Archive for 2022

New survey data indicates revenue of $575 million and more than 2,300 employees in the sector

The Prince Edward Island Bioscience Cluster has surpassed 2025 growth targets and is well on its way to becoming a billion-dollar industry by 2030.

The PEI BioAlliance today released the results of a survey of more than 65 employers in the sector based on 2021 business performance. Private sector company revenues reached $575 million, a $200 million increase over 2020, while investment attraction topped $110 million, almost doubling the previous year. Sector workforce has increased by 400 full-time jobs since the pandemic began, now standing at 2,300 employees. Business-led R&D was $28.2 million, up $8 million, while annual tax revenues to governments were estimated at $87 million annually, up 53% since 2018.

“The accelerated growth and strength of PEI’s bio sector is very encouraging, particularly in these challenging economic times,” said Oliver Technow, Board Chair, PEI BioAlliance and CEO, BIOVECTRA. “Sector investments in research, new product development, and manufacturing capacity have successfully translated to sales revenue from global markets.”

Private sector investment in new facilities and equipment was more than $69 million, adding to an $85 million investment in 2020. Significant revenue increases were achieved in sales of animal health vaccines, human health diagnostics, contract manufacturing of biopharmaceuticals, cannabis-based value-added products, and natural health products.

Rory Francis, CEO of the PEI BioAlliance said that the combination of strong growth of the Cluster’s larger companies and commercial success of earlier stage companies has been an excellent recipe for sustained development of the Cluster.

“It’s truly remarkable to see the range of breakthrough technologies and products coming from our Cluster companies that are bringing new solutions to global challenges in human, animal, and fish health,” said Francis. “Collaboration and cooperation among businesses, academic and research partners, and governments at all levels continues to make PEI a great place to grow bioscience-based businesses.”

The rapid growth of the Cluster has put pressure on two key enablers of continued success: the availability of skilled personnel, and the availability of specialized R&D and manufacturing facilities. In 2021, the BioAlliance established the Canadian Alliance for Skills and Training in Life Sciences (CASTL) to create a national talent pipeline for the bioscience sector. Locally, Holland College, Acadia University, UPEI, and Skills PEI have become important CASTL partners. CASTL opened its headquarters and Biomanufacturing Training Facility in Charlottetown in September. Earlier this year, with support from the Government of Quebec, CASTL announced plans to open a biomanufacturing training facility in Montreal. Additional facility locations are being considered to ensure broad geographic access to this type of training across Canada.

The opening of the new BioManufacturing Incubator (BMI) in early 2022 has been a critical step in ensuring availability of leasable space for manufacturing scale up. The six unit, 20,000 sq ft facility was fully leased before completion pointing to the urgent need to add to the continuum of pilot plant and scale up manufacturing space meeting international regulatory standards.

Together, these initiatives are key elements in the BioAlliance’s plan to build out the province’s capacity and reputation as a national centre of expertise in biomanufacturing.

“From vaccines and drugs to fight disease, to sustainable food production and climate change mitigation, biotechnology holds solutions to some of the biggest challenges of our time,” said Francis. “Prince Edward Island is making its mark.”

For the past 8 years, PEI bioscience pioneer and founding mentor of the Emergence Incubator Regis Duffy has made a lasting impact on the bioscience community in Atlantic Canada. Celebrated at an event in October, he has now formally retired from his role and was recognized as Emergence’s first-ever Mentor Emeritus for his dedication and service to the program and the bioscience sector in PEI and Atlantic Canada. Regis was a mentor in the Critical Path Team Mentorship program, and his direction and leadership has been invaluable to many bioscience companies.

“On behalf of the Emergence team and all of the companies in the program, we wanted to extend our thanks, and share how privileged we have been to have had Regis’ participation in this program and the experience and advice he has shared,” said Jason Cleaversmith, Executive Director, Incubation and Infrastructure, PEI BioAlliance.

Regis Duffy’s career is an inspiration to many of those working in the bioscience sector, who have dubbed him “the godfather of bioscience in PEI.” In 2021, his daughter published a book about his career entitled The Chemistry of Innovation: Regis Duffy and the story of DCI.

About Regis Duffy

Dr. Regis Duffy is the former Dean of Science and Chairman of the Chemistry Department at the University of Prince Edward Island. In 1970, he founded Diagnostic Chemicals Limited (now Sekisui Diagnostics), a chemical manufacturing company engaged in the manufacturing of active pharmaceutical ingredients, fine chemicals, enzymes, and chemical reagents.

After serving as Chair of the UPEI Board of Governors from 1996 to 2006, Regis was named Board Chair Emeritus in 2007 for his contributions as a board member and chair, and for his many years of service to the university. His many honours include being named a member of the Order of Canada, receiving the PEI Region Canadian Red Cross Humanitarian Award, being awarded Atlantic Canada’s Innovator of the Year and Atlantic Canada’s Entrepreneur of the Year, and being inducted into the PEI Business Hall of Fame. He is the founding chair of the PEI BioAlliance, a leadership organization for the bioscience cluster, and he is a member of the NRC Institute for Marine Biosciences-Institute for Nutrisciences and Health (IMB-INH) Advisory Committee. In April 2008, a state-of-the-art bioscience and health research centre at UPEI was named the Regis and Joan Duffy Research Centre.

Natasha Dhayagude, CEO of Chinova Bioworks (Chinova), a Canadian-based natural ingredient company, was awarded the CANIE Entrepreneur Of The Year Award. The CANIE Awards are the Innovators & Entrepreneurs Foundation’s (IEF) chief flagship program recognizing excellence in innovation and foundership across Canada.

The IEF’s CANIE Awards program recognizes and celebrates excellence in innovation and entrepreneurship among racialized and equity-deserving communities throughout the nation. The awards build a network of people and organizations, plus they inspire generations to be leaders through their stories of perseverance and disruption. There are seven categories of CANIE Awards, and winners receive a $10,000 cash prize, an Air Canada travel gift card, plus a promotions video and marketing support for the semi-finalists and winners.

The CANIE Entrepreneur of the Year Award recognizes trailblazers who demonstrate exceptional leadership and have an ongoing impact on Canadian entrepreneurship.

“Natasha Dhayagude demonstrates superior leadership as co-founder and CEO of Chinova, a company whose mission is to use nature to protect and reduce food waste. Most recently she raised $10.5 million in capital investment from venture capitalists in the food-technology industry,” said Jenn Juby, Chief Executive Officer of the Innovators & Entrepreneurs Foundation. “As a business leader, she prioritizes equality in her business, with 90% of women hired at Chinova holding STEM positions. These are a few of the reasons why Natasha was a stand-out to the awards adjudication team as winner of the 2022 CANIE Awards Entrepreneur Of The Year.”

Natasha Dhayagude’s vision for Chinova is to add value throughout the supply chain. The company upcycles the stems of white button mushrooms, usually thrown away by farmers, to develop Chiber™, their natural, clean-label preservation ingredient. Manufacturers using Chiber™ (mushroom extract) improve the brands’ quality, freshness, and shelf-life of their finished products. Products containing Chiber™ enable distributors to have longer-lasting finished products, which allows them to expand their global reach and increase food security. Retailers reduce spoilage costs with products containing Chinova’s mushroom extract, which enables brands to provide consumers with natural, healthy, clean-label products resulting in reduced food waste.

“Thank you to the sponsor Ownr and the Innovators & Entrepreneurs Foundation for naming me the 2022 CANIE Awards Entrepreneur Of The Year winner. Being included with the other great entrepreneurial finalists is a privilege,” said Natasha Dhayagude, CEO and Co-founder of Chinova Bioworks. “When I started this adventure with my co-founder, David Brown, we were excited to combine our love of science and mushrooms to develop a natural, clean-label food and beverage ingredient that could reduce food waste. Seeing others find our work as groundbreaking as we do is truly amazing. ”

IEF hosted three in-person events this year to celebrate winners from coast to coast, and is hosting their Virtual Awards Gala, scheduled to air at 6 PM EST on November 16, 2022.

About Innovators & Entrepreneurs Foundation
Founded in 2019, the Innovators & Entrepreneurs Foundation (IEF) is a charity that aspires to support small and medium sized business (SMB) founders and innovators from racialized and equity-deserving communities across Canada. Their mission is to advocate for, support, educate, and celebrate innovation and entrepreneurship among under-represented business owners as they navigate the unfair barriers of institutional, structural, and interpersonal biases.

About Natasha Dhaygude
Natasha Dhayagude is Co-Founder, Chief Executive Officer, and Board Member at Chinova Bioworks. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Science from the University of New Brunswick and spent the early part of her career immersing herself with entrepreneurs and start-ups at Planet Hatch and Venture for Canada. There she gained vital skills such as building business models and fundraising to ensure optimal success when she co-founded Chinova Bioworks. Ms. Dhayagude also serves as the Canadian Food Innovation Network (CFIN) Board Member.

Recognitions
• Startup Canada Young Entrepreneur of the Year (2017)
• Startup Canada’s Woman Entrepreneur of the Year (2019)
• Atlantic Business top 30 under 30 (2019)
• Thrive Female Founder Award (2021)
• CANIE Award Entrepreneur Of The Year (2022)
• RBC Canadian Women Entrepreneur Innovation Award Finalist (2022)

About Chinova Bioworks:
Chinova Bioworks started in 2016 with the mission of using nature to protect and reduce food waste. The company developed a natural fiber extract from the stems of white button mushrooms to make stable, broad-spectrum preservation ingredients that protect products from spoilage caused by yeast, mold, and harmful bacteria. Their ingredients are natural, healthy, and integrate seamlessly into various foods and beverages during processing. This technology enables manufacturers and lab operators to improve their finished products’ quality, freshness, and shelf-life, resulting in increased consumer satisfaction for using natural, clean label ingredients, all while reducing food waste. The company has raised $10.5M in investment with a team representing 90% of women in STEM.

Through sustainable practices and upcycling, Chinova plays a crucial role in making the food and beverage industry happier, healthier, and better for the environment.

Visit www.chinovabioworks.com for more information.

Pegasus Biotech is excited to announce that the company has been selected as a finalist for the 2023 Greater Charlottetown Chamber of Commerce President’s Excellence Awards in the category of Emerging Business Excellence.

“We are honored to be short-listed for this award. Our success and rapid growth are due to the hard work put in by Pegasus’ employees, and the support of the PEI and Canadian biotech ecosystem over the past two years of operation,” said Dr. Yimy Mena, CEO of Pegasus Biotech. Over the past 24 months, Pegasus Biotech has experienced a 10-fold growth in revenue and size, signing contracts with clients in North America, South America, Europe and Asia. This has established the company as a global player in the biotechnology CRO industry and the CRO of choice for DNA vaccine development services.

The mission of Pegasus Biotech is to enable their clients to bring cutting edge innovation to the global human and animal health markets. Their area of expertise is ensuring that client biopharmaceutical and vaccine development activities result in commercially viable products that are compliant with global regulations.

To learn more about Pegasus’ services, click here.

About Pegasus Biotech Inc: Pegasus Biotech Inc. is a full-service biotechnology contract research organization. They offer both process and analytical development services to the global pharma industry. They specialize in vaccine and biopharmaceutical development and are global leaders in DNA vaccine development.

Sekisui Diagnostics PEI was the title sponsor for the Motionball Marathon of Sport for the first time on 22-Oct-2022! Motionball is a national non-profit organization that empowers young Canadians to be leaders in their communities, raising funds, and awareness for Special Olympics through inclusive social and sporting events. It works to ensure that individuals with intellectual disabilities living in PEI are included, supported, and celebrated.

This day not only brings awareness to the Special Olympics movement but allows people with and without intellectual disabilities to interact, build lifelong friendships, and ultimately create more inclusive communities. Motionball is working to promote positivity and inclusion, demonstrating that there is #NoGoodWay to use the “r-word” (retard). This word is hurtful, outdated, and brings back memories of being bullied and excluded for individuals with intellectual disabilities.

The Motionball PEI committee did an amazing job to successfully organize this event and raise funds for such a wonderful organization. The Special Olympic athletes made the day so special with their energy and spirit!

Motionball 2022 raised $32,000 for Special Olympics PEI! Sekisui Diagnostics had 16 players (two teams) and 7 volunteers join in this event! It was a great day of fun, new friendships, and positivity!

The Canadian Alliance for Skills and Training in Life Sciences (CASTL) has launched their first series of hands-on training short courses to be delivered at the new CASTL Biomanufacturing Training Facility located in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. As the exclusive provider of the National Institute of Bioprocessing Research and Training (NIBRT) curriculum, CASTL will deliver theoretical and hands-on competency-based training.

The instructor-led short courses consist of lectures which are delivered online or in person, enhanced by practical sessions delivered at the CASTL training facility. The facility contains state-of-the-art pilot-scale bioprocessing equipment that allows trainees to gain practical skills that are immediately transferable to process scale-up and clean room environments. It is also equipped with laboratories and classroom spaces built to deliver the highest quality training to industry professionals.

“This initial short-course offering in Prince Edward Island marks a major milestone in CASTL’s national biomanufacturing training program,” said Penny Walsh-McGuire, CASTL Executive Director. “We continue to hear from employers across Canada about the need for practical hands-on training to support Canada’s rapidly expanding biopharmaceutical manufacturing sector. This is an important step forward in further developing the skills and training ecosystem”

“Training highly-qualified personnel who will drive the growth of the Canadian life sciences industry is at the heart of our mission, and part of this objective is to make sure that we will be able to answer the demand in biomanufacturing. These new short courses from CASTL do just that”, added Dr Christine Allen, VP, Ecosystem of adMare BioInnovations. “Our adMare Academy trains undergrads to industry executives and provides them with the knowledge, skills, and network to start or grow their career in the Canadian life sciences sector. We are proud to be the lead national partner of the CASTL Programs, which allows for hands-on biomanufacturing high-in-demand training and ensures Canadian companies have the talent they need to succeed today and in the future.”

CASTL’s new Biopharmaceutical Manufacturing Onboarding Boot Camp, a 4.5-day hands-on training course, introduces the necessary fundamental knowledge and practical operations needed to onboard new employees successfully and prepare them to navigate a biopharmaceutical manufacturing facility. It includes both hands-on practical training and theoretical knowledge covering good manufacturing practices (GMP), good documentation practices (GDP), gowning, aseptic techniques, and how to operate the common equipment for all jobs in a manufacturing environment.

“Upon successful completion of the course, trainees will be prepared to navigate their way through a biopharmaceutical manufacturing facility,” said Paul-Xavier Etter, CASTL’s Director of Technical Training. “The boot camp is designed for onboarding newly hired operators and technical staff as part of their onboarding in a modern biopharmaceutical or bioprocessing facility, as well as an individual working in a supporting role in manufacturing, such as QA auditors.”

Courses include:
• Introduction to Bioprocessing
• Biopharmaceutical Manufacturing Onboarding Boot Camp
• Introduction to Downstream Processing
• Introduction to Upstream Processing

To register or learn more, visit www.castlcanada.ca/short-courses or contact Sidney Reid at sidney@castlcanada.ca

About CASTL
The Canadian Alliance for Skills and Training in Life Sciences (CASTL) is a first-of-its-kind partnership between academia, industry, and government to address the future skills needs of the Canadian life sciences sector. Specializing in biopharmaceutical manufacturing, CASTL delivers on the economic and sectoral demand for individuals who are work-ready to enter, thrive and meet the needs of the fast-growing Canadian biomanufacturing industry. CASTL is the exclusive provider of the National Institute for Bioprocessing Research and Training (NIBRT) licensed training programs in Canada. Based in Ireland, NIBRT develops and delivers state-of-the-art training and education programs for the world’s leading biopharmaceutical manufacturing companies and partner academic institutions. CASTL is supported by National Lead Partner adMare BioInnovations and its adMare Academy. The adMare Academy is dedicated to providing the specialized training required to foster the next generation of highly qualified personnel who will drive the growth of Canadian life science companies.
www.castlcanada.ca

About adMare BioInnovations
With a wealth of globally-competitive scientific discovery, Canada is primed to lead the life sciences world. To make this a reality, at adMare BioInnovations, we use our scientific and commercial expertise, specialized R&D infrastructure, and seed capital to build strong life sciences companies, robust ecosystems and industry-ready talent — and re-invest our returns back into the Canadian industry to ensure it is sustained for the long-term. As part of our commitment to build talent, we have created the adMare Academy, dedicated to providing the specialized training required to foster the next generation of highly qualified personnel who will drive the growth of Canadian life science companies.
www.admarebio.com

Chinova Bioworks (Chinova), a Canadian-based natural ingredient company, hit a turning point by expanding its manufacturing space inside the Bioscience Manufacturing Incubator (BMI) on PEI. This milestone was made possible through the company’s partnership with PEI BioAlliance, the operator of the BMI.

Chinova chose to move its manufacturing to the BMI because its state-of-the-art building focuses on sustainability and energy efficiency, which makes them more environmentally and eco-friendly. The new space increases Chinova’s production from pilot scale to 20x their current capacity levels with plans to expand their operational team in PEI. The Government of Canada, through the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA), provided a $250,000 repayable contribution for the purchase of manufacturing equipment to help Chinova meet the new production levels available within the Bioscience Manufacturing Incubator. The additional staff and manufacturing capabilities allow the company to expand its client base to larger businesses that can make a prominent footprint in reducing food waste.

The BMI is a newly built 20,000 sq/ft facility operated by PEI BioAlliance, a private sector-led not-for-profit organization dedicated to growing Prince Edward Island’s bioscience industry. The BMI is designed for start-ups to transition from pilot-scale to full production levels while meeting the strict regulatory standards required for producing natural products.

Until this point, Chinova Bioworks was fortunate to have worked from the BioFoodTech facility in Charlottetown. BioFoodTech is a 30-year-old institution providing professional technical services to food and bioprocessing industries. The food grade space allowed Chinova to meet its early production goals, all while in a GMP environment. Chinova’s success highlights the importance of a scale up space prior to moving to BMI.

Co-founders Natasha Dhayagude and David Brown met in 2015 at an entrepreneurship accelerator and incubator center in Fredericton, New Brunswick. There they found a common interest in science and the study of mushrooms. Fast forward to 2016, to the founding of Chinova Bioworks, whose core values are to find sustainable sourcing and innovative ways to reduce food waste through food preservation.

Looking to nature, the company developed a natural and sustainable alternative to artificial preservatives with its white button mushroom extract called Chiber™. Chinova has become a disruptor within the food preservation market with Chiber™, its natural clean-label preservative, which improves food and beverage products’ quality, freshness, and shelf-life resulting in increased consumer satisfaction while reducing food waste.

Over the years, Chinova has formed strategic partnerships with government agencies and investors to enable them to reach their expansion goals. Those agencies are the PEI BioAlliance, Emergence, BioFoodTech, Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA), Innovation PEI, Natural Products Canada, National Research Council of Canada (NRC), and Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC). Those investors are DSM Venturing, Rhapsody Venture Partners, and Rich Products Ventures.

Quotes:
“Chinova Bioworks is proud to be a part of Canada’s food and biotech island on PEI. This new state-of-the-art space allows Chinova to expand our workforce and technology within the natural products industry as a sustainable, eco-friendly, and trustworthy preservation ingredient supplier.”
– Natasha Dhayagude, CEO and Co-founder, Chinova Bioworks

“Our new space inside the BMI increases our staffing and gives us 20x more production capacity. This space will boost customer satisfaction and broaden our target market to giant CPG companies requiring large-scale production.”
– David Brown, COO and Co-founder, Chinova Bioworks

“Investments in Atlantic Canada’s growing bioscience sector are bringing skilled employment, forward-looking companies and new opportunities for collaboration to the region. It is exciting to see the many innovative ideas that companies like Chinova Bioworks are taking to the global stage. I am proud that the Government of Canada continues to support Prince Edward Island’s world-class bioscience research and incubator infrastructure.”
– Sean Casey, Member of Parliament for Charlottetown, on behalf of the Honourable Ginette
Petitpas Taylor, Minister of Official Languages and Minister responsible for ACOA

“The bioscience industry in our province is growing bigger and better every day. Chinova is a perfect example of a company that has grown from concept to production right here, in Prince Edward Island. Government looks forward to a continued relationship with Chinova as it expands into global markets and develops even more innovative products.”
– Bloyce Thompson, Minister of Economic Growth, Tourism and Culture

“Today’s official opening of Chinova’s new manufacturing facility is the culmination of a highly collaborative effort from key partners within Atlantic Canada’s bioscience ecosystem. The PEI BioAlliance through its business incubator, Emergence, looks forward to continuing its support of Chinova Bioworks as they continue to grow and meet the increasing demand for their products.”
– Dr. Jason Cleaversmith, Executive Director, Infrastructure and Incubation, PEI BioAlliance

“Chinova’s plant-based food preservatives are a great example of how more sustainable food production can improve human health as well as deliver environmental benefits. SDTC is proud to support this innovative Canadian company as they take the next step in their journey to commercialization. Congratulations to the team at Chinova Bioworks as you open your new manufacturing facility in Charlottetown!”
– Leah Lawrence, President and CEO, SDTC

Quick Facts:
● Chinova is a semi-finalist for the Food Waste Reduction Challenge for the Novel Technologies Streams through Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.
● Chinova received FDA GRAS for natural preservative ingredient, Chiber™
● The company received Series A funding for $6 million (USD).
● Chinova recently won the NutraIngredients-USA Award in the Start-up category and the Exporter of the Year Award (Under $5M in Export Sales) from Opportunities NB (ONB)

About Chinova Bioworks:
Chinova Bioworks started in 2016 with the mission of using nature to protect and reduce food waste. The company developed a natural fiber extract from the stems of white button mushrooms to make stable, broad-spectrum preservation ingredients that protect products from spoilage caused by yeast, mold, and harmful bacteria. Their ingredients are natural, healthy, and integrate seamlessly into various foods and beverages during processing. This technology enables manufacturers and lab operators to improve their finished products’ quality, freshness, and shelf-life, resulting in increased consumer satisfaction for using natural, clean label ingredients, all while reducing food waste. The company has raised $10M in investment with a team representing 90% of women in STEM.

Through sustainable practices and upcycling, Chinova plays a crucial role in making the food and beverage industry happier, healthier, and better for the environment.

Visit www.chinovabioworks.com for more information.