21 minute read
The innovation engine – sparking drug discovery in Québec
cqDM
celebrates its 5th anniversary
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The innovation engine –
sparking drug discovery research in Québec
One of the most successful organizations helping advance drug discovery in Québec is the Québec Consortium for Drug Discovery (CQDM).The consortium has become a powerful engine, driving innovation and collaboration in the biopharmaceutical industry.
Its mission is to identify, fund and support research projects conducted jointly by academia and the private sector. Projects funded by the CQDM target the development of new tools and technologies that accelerate drug discovery.
In addition to numerous funding programs and competitions, the CQDM has a unique mentorship program in place. Every project funded by the CQDM is supported by mentors that are appointed by the CQDM’s pharma partners (Pfi zer, Merck and AstraZeneca). The mentors are senior scientists from their respective global corporations, chosen for their relative expertise in a project area.
This year, the CQDM is celebrating its fi fth anniversary. In the fi ve years since its inception, the consortium has met with quite a few successes. Three of its projects have recently been completed, and have had signifi cant impact on the scientifi c community and the pharmaceutical industry. In several cases, the tools developed in the projects are being used by CQDM pharma members, who will contribute to the future development of the technologies or who have expressed an interest in acquiring these tools.
These three projects are: the Université de Montréal project, led by Michel Bouvier, for developing multiplexed biosensors to identify and monitor cellular events associated with drug therapeutic effi cacies and side effects; the Montréal Heart Institute project, led by Jocelyn Dupuis, demonstrating the safety of PulmoBind and its ability to non-invasively image the lung; and the Caprion Proteomics project, led by Eustache Paramithiotis, for developing new biomarkers for early diagnosis and monitoring of diabetes and prediction of therapeutic responses.
These projects, as well as many others, have produced positive and tangible benefi ts for both researchers and mentors. As the mentors are well-positioned to understand the technology and talk about the technology at their own organizations, this also increases the likelihood of attracting the interest of the global pharma companies. For Michel Bouvier’s project, the CQDM pharma members were interested in the project from very early on. Through the mentorship program, Pfi zer, Merck and AstraZeneca began testing his team’s biosensors, for potentially licensing them in the future. The interest of the pharmaceutical partner is an important validation of the technology, says Bouvier, and one that he hopes will lead to collaborations beyond the CQDM network.
“For us, the interest generated by the technology is very important. It recognizes its potential for drug discovery. To us to have large biopharmaceutical companies using these biosensors is recognition of the value of the technology. What we’re hoping is that, the fact that leaders in drug discovery are showing interest in these biosensors will increase the general interest that other companies, which were not part of the CQDM originally, or even smaller biotech companies may have in our technology.”
In developing the technology, Bouvier says it was very useful to have the pharma mentors working with him and his team on the project.
“It was very interesting for us to be able to directly ask ‘What would be the most helpful for you? Would that biosensor be more helpful than this other one?’ We could do hundreds of biosensors, so in order to select the one that would be the most useful to them and also to us it was nice to have their opinion. Through dynamic interactions, we knew what was their interest and why, and understood better what their drug discovery process was and how they thought about the biosensors. That was a cultural change for some of the investigators involved in the project, allowing them to better understand what are the needs and what are the hurdles for the companies to jump over.”
Through the mentorship, Pfizer has committed additional funding for the development of signaling signatures and commercial applications for these tools. In a follow-up project, the group is validating the information that the biosensors can give in terms of drug discovery for specific targets that Pfizer has internally.Bouvier’s enabling technology first caught the eye of Anne Schmidt, Senior Director Primary Pharmacology Group at Pfizer, who was a mentor for the project. Being able to work with academic researchers in developing and testing the technology has proved a rewarding partnership for Pfizer.
“With the CQDM philosophy of exchanging reagents, we have now taken on some of the reagents and been able to play with them internally, and we have a much closer collaboration,” says Schmidt.“We had a couple folks from our group travel up to Michel’s lab, and not only our group, other groups within Pfizer travel up to Michel’s lab and be able to work side-by-side with the scientists there to understand the nuances of using the technology.”
In addition to this high-profile collaboration, a separate spinoff company is also in the works. From the CQDM project, a new service-based company to be established in Montréal will use the biosensors for drug screening and profiling. It will offer its services to pharma companies looking to outsource their research. For a spinoff company to have emerged from this academic research project shows the success of the CQDM in enabling the commercialization of tools and technologies for drug discovery.
Bouvier’s project is not the only one to have doors opened thanks to a mentor’s involvement. For Jocelyn Dupuis’ project at the Montréal Heart Institute, one CQDM pharma member is taking Dupuis’ technology further, working in collaboration to develop a PETimaging version of his molecular imaging technology and to test it in non-human primates. It will share the results with the researchers and other pharma members. Moreover, the CQDM pharma member has exercised its license option to use the results generated by the project. For Dupuis, all this recognition, as well as the initial funding, made his project possible. At the time of applying to the CQDM, his project was at an early stage of development which made finding funding
“You indirectly get the backing of the CQDM partners. I think that gives a lot of value to a project and demonstrates that there’s really interest by the pharmas in our technology.” — Jocelyn Dupuis difficult. Being at the CQDM greatly accelerated the development of his imaging technology. “Financially it was extremely important but I’d say also scientifically having an external organization like this review the application, and basically give a stamp of approval in the competitive context, demonstrates the quality of the project,” says Dupuis. “You indirectly get the backing of the CQDM partners. I think that gives a lot of value to a project and demonstrates that there’s really interest by the pharmas in our technology. We had initially met with individual pharma before that trying to get funding, but pharmaare not imaging companies, they’re not into imaging. So individually they considered the project to be at too early a stage for them, but with the CQDM project and their partners, it changed their perspective.” For Caprion Proteomics, the CQDM project saw the company diversify its pipeline by enabling the discovery and verification of a promising set of clinically relevant biomarkers for type 2 diabetes, to track disease progression and monitor treatment. Originally a service provider, the project allowed Caprion to progress towards the goal of becoming a clinical diagnostic company as well. Through the mentorship program, Caprion received invaluable insight from a pharma point of view on which biomarkers would be most useful. “I’ve been in biotech for almost 20 years now,” says Martin LeBlanc, president and CEO of Caprion. “I’ve not run across very many programs like the CQDM, that have figured out how to bring together the biotech and pharma industry with academic researchers in a true collaborative and successful fashion. They solicit and fund projects that truly respond to industry needs.” The project has also spun out further collaborations and more business opportunities for Caprion: “The project helped us with our service business, because the mentors acted as an internal reference inside of their pharma global R&D organizations for other uses of our technology in other projects that weren’t related to the CQDM. This meant better relationships between Caprion and these three pharma companies (AstraZeneca, Pfizer, Merck). In all three cases, we were able to sign subsequent partnerships related to diabetes in many cases and in other cases, to other therapeutic areas. All of it was made possible by this project. It connected us better with the pharma universe of these three companies and brought us credibility in the diabetes area that was central to establishing additional collaborations with at least three other pharma companies.” Helping academics and local biotechs build strong links with the pharma industry is one of the key roles of the CQDM. Through these collaborations and many others, the CQDM is establishing Québec as a great place to go for excellence inbiopharma research. To see this story online visit http://biotechnologyfocus.ca/?p=9073
Software Bio Rad Laboratories, Inc. KnowItAll® Informatics System 2013 spectroscopy software offers solutions for spectral analysis, identification, search, data management, and reporting.
It supports multiple instrument vendor file formats and techniques (IR, Raman, NIR, NMR, MS, UV-Vis). The software can be used by chemists in combination with the company’s spectral reference collections data (over 1.4 million spectra). The system also includesAdditions to ATR-IR, IR, Raman, NMR, and MS reference spectral collections, enhanced Raman spectrum management, performance optimizations and workflow simplifications as well as advanced GC-MS database building and linking capabilities. Web: www.bio-rad.com/en-us/ spectroscopy
Liquid Handling Mettler Toledo subsidiary Rainin Instrument has released Liquidator 96, a bench-scale, 96-channel high through manual pipette. The Liquidator 96 allows pipetting in 96- and 384-well plates, PCR plates, 8- and 12-channel reservoirs as well as 96-deepwell plates. Its
handling speed represents a critical pipetting benefit, particularly when working with time-critical ELISA test procedures. Also, because Liquidator 96 works just like a manual pipette, it can be used by lab technicians at any experience level. The Liquidator 96 fits any bench-top or laminar-flow cabinet making it suitable for cleanroom conditions. Web: www.mt.com/liquidator
Centrifuges The Allegra X-5 air-cooled benchtop centrifuge from Beckman Coulter Life Sciences is designed specifically for clinical sample preparation.Bundled packages, which include swinging bucket rotors and common adapters, enable fast and convenient setup, are offered for a range of clinical sample prep applications, and make it easy to order these energy efficient units.Throughput and productivity are enhanced through seamless integration with the Beckman Coulter Automate 2500 family of sample processing systems. Furthermore, Beckman Coulter UniCelDxC and UniCelDxI sample racks can be spun directly in the centrifuge, eliminating transfer steps. A small footprint allows the unit to fit comfortably on the benchtop, while still providing capacity for up to 140 blood collection tubes. Maximum speed of 4700 rpm and centrifugal force of up to 4470 x g shortens run times.
Web: www.BeckmanCoulter.com
Meters AAL-
BORG® Instruments’ announces the launch of its new ACRU line of Acrylic Flow Meters. These unique meters are being offered with any one of the interchangeable direct reading scales for Air, Water, Argon, Oxygen, Carbon Dioxide, Nitrogen, Helium or Hydrogen.Dual scales display flow rates in both metric and English units. Optional scales can be developed for diverse flow conditions facilitating OEM applications. The yellow colored Back Plate enhances scale readability and minimizes eye fatigue. The meters are configured for “in-line ¼” Female NPT connections. Web: www.Aalborg.com
performance features which allows measure of moisture content from low to high concentrations quickly and accurately. Measurements are simple and routine with calculation functions that include concentration, factor standardization, statistics, and recalculation. The AQV-300 has six built-in calculation modes to accommodate solid, liquid and gas samples. Four files with preset conditions can be stored in memory and allows instant recall of data for up to 20 samples. This unit comes with a small footprint with integrated magnetic stirrer. A newly designed buret tip ensures precise titration. Two RS-232C ports are convenient for balance and computer interfaces for GLP and ISO documentation. It is CE approved. The titrator comes with DVD training movie, plasticized quick-start guide for use in the lab, paper and pdf manual. Also included, complete accessories, download software for transferring results to a laptop or PC, and RS-232 cable. Web: www.jmscience.com
Temperature Controller The 5R7-
570(A) RoHS compliant open board electronic temperature controllers from Oven Industries are specifically designed with a proportional integral control algorithm to provide precise control to thermoelectric modules (Peltier). Its H-bridge temperature control provides a seamless transition between heating and cooling eliminating dead spots. Green LED for heat and blue LED for cooling indicate mode and simultaneous illumination indicates the load circuit is off due to an open sensor. Pulse width modulation controls the power level in the thermoelectric module at a base frequency of 1Khz. Power resolution is one of ±250 steps in the load circuit control. This small package temperature controller 1.75” x 3.5” X 3” with input voltage: 6 to 28VDC, Output Voltage: 0 to 36VDC, Load Current 0.1 to 12.5 Amps, 450W output power control, control stability: ± 0.1°C and temperature range of -20 to 150°C. Web: www.ovenind.com
Pumps Thenew Legato 110 Dual Rate Syringe Pump System (Legato 110 DRS) from KD Scientific offers researchers complete flexibility to start two pumps simultaneously for delivery of two independent flow rates. The pumps are synchronized through a special input/output cable included with the system.It comes complete with two programmable infuse/withdraw syringe pumps along with an input/output communications cable to synchronously operate the pumps.All control is set through the innovative Legato touch
screen user interface. No external programming or computer is required.Both syringe pumps in the system have a wide flow rate range from 1.28 pl/min to 88.28 ml/min. Each pump can be individually set for whatever the experiment requires. Web: www.kdscientific.com
Titrator The HI 904 Karl Fischer CoulometricTitrator for moisture analysis is an extension of Hanna’s titrator platform. The HI 904 combines a precision dosing system with optically-regulated magnetic stirring, endpoint determination, dosing and
background drift correction algorithms. The result is an extremely adaptable titrator. The titrator measures 1ppm to 5 per cent, requires no titrant, instead using a generator electrode and can be used for liquids or solids. A pulsed DC current is applied to the generator electrode and results in oxidation of free iodide to iodine (the titrant) at the platinum anode. Alcohol, sulfur dioxide and base (pyridine or imidazole) present in the reagents react to form a salt that is oxidized by the generated iodine. This reaction consumes water present in the cell in a 1:1 ratio (iodine:water). Once all of the water is consumed, the excess iodine is detected using a bilvoltammetric detector electrode and signals the end of the titration. The result is calculated from the amount of current applied to complete the reaction and the length of time that the generator electrode is active. Web: www.hannainst.com.
NMR Spectrometry Academic and
industrial laboratories can collect routine high-resolution nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) data on molecules in solution using the Thermo Scientific picoSpin 80, a portable NMR spectrometer built for benchtop operation. The instrument’s magnet, rated at 2 Tesla, is designed to provide superior resolution of chemical and structural characteristics not available using lower magnetic field strengths. ThepicoSpin 80 spectrometer features include its lightweight, portable design intended to make it easy to share the instrument across multiple laboratories and easy-to-operate fluid capillary system that does not require NMR tubes or other consumables. Web: www.picospin.com.
DNA-Sequencing The NEXTflex™ Rapid DNA-Seq Kit from Bioo Scientific enables construction of sequencing-ready libraries in less than 2 hours, with a flexible input range from 1 ng to 1 µg of DNA. A bead-based, gel-free size selection protocol and the availability of up to 96 unique adapter barcodes facilitate high-throughput applications. The NEXTflex Rapid DNA-Seq Kit is ideal for use with genomic DNA, FFPE samples, ChIP DNA and low input clinical samples. This kit also features Enhanced Adapter Ligation Technology, offering improved ligation efficiency and resulting in library preps with a larger number of unique sequencing reads.
Cabinets Air Science introduces its new line of biological safety cabinets. The Purair BIO is designed to protect individuals, the environment, and products from a variety of biological particulates, serving as the primary barrier in life science research and experimentation. As a Class II Type A2 Biosafety Cabinet, the Purair BIO minimizes and contains Biosafety Level 1 to 3 agents, maintaining negative pressure inside the cabinet during operation to prevent contaminants from escaping the work area. HEPA filtration scours 70% of the
incoming room air to protect the products, while the remaining 30% of the exhausted air is filtered by a second HEPA filter. Web: www.AirScience.com
Tubing Flexicon announces the release of its next-generation of Accusil™ high accuracy dispensing tubing developed for use with its peristaltic fillers. The platinumcured silicone tubing is manufactured in Flexicon’s state-of-the-art extrusion facility to ensure the highest quality product for pharmaceutical, biopharmaceutical, and diagnostic applications.The right tubing inside the right pump is essential for accurate and reliable dispensing. Consistent wall thickness and bore size ensure the correct liquid flow rate, while the proper tube strength and restitution allow the pump to function successfully.Flexicon’sAccusil tubing has been designed with each of these requirements in mind to maximize related performance. When combined with a Flexicon filler, Accusil tubing provides industry leading precision of ±0.5%, thereby reducing costly overfilling.Accusil is produced in a cleanroom ISO 14644-1 Class 7 environment to ensure pharmaceutical compliance, including full biopharmaceutical compliance with USP Class VI, Ph. Eur. 6.8 Chapter 3.1.9, ISO 10993, and FDA CFR 177.2600. Tubing is also double bagged to provide additional protection. Web: www.watson-marlow.com
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VCs to fund the project. This is something I’ve discussed with many VCs that of course like the idea.” On a larger scale, the goal of the NEOMED new card:Layout 1 1/31/2013 9:09 AM Page 1Institute, or the building itself, is to bring researchers, universities, biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies and venture capital funds under the same roof, working together in an open, collaborative environment. The resident companies within the NEOMED Institute come from diverse backgrounds, ranging from companies directly involved in the discovery and the development of drugs, to consulting services and other service providers.
“Those companies could be CROs, consultants or investors and all are in pursuit of drug development.”
In only one calendar year the Institute has already attracted 10 tenants. Having such a convergence of diverse company in one area also helps in promoting the sharing of resources and knowledge within the Institute itself, Fehlmann adds. Plus there is space for even more companies to join he says.
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C86 Buying Influence
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A Analysis Instruments B Basic Lab Equipment C Chemicals/Biochemicals D Chromatography – Gas E Chromatography – Liquid F Filtration, Water Purification G LIMS H Liquid Handling & Sample Prep I Microscopes, Optics, Cameras J Safety & Hygiene K Spectroscopy L Testing Systems/Equipment M Vacuum Equipment Y None of the Above
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Other opportunities for synergy and collaboration
An example of a strategic collaboration that NEOMED is involved in is its partnership with the Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer – Commercialisation of Research (IRICoR). The organisations will use their complementary strengths and capabilities in the value chain going from target identification to human proof-of-concept to deliver potential therapies for unmet medical needs.
“We will share access to each other’s stateof-the-art facilities, equipment, expertise and resources to advance jointly selected projects,” says Fehlmann.
Moreover, NEOMED and AstraZeneca announced in May that they were expanding their strategic partnership, with AstraZeneca agreeing to provide NEOMED with access to up to 250,000 high-quality compounds from its small molecule compound library.
“This is exceptional because not only is it an outstanding collection of compounds that AstraZeneca has built over the years but we can use this as means to attract the best projects around, at the same time, identify compounds that could potentially become new medicines for a broad range of diseases,” says Fehlmann.
In a short period of time, the NEOMED Institute has definitely come a long way. Today, the partners are AstraZeneca and Pfizer, but down the line that number is expected to grow.
“We have had open discussions with many others and my goal is to have four within the next year. The dynamics say you cannot go too fast, and of course people want to see what you are able to do before they commit. But I think now we have a lot of people looking at us and how we have performed and they are quite pleased. And likewise I’m impressed with what we’ve accomplished.
Walker is equally impressed with how far they’ve come.
“I truly believe NEOMED and the NEOMED Institute are a big plus both for Québec but for Canada as well. We’re creating an entity that has a good connection with academia, identifying great ideas. There are plenty of potential customers for good programs once they have reached a stage of maturity. Not only can this be exciting scientifically, I’m sure if we do it well, we can add lots of value for Québec and Canada. This is what will define our success.”
To see this story online visit http://biotechnologyfocus. ca/?p=9076
OCTOBER 2013
October 2-3
BioContact Québec Venue: Québec, QC Tel : 418-694-8778 Fax : 418-694-0614 Email: lysbeth@biocontact.ca Web: www.biocontact.qc.ca
October 12-16
Combined Meeting of the Orthopaedic Research Societies Venue: Venice, Italy Tel: 847-823-5770 Fax: 847-823-5772 Email: info@cors2013.org Web: http://www.cors2013.org/
October 15-17
Biofibe 2013 Venue: Winnipeg, MB Tel: 204-272-5095 Fax: 204-272-2961 E-mail: biofibe@lsam.ca Web: www.biofibe.com/ 2013 Award Recipients’ Symposium
October 24
2013 Gairdner Awards Receptients’ Symposium Venue: Toronto, ON Email: sheila.robinson@gairdner.org Web: www.gairdner.org/content/ about-our-events
October 27-31
Materials Science & Technology Conference and Exhibition combined with ACerS 115th Annual Meeting Venue: Montréal, QC Tel: 614-794-5894 Fax: 614-899-6109 Web: http://www.matscitech.org/
NOVEMBER 2013
November 3-8
AIChE 2013 Annual Meeting Venue: San Francisco, CA Tel: 800-242-4363 Fax: 203-775-5177 Email: jeffw@aiche.org Web: http://www.aiche.org/conferences/ aiche-annual-meeting/2013
November 4-6
HealthAchieve 2013 Venue: Toronto, ON Tel: 416-205-1434 Email: mromero@healthachieve.com Web: www.healthachieve.com
November 13-14
12th Annual Market Access Summit, Canada Venue: Toronto, ON Tel: 1-866-298-9343 Fax: 1-866-298-9344 Email: customercare@strategyinstitute.com Web: www.marketaccesscanada.ca
November 26, 2013
Global Health Conference Venue: Toronto, ON Tel: 519-661-2111 Email: healthinnovation@ivey.ca Web: http://sites.ivey.ca/healthinnovation/
DECEMBER 2013
December 1-6
2013 MRS Fall Meeting & Exhibit Venue: Boston, MA Tel: 724-779-3003 Fax: 724-779-8313 Email: info@mrs.org Web: www.mrs.org
December 2-4
10th Annual Canadian Renewable Fuels Summit Venue: Montréal, QC Tel: 613-594-5528 Email: a.kent@greenfuels.org Web: www.greenfuels.org/en/ industry-information/summit.aspx
Company & advertiser index
COMPANY PAgE WEBSiTE
AALBORG .................................................................................................... 26.......................................................................................www.aalborg.com Albert at Bay ............................................................................................................17 ..........................................................................................www.albertatbay.com Beckman Coulter Life Sciences .................................................................. 26.........................................................................www.beckmancoulter.com Bereskin& Parr.........................................................................................................15 ........................................................................................www.bereskinparr.com Best Western Victoria Park Suites........................................................................17 .........................................................................................www.victoriapark.com Bio Rad Laboratories ................................................................................... 26..................................................... www.bio-rad.com/en-us/spectroscopy BIOO Scientific............................................................................................. 27............................................................................. www.biooscientific.com Canadian Government Executive .......................................................................23 ......................................................... www.canadiangovernmentexecutive.ca Cangene Corporation .................................................................................. 6...................................................................................... www.cangene.com CSPC ..........................................................................................................................7 ................................................................................................... www.cspc2013.ca Eppendorf................................................................................................................32 ........................................................................................... www.eppendorf.com Hanna ......................................................................................................... 27...................................................................................www.hannainst.com JM Science .................................................................................................. 26...................................................................................www.jmscience.com KD Scientific................................................................................................ 27................................................................................ www.kdscientific.com Mettler Toledo ............................................................................................ 26.............................................................................www.mt.com/liquidator Oven Industries .......................................................................................... 26......................................................................................www.ovenind.com Sherbrooke ...............................................................................................................2 ......................................................................... www.sherbrooke-innopole.com Thermo Scientific........................................................................................ 27..................................................................................... www.picospin.com VWR............................................................................................................................5 ......................................................................................................... www.vwr.com
