Through our platforms, we have the pleasure of sharing exciting news that demonstrates the far-reaching impact of life sciences. The advancements, developments, and significant milestones that collectively contribute to what we are working towards: improved health care solutions, elevated and accessible patient care, and more.
On the note of access to treatment, it’s significant that the Government of Canada recently announced amendments to the Patented Medicines Regulations, with the goal of improving accessibility and affordability for patented medicines. These amendments, which include implementation of the new basket of comparator countries and reduced reporting requirements for certain medicines, will come-into-force on July 1, 2022.
Access can come in many shapes and forms. As such, we were excited to hear Aurinia’s announcement around its commitment to the creation of community-focused programs that would address barriers for individuals living with lupus and lupus nephritis in underserved populations.
We also had a glimpse of the many exciting things happening at UBC’s Faculty of Medicine. First, with the Faculty being recognized with its highest-ever ranking (24th) in the QS World University Rankings of Medicine and Life Sciences programs, up five spots from 2021! Secondly, UBC Faculty of Medicine professor and Academy of Translational Medicine chair Dr. Poul Sorensen has received the 2022 Herman Suit Award for his work on human sarcomas. Dr. Sorensen was also the recipient of LSBC’s Aubrey J. Tingle Prize in 2020, which recognizes a B.C. clinician scientist whose work in health has had a significant impact on advancing research. Congratulations Dr. Sorensen!
We’d like to congratulate the winners of AbbVie and MBC BioLabs’ 2022 Golden Ticket Competition, Qinotto and ThinkBioscience. These companies were recognized for the potential of their innovation to deliver therapeutic advances for unmet medical needs in the areas of neurology and oncology. Congratulations also to Axolotl Biosciences for being selected as a finalist for the Pan-Canadian Startup Pitch Competition, which takes place in May and showcases start-ups whose innovations aim to transform the life sciences community.
More member news includes AstraZeneca’s Evusheld receiving approval from Health Canada for the pre-exposure prophylaxis (prevention) of COVID-19 in immune-compromised individuals over 12. Takeda also announced its TAKHZYRO® (lanadelumab-flyo) injection single-dose prefilled syringe is available in the U.S. to prevent attacks of hereditary angioedema, a rare genetic disease that results in recurrent attacks of edema in the body.
This week BC-based Izotropic announced it has partnered with new consultants for investor relations services to engage new audiences in the commercialization of a dedicated breast CT imaging platform, IsoView, for more accurate detection and diagnosis of breast cancers. Meanwhile, the Precision Cancer Consortium announced its formation as a new collaboration of pharmaceutical companies to drive global access to comprehensive genomic testing for patients with cancer.
Congratulations to Medtronic Canada for being recognized for its environmental stewardship and selected as one of Canada’s Greenest Employers (2022). Kudos also to Joseph Romanelli, who will be joining Merck’s Executive Team this summer, leading Human Health International.
Also this week, Gandeeva Therapeutics announced the formation of its scientific advisory board to provide counsel as the Company advances its AI-enabled atomic-resolution protein-drug interaction platform.
We are also excited to share that the LSBC Summer Social will be taking place in-person on June 23rd from 5-7 p.m., so save the date! And a quick reminder that our Showcase Series: Surrey event takes place on May 11th .
In closing, we want to highlight one last opportunity: Evonik has opened an innovation challenge to broaden the application of one of its well-established products, VESTENAMER®, to potentially enter new markets.
Wendy and the LSBC team
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InMed Commercializes Cannabidivarin (CBDV), Expanding its Rare Cannabinoid Portfolio for the Health and Wellness Sector
InMed Pharmaceuticals Inc., a leader in the research, development, manufacturing and commercialization of rare cannabinoids, is pleased to announce it has launched B2B sales of the rare cannabinoid cannabidivarin to wholesalers, suppliers and end-product manufacturers in the health and wellness sector through its US subsidiary, BayMedica LLC... READ MORE
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Eupraxia Pharmaceuticals Completes C$14.7 million Overnight Marketed Offering
Eupraxia Pharmaceuticals Inc., a Phase 2 clinical-stage biotechnology company with an innovative drug delivery technology platform, announced that it has closed its previously announced overnight marketed public offering of units of the Company. Pursuant to the Offering, Eupraxia issued 7,150,550 Units at a price of... READ MORE
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Gandeeva Therapeutics Announces Formation of Scientific Advisory Board
Gandeeva Therapeutics, a precision biotechnology company harnessing the power of cryogenic electron microscopy and machine learning to develop novel therapeutics at an accelerated pace, announced the formation of its Scientific Advisory Board comprised of world-renowned experts to provide external scientific review and high-level counsel on the Company’s research and development programs... READ MORE
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Merck Announces that Joseph Romanelli will Lead Merck Human Health International, Effective August 1, 2022
Merck, known as MSD outside the United States and Canada, announced that Joseph Romanelli will lead Human Health International, and join Merck’s Executive Team, effective August 1, 2022. He will report directly to Robert M. Davis, chief executive officer and president, Merck... READ MORE
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Aurinia Announces Year-Two Commitment to Patient Navigation Grant Program to Address Barriers for Individuals Living with Lupus and Lupus Nephritis
Aurinia Pharmaceuticals Inc. affirmed its commitment to individuals living with the systemic lupus erythematosus and lupus nephritis through the sponsorship of charitable grants to establish or expand community-focused patient navigator programs... READ MORE
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Medtronic Canada ULC Recognized as one of Canada’s Greenest Employers (2022)
Here are some of the reasons why Medtronic Canada ULC was selected as one of Canada’s Greenest Employers (2022): Medtronic Canada hosted a clean-up crew to pick up litter around the office and surrounding area (on company time) — and in place of tree planting during the pandemic, the company sent marigold seeds and a compostable planter as an end-of-quarter present to employees to grow at home... READ MORE
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Izotropic Targets the Modern Investor and Engages Grit Capital
Izotropic Corporation, a company commercializing a dedicated breast CT imaging platform, IzoView, for the more accurate detection and diagnosis of breast cancers, announced that as part of its corporate profile awareness strategy it has engaged GRIT Capital to assist in presenting the Company’s value proposition to new age demographics... READ MORE
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InMed to Participate in Upcoming Investor Conferences in April and May 2022
InMed Pharmaceuticals, a leader in the research, development, manufacturing and commercialization of rare cannabinoids, announced that the Company’s executive team will be participating in several investor events throughout April and May: Benzinga Spring Cannabis Capital Conference... READ MORE
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Izotropic Moves to Educate New Demographics on Breast CT, Engages New Consultants for Investor Relations & Awareness
Izotropic Corporation, a company commercializing a dedicated breast CT imaging platform, IzoView, for the more accurate detection and diagnosis of breast cancers, announced it has partnered with new consultants for investor awareness and investor relations services. In a move to educate new audiences and demographics on the Company’s value proposition and upcoming catalysts relative to potential investment, the Company has engaged Blaze Capital and Westmount Capital... READ MORE
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AbbVie and MBC BioLabs Announce Winners of 2022 Golden Ticket Competition to Support Biotech Start-ups Accelerate Early Drug Discovery
AbbVie and MBC BioLabs announced Qinotto and Think Bioscience as the winners of their 2022 Golden Ticket Competition. The award supports entrepreneurial scientists and emerging biotechnology start-ups to accelerate early drug discovery and innovation for the potential benefit of patients worldwide... READ MORE
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Takeda’s TAKHZYRO® (lanadelumab-flyo) Prefilled Syringe Now Available for People With Hereditary Angioedema (HAE) Ages 12 Years and Older in the United States
Takeda announced TAKHZYRO® (lanadelumab-flyo) injection single-dose prefilled syringe is now available in the U.S. to prevent attacks of hereditary angioedema (HAE) in adult and pediatric patients 12 years of age and older. HAE is a rare genetic disease that results in recurrent attacks of edema in various parts of the body, which can be burdensome, debilitating and potentially life-threatening. Approved by the U.S. FDA on February 8, 2022, the TAKHZYRO prefilled syringe is ready to... READ MORE
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Dr. Poul Sorensen Recognized for Groundbreaking Work on Human Sarcomas
UBC Faculty of Medicine professor and Academy of Translational Medicine chair Dr. Poul Sorensen has received the 2022 Herman Suit Award for his lifesaving work on human sarcomas. The award, given every year by the Connective Tissue Oncology Society, recognizes outstanding contributions to the basic science of sarcomas... READ MORE
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Call for Partners in Talent and Workforce Development
Digital talent and workforce development is a major priority of the Digital Supercluster. We are currently co-investing in a $40M+ portfolio of talent projects created to offer accessible skilling and employment opportunities for more than 6500 Canadians. Our projects are active across the country from Halifax to Vancouver to the Northwest Territories and in collaboration with Indigenous communities. ..READ MORE
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Statement from Minister of Health on the Coming-into-Force of the Regulations Amending the Patented Medicines Regulations
The Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Health, issued the following statement: "The Government of Canada is committed to improving access to quality medicines for Canadians. Today, our government announced that it will proceed with Amendments to the Patented Medicines Regulations to provide the Patented Medicine Prices Review Board with new tools to protect Canadians from excessive prices for patented medicines. ..READ MORE
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Science World to Expand Tech Literacy Training for Youth with New Funding
It was in the spring of 2017 when Sandy Eix, Science World’s director of STEM Learning, called the concept of digital literacy both relevant and urgent. While she could’ve been commenting on the Trump presidency––and to be sure, we can’t be certain that she wasn’t––her remarks were in reference to the ideals of Tech-Up, an initiative founded in 2018 to get children learning about coding, computational thinking and tech education. ..READ MORE
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Gandeeva Therapeutics Inc. is a rapidly growing biotechnology company that seeks to harness the transformative power of cryo-EM technology and machine learning to design better drugs. Their methods overcome limitations in the use of X-ray crystallography for drug design and avoid discovery dead ends. They seek to achieve transformative societal impact on public health by revolutionizing drug discovery and by lowering risks of late-stage clinical failures.
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Manzanita Pharmaceuticals Inc. is developing a nerve imaging agent to guide surgeons during cancer resections. In 2022 they plan on optioning or selling this “for profit” asset, and relocating to British Columbia to develop their “social impact” assets to treat (i) optic neuritis, that may presage multiple sclerosis; (ii) pain with non-opiate medication; and (iii) Optic Pathway Glioma, a children’s cancer of the optic nerve that affects patients with neurofibromatosis.
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Senior Market Analyst
Genevant Sciences is seeking a Senior Market Analyst responsible for collecting, tracking and analyzing business, market and drug development program-related information and developments to provide insights to the leadership team.
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HR Operations Specialist
Zymeworks Inc. is seeking a HR Operations Specialist who will support talent acquisition, HR operations, and oversee HR tools and processes to meet the needs of candidates and recruiters to drive positive hiring experiences.
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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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