Let's Build Momentum Together |
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Happy New Year!
Scroll down to find out what's happening in Alberta's #lifescience ecosystem and join us on February 2nd to learn and virtually network.
Our member news shows that 2021 is already off to a great start. Let's continue building momentum together this winter!
BioAlberta Team
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Register Now!
Bioalberta is working with Biosciences Association Manitoba and Life Sciences BC to help prepare companies for virtual events.
On February 2nd, 2021 from 9:00 - 10:30 AM (PST), we will hold the second of three in a webinar series designed to help companies get the insights they need to succeed in the virtual environment. This webinar will feature exceptional speakers that can help SME's build the “Preparing the Perfect Pitch Deck" at Virtual Investor Conferences.
Save the February 2nd date and register for this event here now.
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BioAlberta Awards - Call for Nominations |
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Help us recognize the efforts of those who have invested their time and passion to develop a breakthrough innovation or whose leadership has achieved outstanding success! BioAlberta's Scientific Achievement and Innovation and Company of the Year Awards nominations are open until January 31st, 2021.
Take time out to nominate a deserving individual or company today.
SCIENTIFIC ACHIEVEMENT AND INNOVATION AWARD
SUBMISSION DEADLINE: JANUARY 31, 2021
This Award is presented to an individual or a team who is responsible for a breakthrough innovation with commercial application. This award is open to major innovations that have reached varying levels of development. See here for details and nomination form.
COMPANY OF THE YEAR AWARD
SUBMISSION DEADLINE: JANUARY 31, 2021
This Award is presented to a company that has shown significant achievement within the marketplace and Alberta’s business community through strong performance or a leadership role. The company has distinguished itself in any of the following ways: unique product/technology development, how it markets to potential investors/partners/customers, through establishing unique collaborations, or how it has paved the way for other Alberta life science entrepreneurs. Lastly, the company has a varied product and/or service portfolio, a strong and diverse pipeline, and a proven potential for sales and growth. See here for details and nomination form.
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EC Labs was created in 2016 as a spin-off company from EvelineCharles™ Salons Spas - an internationally recognized leader and entrepreneurial success story within the beauty industry.
With a formula to finish business model, EC Labs competes in all areas of the personal care business; product development, manufacturing, distribution, service and retail sales. EC Labs is a contract manufacturer for innovative all natural or high performance luxury professional quality formulations. EC Labs conducts extensive research for all natural actives to build its library of personal care products for the health and beauty industry.
“I am proud to have been an Alberta based business owner for over 47 years. I attribute my success in business to being passionate about the beauty industry, having resilience to withstand the fluctuating Alberta economic climate, and ability to pivot when necessary to evolve our business model.” Eveline Charles.
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Overnight the Covid-19 pandemic dramatically affected EC Labs’ business. The company was transformed from being a designer and manufacturer of high quality personal care and natural health products to a manufacturer of hand sanitizers to satisfy the demand for hand sanitizing products for first responders, front line companies and health care institutions who didn't have a sufficient supply to meet their requirements. This demand opened the door for EC Labs to access many new markets from different business sectors.
At the onset of the pandemic EC Labs developed six different Health Canada approved hand sanitizer products that have been sold in Canada since the start of the pandemic. All this effort generated revenue in excess of $2M over this time period. EC Labs delivered hand sanitizer to such agencies as the Edmonton Police Services, RCMP, Alberta Health Services, City of Edmonton, Dynalife and many other essential service companies like FedEx as well as many pharmacies in the Edmonton region. EC Labs continues to provide effective and high quality hand sanitizer to these organizations as well as other companies in Canada. The company’s products are registered in Canada by Health Canada and in the United States by the FDA. Hand sanitizer sales in Canada now account for more than 40 per cent of revenues for EC Labs.
The explosive surge of exposure received due to hand sanitizer manufacturing has also opened doors for custom manufacturing for a broad range of personal care products for well established national companies across Canada and the United States.
The focus for 2021 is the launch of the proprietary Hemp Peptide. Clinical testing has shown it can induce specific and predictable gene up-regulation to address inflammation and anti-aging. This novel technology can be used for developing exciting new topical and ingestible products. The application opportunities are tremendous and will be fully explored in the upcoming year.
Through these challenging times, EC Labs has emerged as a thriving business that is committed to giving back to the province and its government agencies that helped build the foundation to stimulate the economy through manufacturing, incorporating locally sourced natural ingredients, and by employing a growing number of skilled employees. We are especially thankful for the support received from IRAP, Western Economic Diversification, CanExport, Alberta Innovates, Alberta Agriculture and BioAlberta.
Learn more about EC Labs here.
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Natural Health Products Directory in Development |
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BioAlberta has begun research to prepare a Natural Health Products (NHP) Directory. This directory will allow anybody to connect with established and still growing Alberta NHP companies and business services.
We have hired a Co-Op student, Alexander Holt-Brown, to manage the development of the directory as well as the recruitment of NHP suppliers and producers. Our goal is to drive more communication inside the NHP sector therefore pushing the companies and organizations to thrive.
If you or someone you know would benefit from participating in or accessing our new directory, please contact Alex by email Alexander Holt-Brown, or call 780-638-2180.
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Proof of Concept Program
The Proof of Concept Program is designed to help establish the commercial feasibility of innovative natural products and technologies in order to attract and de-risk subsequent investment.
The program is open to Canadian research institutes, start-up companies, and SMEs. Applicants can receive up to 50% of the cost of the proof of concept plan to a maximum of $100,000 during the Program Period (not to exceed 12 months). The applicant will be required to contribute 50% of the cost over the Program Period.
The program does not support basic research or preliminary product/technology development. It is intended to demonstrate commercial potential via preliminary animal, field, demonstration or human trials.
For research institutes, the program is conditionally repayable and is intended to move a product or technology from intellectual property disclosure to near term spin-out and/or licensing opportunities.
For start-ups and SMEs, the program is repayable and is intended to demonstrate commercial feasibility of products and technologies.
Applicant Eligibility Requirements
- Canadian SME, start-up or research institute
- The applicant has an innovative natural product or technology
- Start-ups and SMEs must have the potential to achieve $10M- $15M in annual revenue within a reasonable period for the market or sector
- Products or technologies being developed within research institutes must address an industry/sector challenge that has a significant market potential
- Member of Canada’s Natural Product Innovation Cluster.
See here for more information.
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Student Work Placement Program
Building Skills for Canada's bio-economy
Canadian universities and colleges are placing highly-
educated students in the bio-economy. If you are looking to hire young and eager talent, BioTalent Canada’s Student Work Placement Program (SWPP) can help. Past positions include everything from Drug Formulation & Delivery to Sustainable Agriculture Intern.
SWPP will support you to hire, train and retain employees in a variety of sectors, including healthcare. They will also provide funding to employ post secondary students within healthcare organizations, bioscience companies and research organizations.
The subsidy covers up to 75% of a student's work placement to a maximum of $7,500.
Apply today at biotalent.ca/Co-opFunds to grow your talent pool and provide upcoming graduates with the foundational experience they need to start careers.
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Canada's Technology and Aging Network's - AGE-WELL - is receiving $21.9 million over three years from GoC to provide Canadians with technology-based solutions to improve quality of life for older adults and caregivers.
They continue to seek new projects. If you have an idea apply for these exceptional funding opportunities. Details can be found at: http://ow.ly/fgsL50zE3oO Y
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Western Economic Diversification Canada
Western Canada businesses unable to access existing relief measures can apply to Western Economic Diversification Canada's Regional Relief and Recovery Fund worth $304 million.
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48Hour Discovery and Quantum Intelligence Corp Join Forces to Form Quantum Intelligence Discovery (QID) - An AI-Powered Drug Discovery Venture
48Hour Discovery Inc. (48HD) and Quantum Intelligence Corp. (QIC) announced on January 13, 2021, the establishment of a joint venture called Quantum Intelligence Discovery. This joint venture between the two start-ups is expected to establish a promising and advanced drug discovery pipeline by uniting cutting-edge drug discovery approaches to discover novel and highly potent molecules with unknown protein structures.
Ratmir Derda, CEO of 48Hour Discovery Inc. said: “Through Quantum Intelligence Discovery we can develop an advanced drug discovery pipeline that reaps the benefits of our (48Hour Discovery) technology and QIC’s AI platform.”
Derda says plans are for the Quantum Intelligence Discovery platform to dovetail the genetically-encoded pipeline of 48HD with the QUEST pipeline of QIC to streamline de novo discovery with automated optimization of new drug candidates and their ADME/Tox properties. “This integrated pipeline will have the potential to enable discovery and optimization of advanced drug leads that are not amenable to targeting by contemporary AI-drug discovery approaches.” To read the details of this announcement, see here.
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Pacylex Pharmaceuticals Announces Publication in Breast Cancer Research and Treatment of a New Target for Therapeutic Intervention in Breast Cancer and Preclinical Results of a First-in-Class Therapy
Pacylex Pharmaceuticals, an oncology company unlocking a new approach to cancer therapy, announced on January 6, 2021, the publication in the journal Breast Cancer Research and Treatment data showing treatment with an N-myristoyltransferase (NMT) inhibitor reduces viability of cultured breast cancer cells and inhibits tumor growth in a mouse xenograft mouse model of human breast cancer. Pacylex is developing this NMT inhibitor, PCLX-001, as a first in class therapy for various leukemias and lymphomas and also plans to study its effects on various solid tumors. Pacylex is preparing to file a CTA (for clinical studies in Canada) and commence a Phase 1 trial of PCLX-001 in lymphoma and solid tumor patients at three clinical sites in early in 2021. To read more about this exciting news, see here.
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Kite and Oxford Biotherapeutics Establish Cell Therapy Research Collaboration in Blood Cancers and Solid Tumours
Silver Partner Kite, a Gilead Company (Nasdaq: GILD), and Oxford BioTherapeutics Ltd. (OBT), a clinical stage oncology company with a pipeline of immuno-oncology (IO) and antibody-drug conjugate (ADC)-based therapies, announced on January 6, 2021, that the companies have entered into a research collaboration to evaluate five novel targets for a number of hematologic and solid tumor indications.
Through this collaboration, OBT will validate five novel oncology drug targets, previously identified using OBT’s OGAP® discovery platform, and generate antibodies against these targets. Kite and Gilead will have the exclusive right to develop and commercialize therapies based on these targets or antibodies. Read the full press release here.
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Resverlogix Announces Apabetalone Treatment Prior to SARS-COV-2 (COVID-19) Exposure Significantly Reduces Viral Infection - Confirms Plans for Clinical Trial
Resverlogix Corp. announced on December 22, 2020, recent published findings in the high-impact journal, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), that further supports other 2020 publications and provides new evidence for the therapeutic potential of BET inhibitors in the treatment of COVID-19. The publication also acknowledges Resverlogix and the Company’s plans to confirm the hypothesis with a clinical trial utilizing its advanced BET inhibition technology. To read the full press release see here.
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Port of San Diego Approves Pilot with FREDsense Technologies to Develop Rapid Stormwater Monitoring Device
FREDsense Technologies Corp. announced on December 14, 2020, that it will work with the Post of San Diego to develop a portable five-in-one field-testing sensor device to provide real-time metals analysis for stormwater monitoring.
Plans are that FREDsense will use their pre-existing titration platform optimized for the environmental remediation industry to produce an automated testing system for stormwater analysis to test the levels of various metals in San Diego Bay including aluminum, copper, lead, zinc and nickel, all of which are currently manually monitored under the Port’s stormwater programs. For more information about this exciting announcement see here.
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Welcome - New Silver Partner |
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