LifeSciences British Columbia 2011 by GLACIER MEDIA DIGITAL LIMITED PARTNERSHIP dba BUSINESS IN VANCOUVER

Official publication

2011

Worldwide collaboration Structuring your international partnerships

Test in the west B.C. moves to attract clinical trials

Next gene-eration From the lab to your wine glass

Roads to recovery Health research, pharma, devices

Directory of corporate members

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PMA 40069240 R8876

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Expect more from life expectancy. At Merck, we believe the most important condition is the human one.

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So we are focused on ďŹ nding answers to illness like diabetes, stroke and cancer. And our merger with Schering-Plough will only strengthen our effort to offer more medicines that help millions of people live their lives.

See all weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re doing for you at merck.ca

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Official publication

2011

2011 1

Worldwide collaboration Structuring your international partnerships

Test in the west B.C. moves to attract clinical trials

Next gene-eration

Features 11 Don Enns speaks for LifeSciences BC 14 International collaborations 16 The legal deal 19 Vancouver hosts HIV/AIDS summit 20 Hooking young minds on science 23 Genomics in B.C. 25 New pathways in cancer 26 B.C. pursues clinical trials 28 Functional foods come of age 30 Vancouver, the Greenest City 32 Lab notes

From the lab to your wine glass

Roads to recovery Health research, pharma, devices

Directory of corporate members

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Departments 6 Chairâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s report 35 Year in review 38 List: Biggest life-science companies in B.C. 39 LifeSciences British Columbia corporate members 45 LifeSciences British Columbia Awards

20 30 23

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LifeSciences/2011

LifeSciences British Columbia Suite 900 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 1188 West Georgia Street Vancouver, B.C. V6E 4A2 Tel.: 604-669-9909 Fax: 604-669-9912 www.lifesciencesbc.ca

LifeSciences British Columbia 2011 is published for LifeSciences British Columbia by BIV Magazines, a division of BIV Media Group, 102 Fourth Avenue East, Vancouver, B.C. V5T 1G2, tel. 604-688-2398, fax 604-688-1963 www.businessinvancouver.com Publisher: Paul Harris Editor-in-chief: Naomi Wittes Reichstein Design director: Randy Pearsall Proofreader: Baila Lazarus Writers: Peter Caulfield, Alison DePalma, Rebecca Edwards, Andrew Findlay, Noa Glouberman, Peter Mitham, Andrew Topf Production manager: Don Schuetze Production: Carole Readman Sales manager: Joan McGrogan Advertising sales: Lori Borden, Corinne Tkachuk Administrator: Katherine Butler List research: Richard Chu Controller: Marlita Hodgens President, BIV Media Group: Paul Harris

Copyright 2011, BIV Magazines. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or incorporated into any information retrieval system without permission of BIV Magazines. The publishers are not responsible in whole or in part for any errors or omissions in this publication.

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Photos: (far left) Scientist in Residence Program; (middle column, centre) City of Vancouver

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Over the past century the face of Canada has changed.

So have we.

Since our company was founded in Canada nearly a century ago, the face of our country has changed â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and so have the health needs of Canadians. Yesterday, we pioneered innovative products and techniques that changed the lives of people with diabetes, improved cardiovascular outcomes and helped eliminate diseases such as smallpox, polio and diphtheria, all of which has contributed to extending overall life expectancy in Canada. Today, 2,000 dedicated employees at our pharmaceutical division in Laval and our vaccines division in Toronto are using groundbreaking methods and technology to find cures and treatments for current health challenges. But one thing has not changed â&#x20AC;&#x201C; our commitment to providing essential, innovative medicines and vaccines that help people improve their health and the quality of their lives. Because health matters to all Canadians.

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Chairâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s message Doug Janzen, chair, LifeSciences British Columbia

s the world recovers from the greatest recession in recent history, capital markets are still wary of high-risk investments. We in life sciences, including the biopharmaceutical, medicaldevice, bioenergy and bioproduct sectors, are left to compete globally for investors who will support the development of our research into commercialized medicines and products. To be successful, we need to diďŹ&#x20AC;erentiate ourselves through eďŹ&#x20AC;ective regulatory policies, globally relevant innovation and strategic partnerships.

Governmental policy and regulatory environment The future growth and sustainability of life sciences in British Columbia are linked intricately to governmental policy. Provincial and federal governments have demonstrated their commitment to life sciences through new funding programs and increased spending on research and development; however, regulatory policies have fallen short of new global standards. Emerging markets such as China and India are attracting global investors with their strategic governmental priorities in life-

science research and commercialization. Initiatives embarked upon by LifeSciences British Columbia for increasing dialogue among academia, industry and provincial and federal governments have the catalytic potential to enhance B.C.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s regulatory policies and, in turn, the provinceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s international proďŹ le. World-class research and innovation B.C. distinguishes itself with world-class research and innovation in a number of areas. Not only have millions of patients world-wide beneďŹ ted from new drugs, medical devices and diagnostic tools developed here, but global citizens have also realized the beneďŹ ts of innovative clean technologies and new bioenergy sources that we have developed. This has resulted from our globally relevant innovation and from our development and attraction of a highly skilled and specialized workforce. We need to showcase our research eďŹ&#x20AC;ectively to the world as we move projects through development to commercial execution.

saw increases in 2010 in licensing and partnership deals with big pharma. 2011 is likely to oďŹ&#x20AC;er more opportunities for small B.C. ďŹ rms to contribute to the innovative pipelines of pharmaceutical companies. Such alliances provide access to further commercialization expertise and resources. B.C.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s life sciences can also leverage these partnerships to become more dominant on the global stage. B.C.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s biopharmaceutical, medicaldevice, bioenergy and bioproduct sectors already have the tools necessary for becoming signiďŹ cant players in global investment. It is now up to us to work collaboratively to promote our success stories and our capabilities. With the legacy of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in mind, let us now to turn the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s attention to our exceptional talent in B.C. Ä&#x201E;

Leveraging strategic partnerships Partnerships are especially important in biopharmaceuticals. As many blockbuster drugs have been made generic, development-stage biotechnology ďŹ rms

Innovative solutions Strengthening the pulse of your business

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GENOMICS RESEARCH DELIVERS

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Suite 900 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 1188 West Georgia Street Vancouver, B.C. V6E 4A2 Tel.: 604-669-9909 Fax: 604-669-9912 www.lifesciencesbc.ca

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Collaborative prospects Don Enns speaks of the future of British Columbia’s life sciences

ifeSciences British Columbia is delighted to announce the arrival of Don Enns as its new president. Enns has been a leader in B.C.’s life-science industry for over 25 years, most recently as president and chief executive oﬃcer of Cantest Ltd. We spoke with Enns about his vision for the organization and for B.C.’s life-science industry as a whole.

What is your vision for LifeSciences BC now and into the future? he global life-science market is estimated to have been about 2 trillion in 2010: a figure expected to double by 2020. Given the competitive landscape, any vision for LifeSciences BC going forward must take into consideration: Integration: By definition, the life sciences are broad in nature. LifeSciences BC will ensure that its various market segments are integrated, particularly at points of convergence such as electronic healthcare records and genomics. The concept of integration must also be embedded in discussions of advocacy. Whereas historical approaches often focused on one ministry or department, the industry’s strength today is predicated upon the alignment of educational, trade, tax, health and environmental policy. Collaboration: Virtually all market segments that contribute to the growth of B.C.’s knowledge-based economy confront similar challenges revolving around access to capital, market entry, recruitment and retention. LifeSciences BC must collaborate with other organizations in finding joint solutions to these impediments. Internationalism: Aligning the market and encouraging collaboration will increase our critical mass and ultimately

Photo: Dominic Schaefer Photography

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Don Enns, president of LifeSciences BC

allow our industry (as well as other knowledge-based sectors) to compete more effectively, particularly on the international stage. What policy developments has LifeSciences BC been counselling? ederally, two primary initiatives are under way. In conjunction with a number of other technologically oriented groups in B.C., LifeSciences BC is actively responding to the work undertaken by the Expert Review Panel on Research and Development. This is our opportunity to influence the Canadian R&D landscape with the intent of making it more effective and competitive internationally.

Secondly, LifeSciences BC is working with BIOTECanada in promoting a ﬂow-through share scheme for life-science organizations similar to that used in natural resources. This is clearly a long-term initiative. Provincially, initiatives include: The Year of Science: This one-year program ending in mid-2011 will ideally result in a new provincial science policy. The Pharmaceutical Task Force: LifeSciences BC looks forward to complete implementation of the task force’s recommendations. Bioenergy/bioproducts: LifeSciences BC is co-operating with various departments, ministries and organizations to drive innovation and BIV Magazines

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sustainable commercialization of such biotechnologies. Economic drivers versus cost: Historically viewed as a cost centre, our health-care system exhibits significant innovative elements that could, if nurtured, contribute economically and at the same time improve outcomes for patients. While this thinking represents a paradigm shift, numerous pilot projects are being considered in an effort to quantify impact. What’s being done to help industry, government and academic institutions collaborate? three-party approach to building the knowledge-based economy within B.C. is fundamental to our success. LifeSciences BC is pursuing: Dialogue: Our membership comprises constituents representing various lifescience segments. Dialogue is extremely important, and we aim to be the conduit among the numerous parties. We have quarterly meetings with the Ministry of Health Services to ensure that our members are aligned with the government’s needs and future direction. We also meet less formally with other ministries, such as the Ministry of Agriculture and Lands. British Columbia Clinical Research Infrastructure Network (BCCRIN): LifeSciences BC is involved in creating BCCRIN, which is an effort to bring some co-ordination to the roughly 60 different clinical-research facilities located throughout the province. The objective is to bring the public sector and academia together in an effort to attract clinical research that is presently conducted by private enterprise around the globe. Genomics: LifeSciences BC is peripherally involved with the creation of two initiatives being brought to the market by Genome British Columbia. Specifically, Genome BC has now launched the Strategic Opportunity Fund for Industry and Proof-of-Concept. Both funds use public-sector seed capital that will be leveraged by startup organizations attempting to validate their technologies. Communications: Although the latest BC Progress Board report states that B.C. is the number 1 province for environmental and health outcomes, evidence suggests that these achievements (and many other science, technology and engineering advances) are poorly communicated to the public. In conjunction with a number

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Don Enns

of key stakeholders, LifeSciences BC has recently brought some 35 to 40 organizations together to examine how to improve communication of such matters. What are some of the strongest areas of life-science knowledge, and what areas of future growth do you see? is blessed with tremendous knowledge and expertise arguably disproportional to our population’s size. Areas of future growth include but are by no means limited to: Technological convergence: This would include electronic health records, where health and information technology converge. The same approach holds for some medical devices that incorporate digital imaging techniques. Therapeutic areas: Advances in therapeutics often relate directly to the work of particular researchers or principal investigators. Oncology and HIV are among the leading areas in the Lower Mainland. Genomics: Vancouver boasts one of the world’s top five genomics facilities, Canada’s Michael Smith Genome Sciences Centre, named for the Nobel Prize laureate. With the completion of the human genome project earlier this decade, genomics is finding its way into mainstream health. As genomics can apply to any living organism, its application will extend to forestry, agriculture, fisheries, environment and more. Clinical research: The creation of BC CRIN positions the province well to offer targeted clinical-research services. One area of possible growth revolves around post-marketing and surveillance studies in which B.C.’s centralized database and population of 4.3 million make the province an ideal living laboratory almost unparallelled anywhere else in the world. Biofuels: While generating fuels from forestry, agricultural and municipal waste

does not necessarily involve new technology, it is now moving toward existing on a commercially competitive scale. Marine generation from algae also represents a future feedstock that would be of interest to B.C. Preventive health: To get ahead of the cost curve of health delivery, we must establish better measures for preventive health, be they devices, molecules or biomarkers. How are B.C.’s life-science companies pursuing funding? s with the development of all capitalintensive technologies, the life sciences are exploring other avenues of financing activities. General trends: Friends and family rounds are becoming more important given the declining presence of venture capital. Companies have to search much harder and further for venture capital, whether in the United States, in Europe or even in emerging markets. On the other hand, many of the established life-science firms (particularly large pharmaceuticals) have created their own venture-capital entities that partially fill the gap, although they are very selective in their investments. Strategic partnerships and milestone payments are becoming critical to the funding of life-science companies. The repositioning of existing drugs is becoming more common as it allows companies to use existing data and significantly reduce development costs. Recognizing that there are no guarantees in drug development, some companies have elected to sell future royalty streams in exchange for financing current research activities. Such an approach raises capital without diluting the positions of existing shareholders. Some service providers (for example, contract research organizations and contract manufacturing organizations) have become more willing to take combinations of debt and equity in an effort to lower the financial burdens borne by the developing organizations.

Clearly, as the life-science industry evolves and a new business paradigm emerges, LifeSciences BC continues to evolve with it, always working to identify the most eﬀective ways to meet the needs of its members locally while connecting to the industry globally. Ą

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World rapport Global partnerships go strategic for life sciences and province

BY PETER MITHAM

diverse population with international roots makes foreign partnerships a common strategy for many British Columbian companies. In February 2010, the City of Surrey led a delegation to Mumbai, hoping to leverage cultural connections into business opportunities for more than 30 local companies, including several in life sciences. “The City of Surrey is positioned extremely well in terms of our relationship with India. Twenty-seven per cent of our population is from India, and so there’s a natural relationship in that context,” says Mayor Dianne Watts. “I think it’s extraordinarily important … that we’re working together not only regionally [and] nationally but also internationally, in terms of moving that sector forward.” Says Watts, “Some of the companies

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are doing business in India currently, but they’d like to expand that, and some are just looking to break into that market.” Surrey sees its role as one of fostering

the development of relationships: “We want to facilitate that in a way that it’s beneﬁcial for those businesses.” Surrey’s trade mission follows India’s

Meeting of the minds BioPartnering North America meets in Vancouver A key forum in which British Columbian companies cultivate international partnerships is the annual BioPartnering North America (BPN) conference in Vancouver. Since 2003, BPN has gathered life-science executives to discuss opportunities for research and partnerships. This year’s conference attracted 819 delegates from 500 companies in 27 countries. Chris Wagner, president and chief executive oﬃcer of Sirius Genomics Inc., says of BPN, “Because it’s in Vancouver, the Vancouver-based companies get preferential access.” Sirius works with drug manufacturers to identify patients who, by virtue of genetic factors, respond favourably to their products. Its introduction to Swiss pharmaceutical giant Roche Groupe occurred during a BPN conference, and Wagner gave a presentation at the conference of 2011. Wagner says, “Partnerships allow us to tap into other companies’ abilities and work together … not only [to] fund these 14

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things but to do the best research we can.” For example, in early 2011, Sirona Biochem Corp. acquired France’s Therapeutic Fluorine Chemistry. This relationship allowed Sirona to develop a carbohydrate-based suite of pharmaceuticals addressing Type 2 diabetes. “We provide primarily the funding for tech development and business backbone, and the actual tech development continues to be in France,” says Mark Senner, president of Sirona. BPN enables local companies to connect and deepen existing relationships with ﬁrms across the sector, says Senner. With just 20 exhibitor booths but more than 90 meeting booths, it emphasizes relationships, not razzmatazz. BPN “provides an opportunity … to see a lot of those companies under one roof and to give them an update on our progress,” Senner says. Photos: TVG – Your Global Life Science Network

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participation in the Industry Leadership Summit on January 20, 2009, and bilateral gatherings in 2010 that brought B.C.’s lifescience sector together with India’s. The Canada–India B2B Partnership Summit on Life Sciences in January 2010 was particularly important in developing guidelines for business-to-business partnerships. It also established a BC–India B2B Partnering Service for small and mediumsized life-science companies. In November 2010, the Life Sciences Summit in Bangalore focused on cardiovascular and infectious diseases as well as oncology and included a matchmaking session for participating companies. Northern lights B.C.’s path with India mirrors the efforts of Scandinavia’s Medicon Valley Alliance (MVA) to grow a network of life-science clusters through the Life Science Ambassador Programme, which began in 2008. Bangalore is among the centres targeted for membership; Vancouver entered the fold in 2009. Vancouver’s life sciences now enjoy the benefits of strategic alliances with centres in Denmark, Sweden, Japan, South Korea and the United States. LifeSciences British Columbia funds participation in the program, in co-operation with the federal government. President Don Enns says the program extends the work of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada, making business development industry-specific. “They do an admirable job, but they’re expected to cover so many different areas,” he says of federal trade representatives. The ambassador program focuses attention on life sciences, Enns explains, as it tailors advocacy to the sector’s interests. An exchange component allows an ambassador to live and work in a host cluster for a three-year term, deepening his or her knowledge of local activities and facilitating international linkages. This allows

participants to “go quite deep on the sector” rather than “going wide,” says Enns, a process that can “open up a number of diﬀerent doors.” To date, B.C.’s biggest reward from participating in the program has been Burnaby-based Lignol Energy Corp.’s partnership with Denmark’s Novozymes A/S, a member of the MVA. Novozymes supplies highly eﬃcient

enzymes that Lignol uses in producing fuel-grade ethanol and biochemicals from hardwood and softwood forest residues. While a relationship between the two companies began taking shape in 2007, it has solidiﬁed with LifeSciences BC’s help and promises to foster closer ties for Novozymes with B.C.’s local life-science companies as the Danish company becomes more familiar with their activities. In September 2010, Henrik BisgaardFrantzen as senior director of research at Novozymes made connections with researchers at the University of British Columbia and the University of Victoria. Novozymes also met with oﬃcials in the B.C. government, having been encouraged by provincial steps to spur on the use of clean energy through the BC Energy Plan and other initiatives. Ą

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THE FINE PRINT

Top lawyers guide companies in creating successful strategic partnerships James P. Hatton, partner, Farris, Vaughan, Wills & Murphy: guiding partnerships between life-science companies and big pharma

BY PETER CAULFIELD

eveloping and commercializing new products aren’t for the short of patience or the shallow of pocket. Smaller life-science companies can mitigate risk and increase their chances of success by entering into partnerships with going concerns. What’s involved, legally?

Two-way streets James Hatton, a partner with Farris, Vaughan, Wills & Murphy LLP, says a strategic partnership between a small life-science company and a larger pharmaceutical company can be a win-win. “The life-sciences company shares its risk, raises the necessary funds to pay for products development and accesses expertise in development, regulatory matters and 16

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commercialization,” he says. “Pharma gets access to new products, shares its risk, gets a contribution toward the cost of development, may have an option to acquire the whole asset later on and avoids buying the entire company too early.” Janet Grove, a partner with Bull, Housser & Tupper LLP, says the economy makes strategic partnerships attractive: “Because of the recession, the pharmaceutical industry is spending less money today on its own research. That’s both a problem and an opportunity, because pharma still needs to ﬁll the pipeline, and small biotechs can help provide it with product.” An art more than a science Putting together a strategic partnership can be time-consuming and costly.

Fortunately, British Columbia boasts skilled and experienced lawyers who can put deals together, enabling their clients to concentrate on developing products. Since every deal is as diﬀerent as the individual partners and their requirements, structuring them is more an art than a science, but all strategic partnerships share many underlying principles and pitfalls. Peter Fairey, a partner with Gowlings, says, “The key to successful deal-making is to realize it’s a relationship-building process, so focus on the relationship. You need to identify champions in both companies who will persuade their scientiﬁc colleagues of the merits of the partnership. You also need the senior executives of both companies to develop a relationship and align their goals.” Photo: Dominic Schaefer Photography

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Paul Armitage, partner at McCarthy Tétrault, says a contract must cover many topics to “form the basis of the parties’ relationship”

Fairey says the structure of a strategic partnership should match the opportunity: “Don’t be like many small companies and take any deal you can get just to get your hands on some cash. Understand what the big pharmaceutical wants and then strike the best deal you can.” Once lawyers enter the picture, negotiations can take from three to 18 months, “less if you’ve built up a level of trust,” Fairey says. Depending on the complexity, legal costs range anywhere from 15,000 to 500,000. Fairey says partnerships for developing and commercializing medical devices are usually less complicated than those for pharmaceuticals: “Medical devices take less time and less money to develop than pharmaceuticals. There is less risk, and [there are] fewer regulatory hurdles to get over.”

licensor should negotiate a shorter term if he doubts the licensee’s ability or commitment to the program, but a licensee will want a longer term, particularly if commercialization requires significant investment by the licensee.” An exclusive licence to develop and commercialize a product can be of significant value. “Therefore, a licensor should sign only if it knows and trusts the licensee and includes performance requirements for the licensee to meet,” Kuypers says. Scope of use – what a licensee may do with the intellectual property – needs clear definition.

“Different applications of the IP can be licensed separately with different scopes of use,” Kuypers says. “For example, you can grant rights to use a biological compound for a particular indication, but not for others, or allow that a technology can be used for academic research but not commercial use.” Fees-for-all Kuypers says that payments from a licence can take the form of fixed fees, milestone payments, royalties and shares in the capital of the licensee. “To determine the mix of fees that’s right for you, consider your cash-flow needs and decide how much risk you can tolerate for

Talking terms Paul Armitage, a partner with McCarthy Tétrault LLP, says a strategic partnership such as the granting of a licence to develop and commercialize a product often requires contracts running 30, 50, 70 or more pages. The length of the contracts “reflects the fact that the licences are usually long-term, often worldwide and exclusive arrangements involving products of strategic importance to at least one of the parties,” Armitage says. “Many topics must be covered in the contract for it to effectively form the basis of the parties’ relationship.” A biotech licence has many provisions: term, exclusivity, scope of use, territory, fees, ownership of modifications and improvements, transferability, rights to sue for infringement, representations and warranties, indemnifications and termination. Roger Kuypers, a partner with Fasken Martineau, says companies granting or receiving licences face strategic considerations. With regard to term, Kuypers says, “The BIV Magazines

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the reward you want,” Kuypers says. Fixed fees are payable up front or in annual instalments. They provide guaranteed levels of income and help licensors test licensees’ seriousness and resources. “Generally speaking, the greater your risk, in the form of deferred payment, the greater should be your potential upside,” Kuypers says. Milestone payments can be made on such events as obtaining financing for a product, entering into different phases of clinical trials for a pharmaceutical compound or a medical device, obtaining regulatory approval or the first commercial sale of a product. Such payments “tied to product development allow the licensee to reduce the risk of a large upfront payment. They’re easy to determine if drafted well.” Riskier than fixed payments, royalties give the licensor a bigger share of the commercial upside. They require clear methods of calculation. Audit rights help licensors ensure that licensees make the required payments. Kuypers says that problems can arise over “royalty-stacking,” which occurs when a company has to pay more than one royalty on licensed subject matter. This issue can arise, for example, if a company has to pay royalties both to a university and to another company. The solution: include an anti-stacking provision in the first licence that reduces the royalty in case the payment of a second royalty is required. “Typically, the burden of the additional royalty is shared, and there is provision for a floor below which the royalty cannot be reduced,” says Kuypers. From risk to reward Putting together a strategic partnership is hard work. To cut a better deal faster, Hatton advises, do your homework by studying the alliances the potential partner has made in the past. “Know in advance the kind of structure and language the other party wants and will accept,” he says. “If it works for you, give it … and extract something else of value.” Strategic partnerships are risky. More terminate from changing priorities than from deficiencies in safety or efficacy. “It’s like signing a pre-nup in a land where 90 per cent of marriages end in divorce,” Hatton says. Yet when such partnerships work, the rewards can be considerable. Ą 18

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Medal medicine HIV/AIDS summit during Olympics creates life-changing legacies

At the Impact of Science & Innovation in the Evolving Global Health Paradigm: HIV and AIDS summit, Vancouver

BY NOA GLOUBERMAN

n February 26, 2010, while athletes vied at the Winter Olympic Games, global health leaders met in Vancouver to discuss HIV/AIDS. The Impact of Science & Innovation in the Evolving Global Health Paradigm: HIV and AIDS − a Challenge of Olympic Proportion summit was co-hosted by LifeSciences British Columbia, the British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS (BC–CfE) and the University of British Columbia. It drew such distinguished names as Michel Sidibé, executive director of the Joint United National Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS); Stefano Bertozzi, HIV director of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; and Tommy Sithole, director of international co-operation for the International Olympic Committee. “With the Games as a backdrop, we showcased some of the pioneering work that’s been done in B.C. to help bring the HIV epidemic under control,” says Julio Montaner, BC–CfE director. “It was a great chance to connect, interact, network and – sure – catch a couple of Olympic events.” The conference placed special focus on highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), a cocktail of three drugs that hinders HIV from progressing into AIDS. “HAART, which was partially discovered in our centre, is highly eﬀective in lowering the viral load in HIV-positive patients, to the point that they’re less likely to transmit the virus to their partners,” Montaner explains. Thus “the wider use of HAART can curb the spread of HIV in entire communities, saving

hundreds of millions of dollars by preventing new infections and averting future treatment costs.” “This is no longer only about doing the right thing for people with HIV,” says Montaner. “It’s the right investment in terms of protecting public-health funds.” The conference also emphasized the importance of a new approach to treating vulnerable populations like injectiondrug users and sex-trade workers. It showcased B.C.’s Seek and Treat for Optimal Prevention of HIV/AIDS (STOP HIV/AIDS) initiative, whereby outreach workers in Prince George and Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside seek to persuade hard-to-reach persons to get tested and, if they’re HIV-positive, to receive treatment. “We need to engage high-risk populations … often neglected in appropriate care,” Montaner says, because “the more aggressively you treat HIV, the more you reduce the chance” that the virus spreads. Following the Vancouver summit,

Sidibé of UNAIDS announced an intention to embrace HAART as the fundamental prevention strategy for ﬁghting the pandemic. He asked all UN partners to commit to the notion of universal access to treatment for everyone in need. Since then, the National Institute on Drug Abuse in the United States has committed more than US 100 million to treatment-as-prevention projects from 2010 to 2015, and the French National Agency for Research on AIDS and Viral Hepatitis has agreed to fund a similar project in South Africa with an investment of more than 3 million euros. “We’re collaborating with the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention and centres across the U.S., the U.K. and other European sites to replicate the Canadian experience,” Montaner says. He adds that a debt of gratitude is owed to the B.C. government, which understood the importance of provincial harm-reduction programs early on. Ą BIV Magazines

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d e k o o H on e c n e i c s

e c knowledg fi ti n ie c s g n Fosteri eneration in the next g

BY NOA GLOUBERMAN

t’s no coincidence that British Columbia’s “Year of Science” spans the 2010–11 school year. Launched by the provincial government, this initiative opens the eyes of students in elementary and high school to science and the exciting careers it aﬀords. “Labour-market forecasts predict that, by the end of this decade, three-quarters of all future jobs in B.C. will need some post-secondary education, and many of the most interesting and well-paying jobs will need a solid understanding of math, sciences, engineering and technologies,” said then-premier Gordon Campbell at the oﬃcial Year of Science launch on September 24, 2010, at Science World at Telus World of Science. The program ends in June 2011. “By encouraging B.C.’ s young people to pursue a better education in science today, we will be preparing them for the jobs of tomorrow and ensuring they have the knowledge and skills to build a strong economy, contribute to a healthier environment and bring about a brighter future for everyone.” “For young people, there are enormous opportunities and a great future in science,” agrees Ida Chong, B.C. minister of community, sport and cultural development. She points to the recent BC Labour Market Outlook report showing that demand for labour in science-related occupations will increase faster than in other occupations between 2009 and 2019, with 20

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The Scientist in Residence Program: teaching at L’École Bilingue (shown) and other Lower Mainland schools

145,700 new job openings and an annual employment growth rate of 2.4 per cent in the province. The Year of Science funds science events and competitions throughout B.C. and promotes programs that ignite interest in science among youth. One of these – the Scientist in Residence Program – has been running in the Lower Mainland’s elementary schools since 2004, thanks to ﬁnancial support from the Vancouver School Board (VSB), Vancouver Foundation, Rix Family Foundation and other organizations and

individuals, and in-kind support from several organizations including LifeSciences British Columbia. Says founder and managing director Paige Axelrood, the program aims “to excite, inspire and support elementaryschool children and teachers to discover the world through hands-on science.” “We’ve all heard of artist-in-residence programs. I thought, What about a similar program for science?” says Axelrood. A scientist herself, she had the idea in 2001 after volunteering in her daughter’s kindergarten class. “I saw a real need for something like this in elementary schools, so I continued doing hands-on science with children and teachers in classrooms and began working with Valerie Overgaard, associate superintendent of learning services at the VSB … and in September 2004, the program was launched in three schools.” Scientist in Residence establishes a partnership between a scientist and two teachers at each participating school. Together, they develop at least six handson lessons on a speciﬁc theme, to be co-delivered in the classroom and on ﬁeld trips during a six to eight-week period. “I wanted children to see that science is all around them and to learn about their relationship with science in a way that’s meaningful to them,” says Axelrood. “The kids really get a chance to be scientists themselves. They get to make their own discoveries and are given all these opportunities to explore. Getting them hooked on science at a young age, when they’re Photo: Scientist in Residence Program

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Photo: Dominic Schaefer Photography

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“Science is cool! Fun! The best!”: opinions from Grade 2 students at Vancouver’s McBride Elementary School on participating in the Scientist in Residence Program

naturally curious and like to explore, helps to encourage their interest in the field. My hope is that, as they grow older, they maintain this interest.” The program’s benefits don’t end with the children: “Through these direct interactions, not only do the scientists become positive role models, but the teachers are able to enhance their comfort level and abilities to teach science.” The lesson plans generated by each Scientist in Residence partnership fit the guidelines of the B.C. Ministry of Education and are available free and on line for any teacher to use.

“Working in partnership with a scientist is a great opportunity for elementaryschool teachers, who, as generalists, have many demands placed on them,” Axelrood says. “It gives [the teachers] a new perspective on how to teach science, not to mention an enhanced science curriculum that they can use for years to come.” To date, 103 teachers, 19 scientists and more than 2,400 students from kindergarten through Grade 7 have participated in the program at 37 schools in Vancouver and one in West Vancouver.

UBC SCIENCE CO-OP PROGRAMS

Prize for the wise Taneille Johnson, a ﬁrst-year science student at McGill University, is living proof that early relationships between children and passionate scientists and supportive teachers can have a big impact on later academic and career decisions. Johnson credits her scientist parents and her teachers with leading her to start competing in science fairs in Grade 2 and allowing her “to pursue and develop” her interest in science.” In 2010, Johnson placed third in the national Sanoﬁ-Aventis BioTalent Challenge for her research into the early-onset aging disorder dyskeratosis congenita. “At a young age, every child has an interest, like young boys who like cars; well, there’s science in that, too,” she says, adding that she would eventually like to return to B.C. to pursue a medical degree at the University of British Columbia. “Kids should be able to just go after what they like about science, not just what’s on the curriculum. I think that’s the key to helping them really build an interest.” Ą

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Visit www.sciencecoop.ubc.ca to post a job online or Call us for more info at: 604-822-9677

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Genes day Research sheds light on today’s major challenges in leading economic sectors

BY ALISON DEPALMA

rom explaining the mysterious population explosion of salmon on the Fraser River to improving the quality of British Columbia’s wine, from controlling pests that threaten forests to mitigating passive mine drainage, many of our challenges share the common denominator that their solutions may lie in genetics research. Genome British Columbia is creating knowledge that will have a significant long-term impact on the health of our environment and our economy. “B.C. is a life-science province; we depend on natural resources,” says Alan Winter, president and chief executive officer. Having just celebrated its 10th year, the organization acts as a catalyst in certain key economic sectors for B.C., bringing researchers together around issues critical to the province’s well-being. At any one time in B.C., at least 1,000 persons are working on genomics-related projects in laboratories, in offices and at field sites, from Okanagan wineries and northern forests to communities in Haida Gwaii and oxygen minimum zones in the Pacific Ocean. Genome BC has been central to building the province’s capacity for genomics research since 2000, when the vision of Nobel laureate Michael Smith and inaugural president and CEO Roger Foxall became a reality. The organization’s first budget, for 2001 to 2005, was 69.5 million, of which 35 million were awarded by Genome Canada and the remainder secured by Genome BC from the province,

(Above) Imaging technology helps investigators study how genes are expressed in the brain. (Left) Genomics helps investigators understand how fish populations change

Western Economic Diversification Canada, the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research and other private and international organizations. Since 2005 alone, Genome BC’s research program has contributed at least 450 million to B.C.’s GDP. Now boasting 208 international collaborations, 96 projects and four technology platforms, Genome BC is helping to shape the public understanding of B.C.’s strengths and of the economic, social, ethical and legal aspects of genomics. “If we can achieve this understanding, genomics research in B.C. will have significant local and global impact in the long term,” says Winter. As genomics-based discoveries emerge from laboratories across B.C., the need arises for a social-scientific perspective to ensure effective application of these novel research tools, diagnostic and therapeutic methods and biofuel materials. Genome BC’s research projects now integrate this perspective. While working to decipher the salmon genome, for example, researchers study the perceived versus actual

objections to salmon farming. They ask such questions as, “Are there regional and national or social and cultural differences in the way scientific research is developed and used?” Looking at the context of a research project increases the likelihood of long-term positive impact and global reach. Genome BC has a social scientist on staff who works with investigators on both the research and the implementation of a project to make this happen. As they undertake large-scale genomics projects, researchers supported by Genome BC explore new genesequencing methods for increasing the speed and efficiency of obtaining genetic information. New methods are enabling the sequencing of spruce and pine genomes, which are eight times larger on average than the human genome. By unravelling and decoding such never-beforeseen genomes, researchers will identify the genetic traits of spruces and may uncover ways to improve their resistance to pests and ability to adapt to changing conditions. This knowledge will help improve the health and sustainability of forests throughout B.C. and the world. BIV Magazines

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Understanding the biology of the mountain pine beetle is crucial to anticipating and controlling future outbreaks and to assessing the potential of one of Canadaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s largest renewable sources: lignocellulose, a source of paper and wood products as well as energy. Experts in environmental-risk assessment are using genomic data to develop models that can forecast both the time and the location of future pine-beetle outbreaks. This project makes an important contribution to forest management and economics and will help clarify the economic potential of Canadaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s burgeoning bioenergy industry. Wine is also a major area. Researchers funded by Genome BC are investigating factors involved in grape ripening and ďŹ&#x201A;avour. Using Canadaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Pinot Noir and GewĂźrztraminer and New Zealandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Sauvignon Blanc grapes, theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re identi-

â&#x20AC;&#x153;B.C. is a life-science province; we depend on natural resourcesâ&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Alan Winter, president and chief executive oďŹ&#x192;cer, Genome British Columbia

Researchers are using genetics to study the ripening and flavour of grapes

fying the genes associated with speciďŹ c traits and studying how diďŹ&#x20AC;erent fermentation conditions aďŹ&#x20AC;ect aroma and ďŹ&#x201A;avour. Genomics research in B.C. has ignited the growth and development of many genomic-technology pioneers. Protox Therapeutics Inc. uses genetic engineering to transform naturally occurring proteins into therapeutics for use in

prostate diseases and various cancers; in Victoria, GenoLogics creates software solutions for data management in life-science research; Sirius Genomics Inc. develops DNAbased diagnostic tests for conditions such as sepsis. Other successes: GenomeDx Biosciences Inc., specializing in genomebased cancer tests for personalized medicine; Tekmira Pharmaceuticals Corp., developer of therapies based on RNA interference (RNAi); and Boreal Genomics

Inc., a spinoďŹ&#x20AC; from the University of British Columbia whose technology will result in a portable device capable of extracting and detecting speciďŹ c rare genetic sequences in clinical samples. Genome BC will spend the next ďŹ ve years focusing on ways to apply genomics to further commercialization. Through a strategic initiative for small companies, the organization has developed a proof-of-concept support system to enable spinoďŹ&#x20AC;s. Recent successes include an apparatus that monitors plant stress caused by drought within a vineyard and optimizes watering volumes remedially; a prototype that monitors platelet quality for Canadian Blood Services, which has now been commercialized by Vancouver-based LightIntegra Technology; and a key collaboration with Canadaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Michael Smith Genome Sciences Centre to develop several devices for analyzing many large-scale genomes simultaneously and eďŹ&#x192;ciently. From minute-scale genes come great opportunities for commercialization and improved understanding of health, forestry, ďŹ sheries, mining, bioenergy and agriculture world-wide. Ä&#x201E;

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AFFILIATIONS BC Cancer Agency

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BC Cancer Foundation

Genome BC

2 1 2 Genome Canada

Simon Fraser University

University of Britsh Columbia

Genome Sciences Institute

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The good ﬁght Life-saving research at the BC Cancer Agency

BY NOA GLOUBERMAN

Marianne Sadar, program leader for prostate cancer research at the BCCA: finding new therapies in ocean resources

esearchers at the BC Cancer Agency (BCCA) have been busy developing new techniques and therapies to aid in the detection and treatment of cancer. “We are better able to treat cancer thanks to significant research efforts taking place here in our own backyard,” former BCCA president David Levy stated in the Vancouver Sun. “These discoveries provide very specific new clues of where the research may successfully go, providing a beacon in the fog.” Among the agency’s recent successes: a “seaworthy” source of hope for prostate patients. According to Marianne Sadar, program leader for prostate cancer research at the BCCA, when early-stage treatments like brachytherapy or surgery fail, patients usually undergo hormonal therapy, which only works for a period of time. Sadar says the fact that “there are no drugs that improve the survival chances past two to four months” makes this “a critical area of research for men.” “We’ve been screening drugs that come from marine sponges and other ocean invertebrates and have found that some work very well,” she explains. “Now the challenge is to get [such therapies] into patients.” Calling many current approaches “improved mousetraps of the same thing,” Sadar hopes the fresh discoveries will provide potent new treatments. BCCA medical oncologist Karen Gelmon has also been making waves, this time in research related to ovarian cancer, which affects approximately 310 women in British Columbia annually. “There are different kinds of tumours,” she explains. “Some of these high-grade aggressive tumours are associated with

genetic mutations inherited from mom or dad, and others are sporadic, meaning [that] the patient didn’t inherit cancercausing mutations from a parent.” Recent ﬁndings relating to mutations in high-grade, hard-to-treat ovarian cancers led Gelmon to wonder whether there was a role for poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors in treatment of these diseases. Chemotherapy treats cancer by damaging DNA or preventing DNA reproduction, but all cells have the ability to repair this damage and become resistant to treatment. PARP inhibitors, which block the ability of cancer cells to make these repairs, have shown promising activity, particularly among women with inherited mutations. “We wanted to know if we could deﬁne what tumours will respond to PARP

inhibitors,” says Gelmon. “This could help us more easily determine who will and who won’t respond to treatment.” Gelmon tested an oral PARP inhibitor called olaparib in two groups of high-grade ovary cancer patients: one with inherited and the other with sporadic mutations. “We saw that there was a 25 per cent response rate with this oral agent in the group of high-grade tumours in patients who had previously been treated with chemotherapy and who had progressed, who did not have inherited mutations,” Gelmon says. “We were able to show for the first time that these women without inherited mutations did respond.” Because her research involved the collection of tumour biopsies before, during and after treatment, Gelmon anticipates that subsequent sequencing of these samples will help in the identification of other genes that may be targeted with drug therapy in the future. “We’re hoping to get that data in the next year or so,” she says. “Then we’ll be better able to see a cancer patient and say, ‘OK, your cancer is one of the cancers [that] may benefit from this treatment.’” Ą BIV Magazines

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Jury’s in Network promises future for clinical trials in British Columbia

Heather Harris-Harper, operations director, British Columbia Clinical Research Infrastructure Network: attracting trials and freeing up resources to focus on science

BY PETER MITHAM

ne of the greatest strengths of British Columbia’s life sciences lies in the sector’s capacity to attract clinical-trial research. While boasting more than ﬁve dozen clinical-trial units – Western Canada’s biggest cluster – B.C. has been losing business and expertise to developing countries where research can be performed eﬃciently at less expense.

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Enter the new British Columbia Clinical Research Infrastructure Network (BCCRIN), which aims to give the sector’s excellence suﬃcient focus to help the province recoup some of the lost opportunities. “While we’re doing quite a number of clinical trials in B.C., we need to improve the way we do business,” says Heather Harris-Harper, who joined BCCRIN as operations director in April 2010. “We’re losing trials to developing nations like India and

China where things can be done faster, cheaper, not necessarily better.” The idea of a network was spearheaded by Pierre Meulien in his former position as chief scientific officer of Genome British Columbia. His efforts were instrumental in the establishment of the Irish Clinical Research Infrastructure Network. That organization is a member of the European Clinical Research Infrastructures Network, which helps

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co-ordinate clinical-trial activity throughout Europe. The BC Cancer Agency and the Vancouver Prostate Centre pioneered a similar model here. Co-ordination by a single organization can allow for improvements such as reciprocity among trial units on such matters as ethics and contractual standards. Six facilities recently agreed to harmonize contractual procedures, eliminating the need for different contracts when trials occur at different locations. “That saves a lot of time and effort and frees up resources to conduct research instead of doing a lot of bureaucratic activities that don’t … necessarily add a lot of value,” HarrisHarper says. The benefits of streamlining procedures are not only economic but also social, as the ability to attract clinical trials improves the health care available to B.C. residents. “We’ll have larger investments with a greater number of trials coming to the province,” says Simon Pimstone, founder, director, president and chief executive officer of Xenon, who, as former chair both of LifeSciences British Columbia and of Providence Health Care, helped drive the creation of BCCRIN. “To be able, on the backs of that, to hire some of the most talented clinical investigators into the province is very important ultimately for the delivery of some of the best health care in the province.” Investigators aren’t the only ones attracted to places where clinical trials boom. Nursing staff, statisticians and economists who support and analyze the results of trials also enter into the picture. The jobs, wages and collateral economic activity associated with trials are very important. Don Enns, president of LifeSciences BC and former president and chief executive officer of Vancouver-based Cantest Clinical Research Ltd., says that one reason Canada has been struggling in its endeavours to keep up with developing nations in the competition for trials is that it has a top-quality health-care system. Among the requirements for conducting trials is the availability of large numbers of willing participants whose ailments are addressed by the trials. Developing countries like India and China have many such participants because trials offer them associated care, whereas in North America, and particularly Canada, publicly

available health care keeps demand low. Immense populations and lack of socialized medicine provide India and China with a competitive edge. Trials “can recruit within a matter of days, possibly weeks” in such developing nations, rather than needing months as they do here, says Enns. Yet if state-run health care is a weakness in that respect for clinical-trial activity, it’s also a strength because it means there’s a centralized database of patients seeking care. Enns says that BCCRIN may be able to co-ordinate research activities, working with health authorities to attract business tailored to the patient populations and expertise that exist here. While currently most effective for tracking use of prescription drugs, the database may in future have an even more vital part in the post-marketing and surveillance phase of clinical research. “Our centralized database, once again, plays a really key role in that,” Enns says. “CRIN can not only be on the development side of it [but] can also look right across the population of the province on post-marketing and surveillance.” With a population of 4.3 million, Enns considers B.C.’s situation “unique across the globe. It is effectively what many of us have called a living laboratory.” So long as privacy is addressed, Enns says B.C.’s world-class health-care system and research expertise can meld to produce a leading environment for clinical trials. “By enhancing our ability to collaborate and realize efficiencies within the system, we will clearly have a competitive strength,” he says. Ą

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Soy scouts

Functional foods come of age to enrich province

BY REBECCA EDWARDS

bout a decade ago, refrigerators at a number of food retailers “would mostly have been filled with carbonated soft drinks,” says Johann Tergesen, president and chief operating officer of Vancouver-based Burcon NutraScience. “The stark contrast today is amazing. There are so many fruit juices and vitamin waters with antioxidants or acai berry added to them. When people reach for food or drink now, they are almost always thinking from a health-and-wellness perspective.” Functional foods appear in almost every aisle at the grocery store, from protein-enriched cereal bars to probiotic yogurt, fruit juice with added antioxidants or bread with added omega-3s. Fenton Fong, treasurer of the Western Canadian Functional Foods & Natural Health Product Network (WCFN), defines functional foods as food products formulated to provide benefits beyond basic nutritional needs. Such products claim to promote health or prevent disease. Fong, a senior consultant at Vancouverbased PharmEng Technology, adds that 28

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“When people reach for food or drink now, they are almost always thinking from a health-and-wellness perspective” – Johann Tergesen, president and chief operating officer, Burcon NutraScience functional foods are distinct from natural health products (NHPs), which contain ingredients that Health Canada classifies as active medicinal ingredients and which are now regulated in Canada. Common examples of NHPs are echinacea, St. John’s wort and traditional Chinese medicines. “Functional foods are considered as, and regulated as, foods, but as health claims on new functional-food products become more sophisticated, the line that distinguishes a functional food from an NHP is blurring,” says Fong. “There is no universal definition for a functional food; it is still evolving. Some

functional foods like vitamin-enriched orange juice have been around for a long time. New technologies in the science of nutrition are resulting in a boom in new functional-food products, and demand is being fuelled by an aging baby-boomer population that is increasingly interested in natural ways [of] improving health.” Fong says, “We are seeing an annual growth rate in the industry of around eight per cent. The number of nutrition companies in B.C. doubled between 2007 [and] 2010 from 94 to 187. In 2008, the Canadian nutrition industry was valued at 6.6 billion, including functional foods Photo: Dominic Schaefer Photography

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At Burcon NutraScience: (top) Martin Schweizer, vice-president, technical development, shows how the company’s soy protein powder dissolves transparently; (bottom) working on an egg-white substitute protein

companies valued at 1.12 billion.” Tergesen believes the industry has been boosted by the new middle classes emerging in developing countries like China, India and Brazil. “You have got people who are now earning a lot more money than they used to, and they spend a lot of that money on food. They are no diﬀerent from us in North America. The young people, especially, are interested in what is in their food from a health-and-wellness perspective.” Many functional-food businesses originate in research carried out in university laboratories. Vancouver-based EnWave Photos, right: Burcon NutraScience

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Corp. began at the University of British Columbia in 1996, when its chairman, Tim Durance, developed a new high-speed food-dehydration technology. Burcon NutraScience formed in 1999 after venture capitalist Tergesen heard from an old school friend about a group of Manitoban scientists who were working on extracting protein from canola meal. He persuaded his employers to back the research. Four years later, the team was still perfecting the canola technology when it stumbled on a way to extract protein from soy beans in a form that was soluble in acidic liquids, was transparent and didn’t taste of beans – or anything else. “They called me into the lab and handed me a drink,” recalls Tergesen. “I said it tasted good, and then they told me it was soy. It didn’t have any of the beany taste that puts so many people oﬀ soy. I was stunned. “It means that in future you can have a clear vitamin water or cranberry juice that has ﬁve grams of protein.” In November 2010, Burcon announced that it was licensing its Clarisoy technology to Archers Daniel Midland Co., a deal that could see the words “soy protein”

appear among the ingrediants on the labels of products world-wide. Tergesen believes that the market for functional foods will continue to thrive. “There are very few times now when we eat and don’t think about the nutritional value of our food,” he comments. He also recognizes the need for the industry to be seen as scientifically credible, so that establishing additional scientific rigour in product development is a sectoral priority. “As in any industry, there are some questionable practices out there, but fundamentally I think the industry is going in the right direction,” he says. This direction will ultimately allow for increasingly closer alignment and partnership with traditional pharmaceutical companies for the purpose of offering more complementary and integrated health care to patients. British Columbia has been supportive to the nutrition industry, he says. “When agribusinesses in Saskatchewan and Manitoba are trying to develop new opportunities, they come to B.C. to raise money. Perhaps it’s because people in B.C. are generally more health-aware and active. That’s B.C. for you.” Ą BIV Magazines

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Green light, big city Setting the pace in clean-tech policy

BY ANDREW FINDLAY

oliticians are setting ambitious targets for sustainability in Vancouver and Metro Vancouver, with the promise of growing the clean-technology sector and garnering a greater share of global clean-energy investment. Such investment is expected to hit US 350 billion annually by 2020, according to New Energy Finance, a major supplier of analysis of clean energy. Companies like Lignol Energy Corp., Westport Power Inc. and Nexterra Energy Corp. have already positioned Vancouver as a world leader in alternative energy. Now that the City of Vancouver and Metro Vancouver have placed sustainability and reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions at the centre of strategic planning, clean-tech innovators are expected to play a signiﬁcant role in their vision. “We are in exciting times of change with tremendous opportunity to be a global leader in clean technology and bio clean tech,” says Bob Ingratta, bioproducts & bioenergy sector specialist for LifeSciences British Columbia. “It will take partnerships and collaboration at many levels to be successful.” Framing the picture Metro Vancouver provides core services and planning policy for 22 municipalities, one electoral area and one First Nation. In 2003, it launched the Sustainable Region Initiative. Five years later, the board 30 LifeSciences/2011

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adopted the Sustainability Framework, providing an “overarching vision for Metro Vancouver as well as core sustainability principles to guide decision-making.” This widely encompassing regional district has achieved significant milestones since embarking on the green path. In 2003, engineers installed a turbo generator at the Burnaby waste-to-energy facility. In 2005, the new Surrey Transfer Station was completed to LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) standards. In 2007, Metro Vancouver adopted a sustainable-purchasing policy. Yet it’s the fine print of the Sustainability Framework that should interest clean-tech innovators most. Metro Vancouver plans to maximize recovery of energy from waste in landfills and become a “zero-net-carbon region” while minimizing energy use and maximizing energy recovery from all its operations. LNG truck motored by Westport Power

Together, these goals provide a push for clean energy. All around the town The City of Vancouver’s Greenest City 2020 initiative has business people and policymakers excited. Representing LifeSciences BC, Ingratta joined other community leaders on the Green Economy External Advisory Committee. In October 2010, the committee provided 14 recommendations to the Greenest City Action Team focused on establishing a green-enterprise zone, advancing key green-industry sectors, launching an action plan for local employment and fostering green research, education and training. These recommendations were aimed at helping Vancouver reach its greenest-city goals. Indeed, the goals are demanding. By conservative estimates, Vancouver’s overall environmental footprint is four times the level considered sustainable. Ingratta says that correcting this imbalance requires commitment and creative thinking. Vancouver’s 2020 targets, approved unanimously by City Council on January 20, 2011, include creating 20,000 new green jobs in everything from green building design to clean tech, reducing GHG emissions by 33 per cent from 2007 levels and requiring all new construction to be carbon-neutral while improving efﬁciency of existing buildings by 20 per cent. According to the Greenest City plan, clean Photos: (top) City of Vancouver; (bottom) Westport Power Inc.

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vehicles and clean-fuel technologies will be critical for meeting the GHG reduction target. A minimum of 15 per cent of new vehicles will need to be plug-in hybrids, fully electric or powered by fuel cells. Wal van Lierop is president and chief executive officer of Vancouver venture fund Chrysalix, which specializes in clean tech and energy. “The expectation is that the Greenest City policies etc. will translate into early procurement of clean-tech products by the cities in the Lower Mainland, as well as early-adopter experiments [that] could help scale up industries,” he comments. “Examples are district heating systems, clean garbage cars, electric motorcycles for the police force or development of the infrastructure to accommodate the electrification of transportation, etc. Such activities will undoubtedly have a positive impact on the growth of Vancouver’s clean-tech and green-energy sector and will both help small local companies [and] attract major international players that are working on ‘mainstreaming’ clean tech.” Ingratta says it will be essential to coordinate activities and research among the University of British Columbia, Simon Fraser University and the University of Northern British Columbia and to harness brain power at all the other postsecondary institutions in the province. Furthermore, Ingratta would like the city to work hard to establish pilot wasteto-energy projects and support a current proposal from Terasen Gas to generate bio-methane. He believes these measures would help the city build clean-energy capacity and tap the potential for converting resources such as wood waste from construction and parks into bioenergy or combined heat-and-power energy. “In order to work toward a vision of Vancouver as the greenest city in the world by 2020, we need to establish an international reputation by turning words into actions and demonstrate world-class projects, technology, research and companies,” he says, adding that the “will to work together” as a cluster of like-minded and focused private enterprises and public institutions will be crucial for success. Such a bio-based cluster would bring together supply, technology development and market commercialization, so that B.C.’s green sector would continue to accelerate and create jobs. Many other strategies are being Photo: Dominic Schaefer Photography

“We have the opportunity to lead the world in green technology research and development” – Gregor Robertson, mayor, City of Vancouver

deployed to stimulate the burgeoning green economy. John Tylee, director of policy and communication for the Vancouver Economic Development Commission (VEDC), helped to advance the Vancouver Green Capital brand, launched in September 2009 and used to market the city’s clean and biotech sectors. According to the VEDC, the brand is predicated on the notion that green is smart, profitable and sustainable and that the city must align financial, human and

intellectual resources to capitalize on the opportunity. Mayor Gregor Robertson considers Vancouver well-positioned to leverage green capital into jobs and companies. At the launch of the Vancouver Green Capital branding strategy in fall 2009, he said, “We’ve got cutting-edge businesses, we have the opportunity to lead the world in green technology research and development, and we have a dynamic, highly educated and creative workforce.” •

BIV Magazines

LifeSciences/2011 31

Lab notes Life-science players pioneer ways to a healthier future

oﬃcer of Alectos, comments, “This is an important validation of our scientiﬁc leadership in this area.”

BY NOA GLOUBERMAN

ritish Columbia’s life sciences are pursuing scientiﬁc advancements that point the way to a brighter tomorrow.

The beat goes on In April 2009, Vancouver’s Cardiome Pharma Corp. made final a licensing deal with Merck & Co., Inc. Doug Janzen, Cardiome president and chief executive officer, said at the time that multiple suitors had expressed interest in backing his company’s discovery: a drug for atrial fibrillation called vernakalant. “We narrowed it down to Merck, the number 1 cardiovascular company in the 32

LifeSciences/2011

00.0_R1_2011_Life Sciences.indd 32

BIV Magazines

world,” he said. “It puts [us] in a good ﬁnancial position to commercialize an oral version of the drug.” Merck completed a review of the drug in December 2010. The next steps in clinical development will occur in 2011. It takes two Alectos Therapeutics Inc. recently entered into partnership with Merck to conduct research into the Burnaby ﬁrm’s portfolio of compounds that modulate O-linked N-acetylglucosaminidase, an enzyme thought to be involved in the development of Alzheimer’s disease. Ernest McEachern, chief executive

Combine and conquer Celator Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is developing advanced therapies to treat cancer. “Many cancers are treated with drug regimens that combine individual chemotherapeutic drugs,” explains president and head of research Lawrence Mayer. “Because many anti-cancer drugs are toxic at doses required for activity, these cocktails are typically developed by combining drugs that have non-overlapping toxicity profiles and different mechanisms of action, at their maximum dosing levels.” Yet by focusing only on the impact of individual drugs, this approach disregards the critical role that drug ratios play in the effectiveness of combining chemotherapies. “Chemotherapeutic drugs can act synergistically to kill cancer cells when combined and maintained at certain ratios,” Mayer explains. “Our proprietary technology platform, CombiPlex, uses nano-scale delivery vehicles such as liposomes to deliver synergistic ratios of drug combinations for the treatment of cancer.” On the basis of this concept, Celator Illustration provided by MedGenesis Therapeutix Inc.

3/22/11 9:01:53 PM

is positioned to develop an expansive pipeline of novel chemotherapies. The company has reported positive survival data from a randomized Phase 2 trial with CPX-351 Liposome Injection, a liposomal formulation of a synergistic 5:1 molar ratio of cytarabine and daunorubicin. Planning of Phase 3 is under way. Pathways to health Early 2011 saw Aquinox Pharmaceuticals Inc. preparing to begin Phase 1 clinical trials for its lead oral anti-inflammatory compound, AQX-1125. Richmond-based Aquinox builds on recent discoveries of highly selective drugs that target SH2-containing inositol 5’-phosphatase (SHIP1), an enzyme that regulates the PI3 kinase (PI3K) pathway. “PI3K, one of the most heavily researched cellular pathways in the area of cancer and inflammatory disease, is known for regulating cell growth and survival,” explains Aquinox president and chief executive officer David Main. “So when the SHIP1

Barry Duplantis, co-founder of DuVax

enzyme is ‘turned on,’ it down-regulates cell growth and division.” The advantage of targeting SHIP1, Main adds, is that the enzyme is expressed only in blood cells so drugs can avoid any unwanted effects on other tissues. “SHIP1 activators like AQX-1125 have the potential to become the next generation of anti-inflammatory drugs,” says Main. “That we have two of the largest pharmaceutical companies, Johnson & Johnson and Pfizer, as investors … really speaks to the fact that we’re onto something here that could be very important.” Cold calling Some bacteria like it hot, thriving inside our warm bodies and causing infection and disease. Yet Barry Duplantis, DuVax co-founder and PhD candidate at the

At Alectos Therapeutics: (left) David Vocadlo, chief scientific officer; (right) Ernest McEachern, president and CEO

University of Victoria, has discovered a way to make the human body an unattractive destination by injecting harmful bacteria with the genes of cold-loving bacteria. “Vaccines against viral diseases are usually created by [the growing of] a virus at low temperature until a strain that’s sensitive to heat can be isolated,” Duplantis explains. “For bacteria, you’d normally need to grow the bug under special conditions or deliberately mutate it until you get a strain that’s not very good at causing disease. By transferring the genes of bacteria that are accustomed to cold temperatures … you can create bacterial versions with lower heat tolerances that won’t migrate to warm areas like the lungs and do damage.” Present in the body, these modified bacteria can also act like vaccines, readying our immune systems and preventing us from getting sick in the future. Duplantis hopes to further the commercialization of his patented technology in 2011 to produce a host of safe, temperature-sensitive vaccines that will reduce the need for antibiotics and diminish the risk of bacterial infection. Change of heart Through a commercial property licensed from the Mayo Clinic, Vancouver’s Aegis Medical Innovations Inc. hopes to prevent stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation. “Atrial fibrillation causes the heart to beat rapidly and to ‘jiggle,’ so that the blood isn’t pumped or cleared out quickly enough,” explains Trevor McCaw, founder and chief executive officer of the medicaldevice group. “There’s an appendage in the upper-left chamber where the blood stagnates. Clots can form there, dislodge, travel up to the brain and cause stroke.” Aegis’ implantable cardiovascular ligation system lets surgeons go under the

ribcage, cross the surface of the heart and tie the offending appendage off with a suture, removing it from circulation. “Essentially, we get rid of over 90 per cent of where clots are formed,” says McCaw, who aims to get the technology into clinical trial in 2011. “Instead of taking blood-thinning drugs for rest of your life, which cause strange reactions with foods and other drugs and produce numerous side effects,” you can solve the problem “with one relatively low-risk procedure that has the same impact on reducing stroke … without any of the side effects.” Special delivery In Victoria, MedGenesis Therapeutix Inc. is developing a convection-enhanced delivery (CED) system capable of targeting CombiPlex by Celator Pharmaceuticals: fighting cancer with nano-scale liposomes

therapeutic agents – particularly the company’s own glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) protein – to exact regions of the brain. “GDNF has already shown to be highly effective in treating Parkinson’s and other neurological diseases by stimulating the survival, spread and sprouting of neurons and promoting tissue growth, which is something we haven’t been able to do before,” says MedGenesis founder and chief executive officer Erich Mohr. “It did really well in Phase 1 but ran into some troubles in Phase 2, before we owned the molecules, because the delivery technology at that time was immature … and the intended structures were not adequately covered.” Targeting specific spots in the brain, says Mohr, presents a major challenge to the treatment of most disorders of the brain and central nervous system. “Agents and molecules like GDNF that might otherwise be very effective in diagnosis and therapy don’t cross the blood-brain barrier in adequate amounts,” he says. “That’s where CED comes in. It’s a minimally invasive, image-guided delivery technique that provides for targeted, local treatment of conditions like Parkinson’s, epilepsy, brain cancer and other severely debilitating diseases.” Ą BIV Magazines

00.0_R1_2011_Life Sciences.indd 33

LifeSciences/2011

3/22/11 7:52:30 PM

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ordon Loverin has waited decades to see something, anything, kick-start the economy in northwest B.C. Like many others in the northwest, Loverin has watched investment drive development elsewhere in B.C while businesses in the northwest shut down mills and plants against the ebbing tide of a dwindling forest industry. That is, until now. Last month, the province approved the $404 million Northwest Transmission Line (NTL). The 344-kilometre line, which would extend north along Highway 37 from Terrace to Bob Quinn Lake, would not only bring a

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In the first instalment of a three-part series, Business in Vancouver examines the potential of the proposed $404 million Northwest Transmission Line to generate investment and create business opportunities in B.C.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s northwest

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number of off-grid communities onto the grid, but also provide the power needed to drive a new era for the regionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s resource industries. Proponents say the project is a catalyst for development. Loverin, co-chairman of the Northwest Powerline Coalition, believes it will drive business opportunities in the region for decades. Investment begins with the construction of

the line, which, proponents say, would accelerate development of mines and power projects. That, in turn, would generate opportunities for service companies to supply everything from trucks, cranes and tires to beds and food to accommodate workers. Once the snowball begins to roll, Loverin believes it will cascade into other industries as well.

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related. Representatives at many Olympicsrelated projects and in the tourism sector say things are progressing better than expected. TransLink spokesman Drew Snider told Business in Vancouver that 38.5 million people boarded the Canada Line in 2010. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s what the transit authority expected ridership to be three years from now.

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Canada Line, convention centre, tourism representatives convinced Games helped business, but critics disagree ritics and supporters of the 2010 Winter Olympics are as divided about the financial wisdom of hosting the Games one year following the opening ceremonies as they were in the years leading up to the largest spectacle that B.C. has ever hosted. The highest estimate that critics point to for all spending on Olympics projects, venues and operations is roughly $7 billion. That includes the: Ä&#x201E;$2.05 billion Canada line; Ä&#x201E;$1.84 billion total VANOC operation cost; Ä&#x201E;$1 billion security budget; Ä&#x201E;$1 billion Vancouver Olympic Village; and Ä&#x201E;$883 million Vancouver Convention Centre among other costs. Calculating the return on investment is as contentious a process as determining what projects should be considered Olympics-

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he controversy over whether the City of Vancouver should approve a $450 million mega-casino in northeast False Creek is overshadowing other major development plans for the area. Potential development includes: Ä&#x201E;two Concord Pacific towers on the west side of the Cambie Bridge (5b West: see map, page 4) with a total of 543 units; Ä&#x201E;two Concord Pacific towers on the east side of the Cambie Bridge (5b East) with a total of 420 units; Ä&#x201E;three Aquilini Group towers with a total of 463 residential units and 187,500 square feet of new office space (7a); Ä&#x201E;a fourth Aquilini Group tower that would be a rental building and is currently not supported by city staff (also on 7a); and Ä&#x201E;two Paragon Gaming Corp. hotel towers adjoining the casino with a total of 647 suites (10).

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Aquilini Group principal Francesco Aquilini told Business in Vancouver February 14 that he wants to build his proposed towers regardless of whether Paragon Gamingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s casino gets civic approval. In exchange for his towersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; approval, Aquilini is proposing to partner with Canadian Metropolitan Properties (CMP) to build a $50 million practice facility for the Vancouver Canucks on land that is currently the Plaza of Nations (6b) and owned by CMP. That complex would be available for community use most of the time and would include an arena the same size as the one at Aquiliniâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s nearby Rogers Arena. It would also include a sports science centre, large

gymnasium and private rooms where Canucks players could take pre-game naps. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re saying weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d like to build a practice facility because it will help the team,â&#x20AC;? Aquilini told BIV in January. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The city seems to be supportive of that. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be a fantastic facility. Most National Hockey League teams have it. He added that heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s working through the process to secure approvals for the project. False Creek Residents Association (FCRA) spokesman Sean Bickerton supports Aquiliniâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s proposal. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The difference in approach between Aquilini-CMP and the one that Concord employs is an object lesson in how developers could work collaboratively with the community and how they can end up in an outright war with the local community,â&#x20AC;? Bickerton said. The FCRA has an appeal with the Property Assessment Appeal Board of British Columbia because its members believe BC Assessmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s $400,000 assessed value for the Concord Pacific property (Lot 9) is far too low

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increasingly sophisticated, the cat-and-mouse security game has become all about catching thieves in the act â&#x20AC;&#x201C; rather than mile thieves: youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re on candid simply trying cameras. to scare them off with a blaring alarm. And if youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re in Vancouver, thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a The heart of a remote surveillance good chance those cameras are network streaming real- is its command centre, where workers listen time video or audio of your crime to a secur- and watch remote audio and video recordity command centre in Vancouver or Lowell, ings from security systems installed across a Massachusetts. network of clients. If that camera is streaming video of your Vancouver-headquartered Sonitrolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s crime to Sonitrol Canadaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s command main centre command centre has 35 employees, each of in Vancouver, it could also be streaming live whom monitors security systems at up to 500 into a TV in the nearest police car. clients at a time. As security hardware and software become In 2010, Sonitrolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s heat and motion sensors,

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microphones and night-infrared 1 .-#/ #,+.*-#)(, and colordigital cameras helped catch 227 , !$"!$ & % !$ ) crooks in the %& &'& Lower Mainland in the midst of ) %&$ & % stealing from # " #( % or robbing one of the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s clients. --#(! +)' !#/#(! â&#x20AC;&#x153;We catch a thief almost every night in !$"!$ & '% %% % !$ Vancouver,â&#x20AC;? said Sonitrol CEO Joe Wilson. ! !! ! #( &$%, % The companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 7,000 clients in Canada, a majority of which are in the %&#(! -" "#!" ),- ) $.,-# Lower Mainland, represent a wide cross-section

*" % %'$ "'% of busi + % nesses, from homebuilders and restaurateurs +.,- +)' - + +#,#(! ')+ to jewellers. ! ' &#(! -, . ! - - The company provides remote surveillance % ) $ for national businesses such as the Keg, Can $ (% ' % % % ' adian Tire, Kal Tire, Best Buy, Future Shop and Stuart Olson Dominion Construction. )+ *#33 ).!" â&#x20AC;&#x153;The guys who hit the residential %& '$ &% !%% +$ %" $ construc tion sites are the tradespeople,â&#x20AC;? #' $!'" % $ %& '$ & *" % ! said Wilson. â&#x20AC;&#x153;They steal from each other. In %" $ & ! % all industries, &$ ! % thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the way it is.â&#x20AC;? #!! ,- Sonitrol was founded in 1962 in - & )''.(# -#)(, Anderson, Indiana, by a former police chief )'* (# , frustrated over the many false alarm calls he received. Wilson acquired the Canadian rights to the franchise in 1992 after the Toronto police department introduced him to Sonitrolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s technology while he was a director of security for Labattâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Brewing Co. and Molson Coors Canada. At the time, he tested Sonitrolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s system at 100 beer stores in Ontario. Th e storesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; losses dropped to $37,000 from $1.4 million in one year. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I got a big bonus, and I bought Sonitrol,â&#x20AC;? said Wilson.

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The year in review Advances in life sciences give British Columbia a distinguished place on the world stage

BY ANDREW TOPF

cross the province and across specialties, British Columbia’s life-sciences companies and research facilities reached world-class milestones throughout the year.

January 1, 2010: Genomic

surveillance of H1N1 pandemic

The BC Centre for Disease Control has launched an inﬂuenza-genome sequencing project to understand better how the pandemic H1N1 virus has evolved in B.C. The project will also allow researchers to track the virus’ geographic origins. January 24–26, 2010: BPN hosts nearly

500 companies from 26 countries

The 8th Annual BioPartnering North America (BPN) conference took place at the Westin Bayshore, Vancouver. In all, 490 companies were represented from 26 countries, for over 2,200 face-to-face meetings. The conference is produced by Technology Vision Group LLC and LifeSciences BC and hosted by BioAlberta and BioteCanada, with the support of industry leaders. (For the the 2011 BPN conference, see page 14.)

Award for Scientific Excellence; Andy Offer from Lungpacer Medical, Inc. won the Innovation & Achievement Award; Don Avison received the Leadership Award; Neoteric Technology Ltd. was named Medical Device Company of the Year; and Cardiome Pharma Corp. was named Life Sciences Company of the Year. (For the 2011 awards, see page 45.) March 16, 2010: Tekmira and Pfizer

initiate new research collaboration

Tekmira Pharmaceuticals Corp. and Pfizer Inc. will collaborate on evaluating Tekmira’s stable nucleic acid-lipid particle (SNALP) technology to deliver small interfering RNA (siRNA) molecules provided by Pfizer. Tekmira will prepare the SNALP formulations, and Pfizer will evaluate them in pre-clinical models. March 22, 2010: Obama appoints UBC

Nobel-winner to key science post

Nobel laureate and UBC professor Carl Wieman was nominated by the Obama administration as associate director

Mark J. Murray, president and CEO, Tekmira Pharmaceuticals

for science in the White House Oﬃce of Science and Technology Policy. The United States Senate conﬁrmed the appointment in September 2010. Wieman shared the 2001 Nobel Prize in physics for

At BioPartnering North America

February 26, 2010: Global AIDS

summit with Olympic timing

LifeSciences BC, the British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, the University of British Columbia and the International AIDS Society hosted a summit titled “The Impact of Science & Innovation in the Evolving Global Health Paradigm: HIV and AIDS – A Challenge of Olympic Proportion.” (For coverage, see page 19.) March 10, 2010: LifeSciences

BCAwards announced

Marco Marra, Rob Holt and Steven Jones from Canada’s Michael Smith Genome Sciences Centre won the Genome BC BIV Magazines

00.0_R1_2011_Life Sciences.indd 35

LifeSciences/2011

3/22/11 7:52:56 PM

his role in creating a new form of matter known as the Bose–Einstein condensation. April 19, 2010: Student wins prize with

Response Biomedical’s RAMP system is used in various diagnostic practices and assists in diagnosis of heart attacks.

research into dyskeratosis congenita

A report from the federal government has found that B.C. has Canada’s largest cluster of clean-tech companies but lags behind other regions in commercialization. While 29 per cent of clean-tech companies in B.C. described their distribution channels as mature, 24 per cent of the industry was reported to operate in settings with no distribution networks, as compared with the national average of 13 per cent.

May 14, 2010: Beaty Biodivesity

Centre opens at UBC

May 18, 2010: Genome BC launches

new funding competition

To accelerate research by local companies with strong potential for commercialization, Genome BC has launched the Strategic Opportunities Fund for Industry. It supports small to mediumsized life-science enterprises incorporated in B.C. that work on genomic applications relating to agriculture, bioenergy, the environment, fisheries, forestry, health and mining. (For more on Genome BC, see page 23.) May 20, 2010: BIO 2010 hits record

The 2010 Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) Convention hosted a record number of partnering meetings. Held in Chicago on May 3–6, the event drew 15,322 industry leaders from 49 U.S. states and 65 countries. May 28, 2010: Cure for Ebola

The deadly Ebola virus has been treated successfully in monkeys via a new technology. U.S. government researchers and Vancouver-based Tekmira developed the ﬁrst treatment to help monkeys exposed to its Zaire strain, the most lethal type of the virus. June 1, 2010: Companies to watch

Local medical-device companies Neovasc and Response Biomedical Corp. were named to the annual MD&DI “50 Companies to Watch” list. Neovasc produces treatments for refractory angina; its key product is the Neovasc Reducer. 36

LifeSciences/2011

00.0_R1_2011_Life Sciences.indd 36

June 21, 2010: Report ﬁnds B.C.’s clean-

tech sector large but immature

Research by a 17-year-old student from B.C. could lead to a greater understanding of the disease dyskeratosis congenita. Taneille Johnson placed ﬁrst in the 2010 Sanoﬁ-Aventis BioTalent Challenge. (For more, see page 22.)

UBC opened its $50-million Beaty Biodiversity Centre, which will house 50 scientists dedicated to the study of biodiversity. Half will conduct their research from there. The visual centrepiece of the new facility is a 26-metre-long skeleton of a blue whale.

would be competitive with the U.S. prices of gasoline and corn ethanol.

Bob Butchofsky, president and CEO, QLT June 1, 2010: Fresh-faced biotech ﬁrm

gets rights to QLT’s acne drug

A new B.C.-based startup led by former employees of QLT Inc. has licensed the last of the assets the biotech company put up for sale almost two years ago. Valocor Therapeutics, Inc. acquired an exclusive licence from QLT for Lemuteporﬁn, a topical candidate for acne. It also acquired other small-molecule therapeutics for acne, atopic dermatitis and vitiligo. June 2, 2010: EnWave wins prestigious

Canadian technology award

EnWave Energy Corp. has won the Gordon Royal Maybee Award from the Canadian Institute of Food Science and Technology for the commercialization of NutraRev, its radiant energy vacuum (REV) food-dehydration technology. June 15, 2010: New prostate drug

shrinks tumours, B.C. scientists say

B.C. scientists have developed an experimental drug to shrink prostate cancer tumours, on the basis of molecules extracted from a marine sponge collected in New Guinea. Their study, published in the journal Cancer Cell, showed that the drug EPI-001 shrunk tumours without apparent toxic effects on laboratory mice. June 15, 2010: Making biofuel from wood

Novozymes and Lignol Energy Corp. signed a research-and-development agreement to make biofuel from wood chips and other forestry residues. The partners aim to develop a process for making biofuel from forestry waste at a production cost as low as $2 per gallon, which

June 22, 2010: B.C. supports isotope

research with $30.7-million investment

A $30.7-million provincial investment in one of the world’s top subatomic-physics labs is expected to help lead the way in alleviating future shortages of medical isotopes while keeping B.C. and Canada at the forefront of particle and nuclear physics. The funding will support Advanced Rare Isotope Laboratory, a $62.9-million project to build an underground beam tunnel surrounding a linear accelerator. June 22, 2010: Scientists in Canada and

India collaborate on heart disease

Two Canadian organizations will study why heart disease is so prevalent among South Asians and will seek ways to curb the world’s fourth-leading cause of death. The Centre of Excellence for Prevention of Organ Failure and the Canada India Network Society will collaborate on clinical trials, technology development and solutions to better monitor patients. July 9, 2010: $3.3 million to UBC research

Multidisciplinary research in prostate surgery, scar-tissue reduction, drug monitoring and vascular-disease monitoring at UBC received a $1.7-million boost from the Collaborative Health Research Projects Program. Young UBC researchers were awarded a further $1.6 million from the Collaborative Research and Training Experience Program to help them upgrade their skills for successful transitions to the workplace. July 19, 2010: B.C.-made HIV therapy

Vancouver researchers are the world’s first to confirm that an aggressive treatment for HIV significantly reduces the number of persons contracting the virus causing

BIV Magazines

3/22/11 7:53:06 PM

AIDS. For every 100 patients using highly active antiretroviral therapy, scientists recorded a three per cent decrease in HIV diagnoses in B.C., said Julio Montaner, lead researcher and director of the B.C. Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS. (For coverage, see page 19.) August 6, 2010: Tekmira seeks approval

to test anti-cancer tumour drug

Tekmira has ﬁled with U.S. regulators for approval to enter into clinical trials with a new treatment for solid cancer tumours. PLK1 SNALP targets polo-like kinase 1, a protein involved in tumour-cell growth. August 17, 2010: Nexterra to power UBC

Nexterra Systems Corp. has signed a multimillion-dollar agreement with UBC to supply and install a biomass combined heatand-power system. The new system will convert wood waste into syngas, a combustible fuel, using Nexterra’s proprietary gasiﬁcation and syngas technologies. September 29, 2010: FDA fast-tracks local

biotech’s rare disease treatment

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has fast-tracked the status for a Vancouver biotech company’s drug that could treat a rare and deadly parasitic disease. ICo Therapeutics Inc. said the FDA had granted orphan drug status to the company’s oral Amphotericin B program iCo-009. October 1, 2010: New technology

eases diagnosis of prostate cancer

Radiologists at Vancouver General Hospital conducted the ﬁrst successful biopsy using new digital-imaging technology that can clearly show whether a man has prostate cancer. Developed by Sentinelle Medical, the software creates a super-image of the prostate whereby physicians can pinpoint the danger spots and treat just those areas. October 20, 2010: Pierre Meulien

appointed president and CEO of Genome Canada

Pierre Meulien was named president and CEO of Genome Canada after having served as chief scientiﬁc oﬃcer of Genome BC. November 19, 2010: GE HealthCare

named ITAC Company of the Year

GE HealthCare Canada won the Information Technology Association of Canada’s 2010 Company of the Year Award.

The award recognizes an IT company that has demonstrated excellence in Canadian health informatics over the past year. GE HealthCare won the award as the solutions provider for several major imageexchange projects funded by Canada Health Infoway and eHealth Ontario. December 10, 2010: New HIV treatments

Research by a 29-year-old University of Victoria researcher has significantly advanced the understanding and treatment of HIV by locating drug-resistant genes of the virus. UVic biomedical engineer Stephanie Willerth and team studied 15,000 different versions of HIV and replicated them millions of times: an effort never before made on so large a scale. December 10, 2010: UBC launches

initiative with CCFF, CDRD to combat cystic ﬁbrosis

In partnership with the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (CCFF) and the Centre for Drug Research and Development (CDRD), UBC launched the Cystic Fibrosis Technology Initiative. Supported by a grant of $750,000 from CCFF, it will assemble researchers and identify promising discoveries from across the country to create new medicines for the disease. January 5, 2011: Genome BC appoints

new chief scientiﬁc oﬃcer

Brad Popovich has been appointed chief scientific officer for Genome BC. Popovich will work with management and scientists to promote the organization’s scientific strategy, focusing on genomics, proteomics and bioinformatics within B.C.’s larger realm of biotechnology and life sciences.

January 13, 2011: B.C. scientists identify

Alzheimer’s, Down syndrome gene

Researchers at UBC and the Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute have identiﬁed the gene that destroys brain cells in both Alzheimer’s patients and those with Down syndrome. Weihong Song, Canada research chair in Alzheimer’s disease, and a UBC professor of psychiatry who led the team, said that the discovery would open the door to ﬁnding a drug that could forestall dementia in people with either condition. January 20, 2011: BC Clinical Research

Infrastructure Network launched

A new collaboration places B.C. in a position to attract a greater portion of the more than half-billion dollars spent annually on clinical trials in Canada. The British Columbia Clinical Research Infrastructure Network (BCCRIN) is a partnership of provincial health authorities, universities, industry associations and funding agencies. It will help to establish the province as a global leader in clinical research, attracting increased investment to B.C. (For coverage, see page 26.) January 24, 2011: New technology could

detect risk for heart disease and cancer from a single drop of blood

A researcher at UVic hopes to change testing for heart disease, cancer and drug toxicity with a machine that would only require a single drop of blood from a patient. Called a mass spectrometer, this technology determines the weight of protein molecules in the blood and would allow researchers to determine whether key marker proteins related to heart disease or cancer are present. The mass spectrometer used in this research is currently the only one of its kind in Canada. Ą

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00.0_R1_2011_Life Sciences.indd 37

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3/22/11 7:53:15 PM

Biggest life-science companies in B.C. Source: Business in Vancouver, issue 1110

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LifeSciences/2011

00.0_R1_2011_Life Sciences.indd 38

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Business in Vancouver makes every attempt to publish accurate information in the List, but accuracy cannot be guaranteed. Researched by Richard Chu , 604-608-5114.

BIV Magazines

3/22/11 7:53:17 PM

:figfiXk\ D\dY\ij Academic & Research Institutions BC Cancer Agency 675 West 10th Avenue, Vancouver, BC V5Z 1L3 604-877-2000 www.bccancer.bc.ca BC Preclinical Research Consortium (BCPRC) Life Sciences Centre, CDM Room B2.536C, 2350 Health Sciences Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T1Z3 604-827-4369 www.bcprc.ca BCIT 3700 Willingdon Avenue, Burnaby, BC V5G 3H2 604-432-8920 www.bcit.ca

SFU Management of Technology Program 515 West Hastings Street, Vancouver, BC V6B 5K3 604-291-3925 www.sfu.ca Simon Fraser University – UILO 888 University Drive, UILO Ofﬁce, Mulit-Tenant Facility, Burnaby, BC V5A 1S6 604-782-4292 www.sfu.ca/uilo Thompson Rivers University Box 3010, 900 McGill Road, Kamloops, BC V2C 5N3 250-828-5740 www.tru.ca Trinity Western University, Department of Biology 7600 Glover Road, Langley, BC V2Y 1Y1 604-888-7511 www.twu.ca

Michael Smith Foundation For Health Research Suite 200, 1285 West Broadway, Vancouver, BC V6H 3X8 604-714-6336 www.msfrg.org PROOF Centre of Excellence Room 166 Burrard Building, 1081 Burrard Street, Vancouver, BC V6Z 1Y6 604-806-8934 www.proofcentre.ca Providence Health Care Research Institute St. Paul’s Hospital, 1081 Burrard Street, Vancouver, BC V6Z 1Y6 604-806-9608 www.providencehealthcare.org Research Universities’ Council of British Columbia Suite 400 – 880 Douglas Street, Victoria, BC V8W 2B7 250-480-4859 www.rucbc.ca SFU Joint Major in Molecular Biology, Biochemistry and Business Administration Room SSB 8166, 888 University Drive SFU, Burnaby, BC V5A 1S6 778-782-4152 www.sfu.ca

Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute (VCHRI) Willow Chest Centre, Room 100, 2647 Willow Street, Vancouver, BC V5Z 3P1 604-875-5641 www.vchri.ca

Student Biotechnology Network (SBN) Box 13, 2386 East Mall, Gerald McGavin Building Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z3 604-767-4712 www.thesbn.ca Vancouver Board of Trade World Trade Centre, Suite 400, 999 Canada Place, Vancouver, BC V6C 3E1 604-681-2111 www.vancouverboardoftrade.com

Associations AceTech 900-1188 W Georgia Street, Vancouver, BC V6E 4A2 604-683-5852 www.acetech.org

ARDCorp #230-32160 South Fraser, Abbotsford, BC V2T 1W5 604-854-4483 www.ardcorp.ca

Centre for Drug Research and Development (CDRD) Suite 364-2259 Lower Mall, UBC, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4 604-221-7750 www.cdrd.ca

ICORD Blusson Spinal Cord Centre, 818 West 10th Avenue, Vancouver, BC V5Z 1M9 604-219-6871 www.icord.org

IFC British Columbia Suite 1170 – Park Place 666 Burrard Street, Vancouver, BC V6C 2X8 604-683-6626 www.ifcbc.com

Ag-West Bio Inc. 101-111 Research Drive, Saskatoon, SK S7N 3R2 306-975-1939 www.agwest.sk.ca

BCIT – UBC Biotechnology Program SW9-208 3700 Willingdon Avenue, Burnaby, BC V5G 3H2 604-432-8324 www.health.bcit.ca/biotech

The iCAPTURE Centre #166-1081 Burrard Street, Vancouver, BC V6Z 1Y6 604-806-8346 www.icapture.ca

University of Victoria P.O. Box 1700 STN CSC, Victoria, BC V8W 2Y2 250-721-7002 www.uvic.ca

BC Cancer Foundation 600 – 686 West Broadway, Vancouver, BC V5Z 1G1 604-877-6098 www.bccancerfoundation.com TRIUMF 4004 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 2A3 604-222-1047 www.triumf.ca University of British Columbia – Faculty of Medicine 317-2194 Health Sciences Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4 604-822-2421 www.med.ubc.ca University of British Columbia – Faculty of Pharmaceutical Science 2146 East Mall, Cunningham Bldg., Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z3 604-822-2343 www.ubcpharmacy.org University of British Columbia – MRI Research Institute M10 Purdy Pavilion – 2221 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 2B5 604-822-6938 www.mriresearch.ubc.ca University of British Columbia – Sauder School of Business 2053 Main Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z2 604-822-8555 www.sauder.ubc.ca

University of Northern BC 3333 University Way, Prince George, BC V2N 4Z9 250-960-5555 www.unbc.ca

GenomeDx Biosciences Inc. #201 – 1595 West 3rd Avenue, Vancouver, BC V6J 1J8 604-760-0160 www.genomedx.com GenomeDx is a new genomics company developing clinical support tools for the management of chronic disease.

BioTalent Canada 1710-130 Albert Street, Ottawa, ON K1P 5G4 613-235-1402 www.biotalent.ca BIOTECanada 130 Albert Street, Suite 420, Ottawa, ON K1P 5G4 613-230-5585 www.biotech.ca Canada’s Research-Based Pharmaceutical Companies (Rx&D) 55 Metcalfe Street, Suite 1220, Ottawa, ON K1P 6L5 250-478-6221 www.canadapharma.org

University of British Columbia – UILO #103 – 6190 Agronomy Road, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z3 604-875-4111 www.uilo.ubc.ca University of British Columbia, Life Sciences Institute 2350 Health Sciences Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z3 604-827-3935 www.lsi.ubc.ca Genome BC 500-555 West 8th Avenue, Vancouver, BC V5Z 1C6 604-738-8072 www.genomebc.ca

Washington Biotechnology & Biomedical Association (WBBA) 200 First Avenue West, Suite 200, Seattle, WA 98119 USA 206-624-1967 www.wabio.org

Bioinformatics

BC Technology Industries Association (BCTIA) 900 – 1188 West Georgia Street, Vancouver, BC V6E 4A2 604-683-6159 www.bctia.org

DigiBC 900-1188 West Georgia Street, Vancouver, BC V6E 4A2 www.digibc.org

Vancouver Economic Development Commission #1620 – 1075 West Georgia Street, Vancouver, BC V6E 3C 9 604-632-9668 www.vancouvereconomic.com

Kinexus Bioinformatics Corp. Suite 1 – 8755 Ash Street, Vancouver, BC V6P 6T3 604-323-2547 www.kinexus.ca Kinexus Bioinformatics Corporation maps the cell signalling networks of protein kinase enzymes for the treatment, diagnosis and prognosis of human diseases. Protein kinases are the key proteins for communication and control inside cells.

Biopharmaceuticals Alectos Therapeutics 8999 Nelson Way, Burnaby, BC V5A 4B5 604-628-7129 www.alectos.com Alectos Therapeutics is a chemistry-focused biotechnology company dedicated to the discovery and development of small-molecule drugs. Allon Therapeutics Inc Suite 506, 1168 Hamilton Street, Vancouver, BC V6B 2S2 604-736-0634 www.allontherapeutics.com Allon Therapeutics Inc. (TSX:NPC) is a Vancouverbased biotechnology company developing drugs that protect against neurogenerative conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease, traumatic brain injury, stroke, multiple sclerosis and neuropathy.

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LifeSciences/2011

3/22/11 9:17:36 PM

Amgen British Columbia 7990 Enterprise Street, Burnaby, BC V5A 1V7 604-676-8300 www.amgen.com Amgen British Columbia Inc., one of several research facilities operated by Amgen Inc., specializes in the discovery and development of human therapeutic antibodies. The research center, located in Burnaby, became part of Amgen with Amgen’s acquisition of Abgenix, Inc. in April 2006. It employs approximately 65 people, including research scientists and a small support staff. Amgen is headquartered in the United States and has more than 17,000 staff members worldwide. Angiotech Pharmaceuticals Inc. 1618 Station Street, Vancouver, BC V6A 1B6 604-221-7676 www.angiotech.com Angiotech Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a Canadian pharmaceutical company dedicated to the development of medical device coatings and treatments for chronic inflammatory diseases through reformulation of paclitaxel. Several pharmaceutical therapies are in clinical development and the paclitaxel-coated coronary stent program is currently in multiple international clinical studies. Other medical device programs include paclitaxel-loaded surgical implants. Aquinox Pharmaceuticals Inc. Suite 600 – 555 West 12th Avenue, Vancouver, BC V5Z 3X7 888-279-2782 www.aquinox.com Aquinox Pharmaceuticals is a pharmaceutical company committed to the discovery, development, and commercialization of novel and targeted small molecule therapeutics for the treatment of cancer and inflammatory disease. Augurex Life Sciences Corp. 1423 Dempsey Road, North Vancouver, BC V7K 1S7 778-839-3319 www.augurex.com Augurex Life Sciences Corp. develops biomarker technologies to screen people for diseases that when identified can be promptly treated, thereby delivering the benefit of earlier detection and greater treatment success. Boreal Genomics #302 – 2386 East Mall, Vancouver, BC V6B 2S2 604-822-8268 www.borealgenomics.com Boreal Genomics is a venture-backed Vancouver company committed to the development and commercialization of high performance methods and instruments for bio-molecule purification, enrichment, and detection.

Cardiome Pharma Corp. 6190 Agronomy Road 6th Floor, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z3 604-677-6905 www.cardiome.com Cardiome Pharma Corp. is a product-focused cardiovascular drug development company with two clinical drug programs focused on atrial arrhythmia (intravenous and oral dosing), and a pre-clinical program directed at improving cardiovascular function. Celator Pharmaceuticals 1779 W 75th Ave, Vancouver, BC V6P 6P2 604-708-5858 www.celator.ca Celator Technologies Inc. is a private biopharmaceutical company developing new carrier technology for targeting combinations of rationally selected chemotherapeutic agents to sites of disease. enGene Inc. 2386 East Mall, Suite 100, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z3 604-221-4362 www.engeneinc.com enGene, Inc. is a private biotechnology company based in Vancouver, Canada. The company’s novel approach to manufacturing and delivering therapeutic proteins either into the bloodstream or to specific diseased gut tissues offers significant advances over existing technologies. enGene is devoted to finding a cure for diabetes and its complications.

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iCo Therapeutics Inc. Suite 760 – 777 Hornby Street, Vancouver, BC V6Z 1S4 604-602-9414 www.icotherapeutics.com iCo Therapeutics Inc. is a Vancouver-based reproﬁling company focused on redosing or reformulating drugs with clinical history for new or expanded indications. iCo has exclusive worldwide rights to three products, iCo-007, in Phase I for the treatment of Diabetic Macular Edema, iCo008, a product with Phase II clinical history to be developed for severe ocular allergies, and iCo-009, an oral reformulation of Amphotericin B for sight and life threatening diseases. Inimex Pharmaceuticals Inc. 8540 Baxter Place, Burnaby, BC V5A 4T8 604-225-2251 www.inimexpharma.com Inimex Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a Vancouver B.C. based private biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the discovery, development and commercialization of new medicines based on the up-regulation and control of the innate immune response. iProgen Biotech 16050 110 Ave, Surrey, BC V4N 1P4 604-351-8053 www.iprogen.com Kalgene Pharma Inc. P.O.BOX 78536, University Postal Outlet, Vancouver, BC V6T 2E7 604-375-4519 www.kalgene.com KalGene Pharmaceuticals Inc. (“Kalgene”) is a privately-held Canadian company focused on the development of oncology therapeutics and companion diagnostics. MedGenesis Therapeutix Inc 730 View Street, Suite 730, Victoria, BC V8W 3Y7 250-217-3158 www.med-genesis.com MedGenesis Therapeutix Inc. is a privatelyheld biopharmaceutical company developing and commercializing innovative treatments for patients with serious neurologic diseases. The MedGenesis Convection Enhanced Delivery (CED) platform is a potentially disruptive technology which integrates cutting edge technical and development know-how and intellectual property. MSI Methylation Sciences Inc. Unit 108 4475 Wayburne Drive, Burnaby, BC V5G 4X4 604-926-5657 www.methylationsciences.com Methylation Sciences, Inc.(MSI) has patented a new formulation of a naturally occurring human molecule called S-Adenosyl Methionine (SAMe). SAMe has been produced and sold as a prescription drug in parts of Europe and as a dietary supplement (natural or food based treatment) in the US for more than 10 years. In physician trials, it is equally as effective as current antidepressant drug therapy (i.e. Prozac) but is free of some of the most intolerable side effects. Network Immunology 3311 Quesnel Drive, Vancouver, BC V6S 1Z7 778-846-7521 www.networkimmunologyinc.com Network Immunology is a Vancouver-based biotech company that is developing an HIV vaccine. This vaccine is fundamentally different from all the previous failed attempts to develop an HIV vaccine. The underlying theory that led to this vaccine concept is the network theory of adaptive immunity. Neurodyn Inc. 1260 – 1188 West Georgia Street 550 University Avenue, Vancouver, BC V6E 4A2 604-(604) 619-0990 www.neurodyn.ca Neurodyn Inc, a Canadian biotechnology company, is developing and marketing early stage, pre-clinical, diagnostic and theraputic products to treat neurodegeneration. OncoGeneX Technologies Inc. #400 – 1001 West Broadway, Vancouver, BC V6H 4B1 604-736-3678 www.oncogenex.ca OncoGenex Technologies Inc. is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing targeted therapeutics for Cancer. OncoGenex has built a solid product portfolio, recruited a highly skilled and experienced management team and Board of Directors, and has established strategic alliances that enable rapid drug development and access to state-of-the-art technology.

Ondine Biopharma Corporation 910 – 1100 Melville Street, Vancouver, BC V6E 4A6 604-669-0555 www.ondinebiopharma.com Ondine Biopharma Corporation is developing non-antibiotic therapies for the treatment of bacterial, fungal and viral infections. The company is focused on developing and commercializing innovative products using its patented light-activated technology. Pacific Biosciences Research Centre Inc. 215-7080 River Road, Richmond, BC V6X 1X5 604-207-9150 Panora Pharmaceuticals 506-1168 Hamilton St., Vancouver, BC V6B 2S2 604-733-3609 Panroa Pharmaceuticals Inc. is a Vancouverbased private biotechnology company engaged in the discovery and development of new therapies for the treatment of CNS disorders. Phyton Biotech LLC 1527 Cliveden Avenue, Delta, BC V3M 6P7 604-777-2340 www.naturalpharmacanada.com Phyton Biotech is a global provider of chemotherapeutic agents including paclitaxel and docetaxel APIs and taxane intermediates. Protox Therapeutics 1210-885 West Georgia Street, Vancouver, BC V6C 3E8 604-688-4369 www.protoxtherapeutics.com Protox Therapeutics uses genetic engineering to transform naturally occurring proteins into novel targeted therapeutics for the treatment of prostate diseases and various cancers. Protox is advancing a pipeline of clinical-stage product candidates derived from its PORxin™ and INxin™ technology platforms. QLT Inc. 887 Great Northern Way, Suite 101, Vancouver, BC V5T 4T5 604-707-7000 www.qltinc.com QLT Inc. is a global biopharmaceutical company specializing in developing treatments for cancer, eye diseases and dermatological and urological conditions. The brightest minds in science and business combined with a corporate culture that values teamwork, creativity and innovation, have brought us to the leading edge in the field of world health. Qu Biologics Inc. 1116 Ironwork Passage, Vancouver, BC V6H 3P1 604-734-1450 www.qubiologics.com Based on more than 25 years of clinical experience in the use of Site Specific Immunotherapy (SSIs) to stimulate the innate immune response to cancer, with compelling clinical and animal study data, Qu Biologics is poised to become a leader at the cutting edge of an innovative revolution in cancer treatment. Sirius Genomics Inc 603 1125 Howe Street, Vancouver, BC V6Z 2K8 604-484-7195 www.siriusgenomics.com Sirius Genomics Inc. (SGI) strategically discovers and patents important variations of the genes which are involved with drugs used in treating critically ill patients having severe infections or other critical illness. This information can be used to select the right drug for each individual patient. SGI’s discoveries will make possible dramatic improvement in the results of clinical care and clinical trials through the better selection of appropriate patient populations. Sirona Biochem Corp 950-789 West Pender Street, Vancouver, BC V6C 1H2 604-641-4466 www.sironabiochem.com Sirona Biochem Corp. has intentions of becoming a biotech company dedicated to the discovery, development and commercialization of innovative biochemical molecules. We are committed to improving the quality of life through innovative research and therapeutics. Our current focus is on treatments for Type II Diabetes and Obesity. Superna Life Sciences Unit 125-5, 887 Great Northern Way, Vancouver, BC V5T 4T5 604-726-7018 www.supernapharma.com Superna Life Sciences is a new specialty pharmaceutical company in the Canadian marketplace; but one that is deep in experience. Our team is made up of industry veterans experienced in the approval and commercialization of specialty products; in particular hematology and oncology products.

Tekmira Pharmaceuticals Corporation 200 – 8900 Glenlyon Parkway, Burnaby, BC V5J 5J8 604-419-3200 www.tekmirapharm.com Tekmira Pharmaceuticals Corporation is a Burnaby, BC-based biopharmaceutical company developing and commercializing proprietary drugs and drug delivery systems to improve the treatment of cancer and other diseases. TrichoScience Innovations Inc. 200 – 455 Granville St, Vancouver, BC V7G 2L3 604-248-8732 www.trichoscience.com TrichoScience Innovations Inc. is a privately-held corporation based in Vancouver BC, Canada. The company is engaged in the ongoing development of its patent-pending hair cell replication procedure and the management and administration of human clinical trials. Valocor Therapeutics Inc. 1300 – 777 Dunsmuir Street, Vancouver, BC V7Y 1K2 604-295-0729 www.valocor.com Valocor Therapeutics, Inc. is a clinical-stage private biotech company dedicated to developing new therapies to treat dermatological conditions with unmet medical needs. viDA Therapeutics 333 Roche Pt Drive, North Vancouver, BC V7G 2G4 604-924-1730 www.vidatherapeutics.com viDA Therapeutics Inc. (viDA), was incorporated April 2008, and is an early stage biotechnology company focused on the discovery and development of first-in-class drugs for the treatment of age-related conditions associated with chronic inflammation and/or tissue degeneration. Welichem Biotech Inc. 316-4475 Wayburne Drive, Burnaby, BC V5G 3L1 604-432-1703 www.welichem.com Welichem Biotech Inc. (“Welichem” TSX-V: WBI) is engaged in the discovery and development of novel small molecule therapeutics. Using its Symbiochem technology platform, the company has developed a robust pipeline of patentprotected compounds that target autoimmune/ inflammatory diseases and cancers. Wex Pharmaceuticals Inc. 1601-700 West Pender Street, Vancouver, BC V6C 1G8 604-683-8880 www.wextech.ca Wex Pharmaceuticals Inc. is a pharmaceutical company dedicated to the discovery of new therapeutic agents for the treatment of moderate to severe pain, symptom relief associated with addiction withdrawal from opioid abuse, and medicines designed for local and regional anaesthesia. Xenon Pharmaceuticals Inc. 3650 Gilmore Way, Burnaby, BC V5G 4W8 604-484-3300 www.xenon-pharma.com Xenon Pharmaceuticals is a privately owned, clinical genetics-based drug discovery and development company engaged in developing small molecule therapies based on the genetic causes of select metabolic, neurological and cardiovascular diseases.

Zalicus Pharmaceuticals Ltd (formerly Neuromed) 301 – 2389 Health Sciences Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z3 604-909-2530 www.zalicus.com We are excited to announce that as of September 8, 2010, CombinatoRx, Incorporated ofﬁcially changed its name to Zalicus Inc., and its Canadian subsidiary, Neuromed Pharmaceuticals Ltd., is now Zalicus Pharmaceuticals Ltd. We are focused on developing novel drug candidates for the treatment of pain and inﬂammation. We will continue to apply our combination high throughput screening technology platform and our selective ion-channel modulation platform to generate a pipeline of innovative therapeutics.

BIV Magazines

3/22/11 7:53:18 PM

Zymeworks Inc. #540 – 1385 W. Eighth Ave, Vancouver, BC V6H 3V9 604-678-1388 www.zymeworks.com Zymeworks is a computational biotechnology company that combines proprietary molecular simulation technology with high performance computing to research and develop industrial enzymes for bio-processing and bio-product manufacturing.

BioProducts & BioEnergy BC Hydro 333 Dunsmuir Street, 9th Floor, Vancouver, BC V6B 5R3 604-623-3514 www.bchydro.com As the third largest electric utility in Canada, BC Hydro serves customers in an area containing over 94% of British Columbia’s population. BC Hydro endeavours to provide energy solutions to its customers in an environmentally and socially responsible way by balancing British Columbians’ energy needs with the concerns of the environment.

Canadian Bioenergy Suite #310 – 221 West Esplanade, North Vancouver, BC V7M 3J3 604-960-0354 www.canadianbioenergy.com Canadian Bioenergy Corporation is Western Canada’s leading supplier of biodiesel, a cleanerburning diesel fuel made from natural, renewable resources. Biodiesel can significantly reduce emissions without sacrificing performance and reliability and it works in regular diesel-powered vehicles, so no engine modifications are necessary. Carbon Credit Corp. Suite 1910, 777 Dunsmuir Street, Vancouver, BC V7Y 1K4 604-628 2494 www.carboncreditcorp.ca Carbon Credit Corp (CCC) is a BC incorporated technology and ecosystem services company, providing comprehensive technology solutions, consultancy and services related to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and climate protection to organizations worldwide. Earth Renu 15500 Westminster Hwy, Richmond, BC V6V 1A6 604-306-6142 www.earthrenu.com We are a BC company seeking to produce sustainable energy using agricultural, food processing, and restaurant waste which is treated through the natural process of anaerobic digestion. We welcome any inquiries from farmers, greenhouse operators, food processors, and restaurant owners as to how our planned facility can accept your organic waste and provide you with a sustainable and cost effective alternative to your current waste solution.

BC Milk Producers Association 3236 Beta Avenue, Burnaby, BC V5G 4K4 604-294-3737 www.bcmilkproducers.ca British Columbia Milk Producers Association (BCMPA) is the voice of all dairy farmers in British Columbia, since it was founded in 1936 under the name of BC Federation of Agriculture. BioXcelerator Technologies, Inc Suite 100 – 103 E. Roscoe Ct., Spokane, WA 99224 USA 604-822-8268 www.bioxcelerator.com At our facilities we perform services using very advanced mathematics, software analytics and process simulation to produce bioprocess changes with the objective of increasing ﬁnancial margins. For bio-industrial companies looking for more margin out of their existing product lines or for optimizing the newest product processes just emerging from the discovery phase, we offer the most technologically advanced solution available.

EnWave Corporation Suite 2000 – 1066 West Hastings Street, Vancouver, BC V6E 3X2 604-806-6110 www.enwave.net EnWave Corporation is an R&D company developing commercial applications for its proprietary vacuum-microwave technology.

Farm Credit Canada 301-5460 152nd Street, Surrey, BC V3S 5J9 604-575-4250 www.fcc-fac.ca As Canada’s leading agriculture lender, FCC is advancing the business of agriculture. With a healthy portfolio of more than $19.7 billion and 17 consecutive years of portfolio growth, FCC is strong and stable committed to serving the industry through all cycles. FCC provides ﬁnancing, insurance, software, learning programs and other business services to producers, agribusinesses and agri-food operations. FortisBC 16705 Fraser Highway, Surrey, BC V4N 0E8 604-576-7000 www.fortisbc.com FortisBC delivers natural gas and piped propane to homes and businesses throughout BC. They’re focused on connecting their customers safely, efﬁciently and reliably to the energy and services they need.

Corporate Symphony Suite 1100, 1200 West 73rd Ave, Vancouver, BC V6P 6G5 604-484-3190 www.corporatesymphony.com Gigha Consulting 800 – 15355 24th Avenue, White Rock, BC V4A 2H9 604-531-7363 www.gighaconsulting.com GlobaR – Global Regulatory Hub Pier 32 Granville Island, 350-1333 Johnston Street, Vancouver, BC V6B 2S2 604-681-6888 www.GlobaRhub.com Intertox 600 Stewart Street, Suite 1101, Seattle, WA 98101 USA 206-443-2115 www.intertox.com Life Science Strategies Inc. 13880 18A Avenue, Surrey, BC V4A 9M1 604-541-1269 Malachite Management Inc. 375 West 5th Avenue, Suite 201, Vancouver, BC V5Z 1B3 604-874-4004 www.malachite-mgmt.com

Solegear Bioplastics Inc. # 307 – 2386 East Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z3 604-827-5605 www.solegear.ca Solegear has developed a suite of proprietary, energy efﬁcient, non-toxic, biodegradable plastics. From the feedstock to additives to processing and coatings, Solegear maintains a focus on green chemistry and full biodegradability to ensure a healthy and renewable product life cycle.

PharmEng Technology 210 – 10691 Shellbridge Way, Richmond, BC V6X 2W8 604-303-0445 www.pharmeng.com Prime Strategies 475-425 Carrall Street, Vancouver, BC V6B 6E3 604-689-3446 www.pr1me.ca Rocket Builders 300 – 1275 West 6th Avenue, Vancouver, BC V6H 1A6 604-839-5388 www.rocketbuilders.com

Business Consultants BioPharma Solutions 1277 Nelson Street, Suite 1502, Vancouver, BC V6E 4M8 604-408-4310 www.BioPharmaSolutions.com

Technology Incentives Inc. 4639 West 3rd Ave., Vancouver, BC V6R 1N5 604-331-4688 www.techincentives.ca

Christie Consulting Service 1280 – 885 West Georgia Street, Vancouver, BC V6C 3E8 604-688-6877

Technology Vision Group LLC 5200 Soquel Ave., Suite 202, Santa Cruz, CA 95062 USA 831-464-4230 www.techvision.com

strength in numbers

Gowlings’ Vancouver IP Team* Gowlings recognized as Canadian Patent Prosecution Firm of the Year for 2010, and leader in all aspects of trade-mark, copyright and patent law for 14 consecutive years. - Managing Intellectual Property *

Included in photo is Jane Baggott who recently retired. Missing from the photo are Clare Salisbury and Scott Foster.

gowlings.com

montréal

ottawa

toronto

hamilton

waterloo region

calgary

vancouver

moscow

BIV Magazines

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london

LifeSciences/2011

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Tees Consulting Corp 2880 Trimble Street, Vancouver, BC V6R4L4 604-839-4284 www.teesconsulting.com True North Synergy 5371 Kew Cliff Road, West Vancouver, BC V7W 1M3 604-922-1045 www.truenorthsynergy.com

Communications Business in Vancouver 102 East 4th Avenue, Vancouver, BC V5T 1G2 604-608.5197 www.biv.com

Canister Creative Inc. 2440 East Georgia Street, Vancouver, BC V5K 2J5 604-803-6853 www.canistercreative.com Fisher Medical Writing Box 617, Agassiz, BC V0M 1A0 604-628-0287 www.ﬁshermedicalwriting.com

Contract Research and Scientiﬁc Services Alberta Innovates – Technology Futures* 250 Karl Clark Road, Edmonton, AB T6N 1E4 780-632-8354 www.albertainnovates.ca Anapharm – PharmaNet 5160 boul. Décarie, 8th Floor, Montréal, QC H3X 2H9 514-978-0258 www.pharmanet.com ASKA Research #300 – 601 West Broadway, Vancouver, BC V5Z 4C2 604-736-3166 www.askaresearch.com Aurora Biomed Inc. 1001 E. Pender Street, Vancouver, BC V6A 1W2 604-215-8700 www.aurorabiomed.com BRI Biopharmaceutical Research Inc. #101-8898 Heather Street, Vancouver, BC V6P 3S8 604-432-9237 www.bripharm.com Canadian External Quality Assessment Laboratory (CEQAL) 307 – 2083 Alma Street, Vancouver, BC V6R 4N6 604-222-1355 www.eqa.com

Lifebank Cryogenics Corp. Suite 200 – 4475 Wayburne Drive, Burnaby, BC V5G 4X4 604-738-2722 www.lifebank.com Northern Lipids Inc. 8855 Northbrook Court, Burnaby, BC V5J 5J1 604-222-2548 www.northernlipids.com Pacific Rim Laboratories #103, 19575 – 55A Avenue, Surrey, BC V3S 8P8 604-532-8711 pacificrimlabs.com PBR Laboratories Inc. 9960 – 67 Avenue NW, Edmonton, AB T6E 0P5 780-450-3957 www.pbr.ca Rondaxe Suite 1, 100 Intrepid Lane, Syracuse, NY 13205 USA 315-469-2800 www.rondaxe.com SBW – SBNA Systems Biology North America Ltd. 2900 – 550 Burrard Street, Vancouver, BC V6C 0A3 35 840-730-2313 www.sbw.fi SignalChem Pharmaceuticals Inc. Suite 550 – 5600 Parkwood Way, Richmond, BC V6V 2M2 604-232-4600 www.signalchem.com Syreon Corp. 450 – 1385 West 8th Avenue, Vancouver, BC V6H 3V9 604-676-5900 www.syreon.com Wax-it Histology Services 202 – 2386 East Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z3 604-822-1595 www.waxitinc.com World Courier of Canada Ltd. 91 Skyway Avenue Unit 104, Toronto, ON M9W 6R5 800-387-3381 www.worldcourier.com

Facilities and Real Estate CB Richard Ellis 600-1111 West Georgia Street, Vancouver, BC V6E 4M3 604-662-3000 www.cbre.com Chernoff Thompson Architects 110 – 1281 West Georgia Street, Vancouver, BC V6E 3J5 604-669-9460 www.cta.bc.ca Colliers International Suite 1910, 200 Granville Street, Surrey, BC V3T 5T3 604-661-0893 www.colliers.com Discovery Parks Trust 100-887 Great Northern Way, Vancouver, BC V5T 4T5 604-734-7275 www.discoveryparks.com Vancouver Island Technology Park Trust 2201 – 4464 Markham Street, Victoria, BC V8Z 7X8 250-483-3203 www.vitp.ca

Financial Services and Insurance

Abnousi Financial Consultants Accounting. Finance. Management.

CanReg Inc. 4 Innovation Drive, Dundas, ON L9H 7P3 905-689-3980 www.canreginc.com Enlighten Clinical Diagnostics Associates Suite 1104, 1710 Bayshore Drive, Vancouver, BC V6G 3G4 604-564-6084 www.enlighten-cda.com GE Healthcare 500 Morgan Blvd., Baie d’Urfe, QC H9X 3V1 514-457-7000 www.gehealthcare.com/lifesciences Globe Laboratories Inc. 1-8755 Ash Street, Vancouver, BC V6P 6T3 604-325-9643 www.globelaboratories.com I.G. MicroMed Environmental Inc. 190-12860 Clarke Place, Richmond, BC V6V 2H1 604-279-0666 www.igmicromed.com

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Bristol-Myers Squibb Canada 4590 Windsor Street, Vancouver, BC V6V 4P7 604-675-9091 www.bms.com Eli Lilly Canada Inc. 5120 Wilson Drive, Delta, BC V4M 1P4 604-948-1297 www.lilly.ca GlaxoSmithKline 7333 Mississauga Rd, Mississauga, ON L5N 6L7 905-819-3000 www.gsk.com Deloitte & Touche LLP 2800-1055 Dunsmuir Street, Vancouver, BC V7X 1P4 604-669-4466 www.deloitte.ca

Ernst & Young LLP PO Box 10101, 2300-700 West Georgia St, Vancouver, BC V7Y 1C7 604-891-8449 www.eycan.com Growth Works Capital Ltd. PO Box 11170 2600 -1055 W. Georgia Street, Vancouver, BC V6E 3R5 604-633-1418 www.growthworks.ca Lions Capital Corp. Suite 1280 – 885 West Georgia Street, Vancouver, BC V6C 3E8 604-688-6877 www.bcadvantagefunds.com PricewaterhouseCoopers Suite 2000 – 250 Howe Street, Vancouver, BC V6C 3S7 604-806-7000 www.pwc.com RBC Knowledge Based Industries 1055 West Georgia St., 36th Floor, Vancouver, BC V6E 3S5 604-665-3135 www.rbcroyalbank.com/kbi Ventures West Management Inc. Suite 2500-1066 West Hastings Street, P.O. Box 12539, Vancouver, BC V6E 3X1 604-688-9495 www.ventureswest.com

Government BC Innovation Council 900 – 1188 West Georgia Street, Vancouver, BC V6E 4A2 604-602-5204 www.bcic.ca British Consulate-General Vancouver 800-1111 Melville Street, Vancouver, BC V6E 3V6 604-683-4421 www.britaincanada.org New Zealand Consulate/New Zealand Trade and Enterprise 1200-888 Dunsmuir Street, Vancouver, BC V6C 3K4 604-684 7388 www.nzte.govt.nz NRC Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC-IRAP) 650-1185 West Georgia Street, Vancouver, BC V5G 3H2 604-602-5254 irap-pari.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca NSERC Paciﬁc Suite 407 – 138 Melville Street, Vancouver, BC V6E 4S3 604-666-8818 www.nserc.ca State of Illinois Canada Ofﬁce 1 Eva Road, Suite 301, Toronto, ON M9C 4Z5 416-695-9888 www.commerce.state.il.us

Human Resources Abnousi Financial Consultants 604-518-2040 www.abnousi.com AON 900 Howe Street, PO Box 3228, Vancouver, BC V6B 3X8 604-688-8591 www.aon.com ARCH Venture Partners 1000 Second Avenue, Suite 3700, Seattle, WA 98104 USA 206-674-3278 www.archventure.com BDC-Venture Capital 505 Burrard Street, Suite 200, PO Box 6, Vancouver, BC V7X 1V3 604-666-7815 www.bdc.ca

ATP Scientiﬁc Recruiters Inc. 100 King Street, 37th Floor, Toronto, ON M5X 1C9 877-556-0344 www.atpscientiﬁcrecruiters.com Goldbeck Recruiting 510-475 West Georgia Street, Vancouver, BC V6B 4M9 604-684-1428 www.goldbeck.com

International Pharmaceutical Corporations AstraZeneca Canada Inc. 1004 Middlegate Rd., Mississauga, ON L4Y 1M4 800-565-5877 www.astrazeneca.ca

Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd. 2455 Meadowpine Boulevard, Mississauga, ON L5N 6L7 905-542-5718 www.rochecanada.com Merck 16711 Trans Canada Highway, Kirkland, QC H9H 3L1 514-428-8599 www.merckfrosst.ca Novartis Pharmaceuticals Canada Inc. 385 Bouchard Blvd, Dorval, QC H9S 1A9 514-631-6775 www.novartis.ca Nycomed Canada Inc. 435 North Service Rd West, Oakland, ON L6M 4X8 403-217-7935 www.nycomed.ca

Pfizer Canada Inc. 17300 Trans-Canada Highway, Kirkland, QC H9J 2M5 514-695-0500 www.pfizer.ca Sanofi-aventis 2150 St. Elzear Blvd. West, Laval, QC H7L 4A8 514-331-9220 www.sanofi-aventis.ca sanofi-pasteur 1755 Steeles Avenue West, Bldg. 83, Room 214J, North York, ON M2R 3T4 416-667-2439 www.sanofipasteur.com Vifor Pharma 1203-4464 Markham Street, Victoria, BC V8Z 7X8 250-744-2488 www.aspreva.com

Legal Services Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP 595 Burrard Street, P.O. Box 49314 Suite 2600, Three Bentall Centre, Vancouver, BC V7X 1L3 604-631-3362 www.blakes.ca Borden Ladner Gervais LLP 1200 – 200 Burrard Street, PO Box 48600, Vancouver, BC V7X 1T2 604-687-5744 www.blgcanada.com Bull, Housser & Tupper LLP 3000 Royal Centre, PO Box 11130, 1055 West Georgia Street, Vancouver, BC V6E 3R3 604-687-4936 www.bht.com Christensen O’Connor Johnson Kindness 1420 Fifth Avenue, Suite 2800, Seattle, WA 98101-2347 USA 206-682.8100 www.cojk.com DuMoulin Black LLP 595 Howe Street, 10th Floor, Vancouver, BC V6C 2T5 604-687-1224 www.dumoulinblack.com Farris, Vaughan, Wills & Murphy LLP 25th Floor, 700 W Georgia Street, Vancouver, BC V7Y 1B3 604-684-9151 www.farris.com Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP Bentall 5 2900 – 550 Burrard Street, Vancouver, BC V6C 0A3 604-631-3131 www.fasken.com

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Daan Diagnostics 200 – 5050 Kingsway, Burnaby, BC V5H 4H2 604-451 7588 www.daandiagnostics.com Daan Diagnostics Inc is a leader in the development and commercialization of innovative technology-based products and services for clinical laboratory, veterinary, and food applications.

Gowling Laﬂeur Henderson LLP 1055 Dunsmuir Street, Suite 2300, PO Box 49122 Bentall IV, Vancouver, BC V7X 1J1 604-683-6498 www.gowlings.com KPMG Suite 900 – 777 Dunsmuir Street, Vancouver, BC V7Y 1K3 604-691-3000 www.kpmg.ca McCarthy Tétrault LLP PO Box 10424, Paciﬁc Centre, 1300-777 Dunsmuir Street, Vancouver, BC V7Y 1K2 604-643-7100 www.mccarthy.ca

Oyen Wiggs Green & Mutala LLP 480 – 601 West Cordova Street, Vancouver, BC V6B 1G1 604-669-3432 www.patentable.com Seed Intellectual Property Law Group PLLC 701 Fifth Avenue, Suite 5400, Seattle, WA 98104 USA 206-622-4900 www.SeedIP.com

Smart & Biggar/Fetherstonhaugh Box 11560, 2200 – 650 W. Georgia Street, Vancouver, BC V6B 4N8 604-682-7780 www.smart-biggar.ca

Medical Devices Aegis Medical Innovations Inc 202-1099 W. 8th Ave., Vancouver, BC V6H 1C3 612-568-0850 www.aegismedical.net BD 2100 Derry Road West, Suite 100, Mississauga, ON L5N 0B3 1-800-268-5430 www.bd.com BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company) is a global medical technology company that is focused on improving drug delivery, enhancing the diagnosis of infectious diseases and cancers, and advancing drug discovery. Biolux Research Ltd. 220-825 Powell Street, Vancouver, BC V6A 1H7 604-669-0674 www.bioluxresearch.com Biolux Research is a world leader in the development of light activated bone regeneration systems for dentistry and implantology. BioMers Products, LLC 3425 Radio Road, Unit 204, Naples, FL 34104 USA 604-727-4145 www.biomersbraces.com BioMers is a medical device company with an initial focus on the aesthetic orthodontic treatment market. The company manufactures and sells the world’s only completely translucent braces and retainer system.

Emergo Canada Consulting Inc. Suite 300, 1275 West 6th Avenue, Vancouver, BC V6H 1A6 604-916-4452 www.emergogroup.com Emergo Canada is the Canadian offices of Emergo Group, an ISO registered medical and IVD device consulting firm. We have offices in the United States, Canada, Mexico, France, UK, Netherlands, Russia, China, Japan, Brazil and Australia.

evasc – a division of evYsio Medical Devices ULC 107 – 1099 West 8th Avenue, Vancouver, BC V6H 1C3 604-742-3811 www.evysio.com Evasc Medical Systems is a medical device company focused on developing technologies for the treatment of vascular disease. With a strong backgroung in interventional cardiology, Evasc’s mandate is to reﬁne early stage intellectual property and take new endovascular products from concept to pilot production.

Farabloc Development Corp. #211 – 3030 Lincoln Avenue, Coquitlam, BC V3B 6B4 604-941-8201 www.farabloc.com Farabloc’s mission is to develop their product, Farabloc, as a mainstream international fitness and rehabilitation product that can be used to reduce pain and to assist in healing. As an electromagnetic shielding fabric, Farabloc contains extremely fine stainless steel fibres and nylon, with an appearance similar to linen. This drug-free product has a significant shielding effect on high-frequency electromagnetic fields (EMF) while permitting low-frequency EMF through which stabilize the cell by polarization.

Heart Force Medical Inc. Suite 305 – 1818 Cornwall Avenue, Vancouver, BC V6J 1C7 604-566-8200 www.heartforcemedical.com HeartForce Medical Inc. is an early stage medical devices company dedicated to researching and development of products and services in the ﬁeld of Ballistocardiography. This ﬁeld of study has been in existence for over thirty years and now through innovations in technology greater capabilities can be achieved in the early detection of heart disease.

Cardiome is celebrating a significant milestone with the recent launch of BRINAVESSTM (vernakalant IV) in the European Union (EU), Iceland and Norway. BRINAVESSTM is the first and only atrial selective product for rapid cardioversion of atrial fibrillation to launch in the EU. Cardiome is looking ahead to future successes by focusing on the development of proprietary drugs to treat or prevent cardiovascular and other diseases. For more information please visit our website at

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CARDIOME PHARMA CORP

6190 Agronomy Road 6th Floor Vancouver BC Canada V6T 1Z3

Tel: 604 677 6905 Fax: 604 677 6915

www.cardiome.com Toll Free: 1 800 330 9928 BIV Magazines

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iData Research Inc. 200-5455 West Boulevard, Vancouver, BC V6M 3W5 604-266-6933 www.idataresearch.net iData Research is an incorporated international market research and consulting group focused on providing market intelligence, monitoring and competitive insight for the medical device and pharmaceutical companies around the world. Innovatek Medical Inc. #3 – 1600 Derwent Way, Delta, BC V3M 6M5 604-522-8303 innovatekmed.com Innovatek Medical Inc. is a Canadian company selling rapid diagnostic kits in the areas of women’s health, drugs of abuse and infectious diseases. Kardium Suite 100 – 12851 Rowan Place, Richmond, BC V6V2K5 604-248-8891 www.kardium.com Kardium is a technology pioneer developing new medical devices to address cardiovascular diseases. The company was founded in 2007 by a team that has a track record of excellence in medicine, business, and engineering. A highly skilled development team and sophisticated rapid prototyping facility have been assembled in order to commercialize several patent pending concepts. LED Medical Diagnostics Inc. #201-15047 Marine Drive, White Rock, BC V4B 1C5 604-541-4614 www.velscope.com LED Medical Diagnostics Inc. is the parent of company of LED Dental which recently launched the VELscope Vx Enhanced Oral Assessment system, a cordless, affordably priced instrument that helps dental practices screen patients for oral cancer and other oral disease. Lifescan Canada Ltd. #300 – 4170 Still Creek Drive, Burnaby, BC V5C 6C6 604-320-2904 www.onetouch.ca/english/index.asp LifeScan Canada Ltd. is committed to improving the quality of life for people with diabetes and have created a unique system of products and services tailored to meet the needs of people with diabetes and health care professionals. As a leader in blood glucose monitoring and customer care, LifeScan is working to bring important advances in diabetes care.

LightIntegra Technology 4401 West 9th Avenue, Vancouver, BC V6R 2C9 604-827-5993 www.lightintegra.com LightIntegra Technology Inc. is an emerging medical device company. LightIntegra’s ThromboLUX technology measures the entire spectrum of particles in blood plasma that tells the story of the donor’s health or the quality of a platelet or plasma product for transfusion. Particle types such as platelets, microparticles and bacteria each have a characteristic profile. Fast, simultaneous access to platelet and microparticle profiles through LightIntegra’s ThromboLUX technology provides clinical information that can save lives. Neoteric Technology Limited 206-1099 West 8th Ave, Vancouver, BC V6H 1C3 604-742-3820 www.neoterictech.com Neoteric Technology Ltd was founded in 1997 with the objective of helping hospital laboratories reduce bottlenecks in the management of samples and patient information in the laboratory. Since then, Neoteric has grown into a world leader in patient safety with the goal to make healthcare safer for the patient, simpler for the caregiver and less expensive for the organization. Neovasc Inc. #2135-13700 Mayfield Place, Richmond, BC V6V 2E4 604-270-4344 www.neovasc.com Neovasc provides innovative medical device solutions for vascular intervention. We develop and market a suite of products to advance the treatment of heart and vascular disease. Premier Diagnostic Health Services Inc. 300 – 3185 Willingdon Green, Burnaby, BC V5G 4P3 604-678-9115 www.premierdiagnostics.ca Our business is advanced molecular imaging that provides physicians and healthcare professionals with the early and accurate detection of cancer and other diseases. Our core technology is state-of-theart PET-CT scanning, universally acknowledged as the gold standard in diagnostic imaging.

Progressive Health Innovations Inc. 293 Harvard Drive, Port Moody, BC V3H 1S9 604-644-9971 www.progressivehealth.ca Progressive Health Innovations Incorporated (PHI) is a health technology company that develops user-friendly and affordable products for the rehabilitation, sports medicine and ﬁtness markets. Romich Biotechnology Fund Inc. 15157 Roper Avenue, White Rock, BC V4B 5C9 604-531-8707 www.romichmedical.com Romich Biotechnology Fund Inc.’s (RBF) primary goal is to facilitate the commercialization of innovative medical devices by leveraging the technology of early stage medical device companies. RBF identiﬁes start-up companies that have a proven platform technology and then license the technology for another unexplored medical indication.

StarFish Medical #5 – 555 Ardersier Road, Victoria, BC V8Z 1C8 250-388-3537 www.starﬁshmedical.com StarFish provides medical device development services, from business, market, and product planning to proof of concept to manufactured devices. Our focus is on great design. Successful development projects include high frequency ultrasound eye imaging devices, specialty ophthalmic instruments, a knee brace, a lumbar traction system, an electrosurgical device, a radiotherapy calibration system, and lab automation equipment. Verathon Medical (Canada) ULC 4224 Manor Street, Burnaby, BC V5G 1B2 604-439-3009 www.verathon.com Verathon® (formerly Diagnostic Ultrasound Corporation) designs, manufactures and distributes reliable, state-of-the-art medical devices and services that offer a meaningful improvement in patient care to the health care community.

Scientiﬁc Suppliers

Sorin Group Canada Inc., Mitroflow Division 5005 North Fraser Way, Burnaby, BC V5J 5M1 604-412-5650 www.mitroflow.com The Mitroflow Division of Sorin Group Canada Inc. is part of the Sorin Group, a leader in medical technology focused on the development of products used to treat cardiovascular diseases. The Mitroflow Aortic Pericardial Heart Valve is made from biological material derived from bovine tissue and normally requires no long-term anticoagulant therapy, making it preferable for many patients. Mitroflow provides quality-of-life solutions in line with patients’ needs.

Airgas Nor Pac 11900 NE 95th Street, Vancouver, WA 98682 USA 360-944-4000 www.airgas.com Canadian Life Science Inc. 365 Lansdowne Street East, Peterborough, ON K9J 6X9 888-226-2775 www.lifescience.ca STEMCELL Technologies Inc. 400 – 570 West 7th Avenue, Vancouver, BC V5Z 1B3 604-877-0713 www.stemcell.com VWR International Ltd. 2360 Argentia Road, Mississauga, ON V6L 1E6 800-765-3316 www.vwrcanlab.com

Other Arbutus Dental Centre #203 – 4255 Arbutus Street, Vancouver, BC V6J 4R1 604-731-4188

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BIV Magazines

3/22/11 7:53:25 PM

LIFESCIENCES BRITISH COLUMBIA AWARDS

From curiosity to discovery

ach year, LifeSciences British Columbia presents the LifeSciences British Columbia

Awards to individuals and organizations that have contributed outstandingly to the development of the industry. “This year’s awards theme, ‘From curiosity to discovery,’ reﬂects that the smallest ideas can blossom into major innovations that make a huge impact on our lives,” Don Enns, president of LifeSciences BC, has commented. The 2011 LifeSciences BC Awards are presented by Farris, Vaughan, Wills & Murphy, LLP; Genome British Columbia; Canada’s Research-Based Pharmaceutical Companies (Rx&D); and media sponsor Business in Vancouver Magazines. They are an oﬃcial event of the British Columbia Year of Science. The Lifetime Achievement Award has been renamed the Dr. Don Rix Award for Lifetime Achievement, in recognition of Rix’s contributions as a medical practitioner, entrepreneur and philanthropist. Rix pioneered the establishment of B.C.’s life-science industry, becoming himself an icon thereof. In 2011, LifeSciences BC recognized the following distinguished recipients.

Michael Hayden Genome British Columbia Award for Scientific Excellence Michael Hayden, director and senior scientist at the Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics at the Child & Family Research Institute, is one of the world’s most recognized genetic scientists. His scientific excellence has helped attract over 500 million in research funding to British Columbia and put the province on the international map as a life-science hub. Having translated many of his discoveries into patient treatments, Hayden is a Killam Professor at the University of British Columbia who has successfully bridged the gap between bench and bedside. Hayden has worked tirelessly to understand how gene mutations can cause diseases such as Huntington’s, to identify genes causing such disorders as Type 2 diabetes and to develop better treatments. He has catalyzed the development and clinical trials of a drug that will offer much-needed relief for millions suffering from lupus nephritis. His research also provides scientific bases and novel approaches for treating pain, obesity, iron overload and anemia. Having co-founded Xenon, Aspreva Pharmaceuticals Corp. and NeuroVir Inc., he currently serves Xenon as as chief scientific officer. Hayden has spearheaded endowments in global health, mental health, rare diseases and biotechnology. In 2008, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research

named him Researcher of the Year. To the mental-health and rare-diseases endowments that came as part of that award, Pﬁzer Canada Inc. added 700,000. Hayden launched an initiative to build a community centre for children at risk from AIDS in Cape Town, South Africa, that Desmond Tutu opened in July 2010. He was appointed a member of the Order of Canada in January 2011.

André Marziali Innovation & Achievement Award One of B.C.’s most innovative scientists, André Marziali has made contributions from developing novel technologies to training of highly skilled persons to proving himself, most recently, a successful entrepreneur. In 1998, he established the Applied Biophysics Laboratory (ABL) at the University of British Columbia, which he continues to lead. In 2000, he created the Genome BC Technology Development Platform (TDP), and in 2007, he founded Boreal Genomics Inc. In 2004, he and Lorne Whitehead invented a novel electrophoretic method for molecule motion. Through several additional inventions, Marziali and his team at ABL developed this concept into SCODA, a breakthrough technology for DNA puriﬁcation the and basis for the founding of Boreal. This invention is unique in allowing, BIV Magazines

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LIFESCIENCES BRITISH COLUMBIA AWARDS

for the first time, the use of electric fields to increase the concentration of nucleic acids on a large scale for preparative work. A compelling demonstration of its power was a metagenomic analysis of organisms in the Athabasca oilsands with Canada’s Michael Smith Genome Sciences Centre that would have been impossible without it. Demand for the technology was such that Boreal could sell prototypes immediately following its incorporation, achieving several more breakthrough demonstrations of performance in biodefence, plant science and environmental genomics. These demonstrations paved the way for research contracts totalling over 10 million, following which Boreal grew to more than 25 employees at present count and became positioned to release its first product and secure 6.9 million in venture financing in October 2010. Boreal is now in beta release of its Aurora product with leaders in forensics, biodefence and metagenomics. This technology is enabling new research by allowing users to extract DNA from previously unusable samples. StarFish Medical Medical Device Company of the Year 2010 was a dramatic year for StarFish Medical, a company that excels at helping companies in B.C. and around the world develop and commercialize novel medical devices by designing products that marry technology with human-centric design. Numerous B.C. companies such as Novadaq Technologies Inc., Boreal Genomics, Stemcell Technologies, Biolux Research Ltd., LightIntegra Technology Inc., Optima and Pyng Medical Corp. have relied on Starfish’s expertise to develop and/or manufacture a broad range of devices, making Starfish a principal part of the success of these companies and a key contributor to the province’s life sciences. In 2010, the growth of Starfish’s revenue by more than 50 per cent allowed the hiring of more than 15 new engineering staff. Starfish also received two design awards that increased its international acclaim: the Red Dot Award for its work on the Biolux OsseoPulse, and an award for Design of the Year from I.D. magazine for its work on a VisionAid device for AMD therapy. 2010 also saw the establishment 46

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of new offices in two American cities and the implementation of a new management structure in the company’s productdevelopment group. Starfish is known for a strong culture that has been featured on the front page of The Business Examiner and earned the group a place among the Best Companies to Work for in BC. Paul Geyer Leadership Award For almost 20 years, Paul Geyer has been a leader in B.C.’s medical-device industry, playing a large part in the development of life sciences into what they are today. Geyer has a lengthy track record of founding and running local medicaldevice companies. In 1991, he founded Mitroflow International Inc. and, as president and chief executive officer, grew it from nine to 125 employees as it commercialized various tissue heartvalve products. In 1999, the company was named one of B.C.’s 50 Fastest-Growing Companies and sold to Sulzer Medica for over 50 million. Geyer received the 1998 Entrepreneur of the Year Award from the Richmond Chamber of Commerce. In 1999, Business in Vancouver named him one of the 40 Under 40 business persons in B.C. Geyer went on to found Medical Ventures Corp. (now Neovasc Inc.), a vascular-device company. There he was responsible for raising over 37 million in equity financing and expanded the company’s portfolio through internal development and the acquisition of three other companies. Today, Geyer is CEO of LightIntegra Inc., chairman of Neovasc and an active angel investor in technology and life sciences. Geyer has served on the board of directors of Science World British Columbia since 2003. He was actively involved in establishing a life-science gallery there called BodyWorks and from 2007 to 2010 held the position of chairman. Paul has also established a private foundation that is actively involved in projects supporting a number of different organizations including World Vision, Red Cross, Salvation Army, local public schools, Take a Hike Youth at Risk Foundation, UBC Engineering, Science World and others. He is a tireless mentor to emerging innovators and business leaders, from university students

seeking guidance on developing new devices to local CEOs enrolled in BC Excels. Judith Hall Dr. Don Rix Award for Lifetime Achievement For more than four decades, Judith Hall has been a leading light in clinical genetics and a passionate advocate for life science across B.C., Canada and the globe. Hall has profoundly advanced her field by describing previously unrecognized genetic syndromes and the natural history of numerous genetic disorders. Her name is associated with the Hall type of pseudoachondroplasia (a severe form of dwarfism) and the Hall-Pallister syndrome (a disorder that affects the developments of many parts of the body). Her work has provided important clues to researchers who have subsequently identified the genes responsible for such conditions. Many of her discoveries have translated into clinical care around the world. Hall recognized early the importance of the human genome project and fervently supported the effot to increase funding for genomics research to enable Canada to collaborate on the world stage. She played a pivotal role in creating the Canada Genome Analysis and Technology Program. For many years, she was vice-chair of Genome Canada. This work helped pave the way for the creation of Genome BC. Life-science and health-related organizations throughout the world have called upon her expertise. She has served as consultant to the United Nations Scientific Committee on Effects of Atomic Radiation, adviser to the National Human Genome Research Institute in the United States, a Canadian Science and Technology Advisor and chair of the Science Advisory Board of Health Canada. A founding member of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences, she has served on the boards or councils of the Gairdner Foundation, the Medical Research Council of Canada, the Canadian Institute of Academic Medicine, the International Federation of Human Genetics, the Children’s Miracle Network both in Canada and in the U.S. and the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. In 1998, she became a companion of the Order of Canada. Ą

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At OncoGenex it is our mission to advance novel products for the treatment of patients with cancer through partnerships with organizations that share our commitment. TVG’s global BioPartnering network provides us with the access and environment to accomplish these goals. Scott Cormack | President and CEO, OncoGenex Pharmaceuticals

We are your network in a global life science world TVG’s Global Conference Network includes leading international events in the US, Canada, Europe, China, Latin America, India, and Australia. This network allows life science companies to access global innovation, raise new sources of capital, and tap into skilled workforces around the world. Connect with your global partners at these industry leading conferences:

May 4-6, 2011 Bangalore, India

May 24-26, 2011 Napa, CA, USA

October 16-19, 2011 Adelaide, South Australia Produced by: AusBiotech

September 18-20, 2011 São Paulo, Brazil

December 4-6, 2011 Beijing, China

October 9-11, 2011 London, United Kingdom

February 26-28, 2012 Vancouver, BC, Canada

www.techvision.com

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1-877-237-9444 www.worldcourier.com

GxP Compliance in the World Courier Network

About GxP “GxP” is a collective term for the Good Practice quality guidelines and regulations used in many ﬁelds, encompassing such internationally-recognized standards as GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice), GCP (Good Clinical Practice), GSP (Good Storage Practice) and GDP (Good Distribution Practice). These guidelines are designed to ensure that products are safe, meet their intended use and, in regulated industries such as drugs, food, medical devices and cosmetics, adhere to quality processes during manufacturing, control, storage and distribution.

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Our Position World Courier acknowledges the critical role that Good Practice plays in servicing its biopharmaceutical customers. It remains dedicated to ensuring company GxP compliance at a worldwide organizational level as it relates to the transport and storage of investigational drugs, biological samples and additional supplies used in global clinical trials.

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Company Abnousi Amgen BC Centre for Excellence Bio Talent BIV BRI Biopharmaceutical Canister Canreg Cardiome Deloitte Emergo Group Eppendorf Ernst & Young Evasco Farabloc Genome BC Globe Labs Gowlings heartForce IG MicroMed Merck Canada Michael Smith Genome Oyen Wiggs Pfizer PrioNet Rick Hansen roche Sanofi-Aventis Smart & Biggar Sorine Group Tees Consulting Triumf TVG UBC Science Co-op World Courier Xenon Zalicus

Page URL pg 42 www.abnousi.com pg 13 www.amgen.ca pg 31 www.cfenet.ubc.ca pg 3 www.biotalent.ca pg 34 www.biv.com pg 44 www.bripharm.com pg 42 www.caistercreative.com pg 42 www.canreginc.com pg 40, 43 www.cardiome.com pg 6, 42 www.deloitte.ca pg 43 www.emergogroup.com pg 9 www.eppendorf.com pg 42 www.eycan.com pg 43 www.evysio.com pg 43 www.farabloc.com pg 7, 39 www.genomebc.ca pg 44 www.globelabs.com pg 41, 43 www.gowlings.com pg 43 www.heartforcemedical.com pg 37 www.igmicromed.com pg 2 www.merck.ca pg 24 www.bcgsc.ca pg 17, 43 www.patentable.com pg 42 www.pfizer.com pg 10 www.prionetcanada.ca pg 18, 38, 39 www.rickhansen.com/interdependance2012 pg 42 www.rochecanada.com pg 5 www.sanofi-aventis.ca; www.sanofipasteur.ca pg 43 www.smart-biggar.com pg 44 www.mitroflow.com pg 42 www.teesconsulting.com pg 15, 39 www.triumf.ca pg 47 www.techvision.com pg 22 sciencecoop.ubc.ca/hire pg 48 www.worldcourier.com pg 27 www.xenon-pharma.com pg 40 www.zalicus.com