Friday | February 18th, 2022
CEO MESSAGE
In the week that the province removed many COVID-19 public health regulations, the BC life sciences community came together with shared experiences of innovation and what it takes to push through to success. A huge thank you to all who took part in our seventh annual Access To Innovation conference—to our speakers, moderators and sponsors who came together to showcase how BC life sciences are indeed building on excellence. Registrations topped out at 245, with 45 speakers representing 32 companies and organizations.  

I was excited yesterday to note how many references to the BC life sciences sector came during yesterday’s economic forecast ahead of next week's budget. As hinted by Minister Ravi Kahlon in his opening to day 2 of our Access To Innovation, there was significant emphasis on support for and celebration of our sector. Premier Horgan advised that in order to provide “a plan that puts people first we need to build the public infrastructure so that our private sector economy can continue to thrive and prosper” before mentioning our vibrant life sciences sector here in BC.  

It was also exciting not only to read that the plan covers and supports many of our themes covered in yesterday’s Access to Innovation but also hear how much of our messaging was repeated during the press conference. We heard many speakers speak to the need for support for small businesses in the life sciences community in order to foster innovation, entrepreneurship and commercial realization; the main message from StrongerBC seems to address this. Check out pages 9, 21, 29, and 30–31 of the StrongerBC Economic Plan for the details.

BC life sciences also saw therapeutics successes this week. Both SaNOtize and AbCellera gained approvals for COVID-19 treatment; SaNOtize’s nitric oxide anti-viral nasal spray gained regulatory approval in India   and AbCellera’s therapeutic antibody discovery, bebtelovimab is now licensed for emergency use in the US as an Eli Lilly product.

Excellence and success need investment. One recent success story I’m very happy to see is that not only has Vancouver-based Canexia Health Inc. merged with Montreal’s Imagia Cybernetics Inc. to form Imagia Canexia but the new company has also attracted a $20 million equity investment. It's worth noting that Vancouver ranks as the number 7 tech city in the world so no wonder we’re home to such amazing tech talent It’s also worth noting that our next event, Invest in the West — coming up on March 10 — addresses this need for funding by bringing life sciences companies and investors together. Insert registration link Companies confirmed to pitch during this exciting day include this year’s grads from our Investor Readiness Program.

In other successes, I’d like to congratulate Jennifer Thompson and the Herstasis Health Team on the release of their new info video, which you can check out at this link. It’s always good to see issues affecting women addressed, especially in the light of this article. Congratulations also to EMD Serono on their exciting new initiative for fertility medication packaging.  

Welcome to a new appointment to the commercial leadership team at InMed Pharmaceuticals; Gerard (Jerry) P. Griffin III joins as Vice President of Sales and Marketing at BayMedica, their wholly owned subsidiary.

For those of you looking to expand your teams, news comes from MITACS on the expansion of its eligibility list to include part-time students and recent graduates as eligible interns for its Accelerate program

As a community, the BC life sciences certainly comes together to not only inspire and mentor each other, but also to support our neighbours. The LSBC team and I would like to thank everyone who donated to our BC flood relief platform. The final amount raised is $15,250. Many thanks to the Canadian Red Cross for providing a platform for our efforts and to Doug Janzen of Northview Ventures for his matching contribution. We will be taking down the donation page this coming week, if you’d still like to contribute.

Wishing you and your families a relaxing and rejuvenating Family Day long weekend.

Wendy and the LSBC team.  
Where were you 30 years ago? We’re celebrating 30 years of Life Sciences BC this year by celebrating 30 years of life sciences in BC. Please visit our survey and add your favourite memorable event from our vibrant life sciences sector. 
PLATINUM SPONSORS
InMed Pharmaceuticals Strengthens its Commercial Leadership Team with the Appointment of Vice President of Sales and Marketing for BayMedica
InMed Pharmaceuticals Inc., a leader in the research, development, manufacturing and commercialization of rare cannabinoids, is pleased to announce the appointment of Gerard (Jerry) P. Griffin III as Vice President of Sales and Marketing at BayMedica, a wholly owned subsidiary of InMed... READ MORE
InMed Pharmaceuticals Reports Second Quarter Fiscal 2022 Financial Results and Provides Business Update
InMed Pharmaceuticals Inc., a leader in the development, manufacturing and commercialization of rare cannabinoids, announced financial results for the second quarter of fiscal year 2022 which ended December 31, 2021... READ MORE
Avantor® Breaks Ground on New Distribution Center to Serve Growing Biopharmaceutical Industry in Ireland
Avantor, Inc., a leading global provider of mission-critical products and services to customers in the life sciences, advanced technologies and applied materials industries has started construction on a distribution center which will help expedite access to essential production materials for biopharmaceutical manufacturers in Ireland... READ MORE
LYNPARZA® (olaparib) Plus Abiraterone Reduced Risk of Disease Progression or Death by 34% Versus Abiraterone in First-Line Metastatic Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer, Regardless of Biomarker Status
AstraZeneca and Merck announced that positive results from the Phase 3 PROpel trial showed LYNPARZA in combination with abiraterone plus prednisone demonstrated a statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvement in radiographic progression-free survival versus abiraterone plus prednisone, a standard of care, as a first-line treatment for patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer... READ MORE
WHO Grants Prequalification of Actemra/RoActemra for Patients with Severe or Critical COVID-19
Roche announced that Actemra®/RoActemra® (tocilizumab) intravenous (IV) has been granted World Health Organization prequalification. Prequalification is a confirmation by WHO that Actemra/RoActemra meets the WHO standards for quality, safety and efficacy for the treatment of COVID-19 in adults who are receiving systemic corticosteroids and require supplemental oxygen or mechanical ventilation... READ MORE
AbCellera-Discovered Antibody, Bebtelovimab, Receives U.S. FDA Emergency Use Authorization for the Treatment of Mild-to-Moderate COVID-19
AbCellera announced that bebtelovimab (LY-CoV1404), the second antibody developed through AbCellera’s collaboration with Eli Lilly and Company (Lilly), has received Emergency Use Authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration... READ MORE
Lilly to Supply up to 600,000 Doses of AbCellera-Discovered Antibody, Bebtelovimab, to the U.S. Government in Ongoing Effort to Provide COVID-19 Treatments
AbCellera announced Eli Lilly and Company (Lilly) has entered into a purchase agreement with the U.S. government to supply up to 600,000 doses, for at least $720 million, of investigational drug bebtelovimab (LY-CoV1404), the second antibody developed through AbCellera’s collaboration with Lilly... READ MORE
Deloitte Invests $750M in Healthcare, Consumer and Financial Services Businesses
As part of a broader $750 million investment, Deloitte announced Tuesday that it is expanding the firm’s ConvergeHEALTH business. The company plans to expand ConvergeHEALTH’s platforms and efforts in a range of areas, such as improving the patient experience and engagement, helping health systems become... READ MORE
AbbVie and the University of Toronto Establish Endowed Chair in Ethnodermatology
AbbVie, a global research and development-based biopharmaceutical company, has made a CDN $3-million donation to establish a pioneering AbbVie Chair in Ethnodermatology at the University of Toronto’s Temerty Faculty of Medicine. One of the first positions of its kind in the world, the chair will drive collaborative academic research, provide... READ MORE
Merck Announces New Leadership for Human Health Business
Merck announced new leadership for its Human Health business. Arpa Garay will lead Human Health Global Marketing, Jannie Oosthuizen will lead Human Health U.S., and Merck is recruiting externally to fill the Human Health International role... READ MORE
Pfizer and OPKO’s Once-Weekly NGENLA™ (somatrogon) Injection Receives Marketing Authorization in European Union for Treatment of Pediatric Growth Hormone Deficiency
Pfizer Inc. and OPKO Health, Inc. announced that the European Commission has granted marketing authorization for the next-generation long-acting recombinant human growth hormone NGENLA™ (somatrogon), a once-weekly injection to treat children and adolescents from 3 years of age with growth disturbance due to insufficient secretion of growth hormone... READ MORE
Deloitte Canada Commits $175,000 Annually for Three Years to Indspire to Invest in Indigenous Education
Deloitte Canada announced its first multi-year sponsorship agreement with Indspire, committing $175,000 annually for three years to the only Indigenous-led organization in education providing scholarships, training, and curriculum from coast to coast... READ MORE
New Analysis Demonstrates UPLIZNA® (inebilizumab-cdon) Reduces Severity of Attacks Associated with Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorder (NMOSD)
Horizon Therapeutics plc announced results from a new analysis showing treatment with UPLIZNA effectively reduced the severity of attacks in people with NMOSD. These data are being presented at the 48th Annual Meeting of the North American Neuro-Ophthalmology Society... READ MORE
EMD Serono Launches New Sustainable Slim Pack for Fertility Medication
EMD Serono, the healthcare business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany in the U.S. and Canada, announced the launch of its new Slim Pack fertility medication packaging, reduced in size for convenience and environmental impact... READ MORE
INDUSTRY NEWS
Vancouver Ranks No. 7 Tech City in World Amid Hunt for Educated Workers
Access to top-tier universities is helping Vancouver edge out other cities as a global tech hub. Vancouver ranks as the No. 7 tech city in the world, higher than any other city outside the U.S., according to British price-comparison website Money.co.uk...READ MORE
Upcoming funding opportunity: Women RISE: Research to support women’s health and economic empowerment for a COVID-19 Recovery that is Inclusive, Sustainable and Equitable
Women RISE (Women’s health and economic empowerment for a COVID-19 Recovery that is Inclusive, Sustainable and Equitable) is a new initiative to support action-oriented research on how women’s health and their work (paid or unpaid) intersect and interact in the context of preparing for, responding to and recovering from COVID-19...READ MORE
Futuristic Coating for Hospital Fabrics and Activewear Kills COVID and E. Coli
UBC researchers have developed an inexpensive, non-toxic coating for almost any fabric that decreases the infectivity of the virus that causes COVID-19 by up to 90 per cent. And in the future, you might be able to spray it on fabric yourself...READ MORE
LSBC IN THE NEWS
The life sciences sector in British Columbia is building on excellence for a vibrant future in the province and beyond. Life Sciences BC is proud to showcase this with Access to Innovation (February 16 and 17, 2022), a two-day virtual summit of thought leadership and dialogue... READ MORE
GOLD SPONSORS
Numinus exists to help the world heal, starting with addressing the global crisis in mental health by harnessing the power and promise of psychedelic medicine. Through their integrated model, they are actively contributing to the body of primary and clinical psychedelic research while delivering best-in-class therapeutic protocols across their clinics.



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Methylation Sciences is focused on developing new products based on molecules which have clinical proof of concept but have yet to be exploited in the major pharmaceutical markets. The Company has developed superior oral formulations of this molecule with STRADA being the first in clinical development. MSI has a broad intellectual property portfolio and pipeline of candidates.


SILVER SPONSORS
Protein Biophysics Scientist

Gandeeva Therapeutics is seeking a Protein Biophysics Scientist to actively support protein expression projects and oversee the end-to-end production of recombinant proteins.



Technical Projects Manager

SignalChem Lifesciences Corp. is seeking a Technical Projects Manager who will manage existing clients by identifying potential customers, introducing products, providing technical support, and developing new accounts.

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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 Peter McLoughlin - talent@lifesciencesbc.ca