strategy, outlook and plans for the new company. The global leader in consumer health is set to be a newly independent company with focused strategy to deliver sustainable above-market growth and attractive returns to shareholders ...READ MORE
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Zymeworks Co-Founder, Former CEO Ali Tehrani Joins Amplitude Ventures as Venture Partner
Precision health-focused investment fund Amplitude Ventures has strengthened its team by adding biotech veteran Ali Tehrani as a venture partner. Tehrani aims to leverage his Zymeworks learnings to help other Canadian biotech firms grow. “The Zymeworks, the AbCelleras, the Clementias, they’ve paved the path for more to happen ...READ MORE
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Canadians are Encouraged to Rethink Rare on Rare Disease Day
Takeda Canada is proud to recognize this global initiative to promote equity and increase understanding of rare diseases and its impact on quality of life. Takeda is Rethinking Rare by bringing stakeholders together with a commitment to define a plan to support the rare disease community ...READ MORE
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Roche Announces Donation of Essential Medicines to Ukraine
On Wednesday, Roche announced an initial donation of essential medicines to Ukraine. Roche is working diligently to support the country and people of Ukraine with medical products in accordance with Roche’s overall mission and announced that they are donating 150,000 packages of Rocephin, a critical antibiotic used to treat ...READ MORE
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Fasken Partners with Black Boys Code as Official Legal Services Provider
Fasken confirmed its sponsorship agreement with Black Boys Code, a non-profit organization dedicated to introducing Black youth to the STEM disciplines with a focus on computer science. The Firm will provide the organization with a financial contribution along with in-kind legal services and providing laptops for the laptop program ...READ MORE
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St. Paul’s Patient World’s First to Undergo New Type of Heart-Valve Surgery
A St. Paul’s Hospital cardiac surgeon has pioneered and performed a minimally invasive surgery on patients with serious heart-valve issues, eliminating the need for open-heart surgery and leading to quicker recuperation ...READ MORE
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FDA Publishes Proposed Rule to Align Quality System Requirements with International Standards
In a proposed rule on Tuesday, the FDA shared more details about its plan to bring U.S. good manufacturing practices in line with other countries. The effort, which has been underway for more than three years, is intended to harmonize the current U.S. Quality System Requirements with the ISO 13485 standard creating core expectations around medical device quality systems, processes and documentation. It would also be the first major update to U.S. good manufacturing practices since 1996... READ MORE
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New Life Sciences Investment Helps Build Stronger B.C.
As announced in Budget 2022 and aligned with the StrongerBC Economic Plan commitment to position the province as a hub for life sciences and biomanufacturing, the Province is providing nearly $195 million in grant funding to Michael Smith Health Research BC (Health Research BC) and Genome BC. ... READ MORE
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Clairvoyant Therapeutics is a drug development company at the forefront of a growing psychedelic therapy industry and operates under the principles of open science. Their team has a successful track record of designing and operating clinical trials and bringing new drugs to market.
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IKOMED Technologies Inc. is a young and energetic medical device company, based in Vancouver BC, which is engaged in the research and development of several ground-breaking medical-device technologies.
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Payroll Coordinator
Xenon Pharmaceuticals Inc. is seeking a Payroll Coordinator who will be responsible for full-cycle payroll process, payroll reconciliations, payroll expense and accrual calculations as well as support payroll process improvement projects and initiatives.
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Industry Technology Advisor - Lifesciences
National Research Council of Canada is seeking an enthusiastic senior-career Industrial Technology Advisor (ITA) – Lifesciences to support the NRC Industrial Assistance Research Program (NRC IRAP).
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LSBC Job Board
Jobs posted to our Job Board automatically post out to all our social media accounts for wider sharing. Make sure you include your company name in the first line of your job ad for maximum exposure!
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Post A Job on the LSBC Website! |
LSBC Membership Discounts on Job Postings
As an LSBC member, your first five job postings EARNS a free repost on BioTalent Canada's The Petri Dish. After your first five reposts, you will also receive 25% off all job postings on The Petri Dish. Want more info? Contact Megan Pan -talent@lifesciencesbc.ca
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