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On behalf of the entire team at LSBC, I hope you all enjoyed a restful long weekend leading into a busy fall. As calendars start to fill up, here are some industry events that may be of interest, including a free webinar, Gairdner’s Global Perspective Panel Series, on where we stand more than two years since the pandemic began. The panel, presented by Telus Health, is on September 13th and you can register here. Genome BC also invites you to join Dr. Carolyn Hogg on September 15th for a special in-person event entitled “Biodiversity Conservation in the Age of Extinction”. The event will be held at the Vancouver Convention Centre West, and is free but online registration is required. Finally, the 22nd Annual Healthcare Summit: The Future of Innovation, Personalized Medicine and Genomics, is coming up on September 22nd and 23rd. Register here to attend.
Applications are also still open to present at LSBC’s 7th Annual 2022 Invest in BC presented by Lumira Ventures. We encourage all interested companies within our life sciences community in the digital health, medtech, diagnostics and biotechnology sectors to apply to pitch by September 14.
Industry and Member News
Exciting news from Evonik and Shell, who recently announced a commitment to reduce heavy duty transport CO2e emissions with Bio-LNG from Shell. And, a team of UBC researchers working on developing oral insulin tablets as a replacement for daily insulin injections have made a recent, game-changing discovery, allowing it to be absorbed by rats in the same way as injected insulin.
Last week, we highlighted the Government of B.C.’s new funding for Mitacs, with an $8.6 million one-time provincial investment to connect student researchers with innovative companies and help students thrive within our sector. On that note, at LSBC, we were also pleased to welcome four new co-op students to our team for the fall term. These opportunities are made possible by BioTalent Canada’s Student Work placement program. Join us in welcoming Boshra Moheq, Cameron Razempour, Marko Juvan, and Patrick Deane!
We’d also like to extend a warm welcome to new LSBC members: The Canadian Alliance for Skills and Training in Life Sciences, Incyte Biosciences Canada, and The GelMA Company. Congratulations also to The GelMA Company for its announcement around securing a $510,000 contract with the Government of Canada.
Kudos
Congratulations to UVic and Vancouver Island Life Sciences who celebrated the opening of a new community-based innovation hub called the BioInnovation Hub, aimed to help advance health and life sciences innovation. We are also pleased to see the fruition of more diversity efforts within our sector. The Deloitte Health Equity Institute has donated $150,000 to The Leverage Network to help advance Black leadership in healthcare C-suite and governance roles. New Ventures BC announced the Top 11 companies of this year’s startup competition. Congratulations to the organizations, including some of our members, that made the list!
In closing, a reminder that our annual AGM is coming up on September 15th, and is open to members and sponsors. Register online to join us virtually or in-person at the Fasken Vancouver Office for a continental breakfast reception before the event begins. We also look forward to celebrating with so many of you on September 22nd at our 24th Annual Life Sciences BC Awards presented by Farris. Tickets are waitlisted, but we’re pleased to offer an Awards Networking and Viewing Reception for the first time! To RSVP for the reception or to join our gala waitlist, register online.
Have a great weekend,
Wendy and the LSBC team
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