Friday | November 5th, 2021
CEO MESSAGE
This week, we wrapped our virtual investor summit, Invest in BC presented by Lumira Ventures. Listening along to the companies presenting their pitches, I was impressed with their professionalism as well as inspired by the diversity within our BC ecosystem. As you know, BC life science companies run the whole spectrum from large and international through small and medium-sized, to solopreneur and benchside startups. It still thrills me that Life Sciences BC is able to offer events that support and spread the word for our members. And it also thrills me that Premier John Horgan took time to send a written message. As Minister for Jobs, Economic Recovery and Innovation, the Honourable Ravi Kahlon said in his welcome, there is no better way to show that “BC is ready and open for business!” 
Invest in BC, presented by Lumira Ventures is one of our signature events. This year, I am very proud to say that we had a record attendance. We had 409 registrations, representing 32 countries. I’d like to give a big thank you to the volunteer leadership team that brought this together before the event; we had around 60 companies apply, and from these 31 came through to pitch. I’ll post a link to the recordings when they are available; meanwhile, you can check out who was pitching in this brochure.

Day One kicked off with a fireside chat, where Carl Hansen—CEO of AbCellera, our Life Sciences Company of the Year 2021 talked about biomanufacturing space and scaling up. He also pointed out the need for skilled and well-trained talent, nodding to our local academic institutions, SFU and UBC for supporting the pool. This was echoed on Day Two, by AdMare Bioinnovations President and CEO, Gordon McCauley. A recent Business in Vancouver article notes that in terms of the tech sector, Vancouver is now the third fastest growing hub in North America. The city has added 13k new jobs in the past two years, trailing only Toronto (#1, with +40,200 new jobs) and Seattle at #2 (+38,559 jobs). LSBC will be addressing life sciences talent requirements with Career Connect Day in January. 

In terms of nurturing and supporting talent, I’m pleased to see that LSBC member, Michael Smith Health Research BC recruitment scholarship and research trainee competitions are now open. Awards and Scholarship applications are also open for UBC Health.

I’d like to finish by offering congratulations. Nicole Dekort is now MedTech Canada’s President and CEO and LSBC member, Axolotl’s CEO and co-founder, Stephanie Willerth received the 2021 Teaching Award of Excellence from Engineers and Geoscientists of British Columbia.  

LSBC member, Canexia Health is a finalist in the BC Exports Awards announced recently in BIV. As a finalist in the Professional Services category, Canexia has to wait until the in-person event on November 19 at the Terminal City Club in Vancouver. It will also be live-streamed at biv.com if you want to celebrate alongside them. George Chow, Minister of State For Trade, and Ravi Kahlon, Minister of Jobs, Economic Recovery and Innovation are also taking part. We wish Canexia all the very best. 

-Wendy and the team at LSBC
Platinum Sponsors

AbbVie announced the presentation of new data on RINVOQ® (upadacitinib), SKYRIZI® (risankizumab) and HUMIRA® (adalimumab) across multiple rheumatic diseases at the American College of Rheumatology's annual meeting (ACR Convergence 2021), to be held virtually Nov. 3-9. A total of 38 abstracts, including two oral presentations and one plenary session presentation, will be presented from a broad range of studies in rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis. READ MORE

Avantor, Inc., a leading global provider of mission-critical products and services to customers in the life sciences and advanced technologies & applied materials industries, has completed its previously announced acquisition of the Masterflex bioprocessing business and related assets (collectively “Masterflex”) of Antylia Scientific, a privately held, portfolio company of investment firms GTCR and Golden Gate Capital. READ MORE

Aurinia Pharmaceuticals Inc., a biopharma company committed to delivering therapeutics that change the course of autoimmune disease, today announced that data from multiple studies of LUPKYNIS™ (voclosporin) for the treatment of people with lupus nephritis, a serious complication of systemic lupus erythematosus resulting in potentially life-threatening damage to the kidneys, will be presented at American Society of Nephrology (ASN) Kidney Week 2021 and at American College of Rheumatology (ACR) Convergence 2021. ASN Kidney Week will take place virtually on November 2-7 and ACR Convergence will take place virtually on November 3-9. READ MORE

District 3 Innovation Hub, an early-stage startup incubator located at Concordia University, and adMare BioInnovations, a Canadian life sciences leader that builds the industry from sea to sea, are pleased to announce an official partnership to build Canada’s life sciences ecosystem by helping emerging life sciences startups scale up faster for global impact. READ MORE

AbCellera announced an additional purchase by the U.S. government from Eli Lilly and Company for bamlanivimab with etesevimab for administration together. This neutralizing antibody therapy is authorized for emergency use for the treatment of mild to moderate COVID-19 or for post-exposure prophylaxis of COVID-19 in certain individuals. As part of the agreement, Lilly will supply 614,000 doses of bamlanivimab with etesevimab no later than January 31, 2022. A minimum of 400,000 doses will be supplied no later than December 31, 2021. READ MORE

InMed Pharmaceuticals Inc., a leader in the manufacturing, development and commercialization of rare cannabinoids, announced that it has filed an international patent application demonstrating neuroprotection and enhanced neuronal function using a rare cannabinoid for the potential treatment of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s Disease, Parkinson’s Disease, Huntington’s Disease and others. READ MORE

Aspect Biosystems, a biotechnology company pioneering the development of bioprinted cell therapies as medicines of the future, will present new data on its bioprinted liver tissues at the The Liver Meeting 2021, hosted by the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, held virtually from November 12-15, 2021. This data highlights that the bioprinted liver tissues maintain viability and function for over 28 days in vivo. READ MORE

Michael Smith Health Research BC’s Scholar and Research Trainee awards provide funding to support BC’s next generation of health researchers in advancing science and improving the health of British Columbians. The Scholar awards help BC researchers build leading-edge health research programs, train the next generation of scientists, and make significant contributions to their field. READ MORE

Merck, known as MSD outside the United States and Canada, and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics announced that the United Kingdom Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency has granted authorization in the United Kingdom for molnupiravir (MK-4482, EIDD-2801), the first oral antiviral medicine authorized for the treatment of mild-to-moderate COVID-19 in adults with a positive SARS-CoV-2 diagnostic test and who have at least one risk factor for developing severe illness. In the U.K., LAGEVRIO® is the planned trademark for molnupiravir; the trademark for molnupiravir in other countries has not been approved. READ MORE

Eupraxia Pharmaceuticals Inc., a Phase 2 clinical-stage biotechnology company with an innovative drug delivery platform technology, announced it is receiving advisory services and funding up to $700,000 from the National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program (“NRC IRAP”) to support a research and development project to further develop the Company’s polymer-based proprietary drug delivery technology. READ MORE

The Office of the Vice-President, Health is pleased to announce that the competition for the 2021 UBC Health Awards and Scholarships is now open. These awards and scholarships recognize the academic and research excellence of faculty and students from various health disciplines at UBC as well as the achievements of health educators, professionals, and community partners across BC. READ MORE

This year we will be selecting a cohort of four, innovative life science companies from Canada to participate in the 6-month long mentoring program (kick-off in February, mentoring engagement March through September 2022), which we anticipate to be a hybrid program with in-person events in Chicago as well as some virtual meetings. Deadline to apply is December 1, 2021. READ MORE

The DeepDyve Digital Library: a platform that is designed to make it easy and affordable for research organizations to discover, access, organize, and collaborate on peer-reviewed papers. But it’s an innovation that was nearly a decade in the making. READ MORE
Gold Sponsors
Kapoose Creek Wellness Ltd. is a Vancouver-based life sciences and natural health product development company, having its roots deep within the remote wilderness of Northwestern Vancouver Island, where the Pacific Ocean meets the Kapoose Creek estuary. Kapoose is dedicated to the discovery, development and delivery of evidence-based functional and entheogenic mycologic (mushroom) pharmaceutical and natural products, and real-life therapeutic applications.




Cureimmune Therapeutics Inc. is a privately-owned biotechnology company based in Vancouver, BC, specializing in the research and development of therapeutic antibodies and fusion proteins, which will be used for the treatment of cancer and autoimmune diseases. CureImmune is developing biologic drugs for cancer and immunological disorders by targeting key regulators of the immune system. Their technology platform consists of proprietary monoclonal antibodies, fusion proteins and bispecific antibodies/bifunctional agents. Their goal is to serve patients in unmet medical needs with breakthrough medicine.

Silver Sponsors
PERSPECTIVES ON GLOBAL HEALTHCARE INNOVATION
What’s driving innovation in life science and healthcare? SVB is committed to serving the ecosystem by providing industry-leading reports featuring proprietary analysis and targeted outlooks to help companies and investors achieve their goals. Twice a year we publish deep-dive analyses describing fundraising, investment, M&A and IPO activity of private, venture-backed biopharma, medical device and diagnostic/tools companies. Our deep relationships with top life science and healthcare entrepreneurs and investors inform our insights and give us a vantage point unlike any other bank. To find out more about Silicon Valley Bank click here.

Under the supervision of the Associate Director, Biology, the primary role of the Research Associate is to participate in the design and execution of experiments and to document the results obtained.

 The incumbent will be a key contributor to manage quality aspects of GMP manufacturing and analytical release, working on Xenon’s programs from pre-IND to late-stage clinical development and commercialization, working both independently and in cross-functional teams.

The incumbent will be responsible for the oversight, guidance, and overall management of all health research funding competitions and programs. Work alongside and support the Director, Research Competitions, for a 14-month maternity leave contract.
Bronze Sponsors
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 Peter McLoughlin - talent@lifesciencesbc.ca