TALENT How Incubators Are Powering Canada’s Life Sciences Sector

How Incubators Are Powering Canada’s Life Sciences Sector Les incubateurs : des moteurs pour le secteur canadien des sciences de la vie

by Jennifer Hamilton, PhD, Early Innovation Partnering, Johnson & Johnson Innovation par Jennifer Hamilton, Ph. D., directrice des partenariats, innovations récentes, Johnson & Johnson Innovation

OPTIMIZING CANADA’S LIFE SCIENCES INDUSTRY IS A SOURCE OF PERENNIAL ANGST. Proposed solutions have included attracting international venture capitalists, recruiting experienced high-priced U.S. CEO’s and Board of Directors, establishing dual U.S. company locations,

LA NÉCESSITÉ D’OPTIMISER LE SECTEUR DES SCIENCES DE LA VIE CONSTITUE UNE SOURCE D’ANGOISSE CONSTANTE. Afin de résoudre cette difficulté, on a cherché à attirer les capital-risqueurs, à recruter aux États-Unis des chefs de direction et des administrateurs chevronnés de

enhancing tax credits, personal tax breaks and nudging federal granting funds towards commercialization.

Now we have a taste of success, with companies like AbCellera, Zymeworks and STEMCELL building and growing in Canada for the long-run. To foster more of these stories of accomplishment, we feel we need to provide a nurturing environment for start-ups, including mentorship and incubators.

In the past few years, several mentoring initiatives have been launched, including Creative Destructive Lab which now operates five Canadian locations, OBIO’s Capital Access Advisory Program (CAAP), Edmontonbased Innovation Masterminds (imYEG), and the Canadian Technology Accelerators (CTA), run out of Boston and San Francisco. These initiatives are specifically designed to help companies build and raise funds.

Incubators are also an important resource for start-ups and come in many different flavours. Some offer free

grande valeur, à établir des entreprises à la fois au Canada et aux États-Unis, ainsi qu’à faire augmenter les crédits d’impôt et les allègements fiscaux et réorienter les subventions fédérales vers le processus de commercialisation.

Aujourd’hui, alors que des sociétés telles que AbCellera, Zymeworks et STEMCELL se sont établies à long terme au Canada et connaissent la croissance, nous goûtons aux fruits de nos efforts. Afin de favoriser des réussites comme les leurs, il nous semble qu’il faut désormais offrir aux jeunes pousses un milieu accueillant, qui comprendrait des incubateurs et des possibilités de mentorat.

Au cours des dernières années, on a démarré plusieurs programmes de mentorat, dont le Creative Destructive Lab, qui a actuellement des bureaux dans cinq villes du Canada, le Capital Access Advisory Program (CAAP) d’OBIO, le programme Innovation Masterminds (imYEG), à Edmonton, et les Accélérateurs technologiques canadiens (ATC), exploités à partir de Boston et de San Francisco. Ces

space, some charge rent; some accept only on-strategy applicants, while others have time-limited cohorts and include mentorship and financial support. Governments of all levels and academic institutes have also been willing partners in the incubator world as it makes sense for regions that want to stimulate the economic potential of knowledge-based industries. This support has ranged from donating space to providing funding for infrastructure, staffing and equipment.

SOME EXAMPLES OF INCUBATORS FROM ACROSS THE COUNTRY ARE BELOW. • Newfoundland: The Canadian government and

Memorial University came together to found the

Bounce Health Innovation and co-working space in 2018. • Alberta: A unique partnership was forged between the city of Calgary, the University of Calgary, and the governments of Alberta and Canada to repurpose former industry labs to form the Life Sciences

Innovation Hub which offers shared equipment and lab space. Opening its doors in 2019, the site is built to host 20-40 life sciences companies. • Ontario: At McMaster University the Innovation

Factory and Synapse Lifesciences Consortium work together to support life science start-ups in the region. • Quebec: Montreal has also seen some exciting incubator models. Concordia University’s District 3

Innovation Centre downtown was launched midpandemic to serve very early start-ups and local innovators. Nearby the TransMedTech Institute provides a nurturing hands-on environment for medtech start-up companies. Closer to the airport,

Jennifer Hamilton, PhD, Early Innovation Partnering, Johnson & Johnson Innovation/ Ph. D., directrice des partenariats, innovations récentes, Johnson & Johnson Innovation programmes sont précisément conçus pour aider les entreprises à rassembler et à obtenir des fonds.

Les incubateurs constituent aussi une précieuse ressource pour les jeunes pousses, et leur fonctionnement varie : certains proposent gratuitement leurs espaces de travail, alors que d’autres les louent; certains axent leurs efforts sur les demandeurs correspondant à leur stratégie, tandis que d’autres forment des cohortes pour une durée limitée, à qui ils offrent mentorat et soutien financier. Tous les ordres de gouvernement de même que les établissements universitaires sont aussi des partenaires enthousiastes du monde de l’incubation d’entreprises, car ce type d’initiative convient aux différentes régions du pays qui cherchent à stimuler le potentiel économique des industries du savoir. Les aides vont du don de locaux au financement des infrastructures, de la dotation et de l’achat d’équipement.

VOICI QUELQUES EXEMPLES D’INCUBATEURS, SITUÉS AUX QUATRE COINS DU PAYS. • Terre-Neuve : En 2018, le gouvernement canadien et l’Université Memorial se sont unis pour fonder l’accélérateur Bounce Health Innovation et son espace de travail collaboratif. • Alberta : Un partenariat unique s’est constitué entre la ville de Calgary, l’Université de Calgary et les gouvernements albertain et canadien en vue de donner une nouvelle vocation à d’anciens laboratoires du secteur, qui forment désormais le Life Sciences Innovation Hub, offrant de l’équipement et de l’espace de laboratoire à partager. Ayant ouvert en 2019, le site est conçu pour accueillir 20 à 40 entreprises du secteur des sciences de la vie. • Ontario : À l’Université McMaster, le catalyseur Innovation

Factory et le Synapse Lifesciences Consortium collaborent au soutien des jeunes pousses qui œuvrent en sciences de la vie dans la région de Hamilton. • Québec : Il y a aussi d’enthousiasmants modèles d’incubateurs à Montréal. On a fondé le centre d’innovation District 3 centre-ville pendant la pandémie, afin d’offrir des services aux très jeunes entreprises et aux innovateurs locaux. Non loin du centre-ville, l’Institut

TransMedTech offre aux jeunes entreprises du domaine des technologies médicales un environnement de travail accueillant. Dans le quartier de l’aéroport, adMare

BioInnovations (anciennement NeoMed) s’est installé dans un bâtiment conçu pour la recherche pharmaceutique, un don d’AstraZeneca. Le bâtiment accueille de jeunes pousses et des organismes de recherche sous contrat qui y agissent en symbiose. • Colombie-Britannique : En C.-B., les programmes d’incubation sont nombreux. En voici quelques exemples.

Le projet vancouvérois entrepreneurship@UBC offre aux nouvelles entreprises fondées par des étudiants en commerce ou en sciences un programme d’accélération

the adMare BioInnovations (formerly NeoMed) is located in a purpose-built pharmaceutical building gifted by AstraZeneca, and is filled with start-ups and contract research organizations coexisting in a symbiotic relationship. • British Columbia: In BC there are many incubator programs. To note a few - Vancouver’s entrepreneurship@UBC provides a HATCH Accelerator

Program with a 12+ month mentorship for new companies which have been formed by business and science students. The Praxis Spinal Cord Institute’s

SCI Incubate program offers a virtual incubator for global companies tackling spinal cord injury and the

UBC School of Biomedical Engineering has creatively started Canada smallest and mightiest incubator (2 companies) inside its walls. • Prince Edward Island: This province has reaped the benefits of its investment in “housing” new companies in the Canada-wide virtual incubator Emergence specializing in the bioscience and food sectors.

Johnson & Johnson Innovation itself is also in the incubator business, recently celebrating JLABS @ Toronto’s 5th anniversary. It is one of the only corporate incubators with a site in Canada designed to house early-stage life science companies. Support from the province and local universities helped launch the site which provides laboratories, expertise, education and resources to a total of 88 companies across the pharmaceutical, medical devices and consumer sectors.

KEY FIVE YEAR HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE: • JLABS @ Toronto companies have cumulatively hired 605 full-time and 244 part-time employees creating jobs in the Canadian ecosystem • 59% of JLABS @ Toronto residents have advanced their

R&D stage while within JLABS • $1.9B dollars in funding and deals have been raised by

Toronto residents • JLABS @ Toronto held 358 events with over 26,000 attendees in 13+ cities across Canada

A perfect example of the “Johnson & Johnson Innovation - JLABS effect” is Immune Biosolutions. This novel antibody discovery company already had a site in Sherbrooke, Quebec yet wanted to also join JLABS @ Toronto. As one of the site’s inaugural residents, they kept dual locations and leveraged Johnson & Johnson Innovation’s mentorship, industry connections and resources. This culminated in an alliance with Janssen Biotech Inc.

The above examples are only a small list of the life sciences incubators coast-to-coast in Canada. In whatever form they exist, the facilities provide young companies with much needed exposure, mentorship, investor and business contacts, and a community for collaboration and innovation. They help solidify Canada’s life sciences future.

du nom de HATCH, assorti d’un mentorat de 12 mois et plus. Le programme SCI Incubate du Praxis Spinal Cord

Institute consiste en un incubateur créé à l’intention des sociétés du monde entier qui s’attaquent aux traumatismes de la moelle épinière, et la UBC School of

Biomedical Engineering, avec beaucoup de créativité, a démarré en ses murs le plus puissant des petits incubateurs (il ne compte que deux entreprises) du

Canada. • Île-du-Prince-Édouard : La Province a récolté les bénéfices de ce qu’elle a investi dans « l’accueil » des nouvelles entreprises au sein de son incubateur virtuel pancanadien du nom de Emergence, spécialisé dans les secteurs des biosciences et de l’alimentation.

Johnson & Johnson Innovation agit elle aussi dans le domaine de l’incubation d’entreprises et a récemment célébré le 5e anniversaire de JLABS @ Toronto. Il s’agit de l’un des seuls incubateurs d’entreprises ayant un site au Canada conçu pour accueillir les jeunes pousses du secteur des sciences de la vie. L’appui de la province et des universités locales ont contribué au lancement du site, qui comprend des laboratoires et offre une expertise, de l’enseignement et des ressources à 88 sociétés des secteurs pharmaceutique, des instruments médicaux et des produits grand public.

VOICI QUELQUES FAITS SAILLANTS AU SUJET DE CES CINQ ANNÉES : • Les entreprises de JLABS @ Toronto ont, ensemble, embauché 605 employés à temps plein et 244 employés à temps partiel, créant ainsi des emplois au sein de l’écosystème canadien. • C’est depuis leur arrivée à JLABS @ Toronto que 59 % des résidents ont réussi à faire évoluer leur R.-D. • Les résidents ont obtenu des fonds et conclu des ententes à hauteur de 1,9 milliard $. • JLABS @ Toronto a organisé 358 activités, qui ont permis d’accueillir 26 000 participants, dans une quinzaine de villes un peu partout au Canada.

Un parfait exemple de « l’effet Johnson & Johnson Innovation — JLABS » est Immune Biosolutions. Cette entreprise d’innovation dans le domaine des anticorps avait déjà un site à Sherbrooke, au Québec, mais souhaitait également s’installer à JLABS @ Toronto. Comptant parmi les premiers résidents du site, elle a aussi conservé ses locaux à Sherbrooke et a tiré parti du mentorat, des contacts sectoriels et des ressources de Johnson & Johnson. Cette relation a culminé en une alliance avec Janssen Biotech Inc.

Les exemples ci-dessus constituent une courte liste des incubateurs en sciences de la vie établis d’un océan à l’autre au Canada. Quelle que soit leur forme, les installations offrent aux jeunes entreprises la visibilité, le mentorat, les investisseurs et les contacts d’affaires dont ils ont grandement besoin, ainsi qu’une communauté de collaboration et d’innovation. Les incubateurs permettent d’assurer aux sciences de la vie du Canada un avenir prospère.

BeiGene Brings Ground-Breaking Cancer Treatments to Canada

INNOVATIVE, GROUND-BREAKING CANCER TREATMENTS IN RECENT YEARS HAVE GIVEN NEW HOPE TO PATIENTS AROUND THE WORLD, including in Canada. BeiGene (Canada) ULC of Mississauga, a fully owned subsidiary of BeiGene, Ltd., headquartered in Cambridge, Massachussets and Beijing, China, is a major contributor to those breakthroughs.

“It’s brand new, and we’re building quickly,” says general manager Peter Brenders, who notes that BeiGene (Canada) ULC, which incorporated in 2020 and currently has ten employees, has begun to build a cross-Canada team.

The stated vision of BeiGene’s parent company, co-founded in 2010 by U.S. entrepreneur John Oyler and Dr. Xiaodong Wang, a member of the U.S. Academy of Science and director of China’s National Institute of Biological Sciences, is to “transform the biotechnology industry, creating impactful medicines that will be affordable and accessible to far more cancer patients around the world.”

The publicly-listed company, whose mantra is ‘Cancer has no borders. Neither do we.’, is developing new oral small molecules and monoclonal antibodies for solid tumour, immuno-oncology, hemato-oncology and immunology/inflammation cancer treatments.

BeiGene has grown to more 6,000 employees in 16 countries and regions globally, including five continents. It has more than 14,000 patients around the world enrolled in clinical studies, with more than 90 clinical studies ongoing in 40 countries and regions. BeiGene has more than 20 filings accepted for seven approved products in more than 40 countries, including one product in Canada.

That product is zanubrutinib, which markets under the brand name BRUKINSA®.

Zanubrutinib was approved by Health Canada in March 2021 for use in the fight against a rare blood cancer known as Waldenström’s macroglobulinemia (WM), a non-Hodgkin lymphoma primarily found in the bone marrow - sometimes in the lymph nodes and spleen, which usually impacts older people. In July 2021 it was also approved for

Canadians need solutions for cancer and we want to bring help, so we sought approval to sell here.

treatment of adult patients with mantle cell lymphoma who have received at least one prior therapy.

“Our product is a very specific oral molecule that targets a Bruton’s tyrosine kinase (BTK) receptor, so it inhibits that BTK implicated in the cancer,” explains Brenders.

“This is the predominant product that we’re focused on, and there will be some other indications for that, all related to cancer. Zanubrutinib is being studied in a number of other indications and we’re seeking approval on those,” he adds.

BeiGene is currently looking at next geneation immunolocology products for the treatment of solid tumours, including an anti-TIGIT product that is coming along quickly in clinical trials which it hopes to bring to Canada, says Brenders.

BeiGene has also developed an anti-PD-1 cancer product, which the company has licensed out to Novartis Pharma AG to develop, manufacture, and commercialize in Canada and some other countries.

“These products all come out of our pipeline – home grown innovations that were from our research labs and we’re bringing those to the world. We think these reflect best-in-class science,” says Brenders.

Instead of focusing primarily on classic big pharma markets in venues like the U.S. and Europe, the company’s leaders believe they have a responsibility to develop treatments to solve large unmet needs in cancer for patients globally, Brenders stresses.

Canada is an important venue in that strategy.

“The question always comes up, ‘Why Canada?’ This reflects BeiGene’s motto of no borders. Canadians need solutions for cancer and we want to bring help, so we sought approval to sell here. The timing of availability is actually a reflection on Health Canada in terms of the positive nature and the speed of their review, and how quickly they were able to evaluate and assess the safety and efficacy of BRUKINSA®,” explains Brenders.

But it is also important to note that BeiGene is more than just a global company looking to invest in Canada, he stresses.

“It’s Canadians helping Canadians. We will have employees located across the country and we’re working with our local health systems to find ways to best provide support and introduce our new treatments. Our goal is to bring the products that BeiGene develops here and if the health system wants to use them, then we’re more than willing to work with them on that,” says Brenders.