BIV MAGAZINE
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MAKING B.C. A GLOBAL BIOTECH HUB Industry and government can achieve this by playing to strengths
ANDREW BOOTH AND MURRAY MCCUTCHEON
On the road, speed kills. But in drug development, with industry and government maximizing their respective strengths, speed is crucial to delivering life-saving drugs. This was certainly the case when AbCellera discovered the first monoclonal antibody to receive emergency use authorization for treating COVID-19. It typically takes years to go from initial discovery work to launching a human clinical trial, but AbCellera did it in 90 days. The resulting therapy, bamlanivimab, has been administered alone and together with other antibodies approximately 600,000 times worldwide, keeping tens of thousands of patients out of hospitals and saving more than 10,000 lives. While AbCellera focuses on antibody therapies, B.C.’s vibrant biotech ecosystem is making great strides across many other fields. Acuitas Therapeutics’ lipid nanoparticle technology, for instance, is at the core of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. Xenon Pharmaceuticals recently reported impressive efficacy results for its XEN1101 epilepsy drug. Zymeworks’ bispecific antibody, Zanidatamab, shows encouraging durability and response rates in treating esophageal cancer, while Stemcell Technologies has launched a range of Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) culture media, moving to support global regenerative medicine clinical trials. None of this could have happened in a vacuum. As long as the public and private sectors work together by focusing on their respective strengths, B.C.’s biotech sector will become a globally leading hub. To this end, the private sector should continue to focus on innovation and commercialization while the public sector, in turn, should support forward-thinking policies that nurture
ecosystem growth and dynamism. This is best accomplished by investing in advanced research, streamlining building permitting, improving clinical trial processes and shaping tax policy to encourage financial and intellectual property investments that support the scale-up of anchor companies in B.C. In AbCellera’s case, support from the U.S. government’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency played a key role in bamlanivimab’s development. Through a collaboration with U.S.-based Eli Lilly, the time from discovery to treatment occurred at unprecedented speed. AbCellera’s recently announced GMP manufacturing facility offers a prime example of how a public-private relationship accelerates progress. The first facility of its kind in Canada will enable AbCellera to seamlessly connect antibody discovery and development through to clinical trials. Jointly funded by the federal Strategic Innovation Fund and AbCellera, with the two parties contributing $175 million and $115 million, respectively, the facility will catalyze antibody drug development in Canada and will be a key piece of infrastructure for future pandemic response. It will also employ hundreds of scientific personnel. Together with a new 380,000-square-foot headquarters, AbCellera’s combined Vancouver footprint and leading technology platform will create a ripple effect across B.C.’s biotech ecosystem that entices the world’s best and brightest to the province and convinces Canadian leaders to stay. Recent graduates in particular will have opportunities to hone their skills and leave enduring legacies. To maximize these opportunities, we’re counting on government to create a supportive policy environment — not just for AbCellera, but for all the B.C. biotechs creating jobs, fuelling innovation and prosperity and, most importantly, saving lives and improving human health. É Andrew Booth is chief financial officer of Abcellera Biologics Inc. Murray McCutcheon is the company’s vice-president of corporate development.
AS LONG AS THE PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SECTORS WORK TOGETHER BY FOCUSING ON THEIR RESPECTIVE STRENGTHS, B.C.’S BIOTECH SECTOR WILL BECOME A GLOBALLY LEADING HUB
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2021-11-02 3:59 PM
