Archive for 2021
Penny Walsh-McGuire appointed Executive Director, CASTL
The PEI BioAlliance is pleased to announce the appointment of Penny Walsh-McGuire as Executive Director of the Canadian Alliance for Skills and Training in Life Sciences (CASTL), effective June 7, 2021. As Executive Director, Penny will be responsible for leading and developing CASTL as an essential and unique part of our local and national bioscience sector ecosystem.
CASTL is a first-of-its-kind partnership between academia, industry, and government to address the future skills needs of Canada’s fast-growing bioscience sector. CASTL offers multiple applied learning streams and pathways for individuals to acquire the academic knowledge, and technical and professional skills to have a successful career in life sciences.
“I have always been very impressed with Penny’s leadership, intuition, and relationship-building skills,” said Rory Francis, CEO, PEI BioAlliance. “We are thrilled that Penny will now lead the development of CASTL as an essential and unique part of our local and national bioscience sector ecosystem.”
Over the past fifteen years, Penny has held leadership roles, including CEO, Executive Director, and Chief Marketing Officer for several not-for-profit organizations. As CEO of the Greater Charlottetown Area Chamber of Commerce, she has led the organization’s operations and strategic initiatives on behalf of the Chamber’s more than 1,000 members. Through this work, she convened a group of 20 business organizations and industry associations in developing a private-sector-led economic development action plan through the PEI Partnership for Growth.
Penny is passionate about workforce development and has consistently advocated for programs and services to support the growth of PEI’s talent pipeline.
As a highly motivated business leader and communications professional, Penny led marketing and communications for the Confederation Centre of the Arts and the University of Prince Edward Island. As CEO of the Prince Edward Island 2014 celebrations, Penny led a multi-disciplinary team in the strategic development and implementation of a year-long program engaging private-sector, community organizations, and governments at all levels. Penny has most recently served as chair of the Holland College Board of Governors.
A graduate of the University of Prince Edward Island, she holds a master’s and bachelor’s degree in business and a diploma in Events and Conventions Management from Holland College.
For more information on CASTL, visit castlcanada.ca.
Ocean Startup Challenge returns with up to $1.4 million for ocean innovators
Applications open until June 1, 2021.
The Ocean Startup Project has launched its second Ocean Startup Challenge. Up from last year’s $350,000 in prize money, the 2021 edition of the competition will award up to $1.4 million to ocean innovators and entrepreneurs from rural, Indigenous and urban communities, across Canada and internationally. The PEI BioAlliance is one of six partners in the Ocean Startup Project.
The Challenge has three streams:
1) Idea – multiple early-stage teams will each receive up to $25K;
2) Growth – multiple early-stage companies, having made traction and achieved notable milestones, will each receive up to $100K; and
3) Oceanshot – up to one early-stage company tackling ambitious, uncharted problems that will lead to massive market opportunities will receive up to $200K prize.
Additionally, up to three special awards will be issued specifically for: Women Entrepreneurs; Indigenous Founders; and Impact (a startup dedicated to technology for ocean sustainability). Winners receive business support from Challenge sponsors, learning opportunities, access to industry expert mentors, and more.
Read more on the Ocean Startup Challenge website to learn more about eligibility and apply.
Ocean Solutions Exchange webinar on April 27 to focus on marine bioresources
Hosted by the Ocean Startup Project, the Ocean Solutions Exchange is a virtual speaker series that brings together ocean industry experts who will discuss the challenges faced by various ocean sectors, highlight opportunities in the market, and share other insights into their respective fields. The PEI BioAlliance is one of six partners in the Ocean Startup Project.
The Ocean Solutions Exchange on Tuesday, April 27 at 1 p.m. is a free event that has a focus on Marine Bioresources. PEI BioAlliance CEO Rory Francis will be moderating an experienced lineup of panelists:
- Kira Salonius, CEO at Previwo (Norway)
- Randy Peach, Aquaculture Technical Services Account Manager, Zoetis (Canada)
- Beth Mason, CEO at Verschuren Centre for Sustainability in Energy & Environment (Canada)
- Russell Kerr, Research Fellow at Nautilus Biosciences CRODA (UK)
After the panel discussion, you’ll have a chance to connect with speakers and other attendees during sector networking.
Event Overview:
1:00 pm – Panel discussion
Our guest speakers will discuss big problems, trends and new technologies in Marine Bioresources.
2:00 pm – Interactive networking session
The interactive networking session will allow you to:
- Speak with panelists in individual rooms
- Choose when you want to change rooms and speak with another panelist
2:30 pm – Event concludes
BioAlliance welcomes federal budget commitment to bioscience sector
Budget 2021 demonstrates the strategic importance of Canada’s bioscience sector in economic recovery
Charlottetown, PE – The Prince Edward Island BioAlliance welcomes the Government of Canada’s investment in biotechnology innovation as a key priority area set to drive economic recovery for Canada following the COVID-19 pandemic. Budget 2021 includes recommendations that will improve access to investment capital, as well as commitments to refinance key funding programs and build bio-manufacturing capacity. These investments will enable the BioAlliance, along with academic and industry partners, to execute on key priorities over the next few years to grow the PEI Cluster.
Budget 2021 also demonstrates the importance of investing in skills and training for future economic growth. Last year the PEI BioAlliance launched the Canadian Alliance for Skills and Training in Life Sciences (CASTL) with support from the Government of Canada and the Government of PEI, as a regional and national initiative to help address the future skills demand of the bioscience sector, particularly in biopharmaceutical and biologics manufacturing.
“This budget demonstrates the federal government’s awareness of the importance of the bioscience and biotechnology sector in addressing some of the biggest challenges of our time,” said Oliver Technow, Chair, PEI BioAlliance Board of Directors, and CEO, BioVectra. “From the current pandemic and other human health needs, to climate change and global food security, these investments in Canada’s biotech sector will allow Canadian companies to bring solutions to the global marketplace.”
Budget 2021 proposes targeted support for the life sciences and bio-manufacturing sector including:
- $1 billion on a cash basis over seven years, starting in 2021-22, of support through the Strategic Innovation Fund would be targeted toward promising domestic life sciences and bio-manufacturing firms.
- $50 million on a cash basis over five years, starting in 2021-22, to create a life sciences stream in the Venture Capital Catalyst Initiative, as part of a larger venture capital investment.
- $500 million over five years, starting in 2021-22, and $100 million per year ongoing, to expand the Industrial Research Assistance Program to support up to 2,500 additional innovative small and medium-sized firms.
- $500 million over four years, starting in 2021-22, for the Canada Foundation for Innovation to support the bioscience capital and infrastructure needs of post-secondary institutions and research hospitals.
- $250 million over four years, starting in 2021-22, for the federal research granting councils to create a new tri-council biomedical research fund.
- $67.2 million over seven years, starting in 2021-22, to Environment and Climate Change Canada. This standard creates new economic opportunities for Canada’s biofuel producers, including farmers and foresters, who are part of the diverse supply chain for low-carbon fuels.
Over the past decade, the PEI Cluster has established itself as a centre of excellence in bioprocessing and is seeing an abundance of opportunity to expand its role in this critical area.
“The BioAlliance has previously identified a shortage of wet labs and manufacturing facilities, as well as the lack of systematic approach to bio sector skills and training as key factors limiting the potential growth of the sector, both in the province and across Canada,” said Rory Francis, CEO, PEI BioAlliance. “This budget has certainly put the resources in place to address these issues and ensure the bio sector is a major contributor to recovery and growth.”
Swiftsure Innovation’s novel solution aims to provide improved care for ventilator patients
CEO and Founder of Swiftsure Innovation Deanne McCarthy has experienced first-hand the amount of care required for mechanically ventilated patients. For her company, Newfoundland-based Swiftsure Innovation, above all, their mission is to support patients by developing products that will help prevent hospital-acquired infections.
To do this, Swiftsure created a novel device that aims to revolutionize oral care for ventilated patients. Their new solution focuses on improving patient outcomes, protecting frontline workers and benefiting hospitals.
Swiftsure is the latest company to join Emergence, Atlantic Canada’s bioscience business incubator dedicated to assisting start-ups and growth-stage companies in efficiently bringing their products and services to market.
“With the assistance of Emergence, we are doing market research to establish current perceptions of oral care to receive direct input from end users about our device. Establishing feedback from ICU physicians, Registered Nurses, and Respiratory Therapists is an essential part of driving a design that will best serve patients and improve patient outcomes,” said Deanne McCarthy, CEO and Founder, Swiftsure Innovation. “Being supported by Emergence has helped Swiftsure progress in a very meaningful way. It is great to have such awesome support here in Atlantic Canada!”
The challenge with ventilators
While mechanical ventilation provides life-saving treatment for critically ill patients, the problem is that the endotracheal tube that connects the ventilator to the patient’s lungs provides a direct route for germs to enter the lungs. This can result in ventilator-acquired pneumonia, the most fatal and costly of hospital-acquired infections. The problem associated with ventilators has also intensified as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Swiftsure is developing a device that will facilitate the moisturization and cleansing of the mouth and nose of patients on ventilators by flushing them with fluid. Their product will also improve the seal for further germ prevention. They are currently in the design development phase, working with partners at the National Research Council and Dalhousie University. In 2020, they were the winner of the 10th annual BioInnovation Challenge pitch competition at BioPort 2020.
As a client of Emergence, Swiftsure will have access to business incubation services including mentorship and advisory services, team mentorship program as well as access to networks and resources.
For more information on Emergence, visit emergencebioincubator.com.
Gill health project led by AVC faculty member receives $4.7 million in funding
Republished from UPEI News:
A project to develop an early warning system for identifying complex gill disease on salmon farms, led by Dr. Mark Fast, professor of fish health and immunology, Atlantic Veterinary College at UPEI, has received $4.7 million in funding through Genome Canada’s Genomic Applications Partnership Program (GAPP).
The project is one of five applied research genome projects that received $8.6 million in federal funding and an additional $17.8 million in co-funding from provincial governments, businesses, and research partners across Canada. Partnering with Fast on the project are Cermaq Canada, Grieg Seafoods, Genome Atlantic, and Genome BC.
Salmon production in Canada is under increasing threats from infectious and non-infectious diseases such as complex gill disease. Over the last decade, gill health and associated disease have been a growing challenge in salmon farming operations in both the Pacific and North Atlantic. Complex gill disease is a multifactorial condition resulting from the interaction of environmental and husbandry conditions as well as infection by pathogens and parasites to create proliferative lesions, particularly during the summer and fall months.
The project will validate biomarkers of healthy and compromised gills of Atlantic salmon and use these to develop an early warning system for the development of gill disease on Atlantic salmon production sites across Canada. The resulting genomics-enabled tools for fish health will guide the management and intervention strategies for complex gill disease in Atlantic salmon.
BioVectra and PhaseBio Pharmaceuticals Enter into Supply Agreement to Support Development and Commercialization of Bentracimab
PhaseBio Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of novel therapies for cardiopulmonary diseases, and BioVectra Inc., an innovative global contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) located in Charlottetown, PE, today announced a commercial scale supply agreement for the production of bentracimab, PhaseBio’s lead product candidate currently in a global Phase 3 clinical trial. Bentracimab is a novel, human monoclonal antibody fragment that in earlier clinical trials has shown immediate and sustained reversal of the antiplatelet effects of Brilinta® (ticagrelor).
Under the terms of the agreement, BioVectra will provide its integrated CDMO services for the manufacturing of the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) of bentracimab for use in PhaseBio’s ongoing global clinical trials and for global commercial use upon regulatory approval. Utilizing a cost-efficient, E.coli-based manufacturing process at its manufacturing site in Windsor, Nova Scotia, BioVectra recently completed the first GMP run of bentracimab at commercial scale. Going forward, PhaseBio plans to integrate API manufactured at commercial scale at BioVectra into the ongoing Phase 2b and Phase 3 REVERSE-IT clinical trials to support global regulatory filings.
“We’re excited to be partnering with PhaseBio under this new commercial agreement for the high-volume scale-up and global supply of bentracimab,” said Oliver Technow, Chief Executive Officer of BioVectra. “BioVectra is an expert CDMO with proven, specialized capability in scaling the most complex biologic drug substances produced from fermentation. Leveraging our fully integrated approach and 50 years of experience, our highly-skilled team looks forward to continuing to make a difference in patients’ lives by delivering on and supporting PhaseBio’s global commercialization of bentracimab from our new, large-scale Microbial Biomanufacturing facility.”
CASTL launches new website
The Canadian Alliance for Skills and Training in Life Sciences (CASTL) announced this week the launch of their new website: castlcanada.ca
CASTL’s website was designed with user experience in mind, with clear paths for both “Learners” and “Employers” to navigate the site to understand the value CASTL has to offer, the available programming, as well as the information on the industry need. It will be an important tool used in CASTL promotions to provide introductory information on programming and to help key audiences stay up to date on the latest news.
As the CASTL website is meant to represent their community of partners and their needs, please feel free to send any feedback to info@castlcanada.ca.
Somru BioScience and Veeda Clinical Research announce joint venture Global Biotherapeutic Contract Research Organization (CRO) in India
Charlottetown, PE and Ahmedabad, India – Ingenuity BioSciences Pvt. Ltd – Veeda Clinical Research, one of India’s leading and largest independent contract research organization (CRO) companies, and Somru BioScience Inc., a leading Canadian-based biotechnology company based in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, are proud to announce the establishment of an innovation-centric bioanalytical laboratory in Ahmedabad, India.
Veeda and Somru announced the launch of their premier global centre of excellence lab under the flagship of Ingenuity BioSciences Pvt. Ltd. The Board of Directors of both companies have made a strategic alliance to expand their specialized service offerings, complementing their well-established portfolio in clinical services and bioassay kit development. This collaborative joint venture aims to capture the growing market needs of the global biosimilars market projected to grow from USD 28 billion in 2020 to USD 103 billion in 2026, with a CAGR of 24.2%. Somru BioScience and Veeda Clinical Research will have an equal partnership in the new joint venture.
“I am delighted with the fruition of our partnership with Somru BioScience which combines the strengths of our organizations to reinforce our vision of becoming the preferred research partners for innovative biopharmaceutical companies globally. The joint venture will bring Somru’s global standard, integrated bioassay capabilities to service the rapidly growing biosimilars industry in the region and, combined with Veeda’s strong clinical research credentials, will provide complete clinical development solutions to our clients,” said Ajay Tandon, Managing Director, Veeda Clinical Research.
Ingenuity BioSciences will be established as a premier and agile bioanalytical laboratory. Somru BioScience’s proprietary automation platform and cloud based Aegryris™ bioanalytical and productivity software suite will be a potential game-changer in the innovation-based drug discovery industry.
“This relationship will allow us to leverage our extensive experience as a biosimilar solution provider in this fast-emerging Asian market,” said Mohammed Moin, CEO of Somru BioScience Inc. “We are very impressed with Veeda’s track record as an excellent clinical service provider in India and are excited to be working with them.”
Ingenuity BiosSciences aims to offer end-to-end and modular technical services, encompassing both pre-clinical and clinical domains. The Ingenuity BioSciences scientific team is comprised of talented scientists with in-depth and extensive knowledge of bioassay method development and sample analysis, clinical trial management, and global regulatory requirements. Business development and technical teams are enthusiastic and excited to collaborate and serve Indian and International clients across pan-Asia and European markets. Ingenuity BioSciences’ website will be soon available and provide detailed information on service offerings.
Ingenuity BioSciences will be led by Mohammed Moin, CEO of Somru BioScience and Dr. Ravi Krovidi, CEO of Ingenuity BioSciences Pvt Ltd. The location of Ingenuity BioSciences in Ahmedabad, India, gives its clients a unique advantage of sharing the years of trust, regulatory expertise and reputation established by the Veeda Clinical Research services ecosystem.
“We look forward to closely working with biosimilar and biotherapeutics companies. Our vision is to become a preferred CRO clinical partner in product development’s success journey from early inception to product launch. The Biosimilarization wave is gaining significant traction, with several important monoclonal antibodies going off patent. We are very excited to partner with Somru team,” said Dr. Ravi Krovidi, CEO of Ingenuity BioSciences Pvt Ltd.
About Somru BioScience Inc.
Somru BioScience Inc. is an innovative biotechnology company based out of Prince Edward Island, Canada. Somru has developed a portfolio of reagents, ELISA kits, innovative biosimilar comparability tools and a cloud based Aegryris™ software suite to enable companies to significantly reduce the cost and timeline for biosimilar development. Somru technologies reduce early development risk by identifying clinically meaningful differences prior to running expensive clinical trials. The company has customers throughout North and South America, Europe, Australia, and Asia.
About Veeda Clinical Research
Veeda is a leading independent Clinical Research Organization in India conducting a diverse range of clinical studies including bioavailability and bioequivalence (BA/BE) studies, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, early to late phase clinical development and clinical endpoint studies for generic molecules, new chemical entities (NCE), and biopharmaceuticals. Veeda strives for excellence in quality and has been the partner of choice for many global pharmaceutical companies over the last 16 years. Veeda is reputed for its best-in-class scientific expertise, quality, and ethics. Veeda has an exemplary regulatory record of successfully completing USFDA, ANVISA, WHO, MHRA, AGES, ANSM, MCC, DCGI and NPRA audits to date.
5 ways to find a job in bioscience
Looking to find a job in bioscience? There are a number of avenues through the PEI BioAlliance to stay up to date on the latest opportunities and also get connected with the right people.
Jobs in the bioscience sector can range from research scientists, lab technicians, quality control managers and chemical process engineers, to maintenance and production technicians, or even business administration roles including accounting, marketing, HR, and sales.
Here are five ways to support your pursuit in finding a job in the growing bioscience sector:
1. Send in your resume
The PEI BioAlliance keeps an online resume library which is shared with hiring managers in the PEI bioscience cluster. If you are currently seeking employment, upon graduation, or for the summer months, send your resume to vivian@peibioalliance.com. Resume should be in PDF format with the file name “Resume – Your Name – Education/Credentials” and the email subject line “Add my resume to the 2021 PEI Bioscience Cluster Library.”
2. Check out the job board
Updated as positions become available, the PEI BioAlliance website has a job postings page which consolidates all open positions across the cluster, including direct links to apply. The website also provides links to learn more about the companies that are hiring.
3. Sign up for email alerts
If you’d prefer to receive real-time alerts directly in your inbox, sign up for our email notifications, where you’ll receive ongoing updates on the latest opportunities in bioscience. Sign up today by filling out our form.
4. Follow us on LinkedIn for our weekly job round-up
At the end of every week on the PEI BioAlliance LinkedIn, we post a summary of all of the new jobs that were made available the week prior. Follow us on LinkedIn, for these updates as well as all of the latest local news in the sector.
5. Stay up to date on the latest news and company expansions
One way to increase your likelihood of getting a job in the sector is to learn about all of the latest news and company expansions. Follow the PEI BioAlliance on Twitter and read the Latest News section on our PEI BioAlliance website to stay up to speed on all news, events and networking opportunities.