Offering action, not just sympathies – following conversations with the Canadian Red Cross, Life Sciences BC now has a dedicated donations portal. Please visit our Flood and Landslide Relief Program page to learn about this and other initiatives; donations will be matched by Federal and Provincial government support until December 26, 2021.

We're extremely grateful to Doug Janzen of Northview Ventures for his personal donation to match funds up to $10,000.

If you or your company would also like to support with matching funds, please contact William Burrows, Director, Business Operations and Programs at Life Sciences BC wburrows@lifesciencesbc.ca

Emergency Response Team Volunteers: Canadian Red Cross continues to work closely with community leadership and all levels of government on how to best support people who are impacted by flooding and extreme weather in British Columbia throughout their recovery.

Red Cross has an immediate need for additional Emergency Response Team (ERT) Responder volunteers. If you have employees that you feel may be interested in taking the required training and you can release for a minimum of 7 days contact: John Kim at john.kim@redcross.ca  

It’s very timely that that BioTalent Canada published the Labour Market Information Reports this week. The regional and hub reports are now available for download, including the Western and Metro Vancouver editions and the Étude nationale d'information sur le marché du travail - BioTalent Canada. Interesting read with comparative stats relative to the rest of Canada for us to consider.

One of the end results of skilled talent is commercial success. Congratulations this week to LSBC member XCO Tech on their rebrand/partnership as Recon Health to market their new device, the world’s first health patch with core body temperature measurement. I’d also like to send congratulations to AbCellera on the authorization of their Bamlanivimab combination therapy for emergency use in patients under 12 years old. In other COVID-related news, LSBC sponsor, Merck announced that its antiviral pill will be manufactured within Canada.

I also send congratulations to LSBC member, Thrive Health; their co-founder and CEO, David Helliwell, who is also an LSBC Board member, received a Digital Health Canada Executive of the Year Award. Thrive Health President and CTO, Alec McCauley receives the Digital Health Canada 2021 Startup Innovator of the Year Award too. Bravo!

Good news also from LSBC member, Ondine Biomedical whose shares started trading on London’s AIM market this week.

Welcoming and congratulating people on the move – AbCellera’s new Chief Commercial Officer is Neil Aubuchon and Jill Earthy has been appointed InBC’s CEO.

Welcome also to our newest LSBC silver sponsor, Gowling WLG – thank you for your continued support. We appreciate it very much.

BC Cancer announced that two of its researchers, Dr. Peter Stirling and Dr. David Huntsman, have been awarded an OvCAN/Ovarian Cancer Canada-Cancer Research Society Grant. Congratulations!

As we head closer to the holiday season, please note that this is our last full BioLinks of the year. Our team will keep an eye out for your news so we can celebrate alongside you. Don’t forget to use our self serve news feature to add your press releases to the website. It’s worth noting that our RSS Feed autopost then automatically shares your news to our social channels so even more people can cheer for your success.

-Wendy and the LSBC team

AbCellera announced the U.S. FDA has expanded the EUA for bamlanivimab and etesevimab administered together to include pediatric patients under the age of 12, including neonates (infants <1 year old). The EUA allows for bamlanivimab and etesevimab administered together in the treatment of mild to moderate COVID-19 as well as post-exposure prophylaxis in certain patients. READ MORE

Merck announced it has entered into an agreement with Thermo Fisher Scientific to manufacture molnupiravir, Merck’s investigational oral antiviral medicine for the treatment of COVID-19. This agreement is part of Merck’s commitment to make this investigational medicine widely available globally, if approved for use by regulatory agencies. READ MORE

Roche announced that the European Medicines Agency’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use has recommended extending the marketing authorisation for Actemra®/RoActemra® (tocilizumab) to include the treatment of COVID-19 in adults who are receiving systemic corticosteroids and require supplemental oxygen or mechanical ventilation. READ MORE

The Canadian company has pioneered a new non-antibiotic antimicrobial technology that rapidly destroys pathogens without causing resistance. Ondine Biomedical Inc said its shares started trading on London’s AIM market today. READ MORE

Roche announced its plans to launch the SARS-CoV-2 & Flu A/B Rapid Antigen Test for professional use in markets accepting the CE Mark by the beginning of January. Roche also intends to file for Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in early 2022. READ MORE

Amgen announced new data from its hematology pipeline and marketed portfolio to be presented at the 63rd American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting & Exposition in Atlanta, Georgia, and virtually, from Dec. 11-14, 2021. READ MORE

Pfizer is proud to be included on Newsweek’s list of America’s Most Responsible Companies 2022 - placing 47th out of 500 of the largest public corporations. READ MORE

SVB Financial Group, the parent of Silicon Valley Bank, announced the continued growth of the Tech Investment Banking team with additional hires in the Internet, Consumer / Marketing Software, Fintech, and Enterprise Software sectors along with the formal launch of Technology Leveraged Finance and Equity Capital Markets capabilities. READ MORE

Sonic Incytes Medical Corp. is pleased to announce the completion of its US$7.3M Series A with backing from Nimbus Synergies as the lead investor, and support from Nicola Wealth, Mint Venture Partners, Consortium Medteq, Wavemaker Three-Sixty Health, Gaingels and INP Capital, as well as notable angel investors. READ MORE

The European Medicines Agency has accepted for review under an accelerated assessment procedure the Marketing Authorization Application for olipudase alfa, Sanofi’s investigational enzyme replacement therapy which is being evaluated for the treatment of acid sphingomyelinase deficiency (ASMD). READ MORE

AbCellera, a technology company with a centralized operating system for next-generation antibody discovery, announced changes to its Board of Directors with the appointment of Andrew W. Lo, Ph.D., as an independent director and the resignation of John Hamer, Ph.D. Changes are effective immediately. READ MORE

Medicago and GSK announced positive efficacy and safety results from the global Phase 3 placebo-controlled efficacy study of Medicago’s plant-based COVID-19 vaccine candidate in combination with GSK’s pandemic adjuvant, conducted in over 24,000 subjects (adults 18 years and above) across six countries. READ MORE

Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited announced that it will present a total of 23 company-sponsored abstracts at the 63rd American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting being held December 11-14, 2021 in Atlanta, Georgia. READ MORE

The UBC Faculty of Medicine is launching Canada’s first JDRF Centre of Excellence in Type 1 diabetes research. The Centre is being established in partnership with JDRF Canada, the largest Canadian charitable funder of Type 1 diabetes research, toward a singular purpose: curing Type 1 diabetes.

OncoMyx Therapeutics, a privately-held immuno-oncology platform company, announced the closing of a $50 million Series B financing, co-led by Lumira Ventures and B Capital Group with participation from LYZZ Capital and all Series A investors. READ MORE

Novartis, a leader in rheumatology and immuno-dermatology, announced new analyses from the two-year positive Phase III JUNIPERA study, which demonstrated the treatment response of Cosentyx® (secukinumab) in children and adolescents with enthesitis-related arthritis and juvenile psoriatic arthritis – two categories of juvenile idiopathic arthritis. READ MORE

Algernon Pharmaceuticals Inc. is pleased to announce that it has completed the manufacturing of its clinical grade supply (“cGMP”) of AP-188 (“N,N-Dimethyltryptamine or DMT”) at Canadian manufacturer Dalton Pharma Services. The Company believes it has produced a sufficient supply of cGMP DMT to complete its planned Phase 1 and Phase 2 clinical trials. READ MORE

Recon Health announced its partnership with greenTEG to integrate greenTEG’s proprietary CALERA® core body temperature sensor solution for continuous and non-invasive core body temperature measurement into Recon Health’s Virtual Care Patch™ for remote patient monitoring and diagnostics. READ MORE

Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has expanded the Emergency Use Authorization of a booster dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine to include individuals 16 years of age and older. The booster dose is to be administered at least six months after completion of the primary series and is the same formulation and dosage strength as the doses in the primary series. READ MORE

Now in its fifth year, the Health Professional-Investigator award is dedicated to support health professionals who are actively involved in patient care to conduct and apply research relevant to health and/or the health system to ultimately improve health outcomes in BC and beyond. READ MORE

The BC clinical trials research community, research teams, stakeholders and patient partners are contributing in magnificent and different ways to the health and well-being of British Columbians. Their dedication to clinical trials and to all aspects of our health have changed lives and improved our community and our province. Each year, Clinical Trials BC recognizes an individual or an organization in two categories. READ MORE

BioTalent Canada offers three wage subsidy programs; the Science and Technology Internship Program – Green Jobs, the Science Horizons Youth Internship and the Student Work Placement Program. Find out more about these programs today! READ MORE

Please join us in congratulating this year's Digital Health Canada winners; including a few #LSBCmembers. The Digital Health Canada Awards offer six categories in which to recognize Canadian digital health leaders and innovators. READ MORE

OBIO’s Early Adopter Health Network is now accepting applications for 2022 projects. Successful applicants are eligible for up to $250K in funding to support evaluation and procurement activities. Please circulate this call for application and encourage relevant companies in your ecosystem to apply and get funded. READ MORE

Apply to be part of this special Trade Accelerator Program (TAP) in partnership with the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business (CCAB), specifically designed for Indigenous-owned/led businesses. LSBC member discount of 90% available. READ MORE

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Registration now open! Tickets available for an in-person or virtual event. Book with confidence. Our flexible registration policy was created with you in mind. READ MORE