In exciting news, LSBC awards alum, Canary Medical, posted that surgeons implanted the company’s first ‘talking knee’ – a collaboration with Zimmer Biomet that combines a prosthesis with the Canary Medical “smart” tibial extension.

LSBC Platinum sponsor GSK announced that it has signed an agreement with the Government of Canada to supply 10,000 doses of Sotrovimab for injection, a COVID-19 monoclonal antibody therapy co-developed with Vir Biotechnology.

Congratulations to the marketing and communications team at LSBC Platinum sponsor, Pfizer who won a Fierce Pharma Marketing Award for their social media for consumer campaign, #WeStandWithScience. Along with eight other vaccine developers including LSBC sponsors AstraZeneca, Johnson and Johnson, GlaxoSmithKline, Merck, and Sanofi, Pfizer initiated and co-signed a historic pledge to uphold the integrity of the scientific process in developing an investigational COVID-19 Vaccine.

In our own LSBC news, I am very happy to share that our annual magazine, co-published with Business in Vancouver, is now available on our website. Check out features on the vibrant BC life sciences sector, including the membership ‘at a glance’ directory that’s powered by your member profile. A big shout out to our communications and operations co-ops, Madeleine and Joanna, who have been busy getting copies in the mail to LSBC members.

On Thursday we held our first Blakes Breakfast webinar of the LSBC events year. Thanks to speakers, Noël Brown (RBC Capital Markets), Kathryn Hayashi (TRIUMF Innovations) and Dr. Lana Janes (adMare BioInnovations and Abdera Therapeutics) for taking us through the world of radiopharmaceuticals. And thanks to Cody Shirriff, (Serenity Bioworks), who explored heat shock proteins therapeutics in lupus nephropathy. You can catch up with the event recording here.

Ahead of next week’s webinar, sponsored by Gowling WLG, on protecting IP during drug development, I took part in a Business in Vancouver podcast. Hosted by editor-in-chief and publisher, Kirk LaPointe, Gowling WLG partner, Brian Kingswell and I explored how life sciences companies can protect their ideas.

Finally, I’d like to wish all the best for success to #LSBCmembers VoxCell BioInnovation and HTuO Biosciences who were pitching at the Valhalla Investment Summit yesterday! Coincidentally, our own annual Investor Readiness Program kicked off on Wednesday evening. The program matches 10 early-stage SMEs with the 10 highly experienced mentors who will be sharing their combined industry wisdom over the next six months. You can read who is matched with whom here.

Wishing you and yours a Happy Thanksgiving from me and the LSBC team!

-Wendy Hurlburt

Herstasis Health is excited to announce the launch of www.herstasis.com, a free site with science-based information on perimenopause changes in women plus an overview of symptom treatments. Don’t know what that is, come and take a look. READ MORE

Bold Therapeutics is pleased to be featured in Insights Magazine’s Fall Issue. The article: “Bold Therapeutics: Defeating Cancer Drug Resistance” highlights the incredible work we are doing in oncology, including our ongoing clinical trial in GI cancer indications. We’ve initiated a Series B round that will allow the company to fund additional clinical trials and treat patients in difficult to treat cancers. READ MORE

InMed Pharmaceuticals Inc., a leader in the manufacturing and clinical development of rare cannabinoids, announced that it has commenced its Phase 2 clinical trial of INM-755 (cannabinol) cream in the treatment of Epidermolysis Bullosa (“EB”). This marks the first time cannabinol has advanced to a Phase 2 Clinical trial to be studied as a therapeutic option to treat a disease. READ MORE

Life Sciences BC announces the companies and mentors taking part in the second annual Investor Readiness Program. This unique 6-month program pairs 10 early-stage life sciences enterprises with 10 executives-in-residence (EIR). Through EIR expertise and sector knowledge, regular mentoring brings the 10 Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) to investor readiness for a final pitch session in front of pre-qualified investors. READ MORE

Life Sciences BC CEO and President, Wendy Hurlburt, sat down with Business in Vancouver publisher and editor in chief, Kirk LaPointe and Brian Kingwell, Partner – Gowling WLG, to discuss how to protect ideas in the booming life sciences sector. READ MORE

GSK announced it has signed an agreement with the Government of Canada to supply 10,000 doses of Sotrovimab for injection, a COVID-19 monoclonal antibody therapy developed by GSK and Vir Biotechnology. READ MORE

Xenon Pharmaceuticals Inc., a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company, today announced that it has commenced an underwritten public offering of $250 million of its common shares pursuant to its existing shelf registration statement. It is expected that the underwriters of the offering will be granted an option for a period of 30 days to purchase up to an additional $37.5 million of common shares at the public offering price, less the underwriting discounts and commissions. READ MORE

Xenon Pharmaceuticals Inc., a neurology-focused biopharmaceutical company, reported positive topline results from the Phase 2b X-TOLE clinical trial, which evaluated the clinical efficacy, safety, and tolerability of XEN1101 – a differentiated Kv7 potassium channel modulator – administered as adjunctive treatment in adult patients with focal epilepsy. READ MORE

Canadians look to the 44th Parliament to apply lessons learned from COVID-19 to protect current and future generations. This includes building healthcare systems equipped for both exceptional and everyday circumstances. To be successful, we believe the government needs to partner with the entire health ecosystem in a way that leverages multiple strengths. Life science stakeholders, in particular, can play a central role in addressing current challenges, while delivering significant economic benefits including investment and jobs. READ MORE

Clairvoyant Therapeutics, a Canadian biotech company focused on the development of psychedelic drug therapies for addiction, is pleased to announce Greg Engel has joined the company’s Board of Directors and Long Trinh has joined as Chief Financial Officer. READ MORE

New technologies are enabling unprecedented opportunities in the field of medicine, creating a capacity for breakthroughs that change patients’ lives. Pfizer’s Breakthrough Change Accelerator is a bold initiative toward that objective. We invite you to collaborate with us in creating a healthier tomorrow. Bookmark this site and check back for new challenges! READ MORE

The Nobel Assembly at the Karolinska Institutet has awarded the 2021 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine jointly to David Julius and Ardem Patapoutian for their discoveries of receptors for temperature and touch. Find the press release here and details for the other prize announcements here.