Posts by admin

International Animal Health Journal, February 2018
Analysis of the proposed service fees for veterinary drug review and maintenance brings the CAHI to the conclusion that should this proposal come to be implemented, as is, sales for 58% of the current livestock products will not support a new registration, while 52% of companion animal product sales will not support introduction to the Canadian market. If innovation costs of 5% of the total R&D costs are included in the calculation, 79% of the livestock products (74% for companion animal) fall below the financial threshold to support product registration and launch in Canada.

View PDF

Research Money, March 2017
A stronger focus on commercialization has helped to distinguish two new networks joining the Centres of Excellence for Commercialization and Research (CECR) program in a tough competition that saw two winners out of field of nine. Natural Products Canada (NPC) was the first CECR awarded for R&D in the field of natural products and will receive $14 million over five years to establish four nodes in a national network for commercializing natural products for human and animal health, agricultural products and industrial chemicals. Spearheaded by the PEI BioAlliance, the Charlottetown-based NPC is the first CECR to be headquartered in the Maritimes. A recent article from Research Money looks at success factors and sustainability.

Link

The Guardian Newspaper, December 10, 2016
The recent grand opening of the new 21,000 square-foot Center for Aquaculture Technologies Canada research facility in Souris, PEI is attracting global attention for those seeking their contract research services related to fish health, nutrition and genomics.

Link

IAHJ Spring 2016

In this feature article in the International Animal Health Journal – the BioAlliance lays out Prince Edward Island’s significant role in Canada’s advanced solutions for global aquaculture productivity.

Link

Biotechnology Focus – February 16, 2016

The announcement that Natural Products Canada (NPC) will receive $14 million over five years, in support of its work to establish Canada as a global leader in the development and marketing of natural products was made by Canada’s Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development Navdeep Bains, in Charlottetown alongside Canadian Minister of Agriculture and Agri-food Lawrence MacAulay and Prince Edward Island Premier Wade MacLauchlan.

Link

February 13, 2016 The Guardian Newspaper, Prince Edward Island

Brian Stewart is now director of manufacturing overseeing Sekisui Diagnostics P.E.I. in Charlottetown – the largest North American facility in Sekisui Chemical’s Diagnostics Group. Sekisui’s origins are rooted in Diagnostic Chemicals, founded by P.E.I. entrepreneur Regis Duffy. Acquired by Genzyme Corporation in 2007, the company was purchased in 2011 by Sekisui Chemical. Since that time, the company continues to grow in PEI – Writer Margaret Magner takes a look at PEI operation.

November 7, 2015 The Guardian Newspaper, Prince Edward Island

The October 2014 announcement that the federal Venture Capital Expert Panel had chosen the PEI BioAlliance as one of Canada’s top accelerators and incubators was a striking indication of the bioscience sector’s progress in just ten years. One year later, its Emergence incubator — funded with $3.8 million from the National Research Council and matched by private, federal and provincial sources — has enrolled 27 companies with 22 more in “pre-incubation,” the stage when new applicants are screened and mentored before admission. Read full story by Margaret Magner.

Setpember 2015 – Aquaculture Magazine

The Centre for Aquaculture Technologies Canada is launching a new 21,000-square-foot state-of-the-art operation in Souris, Prince Edward Island to provide key resources advancing technologies that improve aquaculture productivity. A wholly-owned subsidiary of the Center for Aquaculture Technologies headquartered in San Diego, California, CATC focuses on R&D and commercialization activities involving cold-water aquatic species, while providing independent contract research services related to fish health, nutrition and genomics.

Link

August 1, 2015 The Guardian Newspaper, Prince Edward Island

In this article published in The Guardian Newspaper, August 2015 – author Margaret Magner talks to Delivra’s CEO about their products, company successes, and the role Prince Edward Island has played in their growth.

March 6, 2015

SkillsPEI is now taking applications from employers and students for its youth focused career support programs for 2015-16. They include the Post-Secondary Summer Employment Program, a new initiative entitled the Career Prep Program, and the Graduate Mentorship Program.

Link

In this feature article, freelance writer Margaret Magner provides a synopsis of discussions that took place between industry experts during the International Animal Health & Nutrition Business Conference – VetHealth Global in Charlottetown, PEI in June 2013. Discussions cover debates on how best to ensure food security and increase productivity necessary for 2050 goals, and the confusing choices facing consumers to support the concept of healthy food options in the face of access, expense, and poor eating habits. Industry experts will gather again in Charlottetown in June 2015 to provide updates and continue discussions in the search of answers to all of these questions and more.

PDF

The Guardian Newspaper – January 2015

In this article, writer Margaret Magner takes a look at the brief, but successful history of Island Abbey Foods Ltd. as CEO John Rowe takes another market by storm with the introduction of the world’s first chewable honey gummy vitamin supplement.

Halifax Herald, December 18, 2014

Neurodyn and its Alzheimer’s drug candidate, from Entrevestor in Halifax’s Chronical Herald.

Link

The Guardian Newspaper – December 2014

PEI’s Somru BioScience Inc. is dedicated to making cutting-edge human therapeutics accessible to the general public. In this article, Margaret Magner looks at how two brothers vowed to succeed in drug development after their father died of esophageal cancer without access to groundbreaking medication.

The Guardian Newspaper – November 2014

Wastewater treatment is a critical challenge for communities around the world and new Environment Canada wastewater effluent regulations in 2020 will require additional upgrades and resources, some in remote locations without the capacity for expensive infrastructure. Freelance writer Margaret Magner takes a look at
a new PEI company that has launched a revolutionary solution to this dilemma with the world’s first self-powered wastewater treatment system designed to operate off the electrical grid.

The Guardian Newspaper – October 4, 2014

How the Bioscience Technology Program at Holland College in Charlottetown, PEI is giving students a unique competitive advantage into the biotechnology job market.

The Guardian Newspaper – June 2014

In this article, author Margaret Magner takes a look at the breakthrough technologies and ingredients being produced from algae at Solarvest Inc. in Summerville, Prince Edward Island.

The Guardian Newspaper -January 2014

A look at BioSpa Cosmeceuticals Inc. – PEI skincare company sourcing naturally sourced bioactive compounds for products.

December 2013

In this feature article from The Guardian Newspaper, Margaret Magner shares some insight into India – based company OminActive Health Technologies Ltd. and why they set up their North American Centre of
R & D in Charlottetown, PEI.

The Guardian Newspaper – November 9, 2013

Access to talented, highly skilled people continues to be a key enabler of the Canadian bio-economy according to BioTalent Canada’s recently released labour market report on the biotechnology industry.
A follow-up to its 2008 study, “Sequencing the Data”, assesses current trends and challenges related to human resources planning and skills development. PEI Writer, Margaret Magner explores the challenges and how the Prince Edward Island Bioscience Cluster fares in relation to the rest of the country.

Progress Magazine – November 2013

Fall weather is here, which means cold-and-flu season is upon us. For Charlottetown’s Island Abbey Foods Ltd., that means a busier production line. First, the company will need to roll out another large shipment of its new line of branded Honibe Honey Lozenges to retailers across Europe. Employees will also be busy filling orders for the company’s newest client, Safeway Inc., the second-largest supermarket chain in Canada. In this article, the writer explores PEI bioscience companies and how they are managing growth and balance with sound partnership strategies and a collaborative vision.

The Guardian Newspaper – March 2013

Russell Kerr is passionate about the Canadian Arctic. When he relocated from Florida Atlantic University to the University of Prince Edward Island, it was only natural his research would be associated with the warm waters of the Bahamas and the Florida Keys. But his appointment to UPEI’s prestigious Canada Research Chair in Marine Natural Products expanded his focus to Newfoundland; the Bay of Fundy; and Iqaluit, Nunavut. In the process, he launched Nautilus Biosciences Canada Inc. in Charlottetown to develop marine natural products for human and animal health and wellness.

The Guardian Newspaper – February 2013

How one of PEI’s flagship biotechnology companies prospered despite increasing international competition by other biochemical manufacturers, by responding to the changing marketplace with innovative risk taking and business models.

The Guardian Newspaper -January 2013

At the Historic Bonded Warehouse on the Charlottetown waterfront, once a repository for thousands of gallons of bootlegged rum from the infamous schooner Nellie J. Banks, new history is being made — the launch of a revolutionary gait analysis system with the potential to transform how athletes are trained, dementia patients monitored, and high security areas regulated.

The Guardian Newspaper -January 2013

Driving past the craft shops and inns of picturesque Victoria by the Sea, most visitors are intent on handmade chocolates or a special meal. Many would be surprised to discover the sizeable building on the community’s outskirts houses a highly specialized Centre for Aqua Research and Development for Novartis Animal Health (NAH) – one of its five R&D centres worldwide. NAH is a subsidiary of Swiss-based pharmaceutical giant Novartis International with 127,000 employees and operations in some 140 countries globally.

Forbes Magazine – September 24, 2012

You may not think there are many similarities between Silicon Valley and the PEI Bioscience Cluster. Think again, as you read this Forbes article on the seven invisible ingredients for successful business ecosystems. Part of our Cluster’s success has been because our intuition has kept us paying attention to these ‘intangibles’.

Link

HR Microscope – BioTalent Canada, July 2012

Link

HR Microscope – BioTalent Canada, July 2012

Link

Financial Post, May 22, 2012

Link

Globe & Mail, March 13, 2012

Link

July/August 2011

PDF