BIOTECanada Insights Magazine Spring 2020

Canada’s voice for biotechnology / Canada’s voice for biotechnology / Le porte-parole canadien de la biotechnologie Le porte-parole canadien de la biotechnologie

PM 43136012

Canada's National BioVectraInaugural Inc. announces a $144.6 million expansion project / BioVectra Inc. Biotechnology Summit / Lancement annonce un sommet projet d’expansion de du premier national de 144,6 M$  pageau 24Canada  p.52 biotechnologie

Potential of growth for anchor companies A Progressive View on Developing Canada’s in the Canadian life sciences industry / Leadership Expertise / Une vision moderne de la mise en place d’une expertise gestion L’importance des firmes d’ancrageendans au Canada  page 72 des sciences de la l’industrie canadienne vie  p.26

2019

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CONTENTS / TABLE DES MATIÈRES 12

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MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT AND CEO

20 PARTNERSHIPS / PARTENARIATS

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MESSAGE DU PRÉSIDENT ET CHEF DE LA DIRECTION

Stimuler la réussite des soins de santé par la recherche en biotechnologie et la collaboration avec le milieu

par Andrew Casey, BIOTECanada

by/par Brian Health, vice President and General Manager / vice-président et directeur général, Amgen Canada Inc.

DEPARTMENTS / SECTIONS 12 TALENT / TALENT Unlocking innovation with investments in talent Investir dans le talent pour stimuler l’innovation by/par Rob Henderson, President and CEO / Président - Directeur Général, BioTalent Canada

16 Canada’s Global Life Sciences Venture. Our Role in Bolstering the Competitiveness of the Canada Economy Entreprise mondiale des sciences de la vie au Canada : Notre rôle dans le renforcement de la compétitivité de l’économie canadienne by/par Gordon C. McCauley, President and CEO / président et chef de la direction, adMare BioInnovations

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Driving Healthcare Success Through Biotech Research and Community Collaboration

by Andrew Casey, BIOTECanada

26 INVESTMENTS / INVESTISSEMENTS Potential of growth for anchor companies in the Canadian life sciences industry

Possibilité de croissance pour les entreprises pivots de l’industrie canadienne des sciences de la vie

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by Didier Leconte, Vice President, Investments, Life Sciences and Funds of funds / Vice-président aux investissements - Sciences de la vie et gestion des fonds

32 NEXT GEN TECHNOLOGY / TECHNOLOGIE DE NOUVELLE GÉNÉRATION Collaborating in life sciences: the key to success for IRICoR towards a prosperous economy!

Collaborer en sciences de la vie : la clé du succès pour IRICoR vers une économie prospère! by/par the IRICoR team / l’équipe d’IRICoR

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DEPARTMENTS / SECTIONS

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40 20 years in, Genome Canada welcomes new president and exciting future Fiere de ses 20 ans, GÊnome Canada voit l’avenir en grand avec un nouveau prÊsident keda Canada : Un chef de file spÊcialisÊ du secteur biopharmaceutique

spring / printemps 2020 Published for/PubliĂŠ pour :

1, rue Nicholas St., Suite/bureau 600 Ottawa, ON  K1N 7B7 Tel: 613-230-5585  Fax: 613-563-8850 www.biotech.ca EDITOR IN CHIEF/RÉDACTRICE EN CHEF : Nadine Lunt

by/par Helen Murphy

46 Novartis is taking the promise of cell and gene therapy to new heights

Novartis porte les promesses des thĂŠrapies cellulaires et geeniques vers de nouveaux sommets

TRANSLATION/TRADUCTION : Sophie Campbell Published by/PubliĂŠ par :

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55 Murray Street / Suite 108 Ottawa, Ontario  K1N 5M3 613-234-8468 www.gordongroup .com

by/par Daniel HĂŠbert, Country Medical Head, Oncology, Novartis Pharmaceuticals Canada /chef mĂŠdical national, Oncologie, Novartis Pharma Canada Inc.

CREATIVE DIRECTOR/ DIRECTEUR DE CRÉATION : James Welsh GRAPHIC DESIGNER/GRAPHISTE: Louise Casavant

48 The future of cell and gene therapies for patients is now

PROJECT MANAGER/DIRECTRICE DE PROJET : Terry McMillan

L’avenir des thÊrapies cellulaires et gÊniques pour les patients, c’est maintenant

DIRECTOR OF ADVERTISING SALES/ DIRECTEUR, VENTES PUBLICITAIRES : Stephan Pigeon

by /par Brent Warner, Vice President, Gene Therapy, Novartis Pharmaceuticals Canada, Inc. / vice-prĂŠsident, ThĂŠrapie gĂŠnique, Novartis Pharma Canada inc.

Š 2020 BIOTECanada insights. Any errors, omissions or opinions found in this magazine should not be attributed to the publisher. The authors, the publisher and the collaborating organizations will not assume any responsibility for commercial loss due to business decisions made based on the information contained in this magazine. No part of this publication may be reproduced, reprinted, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in part or whole, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written consent of the publisher.

52 ROADMAP Canada’s Inaugural National Biotechnology Summit Lancement du premier sommet national de biotechnologie au Canada by/par BIOTECanada

ON THE COVER / EN COUVERTURE

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Spring / Printemps biotech.ca

The origins and rapid spread of the COVID-19 virus serve to underscore just how connected our health is to population and economic growth.

Given COVID-19, BIOTECanada and its BIONATION partners (adMare BioInnovations, Amgen, BioTalent Canada, Fonds de solidaritĂŠ FTQ, Genome Canada, IRICoR, and Novartis) will be selecting a new date for this gathering in Ottawa.

In the meantime please visit our site - biotech.ca for all of the latest industry news regarding COVID-19.

spring / printemps 2020

L’origine et la propagation rapide de la COVID-19 font ressortir à quel point notre santÊ est liÊe à la croissance dÊmographique et Êconomique. Dans cet esprit, BIOTECanada et ses partenaires du sommet BIONATION (adMare BioInnovations, Amgen, BioTalent Canada, le Fonds de solidaritÊ FTQ, Genome Canada, IRICoR, et Novartis) trouveront une nouvelle date pour tenir cet ÊvÊnement à Ottawa. Entretemps, reportez-vous à notre site Web – biotech.ca – pour connaÎtre les dernières nouvelles de l’industrie au sujet de la COVID-19.

BIOTECanada

Š 2020 BIOTECanada insights. Aucune erreur ou omission dÊcelÊe dans ce magazine ou aucune opinion qui y est exprimÊe ne doit être imputÊe à l’Êditeur. Les auteurs, l’Êditeur et les organismes qui ont collaborÊ à la publication rejettent toute responsabilitÊ à l’Êgard des Êventuelles pertes commerciales pouvant dÊcouler de dÊcisions d’affaires prises à la lumière des renseignements contenus dans ce magazine.

Il est interdit de reproduire, de rÊimprimer, d’emmagasiner dans un système de recherche documentaire ou de transmettre cette publication en tout ou en partie, sous quelque forme ou par quelque moyen que ce soit (Êlectronique, mÊcanique, photocopie, enregistrement ou autre), sans avoir obtenu au prÊalable le consentement Êcrit de l’Êditeur.

Publication Mail Agreement #/ NumÊro de convention de Poste-publication : #43136012 Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to: Retourner les numÊros non distribuables à une adresse canadienne à : 55 Murray Street / Suite 108 Ottawa, Ontario  K1N 5M3 Printed in Canada/ImprimÊ au Canada.

Please recycle where facilities exist/ Veuillez recycler lĂ oĂš ce service existe.

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Ag-West Bio bridges research and commercialization in Saskatchewan by linking early-stage bioscience companies with the resources they need to bring their ideas to life.

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MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT AND CEO

by Andrew Casey, BIOTECanada

IT IS TRULY ASTOUNDING HOW QUICKLY AND SIGNIFICANTLY THE WORLD HAS BEEN ALTERED IN A FEW WEEKS. This publication was set to go to print in early March as part of the BIONATION 2020 Summit.

The global spread of the COVID-19 virus clearly altered those plans.

The BIONATION Summit was to showcase the potential of biotechnology innovation in addressing the health and environmental challenges facing society as the world’s population grows to 10 billion people. If anything, the rapid spread of the COVID-19 virus underscores just how connected our health is to population and economic growth and the interconnected nature of the global economy.

Without question, there will be more COVID-19 like types of events which will continually impact humans, crops and animals. Our ability to solve for them will become increasingly important over the years to come. Society must find ways to both mitigate and adapt to the reality of the pressures challenging our planet and population. Ultimately, global society will have to live, grow, and manufacture, more efficiently and effectively. Biotechnology will play a central role in delivering innovative solutions that will help societies and economies both mitigate and adapt.

Canada’s history of innovation in biotechnology has led to the

establishment of a thriving biotech ecosystem. From the discovery of insulin to the development of an Ebola vaccine, the sector has contributed to the betterment of life for Canadians and the world.

Canadian researchers discovered stem cells and the Cystic Fibrosis gene, developed canola and created a non-browning apple. Our entrepreneurs have built companies that produce clean jet fuel from an agricultural crop, biotherapeutics for the treatment of cancer and a technology that captures carbon dioxide from coal-fired plants.

In a world where one week feels like a year, there is no telling just how or when the COVID-19 crisis will ultimately be overcome. During the early days of this crisis Canadian biotech companies Abcellera, Medicago and VIDO Intervac have shown great promise in delivering solutions. Ultimately, when we do emerge at the other end of this dark period, perhaps a silver lining will be the role Canadian science and innovation played in producing a vaccine or therapeutic for COVID-19 and others to come.

Whether it is measured in weeks or months we will get through this crisis. When that time comes I look forward to continuing to work together on growing Canada’s biotech ecosystem. Until then, I wish all of you and your families the best of health.

Ultimately, when we do emerge at the other end of this dark period, perhaps a silver lining will be the role Canadian science and innovation played in producing a vaccine or therapeutic for COVID-19 and others to come.

biotech.ca

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MESSAGE DU PRÉSIDENT ET CHEF DE LA DIRECTION par Andrew Casey, BIOTECanada

IL EST PARTICULIÈREMENT PÉTRIFIANT DE CONSTATER À QUEL POINT LE MONDE A PROFONDÉMENT CHANGÉ EN QUELQUES SEMAINES.

Le cours de l’innovation en biotechnologie au Canada a mené à la création d’un écosystème prospère des biotechnologies. De la découverte de

Le présent numéro du magazine devait aller chez l’imprimeur au début de mars, à temps pour le sommet BIONATION de 2020, mais la propagation à l’échelle mondiale de la COVID-19 a de toute évidence modifié ces plans.

Le sommet BIONATION devait mettre en vedette le potentiel des innovations en biotechnologie pour relever les défis en matière de santé et d’environnement auxquels est confrontée la société alors que la population mondiale atteint 10 milliards de personnes. La dissémination fulgurante du coronavirus fait ressortir à quel point notre santé est liée à la croissance démographique et économique et combien tout se tient dans l’économie mondiale.

Il ne fait pas de doute que d’autres événements tels que la pandémie de COVID-19 continueront d’avoir un impact sur les humains, les cultures et les animaux. Dans les années à venir, il sera de plus en plus important d’avoir la capacité d’apporter des solutions à ces problèmes. La société doit trouver des moyens tant pour atténuer les pressions qui s’exercent sur notre planète et notre population que pour s’y adapter. À terme, la société mondiale devra apprendre à vivre, prospérer et produire avec une efficacité accrue. La biotechnologie jouera un rôle central dans la mise au point de solutions innovantes pour aider les sociétés et les économies en ce sens.

l’insuline jusqu’à la mise au point d’un vaccin contre le virus Ebola, le secteur a contribué à améliorer la vie des populations canadienne et mondiale.

Des chercheurs canadiens sont responsables de la découverte des cellules souches et du gène de la fibrose kystique, de l’invention du canola et de la création d’une pomme qui ne brunit pas. Nos entrepreneurs ont bâti des entreprises qui produisent du carburéacteur propre à partir de matières agricoles, des produits biothérapeutiques pour le traitement du cancer et une technologie qui capte le dioxyde de carbone des centrales au charbon.

Au bout du compte, quand toute cette période noire sera chose du passé, il nous restera peut-être comme seul réconfort le rôle que la science et l’innovation canadiennes auront joué dans le développement d’un vaccin ou d’un traitement contre ce virus et d’autres à venir.

Dans un monde où une semaine peut sembler aussi longue qu’une année, personne ne sait au juste ni comment ni quand nous finirons par surmonter la crise de la COVID-19.

Depuis les débuts, les entreprises de biotechnologies canadiennes Abcellera, Medicago et VIDO Intervac semblent en bonne voie de livrer des solutions.

Au bout du compte, quand toute cette période noire sera chose du passé, il nous restera peut-être comme seul réconfort le rôle que la science et l’innovation canadiennes auront joué dans le développement d’un vaccin ou d’un traitement contre ce virus et d’autres à venir.

Même s’il faudra des semaines, voire des mois, nous nous sortirons de cette crise. Quand ce moment viendra, je serai ravi de continuer à collaborer à la croissance de l’écosystème des biotechnologies du Canada. Entretemps, je vous souhaite à tous, ainsi qu’à vos familles, une bonne santé.

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federal perspective Talent le point de vue fédéral

Unlocking Innovation With Investments in Talent Investir dans le talent pour stimuler l’innovation

by Rob Henderson, President and CEO, BioTalent Canada par Rob Henderson, Président - Directeur Général, BioTalent Canada

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spring / printemps 2020

BIOTECanada

federal perspective Talent le point de vue fédéral

FOR THE SMALL- AND MEDIUM-SIZED ENTERPRISES THAT MAKE UP CANADA’S BIO-ECONOMY, BRINGING innovations to market means overcoming two key challenges – access to capital and access to talent. For most employers, addressing the challenge of capital is top of mind, often leaving them to neglect the positive impact finding the right talent can have for their growth.

When companies opt to invest in human capital first, they quickly realize the benefits to their bottom line.

Investing in attracting, retaining and nurturing talent makes an organization better suited to meet both long- and short-term business objectives. Without people, there can be no science.

As the HR partner for the Canadian bioscience sector, BioTalent Canada works closely with its stakeholders to provide thought leadership and HR solutions to help bio-economy employers navigate the challenges of recruitment and retention. Our initiatives focus on three key areas: • Labour market intelligence • Professional development • Talent management IDENTIFYING TRENDS TO ADDRESS INDUSTRY NEEDS Gathering up-to-date labour market information is critical for understanding the biotech sector’s current human resource landscape and to move forward in developing new strategies to help alleviate existing and future labour market challenges.

BioTalent Canada has published over 20 reports since 2007 that highlight the challenges and opportunities in an ever-evolving industry – to help bio-economy employers access evidence-based data to grow their businesses.

Currently, BioTalent Canada is conducting a national study to address current and future skills shortages and encourage strategic workforce planning within the bioeconomy. This new study, which will build and expand upon the basline data from the 2013 labour market study Sequencing the Data, aligns with the Government of Canada’s Health and Bioscience Economic Strategy Table (HBEST) which recommended creating a focal point for gathering and disseminating evergreen labour market information for Canada to attract global talent, create more jobs and become a top global health and bioscience hub.

This comprehensive study will result in the publication of several reports on a national and regional level – as well as a focus on three key bio-economy hubs in Canada (Vancouver, Toronto, and Montreal).

To participate in this study, visit – Biotalent.ca/LMIStudy.

DEVELOPING SKILLS FOR SUCCESS According to a recent study, 76% of bio-economy employers look for interpersonal and communication skills in new

POUR LES PETITES ET MOYENNES ENTREPRISES DE LA BIOÉCONOMIE CANADIENNE, LA MISE EN MARCHÉ DES innovations pose deux défis majeurs : l’accès au capital et l’accès au talent. Pour la plupart des employeurs, accéder au capital est une priorité, ce qui les pousse souvent à négliger les retombées positives que le fait de trouver les bons candidats peut avoir sur leur croissance.

Les entreprises qui choisissent d’investir en priorité dans le capital humain en constatent rapidement les effets sur leurs résultats.

En investissant dans l’acquisition, la rétention et l’éclosion des talents, une entreprise est mieux à même d’atteindre ses objectifs commerciaux à court et à long terme. Car il n’y a pas de science sans humains. À titre de partenaire en ressources humaines du secteur canadien de la bioscience, BioTalent CanadaMC collabore étroitement avec les divers acteurs du milieu pour offrir un leadership éclairé et des solutions qui aident les employeurs à surmonter les obstacles au recrutement et à la rétention. Voici les trois principaux volets de nos initiatives : • Analyse du marché du travail • Formation du personnel • Gestion du talent

CIBLER LES TENDANCES POUR RÉPONDRE AUX BESOINS DU SECTEUR La collecte d’information récente sur le marché du travail est essentielle pour brosser un portrait juste des ressources humaines dans le secteur des biotechnologies et favoriser l’élaboration de nouvelles stratégies permettant d’aplanir les obstacles actuels et futurs dans le marché du travail.

BioTalent Canada a publié depuis 2007 plus de 20 rapports qui jettent un éclairage sur les défis et débouchés d’un secteur en constante évolution. Ces données probantes aident les employeurs de la bioéconomie à favoriser la croissance de leurs entreprises.

En ce moment, BioTalent Canada mène une étude nationale sur les pénuries de main-d’œuvre qualifiée actuelles et futures afin d’encourager la planification stratégique de la maind’œuvre au sein de la bioéconomie. Cette nouvelle étude approfondira et élargira les données de base tirées de l’étude Séquençage des données, menée en 2013 sur le marché du travail. Elle cadre avec les recommandations de la table sectorielle de stratégies économiques sur les sciences biologiques et la santé du gouvernement canadien, qui préconise la création d’un point de convergence à la collecte et la diffusion de l’information évolutive sur le marché du travail afin que le Canada puisse attirer des candidats étrangers, créer davantage d’emplois et compter parmi les principaux carrefours mondiaux en santé et en biosciences.

Cette étude exhaustive conduira à la publication de plusieurs rapports à l’échelle nationale et régionale, et attirera l’attention sur les trois principaux carrefours bioéconomiques du Canada (Vancouver, Toronto et Montréal).

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Talent

hires, yet more than 50% of companies report they are experiencing skills deficiencies in their teams.

While new graduates have developed qualifications in the classroom and lab, they often lack the essential skills employers are looking for in new hires. While the importance of these skills is often neglected, the benefits for individuals entering their first career, as well as those who have already established their careers, are substantial.

To address these skills shortages, BioTalent Canada is working with both industry and academia to develop a series of online courses focused on essential skills training. This unique training program will help individuals develop learning fundamentals in reading, writing, numeracy, document use, critical thinking, digital technology, oral communication, working with others and continuous learning –equipping them for the workplace.

FUNDING FOR GROWTH There are many channels for companies to seek capital to develop innovations – angel investors, venture firms, even government grants. While these funding opportunities can help bring an organization closer to commercialization, they don’t usually help with building the talent base needed to reach success in a globally competitive industry.

BioTalent Canada delivers several programs to directly support businesses in their efforts to attract and retain highly-skilled talent. Since 2005, more than 4,000 job seekers have been placed in new jobs the bio-economy through funding programs for human capital.

Funding programs offered through BioTalent Canada not only help offset the costs of onboarding new talent, they help employers develop young talent to drive their innovations.

Among the most successful programs, the recent Student

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spring / printemps 2020

BIOTECanada

Pour prendre part à cette étude, visitez https://www. biotalent.ca/fr/national-labour-market-information-study/.

DÉVELOPPER LES COMPÉTENCES REQUISES POUR RÉUSSIR Selon une récente étude, 76 % des employeurs de la bioéconomie recherchent des compétences interpersonnelles et communicationnelles chez les nouveaux candidats.

Pourtant, plus de 50 % des entreprises observent des lacunes au sein de leurs équipes.

Les nouveaux diplômés acquièrent des qualifications en classe ou en laboratoire, mais il leur manque en général les compétences essentielles valorisées par les employeurs.

L’importance de ces compétences est souvent négligée alors qu’elles présentent pourtant pour les travailleurs, débutants ou aguerris, de grands avantages.

Pour pallier les pénuries de main-d’œuvre qualifiée, BioTalent Canada collabore avec des acteurs du secteur et du milieu universitaire à la création d’une série de cours en ligne sur la formation de ces compétences essentielles. Ce programme de formation unique préparera les futurs candidats à intégrer le milieu de travail en leur permettant d’acquérir les notions essentielles portant sur la lecture, la rédaction, la numératie, l’utilisation de la documentation, la pensée critique, la technologie numérique, la communication orale, le travail d’équipe et l’apprentissage continu.

INVESTIR DANS LA CROISSANCE Les investisseurs providentiels, les sociétés de capital de risque et même les subventions publiques sont autant de parties permettant aux entreprises de lever les capitaux nécessaires à l’innovation. Bien que ces sources de financement aident à rapprocher l’entreprise de la commercialisation, elles ne l’aident habituellement pas à bâtir la réserve de ressources humaines nécessaire pour réussir dans un secteur concurrentiel à l’échelle mondiale.

BioTalent Canada offre plusieurs programmes pour soutenir directement les entreprises qui cherchent à attirer et à retenir des candidats hautement qualifiés. Depuis 2005, nous avons réussi à placer plus de 4 000 chercheurs d’emploi en bioéconomie grâce à des programmes de financement axés sur le capital humain.

Les programmes de financement offerts par BioTalent Canada contribuent non seulement à compenser les coûts d’intégration des nouveaux employés, mais ils aident aussi les employeurs à former les jeunes candidats qui piloteront leurs innovations.

Le récent Programme de placements étudiants fait partie des initiatives les plus fructueuses. Plus de 1 100 étudiants de niveau postsecondaire ont eu la chance d’acquérir de l’expérience auprès de plus de 370 employeurs en biotechnologie.

Dans l’optique de combler le fossé qui sépare le milieu universitaire du secteur, le programme offre aux étudiants

federal perspective Talent le point de vue fédéral

Work Placement Program has helped over 1,100 postsecondary students gain career-ready experience with over 370 different biotech employers.

Intended to help bridge the gap between industry and academia, the program provides students with first-hand experience while enhancing their job-readiness. For biotech employers, the program helps alleviate their concerns with investing in the hiring of students with little-to-no experience.

The Student Work Placement Program and other talent funding opportunities are currently accepting applications from employers.

GROWING THE INDUSTRY TOGETHER For an organization whose mandate is advancing the industry through the development of highly skilled people, it is always exciting to see skills and talent play such a pivotal role in the growth of Canada’s bio-economy.

BioTalent Canada’s partnership network has brought together more than 60 bio-economy employers, national and provincial industry associations, municipalities, post-secondary institutions, service providers and immigrant serving agencies, all working to strengthen the Canadian bio-economy through skills development.

The organization remains committed to working with stakeholders to help Canadian innovation flourish on a global stage and working with partners like BIOTECanada on initiatives like BIONATION to help shape the future of biotech in Canada.

d’acquérir de l’expérience concrète, ainsi que les compétences nécessaires pour faciliter leur entrée sur le marché du travail. Le programme aide les employeurs en biotechnologie à atténuer les difficultés relatives à l’investissement pour l’embauche d’étudiants peu ou pas expérimentés.

Le Programme de placements étudiants et d’autres initiatives de promotion du talent acceptent actuellement les dossiers de candidature d’employeurs.

ENCOURAGER ENSEMBLE L’ESSOR DU SECTEUR Pour une entreprise mandatée de faire prospérer la bioéconomie canadienne par la formation d’une maind’œuvre hautement qualifiée, il est toujours stimulant de voir les compétences et le talent occuper un rôle si prépondérant.

Le Programme d’affiliation plus de BioTalent Canada réunit plus de 60 employeurs du domaine de la bioéconomie, associations nationales et régionales, municipalités, établissements postsecondaires, fournisseurs de services et organismes de services aux immigrants qui travaillent à renforcer la bioéconomie canadienne par le développement des compétences.

BioTalent Canada reste déterminée à collaborer avec les acteurs du milieu pour favoriser l’essor de l’innovation canadienne sur la scène internationale et à travailler avec des partenaires tels que BIOTECanada dans le cadre d’initiatives comme BIONATION pour aider à façonner l’avenir de la biotechnologie au Canada. biotech.ca

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Talent

Canada’s Global Life Sciences Venture: Our Role in Bolstering the Competitiveness of the Canada Economy Entreprise mondiale des sciences de la vie au Canada : Notre rôle dans le renforcement de la compétitivité de l’économie canadienne

by Gordon C. McCauley, President and CEO, adMare BioInnovations par Gordon C. McCauley, président et chef de la direction, adMare BioInnovations

IN CANADA, WE ARE EXCEPTIONAL AT PRODUCING INNOVATIVE RESEARCH, INCLUDING HEALTH research.

With less than 0.5 percent of the world’s population, we produce 5 percent of the world’s research publications, and hold a citation rate among the top six nations globally, one that is 43 percent higher than the global average.

And this is good news, because academic research is the spark that ignites innovation.

But a spark is both vital to, and dependent on, fuel to grow an ecosystem.

The Canadian life sciences ecosystem, including life sciences companies, investors, research funders, global pharma, governments, support services, foundations, clinicians, and of course, patients, is diverse and complex, which makes it as rich with challenges as it is with potential. adMare BioInnovations is Canada’s global life sciences venture, addressing those challenges and changing the landscape of the Canadian life sciences ecosystem from sea to sea. We do this by sourcing therapeutically and commercially promising research from leading academic and biotech partners to create new companies of scale, providing specialized expertise and infrastructure to help existing companies scale up, and driving the growth of those companies into Canadian anchors by training the next generation of highly-qualified personnel.

A foundation of adMare is the NÉOMED Innovation Center, a vibrant drug discovery hub hosting contract research organizations, biotech companies, and specialized commercialization support services and infrastructure at its state-of-the-art Montréal facilities – a dynamic business ecosystem that is stimulating collaboration and innovation, and amplifying the global competitiveness of Québec life science companies.

To amplify NÉOMED’s impact, a 50,000 sq. ft. expansion is slated for completion later this year, and a new Accelerator Program (with support from the Québec

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AU CANADA, NOUS EXCELLONS DANS LA PRODUCTION DE RECHERCHES INNOVANTES, Y COMPRIS DANS le domaine de la santé. Nous représentons moins de 0,5 p. 100 de la population mondiale, mais nous contribuons pour 5 p.

100 des publications de recherche dans le monde et nous nous classons parmi les six premières nations du monde pour notre taux de citation, ce qui est 43 p. 100 supérieur à la moyenne mondiale.

C’est là une bonne nouvelle, car la recherche universitaire est l’étincelle qui fait jaillir l’innovation.

L’étincelle est essentielle au combustible qui stimule la croissance d’un écosystème, mais elle en est aussi tributaire.

L’écosystème des sciences de la vie au Canada réunit des entreprises, des investisseurs, des bailleurs de fonds pour la recherche, des entreprises pharmaceutiques mondiales, des gouvernements, des services de soutien, des fondations, des cliniciens et, bien entendu, des patients; c’est un écosystème diversifié et complexe, ce qui le rend aussi riche en défis qu’en possibilités. adMare BioInnovations, c’est une entreprise canadienne des sciences de la vie d’envergure mondiale qui relève ces défis et qui transforme le paysage de l’écosystème des sciences de la vie au Canada, d’un océan à l’autre. Pour ce faire, nous identifions auprès de partenaires académiques et biotechnologiques de premier plan les découvertes prometteuses sur les plans thérapeutique et commercial afin de créer de nouvelles entreprises d’envergure. Nous fournissons une expertise et les infrastructures adéquates dans le but d’aider les entreprises existantes à se développer, en favorisant leur croissance afin qu’elles deviennent des piliers de l’industrie canadienne tout en formant la prochaine génération de personnel hautement qualifié.

Le centre d’innovation NÉOMED est un élément clé d’adMare. C’est un pôle dynamique de recherche de nouveaux médicaments qui accueille des organismes de recherche contractuelle, des entreprises de biotechnologie ainsi qu’une infrastructure et des services de soutien

Talent

Government and the City of Montréal) will be announced soon that will provide NÉOMED Innovation Center and broader adMare resources to six of Québec’s most exciting start-up companies.

To further support the growth and competitiveness of the Canadian life sciences ecosystem, we brought Accel-Rx, Canada’s Health Science Accelerator, under the adMare umbrella. Collectively, adMare and Accel-Rx have helped build companies that are worth over $2 billion and employ more than 700 Canadians. And now, together, we will stimulate co-investment by private investors to provide sufficient capital for early stage life sciences companies and help enable them to successfully create sustainable value in Canada.

Adding Accel-Rx’s significant expertise and capability in seed-stage investment and entrepreneur development to adMare strengthens our position as a single-stop destination with the necessary scientific, business, infrastructure and capital resources to grow and scale Canadian health related companies.

Creating life sciences companies of scale starts with identifying high-potential academic research. adMare begins with “foresighting”, whereby our team of experts use numerous means to analyze and evaluate areas of potential commercial opportunity, and identify those that could both, hold the most strategic value to us, and that could form the basis of a multiasset, financeable company of scale in Canada.

We then carry out a proactive, focused search throughout academia for researchers that may have novel therapeutic approaches that are aligned to the identified existing or anticipated interests/needs of commercial end-users (generally, investors positioned to advance a technology through clinical trials). While implementing this strategic approach, adMare also remains fully open to the presentation of opportunities directly from academic researchers who are looking to advance.

As an example, for Dr. Carolina Ilkow at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, this means adMare is supporting her pre-clinical profiling of novel oncolytic virotherapies engineered to create a “pro-immune” tumour microenvironment, and thus promote a potent antitumour immune response, through specifically developed cellular models and other in vitro efficacy evaluations.

For existing life sciences companies, adMare’s strategic collaboration offers the key to scaling up and creating anchor firms. Zymeworks Inc. is an excellent example of the transformative effects of successful collaboration. To

L’écosystème des sciences de la vie au Canada réunit des entreprises, des investisseurs, des bailleurs de fonds pour la recherche, des entreprises pharmaceutiques mondiales, des gouvernements, des services de soutien, des fondations, des cliniciens et, bien entendu, des patients; c’est un écosystème diversifié et complexe, ce qui le rend aussi riche en défis qu’en possibilités. spécialisés en commercialisation, dans ses installations ultramodernes à Montréal – c’est un écosystème d’affaires dynamique qui favorise la collaboration et l’innovation ainsi que l’accroissement de la compétitivité des entreprises québécoises du secteur des sciences de la vie.

Pour rehausser l’impact de NÉOMED, un projet d’agrandissement de 50 000 pieds carrés sera mené à bien plus tard cette année et un nouveau programme d’accélérateur (avec le soutien du gouvernement du Québec et de la Ville de Montréal), qui sera annoncé sous peu, mettra les ressources du Centre d’innovation NÉOMED et de l’entreprise élargie d’adMare à la disposition de six des jeunes entreprises de démarrage les plus intéressantes au Québec.

Pour soutenir davantage la croissance et la compétitivité de l’écosystème canadien des sciences de la vie, nous avons mis Accel-Rx, l’accélérateur des sciences de la vie au Canada, sous l’égide d’adMare. Ensemble, adMare et Accel-Rx ont contribué à la création d’entreprises d’une valeur de plus de deux milliards de dollars qui emploient plus de 700 Canadiens. Et maintenant, ensemble, nous allons stimuler l’investissement conjoint par des investisseurs privés afin de fournir suffisamment de capitaux aux entreprises des sciences de la vie en démarrage et leur permettre de créer une valeur durable au Canada.

L’ajout de l’importante expertise et de la capacité considérable d’Accel-Rx en matière d’investissement de démarrage et de développement d’entrepreneurs renforce la position d’adMare en tant que guichet unique disposant des ressources scientifiques et commerciales, infrastructurelles et biotech.ca

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The Canadian life sciences ecosystem, including life sciences companies, investors, research funders, global pharma, governments, support services, foundations, clinicians, and of course, patients, is diverse and complex, which makes it as rich with challenges as it is with potential. date, the company has raised nearly $700 million (USD).

Zymeworks’ ability to attract this level of investment is built on a combination of their own proprietary work in bi-specific antibodies for cancer, and an antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) platform spun-out of adMare under Kairos Therapeutics. Recognizing the commercial opportunity of ADCs, our team joined forces with John Babcook, a defiantly Canadian serial entrepreneurscientist to conceive, develop and validate the platform.

As Zymeworks was looking for scale-up growth to make

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financières nécessaires à la croissance et à l’expansion des entreprises canadiennes dans le domaine de la santé.

La création d’entreprises d’envergure dans le domaine des sciences de la vie commence par l’identification de la recherche universitaire à fort potentiel. adMare procède d’abord à un exercice de prospection, c’est-à-dire que son équipe d’experts analyse et évalue par divers moyens les domaines qui présentent des débouchés commerciaux possibles et relève ceux qui pourraient à la fois offrir le plus de valeur stratégique pour nous et constituer l’assise d’une entreprise d’envergure finançable à actifs multiples au Canada.

Nous effectuons ensuite une recherche proactive et ciblée dans le milieu universitaire pour trouver des chercheurs proposant de nouvelles démarches thérapeutiques qui cadrent avec les intérêts et besoins actuels ou prévus des utilisateurs finaux commerciaux (il s’agit généralement d’investisseurs en mesure de faire progresser une technologie par des essais cliniques). Tout en mettant en œuvre cette approche stratégique, adMare reste entièrement ouvert à la proposition de possibilités directement par les chercheurs universitaires désireux de faire une avancée.

Dans le cas de la Dre Carolina Ilkow de l’Institut de recherche de l’Hôpital d’Ottawa par exemple, cette démarche se traduit par le soutien de son profilage préclinique de nouvelles virothérapies oncolytiques conçues pour créer un microenvironnement « pro-immunitaire » de tumeurs et ainsi promouvoir une puissante réponse immunitaire antitumorale, grâce à des modèles cellulaires élaborés particulièrement à cette fin et d’autres évaluations d’efficacité in vitro.

Pour les entreprises en sciences de la vie existantes, la collaboration stratégique avec adMare constitue la clé de l’expansion et de la création d’entreprises piliers.

Zymeworks Inc. est un excellent exemple des effets transformateurs d’une collaboration fructueuse. À ce jour, cette entreprise a recueilli près de 700 millions de dollars américains. Si Zymeworks peut attirer ce niveau d’investissement, elle le doit à la combinaison de ses travaux exclusifs sur les anticorps bispécifiques contre le cancer et d’une plateforme de conjugués anticorpsmédicaments issue d’adMare par l’entremise de Kairos Therapeutics. Reconnaissant le potentiel commercial des conjugués, notre équipe s’est associée à John Babcook, entrepreneur-scientifique d’expérience on ne peut plus canadien, pour concevoir, développer et valider la plateforme. Alors que Zymeworks souhaitait prendre de l’expansion pour rendre son initiative plus robuste et son activité plus durable, il était tout à fait logique de combiner ses forces à celles de Babcook et de la plateforme de Kairos. La fusion de Kairos et de Zymeworks a mené à la création de la plus grande entreprise de produits biologiques du Canada en 2016.

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their pipeline more robust and their business more sustainable, combining forces with Babcook and the Kairos-built platform made considerable sense. Kairos’ and Zymeworks’ merger transaction resulted in the creation of Canada’s largest biologics company in 2016.

For the next generation of leaders willing to drive the growth of life sciences companies into strong anchors, the adMare Academy is the place to receive training and development in undergraduate, postgraduate, and executive streams. For instance, the adMare Academy Executive Institute, now running its second cohort with 18 brilliant, up and coming life science leaders. The program is supported with a $1 million contribution from Pfizer Canada and delivered in collaboration with the not-forprofit Centre for Creative Leadership, global training leaders who have been ranked among the world’s top five institutions for executive education by Bloomberg Businessweek and the Financial Times.

There is an exciting future ahead, one of deepening competitiveness for Canada and unprecedented economic growth in the life sciences industry. With a commitment to collaboration and bold action, Canada will be a top three hub on the global life sciences stage by 2025.

Pour la prochaine génération de dirigeants désireux de stimuler la croissance d’entreprises des sciences de la vie en vue d’en faire de solides piliers, l’Académie adMare est l’endroit idéal pour suivre une formation et des cours de perfectionnement de premier cycle et de cycle supérieur ainsi qu’une formation de cadres supérieurs. Par exemple, l’Institut pour cadres supérieurs de l’Académie adMare a accueilli sa deuxième cohorte composée de 18 leaders brillants et prometteurs du domaine des sciences de la vie. Le programme, qui bénéficie d’une contribution d’un million de dollars de Pfizer Canada, est exécuté en collaboration avec le Centre for Creative Leadership, organisme sans but lucratif et chef de file mondial dans le domaine de la formation, qui figure au classement des cinq meilleurs établissements au monde pour la formation des cadres supérieurs du Bloomberg Businessweek et du Financial Times.

Un avenir passionnant nous attend, un avenir qui se caractérisera par une compétitivité accrue pour le Canada et une croissance économique sans précédent dans le secteur des sciences de la vie. Grâce à son engagement à l’égard de la collaboration et de la prise de mesures audacieuses, le Canada comptera parmi les trois grandes plaques tournantes sur la scène mondiale des sciences de la vie d’ici 2025.

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Driving Healthcare Success Through Biotech Research and Community Collaboration Stimuler la réussite des soins de santé par la recherche en biotechnologie et la collaboration avec le milieu

by Brian Heath, Vice President and General Manager, Amgen Canada Inc. par Brian Heath, vice-président et directeur général, Amgen Canada Inc. FOR YEARS, CANADA HAS PRODUCED WORLD-CLASS, CUTTING-EDGE RESEARCH IN THE FIELD OF biotechnology. Recognizing the importance of innovation, the government of Canada has committed to doubling the size of the health and biosciences sector by 2025, and helping Canada become a top-three global hub in this sector. While these ambitious goals are admirable, there are significant challenges ahead.

As a global leader in biotechnology, Amgen’s mission is to serve patients – to apply innovative science and biotechnology to developing therapies that improve and save people’s lives. The company is also committed to working with partners to improve the healthcare ecosystem. Recognizing the many pressures facing the health systems across Canada, from changing demographics to facilitating the use of new technologies and to rising costs, we envision a healthcare system that is

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LE CANADA EST DE LONGUE DATE UN ENDROIT PRIVILÉGIÉ POUR LA RECHERCHE DE CLASSE MONDIALE en biotechnologie. Conscient de l’importance de l’innovation, l’État s’est engagé à doubler la taille du secteur de la santé et des biosciences d’ici 2025 et à faire du Canada l’un des trois grands pôles mondiaux dans le domaine . Ces objectifs ambitieux sont certes admirables, mais de nombreuses embûches nous attendent.

En tant que leader mondial en biotechnologie, Amgen s’est mise au service des patients en transposant les innovations scientifiques et biotechnologiques en traitements permettant d’améliorer et de sauver des vies. Elle tient aussi à collaborer avec divers partenaires afin d’améliorer l’écosystème des soins de santé. Tout en étant conscients des nombreuses pressions exercées sur le système de santé canadien, qu’il s’agisse d’une démographie en pleine évolution ou de l’adoption de nouvelles technologies en passant par la croissance des coûts, nous rêvons d’un système de santé axé sur les besoins des patients et l’amélioration des résultats.

Toutefois, l’avenir nous préoccupe.

Nous craignons que les réformes récentes aux politiques canadiennes sur l’établissement du prix des médicaments brevetés compliquent énormément l’arrivée de nouveaux médicaments au pays et privent les Canadiens des agents les plus innovateurs pour traiter des maladies dévastatrices. En outre, sans politiques favorables, le Canada risque de devenir moins attrayant pour les investissements en recherche et dans l’écosystème plus vaste des biosciences.

Le soutien d’Amgen à cet écosystème et les investissements qu’elle y a consacrés sont majeurs. Ils ont pris la forme, notamment, d’un centre de recherche de classe mondiale, d’investissements dans la formation en sciences, en technologie, en ingénierie et en mathématiques (STIM) et de

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centred on patient needs and strives towards improving outcomes.

However, looking ahead to the future of care, we’re concerned that recent reforms to Canada’s patented drug pricing policies will make it much more challenging to launch innovative medicines in Canada and that Canadians will not be able to access the most innovative treatments for devastating diseases. Additionally, without supportive policies, we know that Canada is at risk of becoming less attractive for investments in research and the broader biosciences ecosystem.

Amgen’s investment and support in the Canadian bioscience ecosystem is vast and includes a world class research facility, investments in STEM education, and conducting a significant number of clinical trials with researchers across Canada.

DRIVING GAME-CHANGING RESEARCH Amgen’s research facility in Burnaby, British Columbia has been a hub of health innovation since its inception in 1998. But before this custom-built, world-class biotechnology lab was part of the global Amgen R&D organization, it was an ambitious young Canadian company called ImmGenics, born out of the University of British Columbia’s Biomedical Research Centre and focused on pharmaceutical research. ImmGenics was acquired by Amgen in 2006, and even then, represented the inquisitive and entrepreneurial spirit that continues to fuel the biotechnology sector today.

As part of Amgen’s Translational Sciences organization, the research centre uses advanced technologies and scientific data to understand the clinical value of

nombreux essais cliniques menés conjointement avec des chercheurs de partout au pays.

AMGEN, MOTEUR DE RECHERCHE RÉVOLUTIONNAIRE Le centre de recherche d’Amgen de Burnaby, en Colombie-Britannique, est un pôle d’innovation en santé depuis sa création en 1998. Avant que ce laboratoire de biotechnologie de classe mondiale conçu sur mesure ne joigne le réseau mondial de R et D d’Amgen en 2006, il appartenait à ImmGenics, une jeune pousse canadienne ambitieuse issue du Centre de recherche biomédicale de l’Université de la Colombie-Britannique et vouée à la recherche pharmaceutique. Lors de son acquisition par Amgen, ImmGenics incarnait déjà l’esprit curieux et entrepreneurial qui continue d’imprégner le secteur des biotechnologies aujourd’hui.

Membre de l’équipe des sciences translationnelles d’Amgen, ce centre de recherche évalue l’intérêt clinique de médicaments candidats à l’aide de technologies et de données scientifiques de pointe avant que les dernières phases complexes et onéreuses des essais cliniques soient amorcées.

SOUTIEN DES ESSAIS CLINIQUES Les essais cliniques donnent aux patients un accès à de nouveaux traitements souvent impossibles à obtenir autrement. Ils sont aussi créateurs d’emplois pour les chercheurs canadiens, un soutien essentiel pour eux, mais aussi pour les établissements où ils travaillent.

Amgen mène un grand nombre d’essais cliniques avec des établissements d’enseignement, des hôpitaux et des cliniques de premier plan d’un océan à l’autre. Depuis 1994, plus de

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therapeutic candidates before entering into complex and expensive late-stage clinical trials.

SUPPORTING CLINICAL TRIALS Clinical trials allow patients to access new treatments often unavailable outside this setting. Clinical trials also create a significant number of jobs for researchers in Canada, providing much needed support to investigators and the institutions that host them.

Amgen conducts a significant number of clinical trials with leading academic research institutions, hospitals, and clinics throughout Canada. Since 1994, more than 17,000 patients have enrolled in Amgen clinical trials in Canada.

Currently, more than 400 Canadian subjects are participating in some of the 35 active trials at over 150 centres across Canada.

SUPPORTING OUR COMMUNITIES Science can transform our approach to healthcare – but it can also transform our schools and communities. As a result, Amgen is committed to raising the value of science literacy in the community; attracting bright young minds into the field of science by helping educators to teach more effectively and improving access to science resources for teachers, students and the community at large.

For example, since 2010, Amgen Canada supported the non-profit group Let’s Talk Science, highlighting the

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En tant que leader mondial en biotechnologie, Amgen s’est mise au service des patients en transposant les innovations scientifiques et biotechnologiques en traitements permettant d’améliorer et de sauver des vies. Elle tient aussi à collaborer avec divers partenaires afin d’améliorer l’écosystème des soins de santé.

17 000 patients ont été recrutés dans les essais cliniques réalisés par Amgen au Canada. À l’heure actuelle, plus de 400 patients canadiens participent à quelque 35 études en cours dans plus de 150 centres au pays.

SOUTIEN DU MILIEU La science peut transformer notre façon d’aborder les soins de santé – mais elle peut aussi transformer nos écoles et nos collectivités. C’est pourquoi Amgen s’est engagée à promouvoir l’intérêt pour les connaissances scientifiques au sein de la collectivité en attirant de jeunes esprits brillants dans le domaine, en aidant les enseignants à transmettre ces connaissances plus efficacement et en favorisant l’accès des enseignants, des étudiants et de l’ensemble de la collectivité aux ressources scientifiques.

Par exemple, depuis 2010, Amgen Canada appuie le groupe à but non lucratif Parlons science, soulignant ainsi les avantages de la formation scientifique pour la prospérité du Canada et la réussite de nos jeunes.

En 2019, la Fondation Amgen a lancé le programme de bourses de recherche Amgen Scholars en partenariat avec l’Université de Toronto et le programme Amgen Biotech Experience Canada en collaboration avec l’Université de Toronto à Mississauga (UTM), qui soutiennent tous les deux les jeunes chercheurs du Canada.

Or le retentissement est indéniable. Le paysage scientifique et didactique canadien évolue grâce à la collaboration de firmes de biotechnologie, de partenaires du milieu et du monde de l’éducation. À

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benefits of science education to Canada’s future prosperity and success for our youth.

In 2019 the Amgen Foundation launched the Amgen Scholars Program with the University of Toronto and the Amgen Biotech Experience Canada with the University of Toronto Mississauga (UTM), both of which support young researchers in Canada.

And the impact can’t be denied. The science and learning landscape in Canada is changing because of the collaboration of biotech firms, the community and education partners. In fact, to date, the Amgen Scholars Program has made research opportunities at premier institutions (including University of Toronto) possible for more than 4,000 undergraduate students worldwide, nearly 900 of whom are currently pursuing an advanced graduate degree in a scientific field. That helps not only support the success of these next generation scientists, but also helps shape a world of unlimited opportunity.

WORKING TOGETHER FOR BETTER SOLUTIONS Biologic medicines have the ability to change people’s lives. And investments in research can have an enormous impact for future generations. However, research and innovation in health requires ongoing support by government, at all levels, and for all parts of the ecosystem.

Amgen values its role as part of Canada’ health and biosciences ecosystem – in conducting clinical trials, advancing science literacy, and helping patients live longer healthier lives. However, due to unfavourable patented drug pricing policies, Canada is at risk of missing out on both improved health outcomes and a stronger ecosystem unless collective action is taken now.

This action includes working together, with all parts of government, to ensure that policies today do not threaten the viability of the industry, the ecosystem, and the health of Canadians tomorrow.

The action requires courage and ambition. It also requires an honest partnership and the acceptance that Canada cannot do it alone.

We therefore urge the government of Canada to deliver on its commitment to double the size of the health and bioscience ecosystem over the next five years.

We also call on the government of Canada to carefully review and reconsider the recent changes to the federal pricing regulations, which could result in Canadians not being able to access the most effective and innovative medicines, either through clinical trials or after approval.

We need global partners, big and small, public and private, to help us achieve meaningful change in innovation.

Amgen is committed to working with Canada’s federal and provincial governments and other stakeholders to develop practical, cost-effective and long-term solutions that will sustain and improve Canada’s healthcare system – and work in the best interests of all Canadians.

preuve, le programme de bourses de recherche Amgen Scholars a permis la concrétisation de projets de recherche dans des établissements de premier plan (dont l’Université de Toronto) auxquels ont participé plus de 4000 étudiants de premier cycle partout dans le monde, près de 900 d’entre eux poursuivant actuellement des études supérieures dans un domaine scientifique. Non seulement ce programme favoriset-il la réussite de la prochaine génération de travailleurs scientifiques, mais il façonne un monde de possibilités illimitées.

TRAVAILLER ENSEMBLE POUR TROUVER DE MEILLEURES SOLUTIONS Les médicaments biologiques permettent de transformer la vie des gens et les investissements en recherche peuvent avoir d’énormes répercussions pour les prochaines générations. Cela dit, la recherche et l’innovation en santé exigent le soutien constant de l’État, à tous les niveaux et pour tous les secteurs de l’écosystème.

Amgen attache un grand prix au rôle qu’elle joue dans l’écosystème de santé et de biosciences canadien en menant des essais cliniques, en accroissant la culture scientifique et en aidant les patients à vivre plus longtemps et en meilleure santé. Toutefois, en raison de ses politiques défavorables en matière d’établissement des prix des médicaments brevetés, le Canada risque de laisser passer sa chance d’améliorer les résultats et la solidité de l’écosystème de soins de santé, à moins qu’une action collective ne soit enclenchée dès aujourd’hui.

Pour ce faire, il faudra travailler avec l’ensemble de l’appareil fédéral pour que les politiques d’aujourd’hui ne menacent pas la viabilité de l’industrie, l’écosystème et la santé des Canadiens de demain.

Il faudra du courage et de l’ambition, créer un partenariat honnête et accepter que le Canada ne puisse y parvenir seul.

C’est pourquoi nous exhortons le gouvernement du Canada à remplir son engagement de doubler la taille de l’écosystème des soins de santé et des biosciences dans les cinq prochaines années.

Nous lui demandons aussi d’étudier attentivement les changements récents à la réglementation fédérale sur les prix et de revoir sa position. Autrement, il risque de priver les Canadiens des médicaments innovateurs les plus efficaces, que ce soit dans le cadre d’essais cliniques ou après leur homologation.

Nous aurons besoin de partenaires à l’international, petits et grands, publics et privés, pour nous aider à transformer le domaine de l’innovation.

Amgen tient à collaborer avec les gouvernements fédéral et provinciaux canadiens ainsi qu’avec les autres parties prenantes afin de trouver des solutions concrètes et efficientes à long terme, en vue d’appuyer et d’améliorer le système de santé canadien – dans l’intérêt supérieur de tous les Canadiens.

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Continuing Our Journey in Neuroscience in Canada BIOGEN IS ONE OF THE WORLD’S FIRST been estimated to affect 3.6 million Canadians living in BIOTECHNOLOGY COMPANIES EXCLUSIVELY FOCUSED the community and a further 170,000 Canadians living in on neuroscience, a disease area with great unmet need for long-term care facilities. A neurological condition affects breakthrough treatment advances. Biogen Canada has not only the individual living with the condition, but also been bringing innovations in family members and caregivers treatments for neurological both within and outside the conditions to Canadians for over 20 healthcare system, thereby years and strives to continue to do increasing the number of so, with its broad pipeline of Canadians touched by these investigational therapies. Vice conditions. Biogen believes in President and Managing Director of shaping neuroscience through key Biogen Canada, Marina Vasiliou, research and development that and Medical Director of Biogen supports optimal treatment care Canada, Mihaela Vlaicu, speak and improved patient outcomes. At about the integral role Biogen plays Biogen Canada, we are committed in bringing Canada to the forefront to science and research; we know of research in neuroscience. our focus on neuroscience can 1. As one of the world’s first truly help improve the quality of biotechnology companies life for those living with critical exclusively focused on neurological conditions. An neuroscience, what is Biogen integral part of our commitment is Canada’s perspective on R&D investing in research and investments and advancing development partnerships that research? will help us achieve clinical Marina Vasiliou Vice President and Managing Director There is no greater need than outcomes that are necessary to supporting patients living with provide life changing treatments for neurological conditions, which have patients. As part of our vision to 24

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become a trusted leader in neuroscience in Canada, we are investing a significant part of our revenue every year into building Canadian R&D partnerships to transform Canada into a research HUB of excellence in neuroscience.

Our commitment is bold, and we are willing to take the necessary steps that will lead us to solutions.

2. You mentioned that Biogen Canada is working to establish the Canadian Neuroscience Research HUB of Excellence in Canada, can you tell us more about this HUB? Biogen Canada recognizes the neuroscience expertise in Canada and is proud to be an industry Mihaela Vlaicu leader investing particularly into Medical Director research, development and product innovation in this great country.

With a clear dedication to neuroscience, Biogen Canada has built the Canadian Neuroscience Research HUB of Excellence because Canada holds some of the top academic institutions in the world, with renowned researchers who have been part of major clinical breakthroughs, in order to advance neuroscience and support patients living with neurological conditions.

Some of our key partners include Canadian research centres such as the Montreal Neurological Institute (MNI)

An integral part of our commitment is investing in research and development partnerships that will help us achieve clinical outcomes that are necessary to provide life changing treatments for patients. at McGill University, the Centre Hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal (CHUM), the University of British Columbia, the University of Toronto, the University of Alberta and the University of Calgary. Biogen Canada builds partnership frameworks and supports these centres through research grants, fellowships, data registries and various global and local clinical studies. Our focus is to work closely with these key academic centres and build a strong team of researchers and neuroscientists that will drive innovation, robust science and support Biogen to achieve our mission as pioneers and leaders in neuroscience.

3. Canada has excellent R&D potential. What are Biogen Canada’s plans to further leverage it?

Canada holds a unique value proposition in the R&D landscape.

Its geographic proximity to the US, considered one of the biggest pharmaceutical markets in the world, and its similarities to European health system, make Canada an influential player in medical research. Through strategic partnerships, we are looking to increase our current research footprint in Canada across the neuroscience continuum. Our work with Canadian research institutions has helped us achieve ground-breaking and innovative results in multiple sclerosis (MS) and is focused on advancing neuroscience research programs in Alzheimer’s disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), amongst other neurological diseases. We are ready to take our history in neuroscience and pair it with transformational research in order to develop effective innovative therapies that can change patients’ lives. In Canada, our leading portfolio of approved therapies in MS, our success in bringing the first approved treatment for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), and our encouraging pipeline are demonstrating our leadership in neuroscience.

4. What is Biogen’s value proposition as compared to other specialty research-based pharmaceutical companies?

Biogen is unique from other pharmaceutical or biotech companies. Our bold approach to focus all our efforts in neuroscience has the potential promise of great medical breakthrough where no other disease area holds as much unmet need. With this approach, we have given our commitment to patients, families and the healthcare community to look deep into science to understand complexities and find ways to make societal shifts. At Biogen, we are pioneering new science that takes us deep into the body’s nervous system and stretches wide across digital networks and patient communities, to better understand, and preserve, the underlying qualities of our essential human nature. Finally, we know that we cannot do this alone and we want to show Canadian governments, healthcare professionals and patients, that Biogen Canada is here as an innovative leader dedicated to working with them to find solutions in this complex system in order to ensure fast and equal access to breakthrough treatment for all Canadians.

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Potential of Growth for Anchor Companies in the Canadian Life Sciences Industry Possibilité de croissance pour les firmes d’ancrage de l’industrie canadienne des sciences de la vie

by Didier Leconte, Vice President, Investments, Life Sciences and Funds of funds par Didier Leconte, Vice-président aux investissements - Sciences de la vie et gestion des fonds

HAVING INVESTED $1.6B IN THE LIFE SCIENCES SINCE APRÈS AVOIR INVESTI 1,6 MILLIARD DE DOLLARS DANS THE LATE 80S, WE AT THE FONDS DE SOLIDARITÉ FTQ LES SCIENCES DE LA VIE DEPUIS LA FIN DES ANNÉES have witnessed firsthand the ups and downs of the 1980, le Fonds de solidarité FTQ a été le témoin des hauts et Canadian biotech industry des bas de l’industrie canadienne de la biotechnologie. Il It was therefore not surprising for us that the Canadian n’était donc pas surprenant pour nous que cette industrie biotechnology industry attained new heights in 2019. Many atteigne de nouveaux sommets en 2019. De nombreuses companies have reached significant milestones. We have entreprises ont franchi des étapes importantes. Nous avons been privy to this, namely by investing directly into participé à ces développements, entre autres en investissant companies coast to coast, specialised life sciences funds directement d’un océan à l’autre dans des sociétés, des fonds and fund of funds, as well as by helping to attract top tier spécialisés dans les sciences de la vie et des fonds de fonds, non-Canadian VC funds in the country. ainsi qu’en contribuant à attirer au pays des fonds de capital In 2020, many companies will bring new therapies to de risque étrangers de premier plan. market, attracting additional capital, and eventually En 2020, beaucoup d’entreprises mettront de nouveaux capturing the interest of larger companies in their search traitements sur le marché, attireront des capitaux for innovative products. We think the time is right to reflect supplémentaires et, à terme, capteront l’intérêt des grandes on what has been learned and what is needed to bring this sociétés dans leur recherche de produits innovants. Nous industry to the next level. pensons que le moment est venu de réfléchir à ce que nous Before doing so, let us echo what many other avons appris de notre expérience et à ce qui est nécessaire organizations and individuals have publicly said. Canada pour faire passer cette industrie au niveau supérieur. has the key ingredients to succeed Mais avant, faisons écho à ce que in this industry, from science and bien d’autres organisations et talent, to research infrastructure particuliers ont déclaré and services. Paraphrasing publiquement. Le Canada possède Roberto Bellini in 2015 , we predict les ingrédients clés pour réussir dans that by 2025, Canada will have cette industrie, depuis la science et le more success stories like Aurinia, talent jusqu’aux infrastructures et Milestone and Zymeworks, and aux services de recherche. Pour that some will probably be paraphraser ce que disait Roberto commercializing their own Bellini en 2015 , nous prévoyons que products. Why is this so d’ici 2025, le Canada comptera plus important? Anchor companies are de belles réussites comme Aurinia, the missing piece to a fully Milestone et Zymeworks, et que integrated and productive certaines entreprises biotechnology industry! Canada commercialiseront leurs propres needs anchor companies that will produits. Pourquoi est-ce si inspire others by fostering R&D important? Les entreprises d’ancrage projects, talent development at all sont la pièce manquante d’une stages, entrepreneurship and industrie biotechnologique further attract investments from pleinement intégrée et productive.

Didier Leconte, Vice President, Investments, Life Sciences and various classes of investors.

Le Canada a besoin d’entreprises Funds of funds d’ancrage qui en inspireront d’autres

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When Paladin Labs was acquired by Endo International, its founder Jonathan Goodman repeatedly said that it had taken him “19 years to turn Paladin into an overnight success”. It is human nature to focus on the result.

However, we would learn so much more by looking at the journey. After the biotechnology nuclear winter of the first decade of the 2000s in Canada, the industry rebuilt itself slowly but surely. VC funds as well as institutional investors played a critical role in this reconstruction, finding new means of financing along the way, gaining maturity and expanding their networks. Alongside the Fonds, other investors such as BDC Capital, the Government of Québec, CDPQ and the Government of

en favorisant des projets de R et D, le développement des talents à toutes les étapes ainsi que l’entrepreneuriat, et en attirant davantage d’investissements de différentes catégories d’investisseurs.

Lorsque la société Laboratoires Paladin a été rachetée par Endo International, son fondateur, Jonathan Goodman, a répété à plusieurs reprises qu’il lui avait fallu « 19 ans pour faire de Paladin un succès instantané ». Il est dans la nature humaine de se concentrer sur les résultats. Cependant, nous en apprendrions beaucoup plus en regardant le chemin parcouru. Après la traversée du désert de la première décennie des années 2000 au Canada, l’industrie de la biotechnologie s’est reconstruite lentement, mais sûrement.

Les fonds de capital de risque ainsi que les investisseurs institutionnels ont joué un rôle crucial dans cette reconstruction en trouvant en cours de route de nouveaux moyens de financement, en gagnant en maturité et en élargissant leurs réseaux. Parallèlement au Fonds, d’autres investisseurs, comme BDC Capital, le gouvernement du Québec, la CDPQ et le gouvernement du Canada, dans le cadre de son Plan d’action sur le capital de risque, ont reconstruit l’écosystème canadien des sciences de la vie.

Plus important encore, les entrepreneurs et les équipes qui ont survécu au ralentissement du secteur jouent maintenant un rôle déterminant dans les succès d’aujourd’hui. Ils avaient en commun une vision à long terme et ils ont continué de se battre contre vents et marées. Ils ont été en mesure d’attirer et de développer des talents tout en obtenant du financement pour les étapes suivantes, parfois à peine 6 mois plus tard. Leur vision était globale et non locale. Ils voyaient grand, et ils étaient audacieux. Ce sont les acteurs clés derrière les succès d’aujourd’hui. Ils devraient être une source d’inspiration pour l’industrie canadienne, chacun à sa façon.

Que devons-nous faire maintenant?

D’abord et avant tout, nous devons écouter attentivement les entrepreneurs qui ont vécu les hauts et les bas du financement et le parcours parfois chaotique jusqu’à l’atteinte des jalons. Les entrepreneurs ont toujours été à la recherche des bons talents, quitte à les développer ou à aller les chercher ailleurs.

De nombreuses idées émergeront lors de la rencontre BIONATION organisée par BIOTECanada à Ottawa. Entre-temps, voici

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Canada through its Venture Capital Action Plan, rebuilt the Canadian life sciences ecosystem.

More importantly, entrepreneurs and their teams that made it through the sector’s downturn are now instrumental in today’s successes. They shared a long-term vision and kept fighting against all odds. They were able to attract and develop talent while also obtaining financing for the next steps, sometimes just 6 months out. Their thinking was global, not local. They thought big, and they were bold. They are the key people behind today’s successes. They should be the inspiration for the Canadian industry, each in their own way.

So where do we go from here? First and foremost, we should listen carefully to the entrepreneurs who lived through the highs and lows of financing, and the mountains and valleys of reaching milestones – or not. The entrepreneurs were always looking for the right talent, thinking about developing it or attracting it from somewhere else.

Many ideas will emerge during the BIONATION event organized by BIOTECanada in Ottawa. In the meantime, here are our own views on the industry’s current challenges and possible approaches to address these.

There are few experienced CEOs or C-Suite executives.

We do not live in a world where hundreds of them can be found in our own backyard. That is why we should support those ready and willing to start new projects. When someone is gutsy enough to take the dive, we should also help that person in establishing an experienced Board or Advisory Committee, or attract the necessary expertise. We should identify shortages in key positions to ensure that

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notre point de vue sur les défis actuels de l’industrie et les approches possibles pour les surmonter.

Les PDG et les cadres de direction chevronnés sont une denrée rare et c’est la raison pour laquelle nous devrions soutenir ceux qui sont prêts et disposés à lancer de nouveaux projets. Lorsque quelqu’un a le cran de plonger, nous devrions aussi l’aider à mettre sur pied un conseil d’administration ou un comité consultatif expérimenté ou à attirer l’expertise nécessaire. Nous devrions reconnaître les pénuries aux postes clés pour faire en sorte que les programmes de perfectionnement répondent aux besoins de l’industrie et, si nécessaire, trouver des expatriés canadiens disposés à assumer ces responsabilités.

L’écart entre la recherche universitaire et l’industrie en matière de commercialisation est encore important au Canada. Les pôles biotechnologiques tels que Boston et San Francisco ont chacun la masse critique nécessaire et, par conséquent, le luxe de se faire concurrence. Par contre, au Canada, on ne peut se permettre de laisser les institutions rivaliser entre elles, et les investisseurs, travailler chacun de leur côté. On observe actuellement une tendance positive à transformer la recherche translationnelle mondialisée en entreprises potentielles. Les investisseurs canadiens devraient consacrer leur temps et leur savoir à ces efforts pour s’assurer de la concordance entre ceux qui veulent créer une nouvelle entreprise et ceux qui sont à la recherche d’un investissement.

Le modèle de création d’entreprises plateformes (pour un potentiel d’expansion) nécessite un capital considérable, qui ne correspond pas aux capacités actuelles des fonds de capital de risque. En général, les fonds canadiens ne

investment investissement

development programs cater to the needs of the industry and localize Canadian expats willing to fill these positions.

The commercialization gap, between academic research and industry, is still wide in Canada. Biotech hubs such as Boston and San Francisco each have the critical mass, and therefore the luxury to compete against one another. On the other hand, Canada cannot afford to have its institutions vying against one another and investors not working together. There is currently a positive trend towards turning globalized translational research into potential companies. Canadian investors should contribute their time and insight in these efforts to make sure there is an alignment between one developing a new venture and the other looking to invest.

The platform company creation model (for up-scale potential) requires substantial capital, which is not fully in line with current VC funds capabilities. Generally, Canadian funds do not exceed $200M in committed capital, which makes it difficult for them to intervene at the creation level and support a company’s progress. The industry needs to discuss new and old sources of capital for VC funds so that those with a successful history of company creation can really do it at scale.

Companies are too often bought too early. Our industry thrives on acquisitions, which provide an exit for investors.

This is often the result of the ways VC funds are designed (limited partners wanting their money back within in a certain timeframe). But providing the companies with other options, such as sufficient capital to continue its growth, should also be part of the solution for the challenges of the Canadian industry. We should favour the presence of long-term institutional investors in these companies as well as the public market.

Without questioning the benefits of “anchor-companies”, maybe we should broaden our definition of what this really means. We should live up to the task of helping creating and nurturing companies with scaling potential, those famous “Gilead of the North” companies that bring assets all the way to market. At the same time, we should think about additional models. These include but are not limited to becoming experts in translational work, developing companies specialized in turning discoveries into potential new therapies, specializing in turning these new therapies into relevant investment opportunities, repurposing drugs or redefining subset of patients who could benefit from already developed drugs (approved or not) based on the proper screening, and finally helping figuring how improved ways of using data could help drug development.

There is a lot to accomplish. To achieve our goal of a stronger Canadian industry, we need to think BIG and BOLD. As we all seek the same goals, let’s just add more cooperation and goodwill to the list of ingredients. Indeed, as the African proverb says: « alone we go faster, together we go farther ». It is time for collaboration at all levels.

dépassent pas 200 millions de dollars en capital engagé, ce qui les empêche d’intervenir au niveau de la création et de la croissance d’une entreprise. Les acteurs de l’industrie doivent discuter des sources nouvelles et anciennes de capitaux pour les fonds de capital de risque afin que ceux qui ont connu des succès dans la création d’entreprises puissent vraiment le faire à grande échelle.

les entrepreneurs et les équipes qui ont survécu au ralentissement du secteur jouent maintenant un rôle déterminant dans les succès d’aujourd’hui.

Par ailleurs, les entreprises sont souvent achetées trop tôt.

Notre secteur prospère grâce aux acquisitions, qui offrent un mécanisme de sortie aux investisseurs. C’est souvent le résultat de la façon dont les fonds de capital de risque sont conçus (les commanditaires voulant récupérer leurs fonds dans un certain délai). Mais offrir aux entreprises d’autres options, comme des capitaux suffisants pour poursuivre leur croissance, devrait également faire partie de la solution aux défis de l’industrie canadienne. Nous devrions favoriser la présence d’investisseurs institutionnels de long terme à côté d’investisseurs du marché public dans ces sociétés.

Sans remettre en question les avantages des « entreprises d’ancrage », nous devrions peut-être élargir notre définition de ce que cela signifie réellement. Nous devrions être fidèles à notre mission de créer et de soutenir des entreprises à potentiel de croissance, ces fameuses « Gilead du Nord », qui sont en mesure de commercialiser elles-mêmes leurs produits. En même temps, nous devrions penser à d’autres modèles. Entre autres, devenir des experts en activités translationnelles, créer des entreprises spécialisées dans la transposition des découvertes en nouvelles thérapies, transformer ces nouvelles thérapies en occasions d’investissements productifs, repositionner des médicaments ou redéfinir des sous-ensembles de patients qui pourraient bénéficier de médicaments déjà mis au point (approuvés ou non) après un dépistage approprié et, enfin, aider à comprendre comment mieux utiliser les données dans la mise au point de nouveaux médicaments.

La tâche est immense. Pour atteindre notre objectif d’une industrie canadienne plus forte, nous devons voir GRAND et faire preuve d’AUDACE. Comme nous poursuivons tous les mêmes objectifs, ajoutons simplement plus de coopération et de bonne volonté à la liste des ingrédients. En effet, comme le dit le proverbe africain : « Seul on va plus vite, ensemble on va plus loin. » Il est temps de collaborer à tous les niveaux.

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CHELSEY LIVING WITH NMOSD

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Collaborating in Life Sciences: the Key to Success for IRICoR Towards a Prosperous Economy!

Collaborer en sciences de la vie : la clé du succès pour IRICoR vers une économie prospère! by the IRICoR team par l’équipe d’IRICoR

L’INDUSTRIE MONDIALE DES SCIENCES DE LA VIE ET DES TECHNOLOGIES EN SANTÉ (SVTS) EST L’UNE DES PLUS ACTIVES EN RECHERCHE ET DÉVELOPPEMENT (R&D).

Le Québec, tout comme le reste du Canada, contribue de manière importante à cette ébullition, tant sur le plan du développement de solutions thérapeutiques que sur celui du capital humain, le tout vers des retombées économiques notoires. D’ailleurs, soulignons que le secteur québécois des SVTS est parmi les 10 plus importants en Amérique du Matur atio n

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fac ilit ie

THE GLOBAL LIFE SCIENCES AND HEALTH TECHNOLOGIES (LSHT) INDUSTRY IS ONE OF THE MOST ACTIVE IN RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT (R&D).

Quebec, like the rest of Canada, is a major contributor to that boom, both from a therapeutics development and a human capital standpoint towards significant economic benefits. Of note, the Quebec LSHT sector is among the 10 largest in North America. This enviable ranking is fueled among other factors by the local presence of major multinationals on its territory, nationally and internationally recognized SMEs, key opinion scientific leaders, research centres and health infrastructures on the cuttingedge of global standards1.

The industry’s business model focuses more and more on collaborations. Creating value from university projects with great innovative potential is at the heart of the model. “It is exactly what A Canadian model IRICoR’s strategic positioning is all about” says Dr. Nadine Beauger, Ph.D., MBA, CEO of this Montreal-based Centre of Excellence in Commercialization and Research specialized in drug discovery. She continues: “We contribute to effectively transforming research into therapeutic innovations. The key: our collaborations with academia, research centres and SMEs in order to establish strong partnerships with industry to effectively integrate innovations into the healthcare system while at the same time developing leadingedge scientific and business expertise.”

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drawing national and international attention

1 Reference: Bâtir un Québec plus prospère, en santé et fier de ses forces en sciences de la vie, Médicaments novateurs Canada, January, 2019

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Nord. Cette réalité s’explique entre autres par la présence locale de multinationales majeures, de PME qui rayonnent à travers le pays et à l’international, de chercheurs qui se démarquent à l’international, de centres de recherche et d’infrastructures de santé à la fine pointe des standards mondiaux1.

Le modèle d’affaires de l’industrie est de plus en plus axé sur les collaborations. La création de valeur à partir de projets universitaires à fort potentiel novateur est au cœur du modèle. « C’est exactement le positionnement 1 Reference: Bâtir un Québec plus prospère, en santé et fier de ses forces en sciences de la vie, Médicaments novateurs Canada, January, 2019

next-gen technology technologie de nouvelle génération

Three of IRICoR’s partners, based in Canada and internationally, share their constructive experience with IRICoR, this central collaborator that acted as a catalyst for activities such as joint public-private partnership research (with Domain Therapeutics SA, France), project selection in a key indication for Quebec (with Quebec Breast Cancer Foundation or QBCF) and project development within a spinoff company (with Toronto Innovation Acceleration Partners or TIAP and spinoff company Encycle Therapeutics, Toronto).

IRICoR: What led you to work with IRICoR? Pascal Neuville, Chief Executive Officer, Domain Therapeutics: IRICoR has expertise, both internally and through its network, in GPCRs, in oncology and other indications, in drug design and discovery, and in translational development in a world class research setting.

At Domain, we were rapidly attracted by the strong alignment between our respective organisations in terms of goals and the excellent working rapport with the IRICoR team.

IRICoR: What are the advantages for you of working in collaboration with IRICoR? Jida El Hajjar, Vice-President, Investment and Health Promotion, QBCF: Our Foundation has launched a joint call for projects with IRICoR. With their broad multi-sectorial network of partners and collaborators from pharmaceutical companies to venture capitalists, startups, foundations, and

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stratégique d’IRICoR », confie Nadine Beauger, PhD, MBA, directrice générale de ce Centre d’Excellence en commercialisation et en recherche spécialisé en découverte de médicaments, basé à Montréal. Elle poursuit : « Nous contribuons à la transformation efficace de la recherche en innovations thérapeutiques. La clé : nos collaborations avec les universités, les centres de recherche et les PME en vue d’établir des partenariats solides avec l’industrie pour une intégration efficace des innovations dans le système de santé tout en développant une expertise scientifique et d’affaires de pointe. » Trois partenaires d’IRICoR, basés au Canada et à l’international, témoignent de leur expérience constructive avec IRICoR, ce collaborateur indispensable qui a catalysé entre autres des activités de recherche conjointe en partenariat public-privé (avec Domain Therapeutics SA, France), de sélection de projets dans une indication clé pour le Québec (avec la Fondation cancer du sein du Québec ou FCSQ) et de développement de projet au sein d’une compagnie dérivée vers sa sortie (avec Toronto Innovation Acceleration Partners ou TIAP et la compagnie dérivée Encycle Therapeutics, Toronto).

IRICoR: Qu’est-ce qui vous a amené à travailler avec IRICoR? Pascal Neuville, directeur général, Domain Therapeutics : Notre organisation a été séduite par la grande s e Ma giqu tur complémentarité en ati olo n o ch matière d’objectifs avec IRICoR ainsi que l’excellente relation de travail que nous avons développée avec son Commercialisation équipe. Celle-ci démontre une expertise, tant interne qu’à travers bl ag ed son réseau, dans les e pr oje t récepteurs couplés aux protéines G (RCPG), en Un modèle canadien qui rayonne à l’échelle nationale et internationale oncologie et autres indications, en conception et en découverte de médicaments, de même qu’en state-of-the-art biomedical platforms, we consider this développement translationnel dans un milieu de recherche organization a key strategic partner in making the de classe mondiale. commercialization process of novel therapies a seamless one.

IRICoR: Quels sont les avantages pour vous de travailler en IRICoR: What does the project that you are partnering collaboration avec IRICoR? on with IRICoR consist of?

Jida El Hajjar, vice-présidente, investissements et Parimal Nathwani, Vice President, TIAP: Given IRICoR’s promotion de la santé, FCSQ : Notre Fondation a lancé prime access to expertise in medicinal chemistry – conjointement avec IRICoR un appel de projets. Avec son especially around more unique chemistries associated with vaste réseau multisectoriel de partenaires et de cyclic molecules, they were an ideal partner for TIAP’s collaborateurs provenant d’entreprises pharmaceutiques, de portfolio company Encycle Therapeutics. The project sociétés de capital de risque, d’entreprises en démarrage et consisted of iterative compound design to test in various de plateformes biomédicales de haut niveau, cette biological assays to identify a lead molecule for a specific Ci

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therapeutic target of interest. Furthermore, the concept of incorporating drug-like properties into the molecules early on in the discovery process were important expertise that was leveraged from the IRICoR team and network.

IRICoR: What type of support did IRICoR provide you with in the partnership?

Jida El Hajjar, Vice-President, Investment and Health Promotion, QBCF: IRICoR’s partnership has been instrumental.

Their multidisciplinary team administered the whole granting process, dealt with the intellectual property agreements and funding agreements, and will be closely monitoring the progress of projects and important milestones on a quarterly basis to steer the needle towards efficient development of innovative treatments for breast cancer patients. Working with IRICoR’s team is highly rewarding. Professionally, I learnt a lot from their expertise about commercialization of research which made me more confident about further developing the venture portfolio at the Foundation.

IRICoR: What distinguishes IRICoR from other organizations?

Pascal Neuville, Chief Executive Officer, Domain Therapeutics: The key distinguishing elements are the in-depth scientific expertise and leadership along with the commercial mindset brought by an IRICoR partnership.

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organisation constitue un partenaire stratégique clé pour que le processus de commercialisation de nouvelles thérapies se déroule sans heurt.

IRICoR: En quoi consiste le projet que vous menez en partenariat avec IRICoR? Parimal Nathwani, vice-président, TIAP : L’accès privilégié d’IRICoR à une expertise en chimie médicinale – particulièrement pour ce qui est des chimies uniques associées aux molécules cycliques – en faisait un partenaire idéal pour Encycle Therapeutics, une de nos sociétés en portefeuille. Le projet consistait au développement d’un composé testé dans divers essais biologiques afin d’identifier une molécule de tête de série pour une cible thérapeutique spécifique. En outre, l’expertise de l’équipe d’IRICoR et de son réseau a été mise à profit dans l’intégration de propriétés pharmacologiques très tôt dans le processus de synthèse des nouvelles molécules.

IRICoR: Quel genre de soutien vous a apporté IRICoR dans ce partenariat?

Jida El Hajjar, vice-présidente, investissements et promotion de la santé, FCSQ : Le partenariat avec IRICoR a été déterminant. Son équipe multidisciplinaire a géré l’ensemble du processus d’octroi, puis a pris en charge les ententes relatives à la propriété intellectuelle et au financement. En plus, chaque trimestre, elle observera de près l’avancement des projets et les étapes importantes, de manière à maximiser l’efficacité du développement de traitements innovateurs pour les patientes atteintes d’un cancer du sein. Il est très enrichissant de travailler avec l’équipe d’IRICoR. Sur le plan professionnel, j’ai beaucoup appris de son expertise en matière de commercialisation de la recherche. Je suis donc encore plus optimiste quant au développement du portefeuille de projets de la Fondation.

IRICoR: Qu’est-ce qui distingue IRICoR des autres organisations?

Pascal Neuville, directeur général, Domain Therapeutics : Elle se démarque par son expertise scientifique approfondie et son leadership, de même que par l’approche commerciale qu’elle apporte au partenariat. Cet accès à un tel niveau d’expertise et de créativité autour des programmes de découverte et de développement (qui touchent des cibles et des indications

next-gen technology technologie de nouvelle génération

Having access to this level of expertise and creativity for discovery and development programs, for challenging targets in difficult to treat indications, means that we can jointly push the boundaries for identification of new medicines, maximizing our opportunities for success.

IRICoR: How do you foresee your collaboration with IRICoR evolving over the course of 2020?

Parimal Nathwani, Vice President, TIAP: Together with IRICoR and other ecosystem translational partners, we are continuously identifying project opportunities to collaborate on from academia. This engagement and discussion on the potential for new projects will continue in 2020 and beyond!

IRICoR certainly plays a pivotal role with these various entities in developing novel therapies in cancer and related fields. IRICoR’s growing collaborations with organizations here and abroad along with the sharing of expertise and knowledge, allows the organization to achieve its ultimate objective, namely to generate highly innovative drugs for the benefit of patients. Finally, this model is a testament to the strength of working together towards generating sustained wealth in both human and financial capital for Quebec and the rest of Canada.

complexes), nous permet collectivement de repousser les limites d’identification de nouveaux médicaments en maximisant nos chances de réussite.

IRICoR: Comment envisagez-vous votre collaboration avec IRICoR au cours de 2020?

Parimal Nathwani, vice-président, TIAP : En partenariat avec IRICoR et d’autres acteurs de l’écosystème, nous identifions sans relâche des occasions de collaboration avec le milieu universitaire. Un tel engagement et une telle relation autour de nouveaux projets potentiels vont se poursuivre en 2020 et bien après!

IRICoR joue certainement un rôle pivot auprès de ces différentes entités, dans le développement de nouvelles thérapies en cancer et domaines connexes. Le nombre croissant de collaborations d’IRICoR avec des organisations d’ici et d’ailleurs accompagné du partage d’expertises et de connaissances, permet à IRICoR de parvenir à notre objectif ultime, soit de générer des médicaments hautement novateurs au bénéfice des patients. Enfin, c’est ensemble que nous générons et continuerons de générer une richesse durable en capital humain et financier pour le Québec et le reste du Canada.

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Canadian Neuroscience Ecosystem Collaborates to Accelerate the Alzheimer’s Therapeutic Development

ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE IS THE SINGLE GREATEST CAUSE OF DISABILITY AND DEBILITATION IN CANADA’S senior population, with an estimated half-million people affected. Dementia had a direct cost to Canadians of $8.6B in 2018, and in the absence of disease-modifying therapy, it is predicted to grow to $16.6B in 2035, with disproportionately large indirect costs reflecting the huge impact on life and productivity of caregivers.

Recently, the U.S. biotech company Biogen announced the first significant advance in the development of a disease-modifying treatment for Alzheimer’s disease in 20 years. In a controlled Phase 3 clinical trial (EMERGE) in early Alzheimer’s patients, Biogen’s therapeutic antibody, known as aducanumab, showed evidence of reducing build-up in the brain of toxic amyloid, and of slowing cognitive decline. Biogen has announced its intention to file for FDA approval of the drug in the United States in 2020.

If it can be deployed broadly to patients in the early stages of the disease, this promising biologic treatment could have the potential to lessen the societal and financial burdens associated with Alzheimer’s disease. However, the accessibility of this novel treatment will be constrained by requirements for careful patient-selection, involving resourceintensive diagnostic screening and monitoring for side effects.

The high cost of development and manufacturing of biologic drugs drives the price of these treatments and puts pressure on reimbursement models. These hurdles to adoption and accessibility will likely be more difficult to overcome for Canada’s public healthcare system and its smaller, more segmented market. Barriers to patient accessibility for disease-modifying biological treatments for dementia will require collaborative and innovative solutions.

The Canadian National Dementia Strategy was released in June 2019 and calls for a three-pronged approach that embraces patient care, basic research, and drug 36

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development. Our challenge here in Canada is to coordinate our well-structured and integrated medical system, our world-class academic and clinical capabilities in neuroscience, our creative medical technology and devices sector, and our expertise in artificial intelligence (AI) to leverage clinical breakthroughs in the treatment of Alzheimer’s.

Second-generation drugs, new medical devices and less patient-intensive diagnostic and monitoring processes are all on the horizon, as private-public collaborations work together to achieve common aims to bring safe, effective and affordable drugs to the aged population in need. Indeed, the Canadian biotech company KalGene is adopting this broad view of the field as it undertakes its development of its potential disease-modifying drug for Alzheimer’s, currently known as KG207.

Dr. Jacki Jenuth of Lumira Ventures, Chairperson of Kalgene’s Board of Directors, observed “Data from the aducanumab trial is very encouraging and if approved by FDA will be the first approach that will slow the progression of the disease by targeted amyloid. Kalgene’s KG207 will significantly improve the patient experience as it was designed from the ground up to effectively cross the blood brain barrier without inducing edema which affects about a 1/3 of patients who are dosed with aducanumab.”

KalGene is collaborating with the National Research Council of Canada (NRC), where KG207- a bi-specific fusion protein–was designed to efficiently access and remove the neurotoxic amyloid oligomers, that are found in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients.

“NRC innovations that have been incorporated into the design of KG207 improve brain penetration, accelerate removal of toxic amyloid and reduce inflammatory responses in the brain. Evaluating the accelerated efficacy and reduced side-effects observed in pre-clinical studies

will be of great significance as the product moves into the clinical phase,” said Dr. Danica Stanimirovic, R&D Director for the NRC’s Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre.

To help steward its therapeutic molecule towards an efficient clinical path, KalGene is collaborating with a world-class team, experienced in the development of Alzheimer’s therapeutics, and is partnering with leading Canadian clinical centres to identify the correct patients for proof of concept trials.

KalGene is working collaboratively with the PanCanadian Alliance for AI Based Diagnostic and Treatment for Alzheimer’s (PCAAD). PCAAD is a national alliance of life-science industry members, working together with universities, hospitals, research foundations and networks, to create a national ecosystem for accelerating innovations in the diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease in Canada. KalGene’s executive, Dr. T. Nathan Yoganathan noted that in collaboration with the NRC we’ve developed a high-yield biomanufacturing process to permit adequate drug supply with reduced costs and planning to enter the clinic in 2021.

“To develop precision medicines for Alzheimer’s, says Dr. Serge Gauthier, McGill University professor and co-chair of PCCAD, we will need to select early Alzheimer’s patients whose disease is closely related to the molecular target of the drug being tested, and whose disease-progression risk can be quantified. We will be using the most advanced clinical diagnostic techniques to select these patients by measuring levels of amyloid, tau and other emerging targets in their brains and changes in relevant biomarkers during treatment as monitors of treatment.”

PCAAD is actively mobilizing Canada’s expertise in life sciences and Health Information Technologies (HIT) and working with governmental and non-governmental

organizations to establish Canada as a globallyrecognized leader for research expertise and disruptive technologies in cognitive neuroscience.

The alliance will be collaborating with multiple stakeholders including the NRC’s Digital Technologies Research Centre, other AI groups and Canadian enterprises to consolidate and analyze the wealth of medical information and current clinical research data on Alzheimer’s patients—across Canada and globally—using advanced machine-learning and artificial intelligencebased techniques.

Dr. Mario Masellis from Sunnybrook Research Institute, University of Toronto, is pleased to work with the Alliance to develop new collective AI-based tools, using data from a large number of patient-friendly sources, that is not normally able to be interpreted clinically. Collectively, these measures will complement the precision medicine approach for the diagnosis and management of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias, and the development of treatments.

According to PCAAD industry member Liam Kaufman, the co-founder, and CEO of Winterlight Labs, “Winterlight is excited to work with the alliance to further develop and refine its speech-based digital biomarkers for patient selection and monitoring response-to-therapy in Alzheimer’s disease.”

In support of Canada’s National Dementia Strategy, the Alliance will develop a precision medicine framework for Alzheimer’s disease diagnosis, prognosis, prevention and treatment – leveraging the latest Canadian technologies in molecular diagnostics, medical imaging, bioinformatics, and healthcare analytics. The goal is to pave the way for disease-modifying therapy, which is far more patient and family caregiver-friendly.

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Brampton Utilizes Key Strengths as An Emerging Life Sciences Hub TALENT, DIVERSITY AND GEOGRAPHY HAVE COMBINED TO PROVIDE BRAMPTON, ONTARIO WITH significant economic strengths which the city has used to become one of Canada’s leading health and life sciences centres.

“Executives of companies have told us that having access to skilled labour is the number one thing that they’re looking for. So being able to access over twenty universities and colleges for talent and training is very significant,” says Martin Bohl, sector manager for health and life sciences for the City of Brampton.

There are currently more than 13,000 people employed in 2,300 companies in the health and life sciences sector in Brampton, with more than 100 biotechnology firms situated within a 30-minute drive.

A strong transportation infrastructure system offering the opportunity to ship products across Canada and the United States by land and to ports for overseas export is another key advantage for Brampton. As part of the Greater Toronto Area, Brampton has close proximity to Toronto’s Pearson International Airport, multiple CN rail lines, and Highway 401, part of the Trans-Canada highway.

“Brampton is putting the pieces in place to develop a robust Innovation District in the downtown core,” says Bohl, who notes that the Innovation District consists of a variety of services which will provide support for entrepreneurs and businesses during every stage of their journey.

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The Innovation District will be a resource for all Brampton businesses, including those in the health and life sciences sector.

Taro Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., for example, is a research-based international pharmaceutical company that provides quality products through a commitment to scientific innovations, diligence and precision and employs more than 600 people, notes Bohl.

MDA, another locally based firm, is internationally known for building the Canadarm for the International Space Station. But the company’s robotic systems also have significant medical applications, including the ability to assist doctors with precision surgery.

LMC Healthcare offers a variety of medical services including specialist care in diabetes, endocrinology and metabolism. The company has a partnership with Diabetes Canada to provide education and promote active lifestyles as a means of prevention. This commitment to leading edge diabetes research and other life sciences applications in Brampton is also attracting much interest in the city from other healthcare companies, both domestically and internationally, says Bohl.

“The website www.investBrampton.ca has additional information to support our key message: ‘Brampton Means Business Now,’” he adds.

Dr. Ronald Heslegrave is corporate chief of research at the William Osler Health System in Brampton, which

operates three hospitals, including two in Brampton - the Brampton Civic Hospital and Peel Memorial Centre for Integrated Health and Wellness, along with the Etobicoke General Hospital.

“We have a very diverse population here in Brampton, including a very large south Asian population, which has made us attractive to pharmaceutical companies. They can come to this area, and see more of a real world population with a variety of genetic sub-types to address how their pharmaceutical compounds affect clinical outcomes across variations in genetic sub-types,” he says.

Osler’s research strategy is to focus on clinical care, including conducting clinical trials for the world’s ten largest pharmaceutical companies, rather than discovery research, in order to benefit patients in a more immediate way. This allows patients access to drugs they wouldn’t otherwise have for about five years because of regulatory requirements that pharmaceutical companies face, Dr. Heslegrave explains.

Osler has also worked on several large studies funded by the Ontario government, including a new cardiac intervention for people suspected of having heart attacks, to be applied in the ambulance prior to arrival at the hospital. Called Remote Ischemic Conditioning, this uses an automated blood pressure cuff to stop the blood supply to a limb and fool the body into reacting as if it is under attack, in order to provoke the release of a cascade of organ and cardiac protective mechanisms.

“In this study, we gathered data on over 2,000 patients with and without this intervention. This intervention had the biggest impact with the most severe cardiac patients,” explains Dr. Heslegrave.

Osler also leads a large oncology immunotherapy program through which they prescribe drugs to cancer patients based on their personal genetics in an effort to fight a specific cancer. “Our real focus here is ‘what can we do to support current and future patients at the bedside through research?’” stresses Dr. Heslegrave.

“Another initiative, which I think is going to be very important in the coming years, is the ability to monitor patients in the community. We recently developed a palliative app, where patients in the community report their symptoms to us so we can monitor them daily or every few days rather than their usual clinic visits every four to six weeks,” Dr. Heslegrave says.

For example, Osler conducted a pilot study with funding from the Centre for Aging and Brain Health Innovation which allowed them to monitor people at home on palliative issue symptoms like pain management. “That allowed us to intervene much earlier if necessary, but also to avoid unnecessary trips to emergency because patients and caregivers just didn’t know what else to do,” he elaborates.

These, and other exciting developments, promise to keep Brampton at the forefront of health and life sciences discoveries and advancements well into the future.

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20 Years in, Genome Canada Welcomes New President and Exciting Future Fier de ses 20 ans, Génome Canada voit l’avenir en grand avec un nouveau président by/par Helen Murphy

IF YOU THINK THE PAST TWO DECADES HAVE BEEN EXCITING FOR BIOSCIENCES RESEARCH, just wait to see what the next 20 years has in store.

That’s the view of Dr. Rob Annan, Genome Canada’s new president and CEO. While the ground-breaking mapping of the human genome has had a major impact on medicine, biotechnology and the life sciences — and contributed to the founding of Genome Canada in 2000 — Annan says the best is yet to come.

“Biosciences will revolutionize the 21st century as digital technologies revolutionized the 20th century,” he says. “So, for me to play a leading role in an organization in this space is beyond exciting.”

EARLY DAYS Although Genome Canada was created amidst the excitement of the Human Genome Project, Canada as a nation wasn’t involved in that historic effort. But a group of Canadian scientific leaders came together and called upon the government “to step up and get involved in genomics,” says Annan.

“There was concern that Canada would miss out on the benefits of this breakthrough work in genomics: economic benefits as well as health and social benefits.”

These scientists convinced the government that Canada needed an organization dedicated to providing both funding and leadership in this space. Genome Canada was the answer, with a mandate to build both Canada’s technological and human capacity in genomics.

Following the founding of Genome Canada, “the country caught up very quickly in terms of facilities and talent,” says Annan.

“And it’s a good thing, because as we can see with the COVID-19 pandemic, we absolutely needed to be prepared for the unexpected.”

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SI VOUS CROYEZ QUE LES DEUX DERNIÈRES DÉCENNIES ONT ÉTÉ EFFERVESCENTES POUR LA recherche en biosciences, attendez de voir ce que réservent les vingt prochaines années.

C’est en ces termes que le nouveau président et chef de la direction de Génome Canada, M. Rob Annan, Ph. D., marque son entrée en fonction. Bien que la formidable percée du séquençage du génome humain ait eu un effet important sur la médecine, la biotechnologie et les sciences de la vie — et permis la création de Génome Canada en 2000 —, Dr. Annan estime que le meilleur est à venir : « Les biosciences auront sur le 21 e siècle l’effet révolutionnaire qu’ont eu les technologies numériques sur le 20 e siècle, affirme-t-il. Je considère qu’avoir la chance de jouer un rôle déterminant dans ce domaine est une occasion extraordinaire. »

IL ÉTAIT UNE FOIS GÉNOME CANADA L’organisme Génome Canada a bien été créé dans l’esprit d’innovation qui a accompagné la création du projet du génome humain, mais le Canada n’était pas un acteur de ce projet historique. Or, un groupe de scientifiques de renom s’est alors formé pour demander au gouvernement « de réagir et d’investir en génomique », rappelle M. Annan. « On s’inquiétait du fait que le Canada puisse passer à côté des retombées de l’avancée en génomique, non seulement sur le plan économique, mais aussi en matière de santé et de progrès social », poursuit-il.

Ces scientifiques ont su convaincre le gouvernement du fait que le Canada avait besoin d’un organisme de financement qui exercerait aussi un leadership. Les efforts déployés ont mené à la fondation de Génome Canada, qui a reçu le mandat de renforcer les

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A UNIQUELY CANADIAN APPROACH Those early years were all about capacity-building. The field was wide open, but it wasn’t clear what exactly would distinguish Canada in genomics. What was clear, from day one, was that Canada’s approach would be cross-sector and interdisciplinary.

Another thing that has become abundantly clear is that good, long-term investment in science - specifically discovery science - will serve us well. In times of crisis, science leads.

And science will lead us out of challenges such as the novel coronavirus pandemic.

“Other organizations in the world were focusing support either on human health or non-human genomics,” says Annan.

“Due to the foresight of our founders, Genome Canada encompassed all the biological fields, including agriculture and natural resources, which are key to our economy. That was unique in the world, that cross-fertilization between health research and other areas of genomics work.”

Before long, Canada had carved out important areas of leadership in genomics and now “punches above its weight.”

“Biosciences will revolutionize the 21st century as digital technologies revolutionized the 20th century so, for me to play a leading role in an organization in this space is beyond exciting” - Dr. Rob Annan “We have built a community of leaders in forestry genomics, fisheries genomics, mining and energy genomics, who sit alongside world-class researchers in human health genomics,” he says.

Notably, exciting things are also happening in agriculture and food security. A current collaboration between the University of Saskatchewan and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada aims to increase wheat production over the next 20–30 years by applying the latest in genomic strategies to enhance yield and reduce risks due to disease.

“Interestingly, Canada is second in the world in the patenting of intellectual property related to genomics, which tells us there is a lot of innovation happening here.”

PIONEERING GE 3 LS RESEARCH Over the years, Genome Canada — now with a staff of 20-25 — has piloted GE3LS research, meaning “Genomics

capacités technologiques et humaines du Canada dans le domaine de la génomique.

Dans la foulée de la création de Génome Canada, « le pays a rattrapé son retard très rapidement en matière d’infrastructures et de talents », précise M. Annan. « C’est une bonne chose, car nous constatons qu’avec la pandémie de COVID-19, il nous fallait absolument être prêts à faire face à l’inattendu. »

UNE APPROCHE CANADIENNE VRAIMENT UNIQUE Les premières années furent entièrement consacrées au développement des capacités. Tout était à faire dans le domaine, mais le rôle que le Canada pouvait jouer en génomique restait à définir. Une seule chose était certaine : l’approche du Canada serait intersectorielle et interdisciplinaire.

Il est aussi devenu de plus en plus évident que de bons investissements à long terme en science – en particulier en recherche fondamentale – nous seront utiles. En temps de crise, la science prévaut. Elle nous fait sortir des difficultés comme la pandémie du nouveau coronavirus. « Ailleurs dans le monde, les organisations se spécialisaient soit en santé humaine, soit en génomique non humaine, explique M. Annan. Grâce à la clairvoyance de ses fondateurs, l’organisme Génome Canada s’est développé dans tous les domaines de la biologie, notamment en agriculture et en ressources naturelles, qui sont des secteurs clés de notre économie. Cette forme d’interrelation entre la recherche en santé et les autres champs de la génomique était une façon de faire unique au monde. » En peu de temps, le Canada s’est forgé une réputation de chef de file dans des secteurs clés de la génomique, et aujourd’hui il joue aisément dans la cour des grands. « Nous avons créé une communauté d’experts de pointe en génomique forestière, minière ainsi que dans les secteurs de l’énergie et des pêches, qui peuvent travailler d’égal à égal avec des chercheurs en génomique de la santé humaine de réputation internationale », poursuit-il.

Il fait aussi remarquer qu’il se passe des choses incroyables en agriculture et en sécurité alimentaire. Par exemple, l’Université de la Saskatchewan travaille de concert avec Agriculture et Agroalimentaire Canada en vue d’augmenter la production de blé au cours des vingt ou trente prochaines années grâce aux stratégies innovantes de la génomique en matière d’amélioration de la production et de réduction des risques de maladies. « Fait notable, le Canada arrive au deuxième rang mondial en ce qui a trait aux brevets en propriété intellectuelle liés à la

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génomique, ce qui en dit long sur la qualité de l’innovation au pays », précise-t-il.

Achievements to date Réalisations à ce jour

LE CARACTÈRE NOVATEUR DE LA RECHERCHE GE 3 LS

Génome Canada — fort aujourd’hui d’une équipe de plus de vingt personnes — a mis en œuvre au cours des années la recherche GE 3 LS, soit « la recherche sur la génomique et ‘omics ses aspects éthiques, environnementaux, projects in économiques, légaux et sociaux », qui est projets en 7 sectors axée sur les enjeux qui se trouvent au « omique » dans 7 secteurs carrefour de la génomique et des sciences sociales. « Nous avons intégré la GE 3 LS à tous nos in total investment projets d’envergure », souligne M. Annan. Par exemple, la « révolution génomique » menace d’investissements totaux d’accentuer les inégalités en santé, et companies Génome Canada a fait de la lutte à ces inégalités un cheval de bataille. Les en démarrage populations autochtones, en particulier, subissent des obstacles dans l’accès aux diagnostics, aux traitements et aux soins fondés sur la génomique, car ceux-ci prennent aujourd’hui la forme de soins de précision qui dépendent de données in co-funding informatiques.

Les travaux de Génome Canada pour and counting de cofinancement combler ces disparités en soins de santé et bien d’autres encore passent notamment par le projet Génomes silencieux — une initiative née en ColombieBritannique dont l’objectif est de créer une base de données de référence des variations génétiques pour les populations autochtones and its Ethical, Environmental, Economic, Legal and du Canada et d’ailleurs, tout en mettant en place en parallèle des processus pour que les peuples Social aspects,” with particular focus on questions at the autochtones obtiennent la gouvernance des échantillons intersection of genomics and society. biologiques et des données relatives au génome qui les “We mandated the integration of GE3LS into all our concernent. large-scale projects,” says Annan. For example, the ‘genomics « En présence de technologies révolutionnaires, il est revolution’ threatens to widen the health inequities gap réellement important de prendre en compte ces aspects — something Genome Canada is working to address. sociaux, indique M. Annan. Nous avons été des pionniers en Indigenous populations, in particular, face access barriers to matière d’intégration de la GE 3 LS dans nos projets de genomics-driven diagnosis, treatment and care now becoming recherche et nous continuons en ce sens avec toujours plus de available through data-driven precision health. conviction. » Genome Canada’s efforts to close this divide include the

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Silent Genomes project — a BC-based project that aims to create a database of background genetic variations for Indigenous populations living in Canada and around the world, while establishing processes for Indigenous governance of biological samples and genome data.

“With disruptive technologies, it is so important to consider these social aspects,” says Annan. “We have been a pioneer in the integration of GE3LS into our research projects and we remain as committed as ever.”

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DES COLLABORATIONS ET DES PARTENARIATS QUI MÈNENT AU SOMMET Les partenariats importants établis par Génome Canada, notamment au sein de l’industrie, ont été déterminants dans sa réussite. « Nous nous sommes positionnés dès le départ comme une organisation en recherche appliquée, explique M. Annan.

C’est tout simplement une façon de s’assurer que la recherche

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SUCCESS THROUGH PARTNERSHIPS AND COLLABORATION Another key to Genome Canada’s success is the development of impactful partnerships, especially with industry.

“From the very beginning we were conceived as an applied research organization,” says Annan. “It’s about making sure the research gets into the hands of those who will use it — industry and other end-users.”

Over 80 start-up companies have been created from Genome Canada projects.

A federated model ensures Genome Canada draws upon expertise across Canada’s regions and responds to regional needs.

“We work closely with six independent regional Genome Centres across the country,” says Annan. “They are the boots on the ground to establish and support regional research priorities. They do this by building relationships across sectors and determining the needs of different types of potential partners, be they companies or government agencies. And their leadership in education, communication and public outreach builds awareness about the potential of genomics research to provide solutions to those regional challenges.”

“These centres are crucial to connecting us with the regions and driving regional priorities,” he says. “Each region is unique and has its own needs. The model makes us regionally relevant and helps us develop close relationships with the provinces, while also connecting these activities into a national effort.”

Annan was promoted to the president’s role in January 2020 from the position of VP public affairs and communications, which he held for more than two years.

Prior to his time at Genome Canada, he was Chief Research Officer at Mitacs.

In 2009, Annan completed his PhD in biochemistry, with a focus on genomics.

“I did all of my grad work in this area,” he says. “I’m very excited to come full circle and am more inspired than ever by the potential in this field.”

profite à ceux qui en ont l’utilité, soit l’industrie et les utilisateurs finaux. » Les projets de Génome Canada ont permis de créer plus de 80 sociétés en démarrage.

Génome Canada s’appuie sur un modèle fédéré lui permettant de tirer parti de l’expertise des différentes régions canadiennes et de répondre à des besoins régionaux. « Nous travaillons en étroite collaboration avec six centres de génomique indépendants à travers le Canada, indique M. Annan. Ils sont nos ressources sur le terrain en vue d’établir des priorités régionales sur le plan de la recherche. Ces centres mettent en place des relations intersectorielles et déterminent les types de partenaires potentiels, qu’il s’agisse d’entreprises ou d’organes gouvernementaux. Leur leadership en matière d’éducation, de communication et d’information du public met en lumière le potentiel que possède la recherche en génomique d’apporter des solutions aux questions régionales.

Ces centres jouent un rôle essentiel pour nous permettre de rester en contact avec les régions et déterminer des priorités régionales, dit-il. Chaque région est unique, tout comme ses besoins. Cette structure fédérée fait en sorte que notre apport est pertinent et que nos partenariats avec les provinces restent étroits, tout en donnant aux projets une portée nationale. » M. Annan a été promu au poste de président en janvier 2020, après avoir occupé les fonctions de vice-président aux Affaires publiques et à la communication pendant plus de deux ans. Avant d’être en poste à Génome Canada, il était directeur de la recherche chez Mitacs.

En 2009, il a obtenu un doctorat en biochimie, avec spécialité en génomique. « Toutes mes études supérieures ont été consacrées à ce champ de recherche, confie-t-il. Je suis vraiment très heureux de cette boucle qui se boucle et plus motivé que jamais par le potentiel du domaine. »

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Perspective: Canada’s Opportunity to Lead in Biotechnology An interview with Marissa Poole, General Manager, Sanofi Genzyme Canada

WITH EXPERIENCE LEADING TEAMS IN AUSTRALIA, THE U.S. AND CANADA, MARISSA POOLE BRINGS global perspective to Sanofi Genzyme Canada, Sanofi’s specialty care business unit. Reflecting on her first year in the country, Marissa shares her view on Canada’s biotechnology sector.

WHAT MADE THE OPPORTUNITY TO LEAD SANOFI GENZYME IN CANADA APPEALING TO YOU? Canada has the core elements for a thriving biotechnology sector – world-class academic institutions and researchers, a deep talent pool and a culture of innovation.

There is a significant need to bring innovative new medicines to Canadian patients in specialty care, and our robust pipeline of products has the potential to address these unmet needs.

IS THIS WHY SANOFI IS MAKING SIGNIFICANT INVESTMENTS IN CANADA? We’re proud of the 100-year Canadian legacy of Sanofi, including a $500 million capital investment in a state-ofthe art vaccine manufacturing facility. We invest approximately 20% of our revenues back into R&D in Canada and conduct more than 75 clinical trials here.

However, the sector is undergoing significant health policy reform. Canada is competing on the global stage for life sciences investments, and a stable business environment is needed to remain competitive. Our industry needs to remain vigilant and vocal to ensure Canadians continue to have access to innovative and lifesaving medicines.

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GRÂCE À SON EXPÉRIENCE EN GESTION D’ÉQUIPES EN AUSTRALIE, AUX É.-U. ET AU CANADA, MARISSA POOLE apporte une perspective mondiale à Sanofi Genzyme Canada, l’unité commerciale de soins spécialisés de Sanofi.

Réfléchissant à sa première année au pays, Marissa partage son point de vue sur le secteur canadien de la biotechnologie.

QU’Y AVAIT-IL DE SÉDUISANT DANS LA POSSIBILITÉ DE DIRIGER SANOFI GENZYME AU CANADA? Le Canada possède les éléments fondamentaux d’un secteur florissant de la biotechnologie; des établissements d’enseignement et des chercheurs de calibre mondial, un bassin de talents important et une culture de l’innovation.

Il existe un besoin important d’offrir de nouveaux médicaments novateurs aux patients canadiens qui reçoivent des soins spécialisés et notre solide gamme de produits pourrait répondre à ces besoins non comblés.

EST-CE LA RAISON POUR LAQUELLE SANOFI FAIT DES INVESTISSEMENTS IMPORTANTS AU CANADA? Nous sommes fiers de l’héritage canadien de 100 ans de Sanofi, y compris un investissement de capital de 500 millions de dollars dans une installation de fabrication de vaccins à la fine pointe de la technologie. Nous investissons environ 20 % de nos revenus dans la R et D au Canada et nous menons plus de 75 essais cliniques ici.

Cependant, une réforme importante des politiques en matière de santé est actuellement en œuvre dans le secteur.

Le Canada est en concurrence sur la scène mondiale pour les investissements dans les sciences de la vie et un environnement commercial stable est nécessaire pour

Canada has the core elements for a thriving biotechnology sector – world-class academic institutions and researchers, a deep talent pool and a culture of innovation.

WITH THESE REFORMS, HOW DO WE SHOW CANADA IS WORTH INVESTMENT? This is not unique to Canada and many countries are implementing pricing reforms. So, this is our opportunity to show leadership and how to be successful in an evolving environment. But it will only happen through partnership with stakeholders including government, healthcare institutions, patient advocacy groups and payors, to ensure Canadians have access to important therapies.

WHAT DO YOU SEE ON THE HORIZON FOR INNOVATION IN CANADA? Digital transformation, including AI, machine learning and automation are changing how we operate and an accelerator for the biotech industry. We’ve launched programs that leverage AI to screen patients and deliver in-the-moment information to physicians. The potential for digital to transform drug development and healthcare is boundless.

Learn more at Sanofi.ca or follow @SanofiCanada on Twitter.

demeurer concurrentiel. Notre industrie doit demeurer vigilante et faire entendre sa voix pour veiller à ce que tous les Canadiens continuent d’avoir accès à des médicaments novateurs qui sauvent des vies.

CONSIDÉRANT CES RÉFORMES, COMMENT POUVONSNOUS DÉMONTRER QU’INVESTIR AU CANADA VAUT LA PEINE? La situation n’est pas unique au Canada; plusieurs pays travaillent à des réformes tarifaires. Il s’agit donc de l’occasion pour nous de faire preuve de leadership et de montrer comment faire pour réussir dans un environnement en évolution. Nous réussirons toutefois cela seulement si nous travaillons en collaboration avec les parties prenantes, y compris le gouvernement, les établissements de soins de santé, les groupes de défense des droits des patients ainsi que les payeurs, pour veiller à ce que les Canadiens aient accès aux traitements importants.

QUE VOYEZ-VOUS À L’HORIZON À TITRE D’INNOVATION POUR LE CANADA? La transformation numérique, ce qui comprend l’intelligence artificielle, l’apprentissage automatique et l’automatisation, change présentement la façon dont nous fonctionnons et constitue un accélérateur pour l’industrie biotechnologique. Nous avons lancé des programmes qui misent sur l’IA pour dépister les patients et fournir de l’information instantanée aux médecins. Le potentiel du numérique pour transformer le développement de médicaments et les soins de santé est illimité.

Pour en savoir plus, visitez Sanofi.ca ou suivez @Sanoficanada sur Twitter.

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next-gen technology technologie de nouvelle génération

Novartis is Taking the Promise of Cell and Gene Therapy to New Heights Novartis porte les promesses des thérapies cellulaires et géniques vers de nouveaux sommets

by Daniel Hebert, Country Medical Head, Oncology, Novartis Pharmaceuticals Canada Inc. par Daniel Hebert, chef médical national, Oncologie, Novartis Pharma Canada inc.

A NEW SCIENTIFIC ERA: CELL AND GENE THERAPY, IT WOULDN’T BE AN OVERSTATEMENT TO SAY THAT the emergence of cell and gene therapy has ushered in a new scientific era and is one of the greatest recent advances in modern medicine. When Novartis introduced the first chimeric antigen receptor T cell (CAR-T) therapy, it was so ground-breaking that explaining the science of how a patient’s own immune cells are engineered to treat their cancer was an important first step.

“It’s an exciting time and what’s more exciting is that Novartis is at the forefront of this momentum.”

Wrapping one’s head around how the revolutionary CAR-T cell therapy process works begins with understanding that a patient’s own T cells are extracted from the blood and reprogrammed to recognize and attack the cancer cells before being re-infused into the patient. This is the CAR-T process used in young patients with the most common childhood cancer, acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and in adults with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). The most incredible part is that those on the receiving end are the sickest and out of options; we have patients who would have been considered terminal whose cancer is now in long-lasting, meaningful remission.

Today the Novartis cell and gene platform is not only testing new CAR-T therapies for a variety of difficult-to-treat cancers, but we are also developing gene therapies 46

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UNE NOUVELLE ÈRE SCIENTIFIQUE : LES THÉRAPIES CELLULAIRES ET GÉNIQUES Il ne serait pas exagéré d’affirmer que l’émergence des thérapies cellulaires et géniques a inauguré une nouvelle ère scientifique et constitue l’une des plus grandes avancées récentes de la médecine moderne. Lorsque Novartis a lancé la première thérapie par lymphocytes T porteurs de récepteurs antigéniques chimériques (CAR-T), cette dernière était si révolutionnaire que l’explication scientifique de la façon dont les cellules immunitaires d’un patient sont modifiées pour traiter son cancer constituait une première étape importante.

Pour comprendre le fonctionnement du processus révolutionnaire de la thérapie CAR-T, il faut d’abord comprendre que les lymphocytes T d’un patient sont prélevés de son sang et reprogrammés pour reconnaître les cellules cancéreuses et les attaquer, avant qu’ils soient réinfusés dans le patient. Il s’agit du processus CAR-T employé chez les jeunes patients atteints du cancer le plus fréquent chez l’enfant, la leucémie aiguë lymphoblastique (LAL), et chez les adultes atteints d’un lymphome diffus à grandes cellules B (LDGCB).

Le plus incroyable, c’est que les patients qui en bénéficient sont les plus malades, n’ayant aucune autre option thérapeutique. Nous avons des patients qu’on considérait comme étant en phase terminale et dont le cancer est maintenant en rémission durable et significative.

Aujourd’hui, la plateforme cellulaire et génique de Novartis met à l’essai non seulement de nouvelles thérapies CAR-T pour différents cancers difficiles à traiter, mais elle développe également des traitements géniques pour de nombreuses autres maladies.

Lorsqu’on me demande d’expliquer en quoi consistent les thérapies cellulaires et géniques, je réponds

next-gen technology technologie de nouvelle génération

for many more diseases. When I am asked to explain what cell and gene therapy is, I tell people ‘we get personal, very personal’. Unlike conventional drug production, cell therapy uses a patient’s own immune system to treat diseases while gene therapy introduces genetic material into cells to compensate for abnormal genes leading to the disease. Both cell and gene therapy approaches have the potential to alleviate the underlying cause of genetic diseases and acquired diseases. It’s an exciting time and what’s more exciting is that Novartis is at the forefront of this momentum.

aux gens qu’il s’agit de « processus personnels, très personnels ». Contrairement à la production traditionnelle de médicaments, la thérapie cellulaire utilise le système immunitaire du patient pour traiter les maladies, tandis que la thérapie génique introduit du matériel génétique dans les cellules pour compenser les gènes anormaux qui causent la maladie. Autant la thérapie cellulaire que la thérapie génique peuvent atténuer la cause sous-jacente des maladies génétiques et des maladies acquises. Nous vivons une période passionnante et Novartis est à l’avant-garde de cette lancée.

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The Future of Cell and Gene Therapies for Patients is Now L’avenir des thérapies cellulaires et géniques pour les patients, c’est maintenant

by Brent Warner, Vice President, Gene Therapy, Novartis Pharmaceuticals Canada Inc. par Brent Warner, vice-président, Thérapie génique, Novartis Pharma Canada inc.

OUR CELL AND GENE STORY BEGAN WITH THE INTRODUCTION OF THE FIRST-EVER CAR-T CELL THERAPY IN CANADA Today, that narrative is evolving and expanding rapidly.

Our vision for cell and gene is becoming a reality, and in Canada we are making a bold statement by taking a platform approach and paving the way for what is to come by establishing a business unit to focus exclusively on these innovative therapies.

For the patients who stand to benefit and their caregivers, the value of cell and gene therapies could be immeasurable. Designed to be one-time treatments, they are a radical shift in approach to disease management that have the potential to free patients from the burden and constant reminders of their illness. In the case of gene therapy, we are on the brink of a total paradigm shift from chronic disease management to acute treatment where the defective gene is replaced or repaired. Ultimately, we are tackling genetic diseases by addressing their root cause.

While many of the diseases Novartis is targeting with these therapies do not affect a large number of Canadians, they are devastating and often fatal. For example, spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a rare genetic muscle-wasting disease, affecting approximately one in every 10,000 babies born worldwide.

Untreated, a baby’s muscles become progressively weaker, eventually leading to paralysis or death, in most cases by a child’s second birthday. In ophthalmology, we are looking

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NOTRE HISTOIRE CELLULAIRE ET GÉNIQUE A COMMENCÉ AVEC L’INTRODUCTION DE LA TOUTE PREMIÈRE THÉRAPIE CAR-T AU CANADA Aujourd’hui, cette histoire évolue et se développe rapidement.

Notre vision de la thérapie cellulaire et génique devient une réalité et, au Canada, nous faisons une déclaration audacieuse en adoptant une approche de plateforme et en ouvrant la voie aux réalisations à venir en créant une unité commerciale qui se concentrera exclusivement sur ces traitements novateurs.

Pour les patients qui en bénéficieront et leurs aidants, la valeur des traitements cellulaires et géniques pourrait être incommensurable. Conçus comme des traitements ponctuels, ils constituent un changement radical dans l’approche de la prise en charge des maladies, lequel est susceptible de libérer les patients du fardeau et des rappels constants de leur maladie. Dans le cas du traitement génique, nous sommes sur le point de changer totalement de paradigme, passant de la prise en charge des maladies chroniques à un traitement aigu dans le cadre duquel le gène défectueux est remplacé ou réparé. En fin de compte, nous luttons contre les maladies génétiques en nous attaquant à leur cause principale.

Bien que bon nombre des maladies ciblées par Novartis ne touchent pas un grand nombre de Canadiens, elles sont dévastatrices et souvent mortelles. Par exemple, l’amyotrophie spinale est une maladie génétique rare qui atrophie les muscles et qui touche environ un nouveau-né

next-gen technology technologie de nouvelle génération

Cell and gene therapies hold the potential to completely alter the patient experience of disease and are at the forefront of our quest to find curative therapies. to treat a rare progressive genetic condition that leads to total blindness in children and adults. Rett syndrome and a genetic form of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) are two other disease areas we are actively investigating through our clinical research program.

Cell and gene therapies hold the potential to completely alter the patient experience of disease and are at the forefront of our quest to find curative therapies.

Novartis is already doing its part to lead the conversation about how and when patients access innovations. This challenge is a big one, but it’s a road we have travelled before. Our CAR-T cell therapy didn’t just open the door for other cell and gene therapies; it’s an excellent illustration of putting a system in place that did not previously exist. That framework represents a best practice example of collaborations on many levels. This is our benchmark.

Novartis is proud to lead the way for patients. We believe in our pipeline and believe this is the future of reimagining medicine.

sur 10 000 dans le monde. En l’absence de traitement, les muscles du bébé s’affaiblissent progressivement, menant alors à la paralysie ou à la mort, dans la plupart des cas avant le deuxième anniversaire de l’enfant. En ophtalmologie, nous cherchons à traiter une maladie génétique rare et évolutive conduisant à la cécité totale chez les enfants et les adultes. Le syndrome de Rett et une forme génétique de la sclérose latérale amyotrophique (SLA) sont deux autres maladies que nous étudions activement dans le cadre de notre programme de recherche clinique.

Les traitements cellulaires et géniques peuvent modifier complètement l’expérience de la maladie chez les patients et sont à l’avant-garde de notre quête de traitements curatifs.

Novartis apporte déjà sa contribution en menant la conversation sur la manière dont les patients accèdent aux traitements novateurs et sur le moment où ils y accèdent. Ce défi est de taille, mais c’est un chemin que nous avons déjà parcouru. Notre thérapie CAR-T n’a pas seulement ouvert la voie à d’autres traitements cellulaires et géniques; elle illustre parfaitement la mise en place d’un système qui n’existait pas auparavant. Ce cadre représente un exemple de pratiques exemplaires de collaboration à de nombreux niveaux et il s’agit de notre référence.

Novartis est fière de montrer la voie aux patients. Nous croyons en notre gamme de produits et nous sommes convaincus qu’elle représente l’avenir de la réinvention de la médecine.

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Dear virus, we’re sorry.

We’re sorry that we have been battling you for over two decades.

We’re sorry that our novel plant-based technology will help us combat some of our most pressing and important public health challenges you keep posing.

We’re sorry that our unique platform is accelerating the discovery of new therapeutic proteins to stop you from spreading.

The only thing we’re not sorry for is our Canadian roots – of that we are proud.

Bruce D. Clark, Ph.D. President and Chief Executive Officer

medicago.com

Cher virus, nous sommes désolés.

Nous sommes désolés de t’avoir combattu pendant plus de deux décennies.

Nous sommes désolés que notre nouvelle technologie sur plantes nous permettra de lutter contre certains des plus importants défis de santé publique que tu ne cesses de causer.

Nous sommes désolés que notre plateforme unique accélère la découverte de nouvelles protéines thérapeutiques pour empêcher ta propagation.

La seule chose dont nous ne sommes pas désolés, ce sont nos racines canadiennes - nous en sommes fiers.

Bruce D. Clark, Ph.D. Président et chef de la direction

MC

medicago.com

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roadmap carnet de route

Canada’s Inaugural National Biotechnology Summit Lancement du premier sommet national de biotechnologie au Canada

by BIOTECanada par BIOTECanada

BIONATION, TO BE HELD IN OTTAWA WILL BE A UNIQUE NATIONAL GATHERING FEATURING PUBLIC policy change makers driven to providing Canadian solutions for the many challenges affecting global human health, food security and the environment. At BIONATION, researchers, public officials, entrepreneurs and investors will meet together to explore the expanding opportunity biotechnology discoveries delivering game-changing and life-changing innovation to the challenges faced by society.

Canada leads one of the worlds most renown, vibrant biotechnology ecosystems with clusters located in every province. The Canadian biotechnology industry is taking advantage of the global opportunity to deliver significant economic and social benefits to Canada and the world.

These technologies are transforming many of Canada’s traditional industrial sectors and offering solutions to grow our competitive economic future.

BIONATION will provide policymakers with an increased awareness of the important role Canadian biotech is playing in supporting the competitiveness of key industry sectors and the Canadian economy more broadly.

Importantly, BIONATION will begin the process of establishing the industry-government relationship for the period ahead. The industry will present meaningful policy input to secure the long-term aspirations of the economic strategy tables published by the government.

BIONATION will welcome speakers and participants from all regions of the country and all sectors of the industry.

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LE SOMMET BIONATION, QUI AURA LIEU À OTTAWA, SERA UN RASSEMBLEMENT NATIONAL UNIQUE DE stratèges en matière de politiques publiques qui sont déterminés à offrir des solutions canadiennes aux nombreux défis qui touchent la santé humaine, la sécurité alimentaire et l’environnement à l’échelle mondiale. Des chercheurs, des représentants des autorités publiques, des entrepreneurs et des investisseurs se réuniront à BIONATION pour explorer les possibilités croissantes qu’offrent les découvertes en biotechnologie sur le plan des innovations qui changent la donne et transforment la vie en ce qui concerne les défis que nous venons d’évoquer. Fort de ses pôles répartis dans chaque province, le Canada est à la tête d’un des écosystèmes de biotechnologie les plus réputés et dynamiques au monde.

L’industrie canadienne de la biotechnologie sait tirer profit des possibilités mondiales qui permettent des avancées importantes sur le plan socio-économique tant au Canada que dans le monde. Elle propose de nouvelles technologies qui viennent transformer de nombreux secteurs industriels traditionnels grâce à des solutions visant à stimuler la croissance économique de demain.

BIONATION permettra de sensibiliser davantage les décideurs au rôle de premier plan de la biotechnologie canadienne dans l’avantage concurrentiel des secteurs industriels clés et plus largement de l’ensemble de l’économie canadienne. Par-dessus tout, BIONATION sera l’occasion de commencer à établir une relation entre l’industrie et le

The event program will explore three key facets of the ecosystem: -Talent and skills development -Next generation technologies -Investment In terms of vast potential to solve the world’s most pressing challenges, biotechnology offers incredible solutions. In recent years the Canadian biotechnology sector has experienced significant growth in both the absolute number and size of companies located throughout the country. New investments and knowledge infrastructure deals have been created throughout Canada. Once deemed disruptive, areas such as AI, 3D printing, big data, and robotics are finding natural intersections with biotech companies.

Learn more at bionation.ca.

gouvernement pour cette nouvelle période qui débute.

L’industrie pourra émettre des avis importants en matière de politiques allant dans le sens de l’ambition à long terme qui est ressortie des tables de stratégie économique du gouvernement.

Des conférenciers et des participants de toutes les régions du pays et de tous les secteurs industriels prendront part à BIONATION. Le programme de l’événement met en lumière trois axes clés de l’écosystème : - Les talents et le développement des compétences - La prochaine génération de technologies - Les investissements La biotechnologie permet d’envisager des solutions exceptionnelles à grande échelle pour faire face aux défis les plus urgents auxquels le monde est confronté. Ces dernières années, le secteur de la biotechnologie canadienne a connu une croissance importante tant en ce qui a trait au nombre d’entreprises dans l’ensemble du pays qu’à leur taille. Des ententes concernant de nouveaux investissements et notre infrastructure du savoir ont été conclues d’un océan à l’autre.

Des secteurs qui étaient auparavant réputés révolutionnaires tels que l’IA, l’impression 3D, les mégadonnées et la robotique trouvent maintenant assez naturellement des points d’intersection avec la biotechnologie.

Pour en savoir plus, rendez-vous à bionation.ca.

Ontario Genomics Addressing Global Issues with Made-in-Canada Engineering Biology

AS THE EXPLOSIVE GROWTH OF GENOMICS TECHNOLOGY PROVIDES BOTH SCIENCE AND BUSINESS WITH EXCITING NEW OPPORTUNITIES, Ontario Genomics is working on the forefront to expand Ontario’s and Canada’s global competitiveness in next generation genomics technologies where engineering meets biology, and engineering biology meets artificial intelligence.

“The beauty of our work is that we connect ideas and researchers, industry and government across so many sectors,” says Bettina Hamelin, the not-for-profit organization’s President and CEO. “We measure our success on our economic impact, so driving the commercialization and implementation of genomics technologies is our top priority.”

Because DNA is present in all living things, the science of genomics can be applied to provide solutions to many of society’s most pressing issues, “which gives us a huge

opportunity to make a real difference in Canada and around the world,” Hamelin explains.

Ontario Genomics dedicates the subjectmatter expertise of its 20 professionals and support staff toward applications in health, agricultural and food production, sustainable natural resources and engineering Bettina Hamelin, President and CEO biology.

With respect to the company’s health initiatives, genomics is being applied to help determine how to get the right drugs to the right person at the right time, rather than exposing patients to a multitude of drugs to determine which may or may not work for someone.

With a population explosion expected to reach nine billion by 2050, Ontario Genomics is also driving novel genomics technologies to address food insecurity by optimizing agricultural and agri-food production to feed more people, more sustainably. Those efforts include increasing crop yields, pest resistance, animal resilience and protecting the health of key organisms essential for

We have been mobilizing the community through our Can-DESyNe initiative and with the Canada SYNBIO conference, which is attracting new investors into the Canadian engineering biology scene.

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plant health such as honeybees. the life sciences. We have the genomics expertise necessary Ontario Genomics has been leading a national effort to to create breakthroughs across a multitude of sectors in push new frontiers of genomics. The revolutionary field of Canada. What we need to do is bring it all together,” she engineering biology has the potential to solve many of our emphasizes. problems related to pollution and climate change.

Ontario Genomics has been very active in driving that Decreasing food waste is national effort. a key priority. “The “A big focus area of my statistics are stark,” says organization is to lead an Hamelin. “When we look at engineering biology the food that we produce in roadmap for Canada. We Canada - 58 per cent is have been mobilizing the lost or wasted every year, community through our and that costs Canadians Can-DESyNe initiative and $49 billion annually.” with the Canada SYNBIO “The waste we produce conference, which is as a society is attracting new investors unsustainable. By 2050, into the Canadian plastics in the oceans will engineering biology scene,” outweigh fish, which I says Hamelin. think is very scary.

“Ontario leadership in Micro-plastics are really this initiative makes sense the unseen enemy. The because there is damage we are causing is tremendous science, detrimental,” says industry and a Hamelin. With engineering manufacturing base that biology, waste can be contends to be the turned into sustainable, strongest in Canada. high-value products like Collaboration and silk, natural nylon, and expertise from across bioplastics.

Canada are, of course, George Church, Ph.D delivering the keynote address at the 2019 CANADA On a macro level, she imperative to move this SYNBIO Conference. Photo: Connie Tsang. notes, the evolution of forward,” she adds. genomics into engineering Together with their more biology provides a huge than 500 partners economic opportunity for across Ontario, Ontario Canada to build a new Genomics has built 21st century biotech and capacity and expertise bio-manufacturing that is creating industry. This can offset commercialization and the significant loss of application opportunities traditional across Ontario’s growing manufacturing jobs. economic sectors.

Canada has all the “Now we need to go to ingredients to be the next level and take successful in developing our understanding to first to market, state of design and build systems the art technologies, that make useful based on engineering products in sustainable biology, insists Hamelin. ways. That is the power “We have the engineers. of engineering biology.

We have the And it is not just a mathematicians. We have concept for tomorrow, it the computer scientists. is already here today,” We have the AI. We have Hamelin stresses.

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Tetra Bio-Pharma Leads the World in the Promising Development of Cannabinoid-based Medicines

MANKIND HAS LONG KNOWN ABOUT THE MEDICAL BENEFITS OF MARIJUANA, BUT MONTREAL-BASED TETRA BIO-PHARMA aims to build on that knowledge in order to develop cannabinoid-based medicines using scientific methods and the safety data required to commercialize products for the pharmaceutical industry.

The Canadian company is quietly becoming a world leader in this nascent sector as it has several cannabinoidderived drugs in advanced clinical trials in Canada, the United States and Mexico, including a synthetic inhaled cannabinoid pain-relief drug that they developed to replace medical cannabis.

Tetra Bio-Pharma CEO Dr. Guy Chamberland explained how the failure of other companies to create cannabinoidbased pain medications that were as effective as inhaled cannabis inspired their researchers to figure out what others were missing.

“For thousands of years, people have claimed that smoking cannabis relieves pain. It’s all anecdotal, but for me, as a drug developer, when you see that it’s lasted thousands of years, there’s something to it,” said Chamberland.

Discovering how inhaled cannabis works and learning the pharmacokinetics of how pain-relieving chemicals were delivered to the central nervous system were key to developing their products, said Chamberland.

“With that base of knowledge, we follow a classic drug development program that any pharma would have followed to develop a new product.”

That research resulted in CAUMZ™, a cannabinoidderived medicine using synthetic THC and CBD which is delivered using a Health-Canada approved vaporizer that is currently being assessed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Tetra Bio-Pharma is already talking with potential commercialization partners from around the world in anticipation of the drug gaining regulatory approval.

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The drug is undergoing a phase 3 clinical trial called SERENITY© to treat pain in advanced cancer patients and the company is planning for marketing approval by late 2020. In addition, Tetra Bio-Pharma has resumed a phase 2 trial called REBORN© which is a head to head efficacy study assessing CAUMZ™ versus Fentanyl® to measure the onset of action for breakthrough pain in cancer patients with the objective to secure a second indication for the drug by the middle of 2021.

Not only is Tetra Bio-Pharma focusing its attention on creating cannabinoid-based drugs for pain relief, but they are also developing therapies for use in opthalmics and oncology, which are also undergoing clinical trials.

On the pain-relief side, Chamberland is optimistic about the potential that cannabinoid-derived drugs like theirs could be used as alternatives to highly-addictive opioids.

He noted that their drug is not an analgesic, but instead affects how the brain perceives pain so that the patient is not as bothered by it as before.

“Because (the pain) doesn’t bother you anymore, you don’t need as much opioids as you did before and I think that’s the biggest breakthrough,” he said, adding it would also reduce the need for patients taking opioids to require anti-depressants and hypnotics that are regularly prescribed to treat the side-effects of depression and insomnia that come with debilitating pain.

To expand its portfolio of products, Tetra Bio-Pharma acquired Halifax-based Panag Pharma in 2019 and Chamberland says his company is not averse to acquiring other companies if it would expand their product pipeline, strengthen an existing product or help them maintain their lead in the field of cannabinoid-derived medicine.

“As a result of this acquisition, we have added highly qualified experts in cannabinoid science and medicine as well as a wealth of drug discovery and early phase drug development expertise and experience,” he commented.

In addition, Tetra Bio-Pharma is investing in cannabis research at the university level, most notably by partnering with the New Brunswick Health Research Foundation to donate $1 million over a five-year period, $500,000 each, to establish a Health Research Chair in Cannabis at the University of New Brunswick.

Not only is Tetra Bio-Pharma focusing its attention on creating cannabinoidbased drugs for pain relief, but they are also developing therapies for use in opthalmics and oncology, which are also undergoing clinical trials.

McGill University is also collaborating with Tetra Bio-Pharma on a National Sciences and Engineering Research Council funded research study to develop consumer products containing cannabinoids.

Chamberland sees the year ahead as being a big one for his company as the impending FDA approval of their first drug will transform them from a biotech focused on

research to a pharma company that manufactures and distributes commercial products to the medical community.

“It’s a major transformation we’re going to undergo and it involves growth and, obviously, job creation in Canada, which is a very good thing and these will be very highlyqualified positions.”

Chamberland believes that their business strategies will help Tetra Bio-Pharma maintain its international leadership role in the promising field of cannabinoid medicine and looks forward to what discoveries lie ahead.

“Nobody’s doing what we’re doing on the inhalation front and that’s where we will continue to be a leader worldwide,” said Chamberland.

“Some of our achievements will help future biotechs bring cannabinoid molecules to regulatory agencies because we set the precedent and that is where we’re going to continue to be very, very active.” biotech.ca

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Pangaea Expertise Supports Growing Pharmaceutical, Biotech Presence in Canada

AS EXCITING NEW HEALTHCARE AND PHARMACEUTICAL ADVANCES GRIP THE WORLD, The Pangaea Group, an Oakville, Ontario-based consulting company brings their insight, network and expertise to healthcare, pharmaceutical and biotech businesses and their partners to solve unique business challenges. The Pangaea team provides clients support from insight to execution across the spectrum of corporate, business and trade strategy.

“We have been fortunate to build relationships with many of the brand pharmaceutical and biotech organizations in Canada,” says Ben Parry, the firm’s Associate Managing Director.

Pangaea’s clients are mostly based in Canada, but the firm also works with offshore companies, often headquartered in the United States and Europe, that wish to establish pharmaceutical operations in Canada.

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organizations that wish to commercialize in Canada, we also help them with business strategy by conducting market assessments, assisting in lifecycle planning, and facilitating strategic brand planning exercises to enable decision making,” explains Parry.

Pangaea’s focus with respect to business strategy is on the pharmaceutical and/or biologic products that its clients’ brand teams are commercializing. It assesses the viability of those products in the Canadian market, and then enables cross-functional teams to assemble strategies and tactics to help get medications to patients.

Pangaea’s work with clients regarding trade strategy centers around primary care and specialty products getting through the supply chain from the manufacturer to their customers, whether it be through retail pharmacy, hospital or specialty distribution channels. It involves establishing trade relationships with the client’s direct customers, which are usually Canadian wholesale and specialty distributors or selfdistributing pharmacy retailers.

“We make sure that the supply chain and the B2B aspects of the commercial trade relationship are set up. We manage that ongoing trade relationship

“The benefit we provide for our clients is assistance in understanding the changes that are occurring across the health care system and the implications for their business and patients,” where clients can benefit by leveraging our team of trade experts day-to-day,” Parry says.

The Canadian pharmaceutical and biotech industries have undergone numerous substantive changes over the past five years. Pangaea is constantly adjusting to these new norms in order to continue to help companies achieve their strategic goals.

Those changes include major regulatory reform around pricing, safety and controls. The pharmaceutical and biotech industries have also produced and brought to market vastly new and/or advanced medical products compared to what was previously available, says Parry.

For example, “we’ve seen a very strong pipeline of research in the oncology space that span numerous indications across multiple types of potential cancer treatments. We’ve already seen new products in hepatitis and many other disease states that have created encouraging new options for patients in the last number of

years. That’s driven a new dialogue in terms of being able to deploy therapies that ten years ago we didn’t know were possible,” says Parry.

Those changes have resulted in a vastly different marketplace for pharmaceutical and bio-tech companies and their stakeholders, which Pangaea helps them navigate, he notes.

Economic conditions have, however, resulted in a degree of compression and added complexity within the healthcare industry, forcing organizations to operate in a more integrated manner cross-functionally and within tighter boundaries than they did in the past. They need to do this in order to remain agile with respect to managing both risk and opportunity as they navigate market access, educate the marketplace, and optimize a commercial supply chain, while also ensuring compliance fundamentals are maintained in coordination with regulatory authorities, explains Parry. “The benefit we provide for our clients is assistance in understanding the changes that are occurring across the health care system and the implications for their business and patients,” he adds.“We continue to be a strong supporter of making sure there is a successful, efficient entry of new products into Canada, and we’re driven by a vision for an increasingly strong healthcare system that improves the well-being and health of Canadians,” says Parry. biotech.ca

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Better Health, Brighter Future Takeda Canada delivers better health for Canadians through leading innovations.

We are focused on living up to our promise to bring Better Health and a Brighter Future to patients by translating science into highly-innovative medicines.

Takeda is delivering better health for Canadians through leading innovations in gastroenterology, oncology, neuroscience, and rare diseases.

To find out more about Takeda and our commitment to Canadians, visit www.takeda.com/en-ca.

Takeda Canada Inc.

Partner with Seneca WIL.

Simplify your recruitment efforts.

Energize your workforce and organization.

Inspire your next generation of employees today.

Seneca’s School of Biological Sciences has a variety of Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) students with sound theoretical knowledge and hands-on lab skills: from diploma students to post-graduate students with university degrees in highly specialized fields of study.

• Biotechnology — Advanced • Chemical Engineering Technology • Chemical Laboratory Technology — Pharmaceutical • Clinical Research • Cosmetic Science • Pharmaceutical Regulatory Affairs and Quality Operations Find out about potential funding opportunities for hiring Seneca WIL students and more: senecacollege.ca/wil To connect with a WIL team member, please contact: Thomas.Honey1@senecacollege.ca

GLOBAL SALES? WE GET THERE FROM HERE! Commercializing Atlantic Canada’s bio-based technologies for international markets Home of Canada’s Bioscience Business Incubator

peibioalliance.com

Can saliva from a shrew help improve healthcare?

Only one way to find out: Biotech the heck out of it.

Canadian biotech. The science of amazing. More solutions at biotech.ca.

We strive to improve human health and contribute to a society enriched by smiles Nous nous efforçons d’améliorer la santé humaine et de contribuer à une société enrichie de sourires

https://www.taihopharma.ca/en/

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Precision NanoSystems: at the Forefront of the Next Generation of Therapeutics

IT IS AN UNPRECEDENTED TIME IN BIOTECHNOLOGY, WITH NEW THERAPEUTIC APPROACHES ALLOWING for the treatment of disease in ways not previously possible. Precision NanoSystems’ (PNI) platform for the development and manufacture of nanoparticle delivered drugs, called nanomedicines, is at the forefront of enabling the development of these novel therapeutics.

Precision NanoSystems is a global leader in technology and solutions for developing RNA, DNA, CRISPR and small molecule drugs, rapidly taking ideas to patients.

Certainly, PNI is perfectly positioned to play a major role in that future. The company already has a well-earned reputation for creating innovative solutions for the discovery, development and manufacture of novel nanoparticles for use as medicines and in medical research. And it’s innovative NanoAssemblr platform is opening the door to even more effective nanomedicine approaches.

“Today, PNI’s technology is being used by biopharmaceutical companies worldwide to develop drugs not thought possible even a few years ago,” says James.

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services and manufacturing capabilities to biopharmaceutical companies and life sciences researchers in Canada and around the world. And there is no doubt that the demand for these instruments and services will only continue to grow.”

PNI, with systems deployed in more than 20 countries, is leading the way in meeting that demand. In working with over 200 biopharmaceutical companies and leading academic institutes globally, Precision NanoSystems’ expertise and proprietary technology is at the heart of many of the leading gene therapies now under development.

The NanoAssemblr platform paves the way for new nanomedicine approaches to treat cancer, rare disease and infectious disease. And PNI’s instruments and consumables are enabling clients to develop a wide range of lipid and polymer nanoparticles for the delivery of genetic medicines (such as DNA, siRNA, mRNA, miRNA, and CRISPR), small-molecule drugs and proteins.

James credits his team of highly educated, incredibly motivated and deeply passionate professionals for PNI’s success. As he points out, “PNI’s scientists and engineers

are leading experts in nanomedicine development, microfluidics, and instrumentation design.” But, he adds, the fact that the company was formed and is based in Vancouver has also contributed significantly to its success.

PNI is a University of British Columbia spin-out company, and Vancouver is one of the world’s leading hubs of nanomedicine and nanoparticle drug delivery.

“Vancouver provides a critical mass of talent and expertise,” says James. “It was the perfect place to start a company like PNI and remains the perfect place for companies like PNI to grow.” He also credits the Government of Canada for providing support at key times.

Thanks in part to that support, the future looks exceptionally bright, not only for PNI but for nanomedicine as a whole. “Today, PNI’s technology makes it possible to deliver drugs to places they cannot get to on their own,” says James. “That allows us to treat disease at the molecular and genetic level, with nanoparticle drug delivery being a critical enabling technology. We now have the ability to turn off disease-bearing genes or restore compromised genes to their normal healthy state.”

“Today, PNI’s technology is being used by biopharmaceutical companies worldwide to develop drugs not thought possible even a few years ago,” It’s easy to forget that all of this has been accomplished in the last 10 or 20 years. Given that track record, it’s easy to see why companies like PNI believe it will soon be possible to make drugs specific to an individual and their disease, to develop vaccines against emerging infectious diseases in months or weeks, and to directly fix disease causing genetic mutations in a patient’s genome. The future seems unlimited.

And PNI, says James, will not be content to simply be part of that future. Like it has for the past decade, it wants to lead the way in building the future. biotech.ca

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You’re one-of-a-kind, and so is your response to medication.

More than 1 in 5 Canadians suffer from chronic pain, mental illness or both¹ ². Of which, 95% unknowingly carry one or more genetic variations that will impact their response to many of the most common medications³. This results in patients enduring multiple cycles of “trial and error” over months or years in an effort to feel better.

Inagene is the only CLIA certified canadian pharmacogenetic provider specifically focused in pain and mental health. With the most comprehensive genetic panel available to predict individual responses to pain and mood medications, health care professionals can harness the power of personalized medicine to help their patients feel better, sooner.

Learn more about the future of prescribing. www.inagene.com | info@inagene.com

1. Schopflocher D, Taenzer P, Jovey R. The prevalence of chronic pain in Canada. Pain Res Manag. 2011; 16: 445-50.

2. Moulin D, Clark AJ, Speechly M, Morley-Forster P. Chronic pain in Canada, prevalence, treatment, impact and the role of opioid analgesia. Pain Res Manage. 2002; 7: 179-84.

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3. Dunnenberger HM, Crews KR, Hoffman JM, et al. Preemptive clinical pharmacogenetics implementation: current programs in five US medical centers. Annu Rev Pharmacol Toxicol.

2015;55:89–106. doi:10.1146/annurev-pharmtox-010814-124835

Horizon is focused on researching, developing and commercializing medicines that address critical needs for people impacted by rare and rheumatic diseases. Our pipeline is purposeful: we apply scientific expertise and courage to bring clinically meaningful therapies to patients.

At Horizon, we believe science and compassion must work together to transform lives.

horizontherapeutics.com

Regenerative Medicine Generates New Hope

Left: Asymmetrically dividing satellite cell. Above: Quiescent satellite cell

UNIQUELY CANADIAN TECHNOLOGY, DEVELOPED BY A CANADIAN COMPANY, SATELLOS BIOSCIENCES, IS expected to bring much-needed relief to those who suffer from degenerative neuromuscular diseases such as Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD), an incurable lethal genetic disease.

The company’s therapeutic approach involves mobilizing muscle stem cells, also known as satellite cells, to bring about muscle repair and regeneration. Satellos aims to soon make it possible to effectively treat a wide range of muscle-wasting diseases in addition to DMD. Satellos is a Toronto and Ottawa-based regenerative medicine company formed in 2018 through a partnership between Dr. Michael Rudnicki, one of the world’s foremost stem cell scientists; Frank Gleeson, an experienced business executive and biotech entrepreneur; and Bloom Burton & Co., Canada’s largest specialized healthcare investment bank.

The initial focus of Satellos researchers is on treating DMD, a devastating and ultimately fatal disease which primarily affects boys. The company expects to begin human testing of a drug to therapeutically treat DMD in 2021. Beyond DMD, Satellos believes its approach has the potential to treat other important muscle-wasting diseases that currently have no or limited therapeutic options. “We believe Satellos’ platform approach can be applied to broader disease indications,” says Mr. Gleeson, CEO of Satellos, “eventually crossing over into other fields where muscle-wasting is often present with deleterious consequences, like cancer or ageing.”

Normally, satellite stem cells receive signals in response to muscle damage in order to produce muscle progenitor cells which, in turn, create new muscle fibres and repair the damage. Think of exercise. Dr. Rudnicki made a landmark discovery, initially considered controversial, that this process is significantly impaired in DMD. His lab further identified a mechanism to modulate this process and allow progenitor cells to be created. “By stimulating the body’s innate muscle repair and regeneration

“I don’t believe it’s an exaggeration to say that our technology has the potential to literally change the world,” mechanisms with therapeutic drugs, our research discoveries offer a novel way to treat DMD with the goal of restoring function and saving lives,” says Dr. Rudnicki.

This discovery paves the way to treat a wide range of diseases such as DMD. “I don’t believe it’s an exaggeration to say that our technology has the potential to literally change the world,” says Mr. Gleeson. “The research community is now widely accepting of Dr. Rudnicki’s discoveries. The implications are potentially very, very profound for DMD patients and caregivers, as well as those affected by other neuromuscular diseases.”

As promising as Satellos’s approach has proven to be thus far, Mr. Gleeson cautions that any novel treatment must follow a rigorous and lengthy clinical trial process before obtaining regulatory review and approval. “We are an early stage company,” he says, “and the timelines to making a treatment widely available to patients are lengthy. Our immediate goal is to initiate patient testing in 2021.”

Another goal is to raise the capital required to advance its original scientific platform which it will commercialize through biopharmaceutical partnerships, especially companies with franchise interests in DMD, musculoskeletal or muscle wasting diseases.

For Dr. Rudnicki and Mr. Gleeson, the success of Satellos will be the pinnacle of a personal and professional relationship dating back 20 years. It is their second company together. Their passion and unwavering commitment are to advance great Canadian science and bring new hope to those suffering from neuromuscular diseases such as DMD. biotech.ca

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CSL Behring Brings World Class Treatment of Rare Diseases to Canada OTTAWA IS HOME TO ONE OF THE LARGEST AND FASTEST GROWING BIO-THERAPEUTICS BUSINESSES IN THE WORLD, delivering the broadest range of quality plasma-derived and recombinant therapies products to patients in major markets in North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific.

Parent CSL Limited (ASX: CSL), a specialty biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Parkville, Australia, was founded by the Australian government as Commonwealth Serum Laboratories (CSL) in 1916. CSL has actually been a biotech company for over 100 years.

It has been dealing in protein-based medicines all that time using molecules of nature as therapeutic agents rather than synthetic molecules like a pharmaceutical company. Its legacy includes development and production of antivenin, anti-serum and vaccines. CSL was also the first manufacturer of penicillin and insulin for Australia.

One of the most significant and strategic platforms has been the development of human plasma proteins products.

CSL Limited became an incorporated company in 1991, and has expanded into a global organization today with more than 25,000 employees, operating in over 60 countries, including Canada, which opened its Ottawabased office in 2000.

Under the leadership of current global CEO Paul Perrault, CSL Limited continues to innovate and grow globally.

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in the world, moving up two places in 2019 from fifth in 2018. CSL’s research and development capabilities are focused in three major areas to develop new treatments for rare diseases: Plasma fractionation, Recombinant Technology, and Gene & Cell Therapy.

“CSL Behring, a member of the CSL group of companies, is a global leader in providing today one of the largest portfolio of purified plasma protein products used in so many life saving therapies in Canada like hemophilia, immunodeficiency and hereditary angioedema.” explains Philippe Hebert, general manager of CSL Behring Canada.

Many of these innovative therapies are manufactured from plasma from volunteer donors collected by HémaQuebec and Canadian Blood Services. “We take great pride in being a partner in leveraging the plasma collected in Canada,” says Hebert.

Each lot of CSL Behring’s immunoglobulin therapies are manufactured using a rich mix of antibodies from thousands of donors.

They are used as a replacement therapy for patients with an antibodies deficiency to protect against lifethreatening infections.

Each lot of CSL Behring’s immunoglobulin therapies are manufactured using a rich mix of antibodies from thousands of donors. They are used as a replacement therapy for patients with an antibodies deficiency to protect against life-threatening infections.

“Immunoglobulin therapies restore a normal quality of life in that patient population, particularly with the subcutaneous version, which provides patients with the freedom to self-administer at their convenience at home instead of having to go to a hospital every month for hours of IV infusion,” says Hebert.

Hereditary Angioedema, or HAE, is another focus for CSL Behring. This is a rare disease, most frequently transmitted genetically, where patients can experience a life-threatening attack due to fast and uncontrolled swelling of different parts of their body. HAE of type I and II result from a deficiency in a protein called C1 inhibitor. “Our therapies replace the C1 inhibitor missing to treat or prevent HAE attacks,” Hebert explains.

Since its inception a century ago, people around the world have come to trust that the commitments CSL makes – to its patients, partners, health care providers and other stakeholders – are kept. This passion and commitment to delivering on its promise to save and improve the lives of people with rare and serious diseases has remained strong.

“It’s a critical race, and the organization will continue to develop new treatments to deliver on its promise to patients around the world affected by rare diseases. We are proud of our history, and excited about the future because we are just getting started,” Hebert stresses.

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Xenon Pharmaceuticals – Developing New and Innovative Treatments for Epilepsy.

ACCORDING TO THE EPILEPSY FOUNDATION, IT IS ESTIMATED THAT 3.4 MILLION PEOPLE IN THE UNITED STATES HAVE EPILEPSY, and approximately one-third of this patient population live with uncontrollable seizures because no available treatment works for them. Xenon Pharmaceuticals – a biopharmaceutical company with operations in Vancouver, Canada and Boston, MA – is advancing a novel product pipeline of neurology therapies with a particular focus on developing new and innovative treatments for epilepsy. Xenon currently has three promising, proprietary anti-seizure medications in Phase 2 or later stage development, valuable collaborations with pharmaceutical partners, and numerous key milestone events anticipated in 2020.

Originally founded as a genetics company, Xenon’s evolution can be traced back to its discovery of a sodium ion channel (Nav1.7) deficiency underlying the rare human disease called congenital indifference to pain, or CIP, where individuals are unable to feel pain. This led Xenon to focus its discovery efforts on human channelopathies, which are diseases that develop because of defects in ion channels caused by either genetic or acquired factors.

Mutations in genes encoding ion channels, which impair channel function, are the most common cause of channelopathies.

Dr. Simon Pimstone, Xenon’s CEO, states: “Xenon’s unique combination of knowledge and expertise in genetics, channelopathies, and small molecule drug development created a strong foundation for us to develop innovative treatments for both adult and pediatric epilepsy patients and discover novel therapies for other neurological disorders. In some cases, like XEN496, this means we will employ

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a ‘precision medicine’ approach to tackle rare pediatric epilepsies with a genetic cause.”

Xenon’s most advanced proprietary program, XEN1101, is a differentiated Kv7 potassium channel modulator with a proven mechanism of action that is being developed for the treatment of epilepsy and potentially other neurological disorders. A Phase 2b clinical trial (called the X-TOLE study) is underway to evaluate the clinical efficacy, safety and tolerability of XEN1101 administered as adjunctive treatment in approximately 300 adult patients with focal epilepsy. Patient enrollment for this XEN1101 Phase 2b clinical trial is ongoing in the United States, Canada and Europe, and depending upon the rate of enrollment, top-line results are anticipated in the second half of 2020. Xenon is exploring other neurological conditions that may potentially represent other possible indications for XEN1101.

Also in clinical development is XEN496, a Kv7 potassium channel modulator which contains the active ingredient ezogabine. The FDA has granted orphan drug designation for XEN496 as a treatment of KCNQ2 developmental and epileptic encephalopathy, or KCNQ2-DEE, which is a rare, severe neurodevelopmental disorder with a significant seizure burden and profound developmental impairment. Xenon has developed a proprietary, pediatric-friendly, granule formulation of XEN496 and is currently testing this formulation in healthy adult volunteers. Once this study is completed, Xenon will discuss the trial design for XEN496 so that it may be studied in the KCNQ2-DEE pediatric population and is targeting the start of a Phase 3 clinical trial in 2020.

As of today, there is no cure for KCNQ2 patients’ seizures, intellectual disabilities and motor difficulties. Jim Johnson, President of the patient advocacy group KCNQ2

Cure Alliance states: “Our hope is that XEN496 could represent a genetically targeted treatment that improves the lives of children living with this debilitating disease.”

Also, within Xenon’s proprietary pipeline, XEN007 (active ingredient flunarizine) is a CNS-acting calcium channel modulator that modulates Cav2.1 and T-type calcium channels with other reported mechanisms including dopamine, histamine and serotonin inhibition. Flunarizine is available in certain countries outside of the U.S. and has been reported to have clinical benefit in treating migraine and other neurological disorders. A physician-led, Phase 2 proof-of-concept study is now underway to examine the potential clinical efficacy, safety, and tolerability of XEN007 as an adjunctive treatment in pediatric patients diagnosed with treatment-resistant childhood absence epilepsy, or CAE. Depending upon the results from the Phase 2 investigator-led, proof-of-concept study, which are expected in 2020, CAE may represent a potential orphan indication for future development of XEN007.

NBI-921352, Xenon’s partnered program with Neurocrine Biosciences, is a potent, highly selective Nav1.6 sodium channel inhibitor developed using a precision medicine approach to treat pediatric patients with SCN8A developmental and epileptic encephalopathy, or SCN8ADEE, as well as potentially other indications, including adult focal epilepsy. Xenon completed a Phase 1 clinical trial in healthy adult subjects, and subsequently developed a pediatric-specific, granule formulation NBI 921352, which is expected to be evaluated in a Phase 2 clinical trial in SCN8A-DEE patients in the second half of 2020. An

“Xenon’s unique combination of knowledge and expertise in genetics, channelopathies, and small molecule drug development created a strong foundation for us to develop innovative treatments for both adult and pediatric epilepsy patients and discover novel therapies for other neurological disorders”. analysis of similar collaborations suggests that this may be the largest “pre-Phase 3” epilepsy deal done to date. By combining the strengths of both companies, this partnership has the potential to deliver a new treatment for SCN8A-related epilepsy patients.

Building upon its strong growth and progress over the past year – including its impressive partnership with Neurocrine – Xenon has a healthy balance sheet and a cash runway that extends beyond its upcoming important clinical milestones. Looking ahead, Xenon remains committed to delivering much-needed new therapies in areas of high unmet need to help patients and their families.

You can learn more about Xenon’s work at: www.xenon-pharma.com biotech.ca

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As Zucara crosses the valley of death,

new hope for people with diabetes

FOR START-UP COMPANIES, FEW CHALLENGES ARE MORE DAUNTING – OR MORE CRUCIAL – THAN RAISING outside capital, particularily from venture groups.

Additionally, few start-ups can survive, let alone thrive, unless they navigate this ‘valley of death’ – which for a preclinical company is often the point at which it moves into clinical trials.

Zucara Therapeutics Inc., a Toronto based pre-clinical life sciences company, survived that journey. And today, it is thriving. In fact, Zucara is now poised to take its innovative therapeutic – designed to prevent hypoglycemia in insulin-treated diabetes patients – into a series of clinical trials. This has brought the attention of a major US-based venture capital fund, the Perceptive Xontogeny Venture Fund, that has committed US$21 million to take the company through Phase 1 and Phase 2 development in Type 1 Diabetes (T1D). Xontogeny, based in Boston, will actively support Zucara and has specialized in early-stage companies through a unique partnership with Perceptive Advisors, a NYC-based $4 billion life science specialist organization. If these trials are successful, says Zucara Therapeutics’ CEO Michael Midmer, it will bring this drug much closer to approval to provide much-needed relief to the millions of people with T1D and their families who suffer from the fear and danger of having low blood sugar when they take insulin.

“Getting to this point was not easy,” says Michael, “Unfortunately, it can be extremely difficult to access capital before a drug is ready for clinical trials. We had to be creative and are enormously thankful for our founding investors, and the diabetes foundations that got us to the other side. Securing this funding from PXV Fund transforms Zucara into a clinical stage company.”

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Zucara was fortunate, says Michael, not simply because it received the financial support it needed but because investors were quick to recognize the enormous potential of its innovative therapeutic. Zucara was co-founded by adMare BioInnovations and Toronto Innovation Acceleration Partners (TIAP) based on foundational intellectual property from the University of Toronto. The next step was a seed investment in 2016 by Accel-Rx Health Sciences Accelerator, TIAP and adMare. The mandate of these organizations is to support the growth and development of Canada’s health sciences sector.

Zucara’s bridge across the valley of death was paved with US$0.8M in funding from JDRF International in 2017 and US$3.9M in funding from the Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust in 2018, which was uniquely structured to align with their charitable purposes of moving therapeutics for people with T1D forward.

Thanks to those investments, as well as additional support, Zucara has successfully navigated the financial valley of death, says Michael. “As a result, we are well positioned to take ZT-01 into clinical trials.” In fact, the first phase of trials is expected to begin as early as the middle of this year.

All of this comes as we near the 100-year anniversary of the discovery of insulin, a fact not lost on Michael or his Zucara colleagues. “Sir Frederick Banting and Charles Best discovered insulin at the University of Toronto in 1921,” he says. “Zucara can also trace its origins to the University of Toronto and we hope to be the next great diabetes innovation here as our therapeutic could prevent the fear and complications of insulin-induced hypoglycemia.”

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or no options, so they can live their lives more

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fully. By transforming biopharmaceutical

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working to give people around the world the

XENON . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72 ZUCARA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74

opportunity to redefine what’s possible to make the “small wins” big again.

www.jazzpharmaceuticals.com ©2020 Jazz Pharmaceuticals plc. All rights reserved.

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Biotech is in Canada’s DNA The world’s top talent. Cutting-edge R&D. A collaborative ecosystem.

Canada has the building blocks for your next successful expansion. investcanada.ca

La biotechnologie fait partie de l’ADN du Canada Meilleurs talents du monde. R-D de pointe. Écosystème collaboratif.

Le Canada dispose des éléments constitutifs indispensables à la réussite de votre prochaine expansion. investircanada.ca

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WE ARE SERVIER CANADA Servier Canada houses its own International Centre of Therapeutic Research, which is responsible for conducting clinical trials locally. Our teams partner with Canadian biotech companies and academics to discover innovative therapeutic solutions to serve patients' needs.

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