Life Sciences 2013

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Partnerships take centre stage Insider’s look at the changing faces

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At Merck, we work hard to keep the world well. How? By providing people all around the globe with innovative prescription medicines, vaccines, consumer care and animal health products. We also believe our responsibility includes making sure that our products reach people who need them. :H FRQWLQXH RQ RXU MRXUQH\ WR UHGH¿QH RXUVHOYHV WR EULQJ more hope to more people around the world.

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LifeSciences BC Suite 900 – 1188 West Georgia Street Vancouver, B.C. V6E 4A2 Tel.: 604-669-9909, Fax: 604-669-9912 Email: info@lifesciencesbc.ca www.lifesciencesbc.ca LifeSciences British Columbia 2013 is published for LifeSciences BC by BIV Magazines, a division of BIV Media Group, 102 Fourth Avenue East, Vancouver, B.C. V5T 1G2, tel. 604-688-2398, fax 604-688-6058, www.businessinvancouver.com Publisher: Paul Harris Managing publisher: Gail Clark Editor: Christine Wood Design director: Randy Pearsall Proofreader: Noa Glouberman Writers: Sam Eifling, Noa Glouberman, Peter Mitham, Production manager: Don Schuetze Production: David Tong Vice-president sales: Kerry MacDonald Sales manager: Joan McGrogan Advertising sales: Lori Borden, Corinne Tkachuk Administrator: Katherine Butler List research: Richard Chu Controller: Marlita Hodgens President, BIV Media Group: Paul Harris

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Departments 6 Chair’s message 7 President’s report 8 Q&A Minister of Health, Dr. Margaret MacDiarmid 9 Q&A MLA Mike Farnworth, Critic for Health 35 List: Biggest life-sciences companies in B.C. 41 LifeSciences British Columbia Awards 43 LifeSciences BC members’ directory

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Chair’s message Gordon C. McCauley, LifeSciences BC

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he vitality of any community is the quality and strength of the people committed to its success. This critical element is the reason that so many people have such great faith in the capacity of British Columbia’s life-sciences community to flourish, even as technology communities around the world are being challenged by a variety of negative forces.

Historically, there is no good reason why our community should be so strong, surrounded as we are by natural resources that underpin our economy. Yet, nobody told that to the collection of innovators who were determined to build a strong life-sciences community here because, of all the natural resources, the strongest are human resources.

Since those innovators decided to build a life-sciences industry here, it has grown, matured and become the premier cluster in Canada, and among the leaders in the world. Based on that belief in people, we now have the formula that other communities only dream about: strong universities (the University of British Columbia is one of the top-20 public universities in the world, and Simon Fraser University among the top 30), outstanding research institutes (such as

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is evolving. To remain a leader, the Michael Smith Foundation LifeSciences LifeSciences BC must evolve as for Health Research, the Rick BC must well, embracing more collaboraHansen Institute, Genome British tive structures, different funding Columbia and the BC Cancer evolve mechanisms and alternate clinAgency), excellent research conas well, ical trial approaches. sortia (for example, the PROOF In keeping with this industrial Centre of Excellence and the BC embracing evolution, however, we must Clinical Research Infrastructure more remember that Darwin taught Network), globally competitive us it is the adaptable that surresearchers (over 800 engaged collaborative vive. LifeSciences BC has this in human-clinical studies alone structures, essential adaptability. We will through 60 research centres), enflourish due to the same kind of gaged patients and advocates (18 different extraordinary commitment of patient registries and many more funding the people who built this comadvocacy groups), the Centre for munity in the first place. Our inDrug Research and Development mechanisms dustry is comprised of people (a global research and commerand alternate not just globally competitive in cialization engine) and entrepretheir outlook but their expertise, neurs who find capital and build clinical trial people committed not just to businesses by motivating teams approaches science but to innovation and, to achieve. most importantly, people comB.C. is facing the same negative forces that challenge the viability of the mitted not just to life sciences but to making sector around the world, such as greater the world a better place.

This commitment to other people is demregulatory risk, more expensive clinical trials, diminished partnerships and less cap- onstrated in each of our members who lead ital to fund our work. Many of these chal- noble adventures to improve the human lenges are due to the fact that our industry condition each and every day. Ä„

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President’s report Don M. Enns, LifeSciences BC

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inston Churchill once said, “The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity; the optimist sees opportunity in every difficulty.” With regard to boom and bust cycles, one can hardly debate the notion that the global life-sciences community has seen better days, and British Columbia is no exception. However, there are many who believe that the future holds promise. I acknowledge that the issues associated with capital markets, sovereign debt and evolving business models are challenging, and I would also argue that there is reason for guarded optimism, which should produce results that may benefit individuals (i.e., patients and investors), organizations and the industry as a whole.

If one accepts the concept that the best predictor of the future is predicated upon foundations built in the past, consider some of what has been accomplished in the past generation: 1986 DNA fingerprinting was first used to assist with a criminal conviction 1990 The launch of the Human Genome Project 1994 The FDA approves the first genetically engineered tomato 1996 Dolly the sheep is cloned 2002 Ce l e r a a n d t h e N I H a n n o u n ce completion of the human genome sequence 2007 International teams determine how to transform skin cells into stem cells 2012 Digital pills are approved, which wirelessly transmit key patient metrics According to Capital IQ, a leading global credit and market adviser, the market capitalization of large pharmaceutical companies operating during the timeline outlined above increased from $60.5 billion US to $955 billion. The achievements made by our sector in business, research and patient outcomes

have been nothing short of phenomenal, yet they can be taken for granted or, possibly, not even understood. Our scientific progress has moved ahead of society’s ability to absorb much of this information. Other challenges include the ambiguity associated with the regulatory approval pathway and industry’s ability to translate cutting-edge research into a well-defined business model.

Is it possible that the future has already arrived? Undoubtedly, sequencing costs will continue to decrease, which will benefit personalized medicine initiatives. Technologies of all forms will migrate toward convergence in a manner that is sector agnostic, stem cell research will be better understood and emerging economies, such as India and Brazil, will play a greater role in our sector. In B.C., the underlying building blocks for these advancements are already in place. What can be done to ensure that the potential of these foundational elements are fully realized? How can LifeSciences BC and its members influence outcomes? I have a few thoughts: Capital formation Access to early-stage capital continues to be the challenge for many entrepreneurial ideas. As underlined earlier this year by the federal government’s announcement of providing $400 million in a venture capital fund, government and private industry must work together in an attempt to bridge the gap. Structurally, we must think of approaches that allow for a more comprehensive and sustained approach. For example, would it be possible to negotiate reimbursement fees in such a manner that a portion is allocated for research collaborations?

Unconventional partnerships Strategic partnerships between large pharmaceutical corporations and early-stage companies

or institutes are well established. But, what about partnerships between foundations and SMEs, or large pharmaceutical corporations and mobile technology companies, or even government-to-government collaborations? Admittedly, objectives may differ but they are by no means entirely divergent, and organizations like LifeSciences BC can help facilitate those relationships.

Flexible policy framework In general, we must ensure policy reflects scientific progress in a timely manner. Canada is 25 years behind the U.S. on developing an orphan drug strategy, and the federal government has yet to implement non-discrimination legislation related to genetic predisposition.

International trade agreements, data access and innovative pricing models are some of the other issues that warrant our collective attention.

Public engagement As noted earlier, one of the most significant impediments to advancing the sector is the lack of understanding. It is incumbent upon the life-sciences community to articulate – in a clear and concise manner – how technology will be integrated into our health-care system and how it will benefit patient care. There must be constructive dialogue around the issues of personal health data, mobile platforms, genomics applications and remote monitoring.

Many people are unaware that B.C. is ideally suited to compete in this changing global landscape. The underlying infrastructure already exists, and it is a matter of nurturing and aligning them in a strategic manner. In keeping with my opening comment, I will close with another quote from Churchill: “To improve is to change. To be perfect is to change often.” Ą Business in Vancouver Magazines

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Honourable Dr. Margaret MacDiarmid, Minister of Health and MLA for Vancouver-Fairview How do you see the life-sciences industry supporting the delivery of health care in B.C.?

As someone who has experienced both sides of the health system, as a patient and a physician, I understand the importance of the life-sciences industry and the positive impact it can have on health care for B.C. families.

Every day researchers and life scientists in British Columbia reveal answers that help in the fight against disease and pave the way for new ways to improve patient care and patient outcomes.

B.C. is the only province in Canada that is demonstrating a consistent decline in HIV. The BC Centre for Excellence in HIV-AIDS plays a crucial role in research and treatment, positioning B.C. as a world leader in the fight against HIV-AIDS. We are always looking at innovative strategies to keep our health-care system sustainable and the life-sciences industry plays a role. We remain committed to investing in health research, as this work also helps government in meeting the health needs of British Columbians and their families. In fact, since 2001 our government has made investments of more than $900 million in health research.

If you had the ability to change one aspect of B.C.’s current health-care system, what would it be?

If I could change one thing it would be to have all British Columbians embrace all the ideas, strategies, programs and recommendations there are regarding prevention and health promotion.

That said, it’s important to realize the health system is constantly in a state of change. Just look at the advances over the last 10 years: introducing LEAN design techniques, building better patient care with major investments in health capital, consolidation of 8

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electronic prescriptions online. non-clinical services and more It’s necessary The program will implement focus on integrated primary and to look at secure electronic health-record community care. systems to bring better, faster, There are many factors driving innovation safer health care by giving auchange. We have a growing to ensure the thorized health professionals population that is also aging. electronic access to secure paWe have seen advances in sustainability tient health records where they technology and testing, which of our public are required for delivering care. expands ability to treat more With regard to genomics, our people, and new and expen- health-care government has contributed sive treatments for previously system $177.5 million to Genome BC since untreatable conditions. We have 2001. In 2012, we provided a fura rising incidence in chronic diseases such as diabetes, renal failure and ther $10 million for the organization. The funding is for genomics projects that supcongestive heart failure.

The ministry has been implementing port B.C.’s scientific community and secure gradual systemic change outlined in our in- social and economic benefits for people novation and change agenda. This includes everywhere. providing effective health promotion and prevention as well as meeting the majority How can B.C.’s life-sciences sector best of health needs with high-quality primary contribute to the economic well-being of and community-based health care and sup- the province? port services.

British Columbia’s life-sciences sector not only does invaluable research work, which helps families and leads to better patient What does your view of health-care outcomes, it also provides great economic delivery look like five years from now?

I believe that in five years health delivery will benefits for the province.

Since being founded in 2007, the Centre look remarkably different and will be even better than it is today. There will be more for Drug Research and Development has personalized medicine, less in-hospital care created just over 2,200 direct and indirect and more care based in the community. The jobs in the health-research sector in B.C. and degree to which patients are partners in their over the next five years expects to create an additional 2,300 jobs. Our government own health care will have increased.

Our health-care system is regarded as a understands the importance of such jobs world leader. In fact, British Columbia has and how they contribute to the overall ecosome of the best health-care outcomes in nomic picture of British Columbia.

As well, investing in life sciences helps the Canada. However, as the population grows and ages and as medical technology and industry further translate academic health pharmaceuticals advance, it’s necessary to research into viable investment opportunlook at innovation to ensure the sustain- ities for the private sector.

I look forward to continuing our good ability of our public health-care system.

For example, B.C.’s eHealth program uses working relationship with the life-sciences information technology to provide the best industry, which is beneficial not only for the possible patient care. It will bring lab results, health system and B.C. families but for the diagnostic scans, medication histories and economic well-being of the province. Ą

Mike Farnworth, MLA for Port Coquitlam and Health Critic, Official Opposition How do you see the life-sciences industry supporting the delivery of health care in B.C.?

British Columbians expect and deserve a public health-care system that is worldclass, one that delivers the best possible patient outcomes, responds in a timely fashion and maximizes new and emerging technology and procedures to constantly improve. As the primary funder of health care, government can lay the foundation for this innovation, but effective partnerships with health-care professionals, academia and industry will drive change, improve health-care delivery and ultimately enhance our collective social and economic well-being.

Columbia. Indeed, any large organization that delivers a broad array of services is bound to face similar challenges. Working in collaboration with all the partners in healthcare delivery is the key to encouraging that flexibility within the health-care system.

system to continue to improve the health outcomes of patients while getting the most for the health-care dollar.

What does your view of health-care delivery look like five years from now?

British Columbia’s patients will expect better access to specialized medicine irrespective of where they live. A greater understanding of how best to deliver those services will require constant innovation, which in turn will require a continued emphasis on research and development. Adrian Dix and the New Democrats have said repeatedly that increasing British Columbia’s knowledgebased economy must be a high priority, and the life-sciences sector will be a key component of that.

British Columbians have for generations stood at the forefront of innovation, across the spectrum of scientific disciplines. This begins with educating our children and youth. With a renewed emphasis on training, education and research, and by supporting programs like Science World’s school outreach and tour program, we can continue to be world leaders in health-care research, encouraging the world to look to this province as the leader in life-sciences technology.

Governments set policy direction, but it will be organizations such as LifeSciences British Columbia that will provide the skills, knowledge and expertise, ensuring a greater understanding not only of the challenges but also of the tremendous opportunities ahead in life sciences. Ą

There is little doubt that health-care delivery in the decades to come will look markedly different than it does today. And there’s every reason to believe that many of the innovations currently in development in British Columbia and elsewhere will contribute significantly to strengthening our system, making it more responsive to the individual needs of patients across the continuum of care, allowing more effective use If you had the ability to change one aspect of precious resources – both human and of B.C.’s current health-care system, what technological – and ultimately increasing would it be?

Despite its strengths, there are significant patient outcomes, with better life expectchallenges facing public health care in British ancy and improved quality of life.

But British Columbians have also said that Columbia. An aging population – which includes patients, as well as doctors, nurses, they want to play a bigger role in their own health care. This clearly starts care aides and other health-care with healthy lifestyle choices, providers – and other demo- British which government policy can graphic shifts will put additional Columbians suppor t through initiatives pressure on finite resources in such as anti-smoking camthe coming decade. The intel- have also paigns, screening programs or lectual capacity exists to adsaid that encouraging active lifestyles. dress those challenges – inside Effective use of emerging techthe current system as well as they want to nologies is another component among academic, professional play a bigger that may allow patients to tailor and other associations. However, their access to the health-care the necessary flexibility to adapt role in their system to their specific needs. quickly, responding to changing own health Again, this can serve as a way of needs, trends or innovations, adding efficiency to the system has not always been apparent. care. This and ensuring resources go dirThat gap in flexibility could be clearly starts ectly where they’re needed. So what stands in the way of the while the demographic shift system adapting to emerging with healthy is coming, smart application technologies, for example. This lifestyle of these emerging technoloproblem is not unique to health gies will allow the health-care care, nor to health care in British choices

How can B.C.’s life-sciences sector best contribute to the economic well-being of the province?

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PARTNERSHIPS TAKE CENTRE STAGE Transforming the face of the life sciences industry

BY PETER MITHAM

H

ow does innovation happen?

Whether it’s through industry clusters or a triple-helix model that brings together government, academia and industry, partnerships and relationships between organizations are key.

Those partnerships have taken centrestage in the life-sciences industry as financiers have become risk averse. While the payoff from a successful new drug can be significant, the up-front cost of developing new products is equally significant. By some measures, it can cost upward of $200 million to take a drug through to commercialization, not to mention years of research. Committed partners are more likely to have the vested interest and stamina than external investors seeking a return on capital.

“As some of the venture capital has repositioned itself within the market, strategic partnerships have become a very significant way of financing ventures,” says Don Enns, president of the industry association LifeSciences BC. On the front lines, the partnerships take three primary forms: licensing agreements, which often garner companies an ongoing revenue stream in exchange for a development partner that can engage in the research needed to take a new pharmaceutical or device to the trial stage and commercialization; mergers and acquisitions, which often allow local companies to receive the backing of international players in exchange for a measure of independence; and strategic partnerships that offer a variety of benefits from in-kind support and to the prospect of future financial relationships.

Enns notes that partnerships are increasingly common among large pharmaceutical companies that want a stake in new developments but don’t necessarily have the cash

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to risk. By partnering with rising companies early in the development process, they’ve hedged their bets.

“Ten years ago large pharma effectively would not have been interested in early-stage companies,” Enns says.

Today they’re happening- and earlier than ever in a company’s life. Merck & Co. Inc. has five strategic partnerships, for example, representing a billion-dollar stake in B.C. life sciences – exponentially beyond anything private-equity investments are providing.

Brain wave The significance of partnerships is clear to John McNicol, a founder and co-CEO of EnWave Corp., which has developed a novel dehydration technology that’s attracted interest from diverse companies ranging from pharmaceutical giant Merck to homegrown food processors such as CAL-SAN Enterprises Ltd. EnWave grew out of research at the University of British Columbia (UBC) that developed a radiant energy vacuum for dehydrating food and nutraceuticals. EnWave’s proprietary process maintains colour, quality and nutrients, as well as appearance. The process also allows different moisture content. The considerations are important elements in tailoring products, from purées to vaccines for different uses and markets. Dehydration can also reduce packaged volumes while extending shelf life.

A prototype of the system was ready by 2007, when commercialization efforts began in earnest.

Since then, it has struck $33 million in financing and licence agreements that have enabled the development of increasingly larger plants.

“I felt we needed to go after the largest companies in the world to establish collaborations and partnerships because a) it gives you tremendous credibility if they become a partner and it’s known in the industry and b) it

We would rather let them adopt the technology, be a partner, and sometimes we give them exclusivity John McNicol co-CEO EnWave

Collaborations are very, very important, especially at the onset of growth, because they bring expertise that you don’t have at minimal cost Ali Tehrani president and CEO Zymeworks

allows you to create a whole range of different research and product-development areas where you’re not putting up all the money,” McNicol explains. “They’re able to take your machinery into their development pool and do development work, they pay you for that. They also are developing products and when they get something that’s commercially available for the market we end up getting licensees and a royalty stream.”

EnWave now has partnerships in place with more than a dozen companies, including Merck and Gay-Lea Foods Cooperative Ltd. In 2012, Milne Fruit Products Inc. began commercial processing of fruit at its Nampa, Idaho, plant under a licensing agreement that will yield EnWave upfront and ongoing revenues from the production of Milne’s products.

“Milne couldn’t start up the plant without signing a licence with us,” McNicol says. “[The licence] controls what they can produce in the plant and also gives us royalties as a percentage of the revenues they generate.”

A licence may also open opportunities for companies.

In the case of Boreal Genomics Inc. a licensing agreement has given access to a portfolio of patents held by UBC. The patents allowed Boreal to develop a series of cancer tests that will guide patient treatment. An initial release of the system in 2012 is being followed up by a collaboration with researchers at Stanford University.

Buying in Some of the top headlines in the pharmaceutical business result from mergers or acquisitions that reward a company’s achievements and provide the owners with a springboard to greater opportunities or an exit strategy to a new venture.

Some of the biggest deals in the region include Galenica Holding SA’s acquisition of Victoria-based Aspreva Pharmaceuticals Inc. in 2007 for $915 million. Before that, in December 2005, GlaxoSmithKline’s purchased UBCspinoff ID Biomedical Corp. for $1.7 billion.

Aspreva’s rise to prominence was built on a research team that sought new applications for existing drugs among underserved diseases. A pharmaceutical for kidney patients attracted Galenica, which initially sought to license the drug but instead bought Aspreva.

Similarly, ID Biomedical’s work on flu vaccines gave GlaxoSmithKline greater capacity to serve the market while renewing ID Biomedical’s financial stability and allowing it to expand and increase operations.

For companies such as telecommunications giant Telus Corp. and urological drug developer Sophiris Bio Inc., acquisitions have also been a gateway to the lifescience sector.

Sophiris originally incorporated in B.C. in 2003 through an amalgamation of three life-science companies. The new company acquired Protox Pharmaceuticals Inc. and became Protox Therapeutics Inc., with a licence to develop and commercialize a treatment for prostate cancer it obtained under a licence with John Hopkins University and the University of Victoria Innovation and Development Corp. Today the company is signing agreements of its own, including a collaboration with Matsumoto-based Kissei Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. on the development and commercialization of one of its drug candidates in Japan.

Telus is following a similar route as it builds its business in the life-sciences sector. The telecommunications company acquired two life-science companies in 2012, building on the 2008 acquisition of health-records company Emergis Inc. that established Telus Health. The acquisition, valued at $763 million, allowed Telus to establish six distinct business units and a foothold in activities as diverse as pharmacy systems and claims processing; health-records management and health care-consulting; and humanresources outsourcing. Telus Physician Solution, overseen

by Wolf Medical founder Brendan Byrne, was established through its latest acquisitions of Wolf Medical Systems Corp., Kinlogix Medical Inc., and the purchase of PS Suite EMR from MD Practice Software LP. “Telus stepping into health is bringing world-class applications on a world-class infrastructure to solve Canadian health care problems,” Byrne says. “The telco DNA is all around moving information. And health care is just crying out for that movement.”

The sector also has room to grow. A report by consulting firm KPMG notes that life sciences is outperforming other segments of the province’s economy, but remains small relative to those in Quebec, Ontario and the world.

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EnWave’s dehydration technology has been advanced through partnerships

“It’s a very ripe area for the types of problems that we solve,” Byrne says. “We’re essentially wrapping a managed service, the utility model, around some of these health-care applications.”

While each of the units in Telus Health research and develop new products, Byrne says the emerging model is cloud-based applications that are laid over the communications network, allowing Telus to bundle the two together for a monthly subscription fee. It aims to deliver a convenient and reliable solution to the health-care sector, as well as one that facilitates collaboration between parties and improves outcomes for consumers and patients.

“The collaboration services that we’re building between physicians and pharmacists and patients, those are completely new – they haven’t been done before,” Byrne says, noting that Telus’ acquisitions are slowly transforming the company into a full-fledged partner of the life-sciences industry. “It’s starting from a core and building.”

Bridging public and private sectors Strategic partnerships help companies to receive a handup in the life-sciences sector as they take their initial steps toward the discovery and development of a new product.

Preliminary partnerships are often as simple as research collaborations that allow individuals to share expertise or make use of a superior organization’s equipment and research infrastructure. B.C.’s strengths in the areas of HIV-AIDS, cancer research and genomics 12

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provide fertile ground for partnerships that can jump-start new projects.

Enns points to the co-ordinating role various organizations in the province play in facilitating such partnerships. While the province’s eight centres of excellence bring together researchers, one is of particular value to companies seeking to commercialize new pharmaceuticals – the Centre for Drug Research and Development (CDRD). Bridging the public and private sectors, CDRD plays a co-ordinating role in relationships between industry, universities and the public sector.

Similarly, the BC Clinical Research and Infrastructure Network is working to streamline and co-ordinate the activities of the province’s 60 research organizations engaged in clinical trials. Enns also mentions Genome BC, a not-for-profit organization funded by the federal and provincial governments that has leveraged $400 million for the industry since its creation in 2000, and the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research, a provincial body that has co-ordinated more than $360 million in funding for life-sciences research since 2001.

Government can also sometimes be a direct partner of companies, as in the case of Vancouver-based iCo Therapeutics Inc., which in 2012 received $1.1 million from the Canadian HIV Vaccine Initiative (CHVI), a collaboration between the federal government and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The grant is funding feasibility testing and preclinical toxicology studies in patients who are candidates for iCo’s Amp B treatment.

A spinoff from UBC, iCo also enjoys a research collaboration with the Toronto-based Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation for the prevention, treatment and cure of Type1 diabetes. The collaboration supports its own research, helping it to make better use of its resources as well as those of the foundation.

Such partnerships are critical, says Ali Tehrani, president and CEO of Vancouverbased Zymeworks Inc. Zymeworks pursues computer-assisted development of new therapies, a process that Tehrani says eliminates guesswork as well as the potential for human error in processing data related to the selection of new drug candidates for trial. It has developed a proprietary platform for the assessment of a new product, ZymeCAD, that Merck and other companies are keen to license for future development. Azymetric, for example, is a molecule that can be used as the basis for several kinds of biologic drugs. “It’s the output of this research that interested Merck,” Tehrani says. “We struck a deal where they gained a non-exclusive licence to be able to use that molecule to be able to develop a certain number of antibody therapeutics.”

The process Zymeworks uses for identifying new products makes its work appealing to large pharmaceutical companies looking to reduce their development costs and timelines. Securing licensing agreements provides Zymeworks with ongoing revenues as well as insights into how its molecules behave that feed back into its own research and development activities.

“Partnerships are always important,” he says. “Collaborations are very, very important, especially at the onset of growth, because they bring expertise that you don’t have at minimal cost.”

And it’s not just corporate entities Zymeworks is courting; it also has partnerships with UBC, Simon Fraser University and the University of Victoria, as well as private labs.

Avoiding hurdles EnWave’s McNicol makes a similar point. The partners it has for pilots of its dehydration process and for licensing agreements are aimed at opening the company to a broader range of expertise and influences.

“It opens up our technology to be successful,” McNicol says. “This is a very important lesson for companies that have a unique technology: don’t be shy to partner with the leaders in a market.”

The par tnerships have shown how

companies want to use its dehydration process, opening up new opportunities as well as allowing the partners to determine uses for the technology without EnWave having to market a specific application.

“We would rather let them adopt the technology, be a partner, and sometimes we give them exclusivity,” he says. “It’s given us a really excellent pipeline that’s going to grow further.”

He warns other companies against narrowing their opportunities by retaining too much control and avoiding strategic partnerships that may in fact expand their interests. “[EnWave] can partner without being too one-dimensional,” he says. “A lot of companies don’t think like that. They want to control everything themselves, they want to go and put all the capital up front and invest in all the prior development and go into the market and compete against these big companies.”

The telco DNA Tehrani is sympathetic to such advice, noting that B.C. is all around offers a collaborative environmoving ment for life-science companies but that improvements information. are possible. Universities, for And health example, often have research protocols and intellectual care is just property policies that limit crying out the free flow of information. A long-standing issue for clinical for that trials has been the frequent movement requirement for researchers to conform to multiple ethics Brendan Byrne agreements and protocol vice-president, documents, rather than being physician solutions, subject to a single, standard Telus Health document when working with several institutions. The quirk increases paperwork, as well as the time and expense required to undertake research.

Similarly, the desire by universities to protect intellectual property rights makes sense but it inhibits the flow of information among research teams. “The desire to collaborate, the desire to share information is there,” Tehrani says. “Sometimes the problem that occurs is how various management of the different organizations create stumbling blocks.”

This can lead to researchers seeking alternative partners, something Tehrani doesn’t feel needs to happen.

“Sometimes you don’t have to go outside your backyard to form a strategic collaboration,” he says. “And sometimes you’re forced to go outside your backyard because of unnecessary rules and regulations.” Ą

how i did it | RICHARD GLICKMAN I co-founded Aspreva Pharmaceuticals in 2001 to develop and commercialize drugs for uncommon diseases that were underserved. It wasn’t my first entrepreneurial go, but Aspreva was a bit of an industry newbie. Our business model wasn’t to acquire drugs; we wanted to help pharmaceutical and biotech companies get full benefit, economically and socially, out of the drugs they already develop.

Most drugs can potentially be used in more than one indication. Often companies will develop just a few of those indications. Aspreva helped companies go from off-label to on-label with their drugs for new indications, and helped provide the evidence base to prove whether a drug works for various patient populations.

The idea came from our frustration as scientists working in rare diseases. There were thousands of rare diseases and only hundreds of approved medicines to treat them. We also understood the high cost of drug development and felt a business model that considered existing medicines would be a reasonable place to look for new indications.

It was also about understanding the pathology of diseases. We could look at the pool of existing medicines to find drugs that would respond potentially, for good scientific reasons, to diseases.

That formed the basis of our program, with the idea that we could reduce the cost of developing a drug for a raredisease patient.

We partnered with the drug company on one of its drugs and developed new indications. We funded the clinical development, worked with them through the regulatory process and, once the drug was approved, launched the sales force and clinical support to support that drug in its commercialization. In exchange we shared in the revenue from that drug.

Ours could generally be considered a lower-risk approach to taking an idea from inception to commercialization because the drugs we worked

Richard Glickman, co-founder, Aspreva Pharmaceuticals: “[we] helped companies go from offlabel to on-label with their drugs”

on tended to have significant safety track records behind them – enough clinical exposure that there was a fair opportunity to prove efficacy going forward. It was a way of making drugs available and generating early-stage revenue to build a sustainable business fairly quickly.

Take our work with Swiss drug-maker Hoffman-La Roche on CellCept, originally developed as an anti-rejection agent for organ transplants. While there was promising data that it could serve other markets, including the autoimmunedisease markets Aspreva was targeting – Roche had little motivation to develop CellCept for these.

We took over developing these new indications, allowing Roche to stay focused on its core transplant business.

We signed a licensing agreement to use CellCept in trials to treat less-common autoimmune diseases like lupus nephritis and pemphigus vulgaris, which collectively represented a fairly significant market opportunity but, individually, were below the radar of most companies, including Roche.

Talk about a win-win. Roche benefited from access to resources to see its drug further developed in autoimmune diseases, plus incremental revenue and recognition of making that medicine available for the patient population that needs it. We shared in the upside and, of course, patients benefited by gaining access to the drugs they needed.

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LifeSciences 2013

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USING DATA FOR BETTER HEALTH Population Data BC may offer untapped potential for industry research

outcomes over recent decades: can access the data, and only in the 1960s a child would have after undergoing a rigorous a 30 per cent chance of surviving application process that inthe cancer while today it’s 80 per cludes an ethical review. cent. The province’s interest in It’s rare that industry in B.C. making the data available, and accesses the possibilities the committee’s charge when buried in the Population Data Population Data BC reviewing applications, is to BC records, its administrators executive director determine whether a proposal say.

Nancy Meagher: might extend or improve the “Using it is extremely in“having data on lives of British Columbians. expensive and the quality every person in “There would be tremendous of it is unparalleled in terms British Columbia is benefit to industry in accessing of coverage of populations,” powerful” data,” Carleton says. “Certainly says Nancy Meagher, execuwe want industry to develop tive director of Population Data BC. “Having data on every person in products that at least improve our quality of British Columbia is powerful, especially if life. And industry shares that. Who wouldn’t you’re looking at diseases or incidents where want to create the next medical interventhere’s a very low percentage. Even for a tion that improves the lives of patients who very rare condition, you may be able to get use it?”

While at present any corporate use of the a hundred cases.”

Meagher says the term “big data” bemuses public data would require an academic reher while Dr. Bruce Carleton, the searcher to apply and lead the research (and pediatrician and professor who to disclose his or her funding), the comWho wouldn’t want to create chairs the Data Stewardship mittee is considering ways to allow that Committee, says he first heard access in the absence of a university partnerthe next medical intervention the phrase at a conference last ship, Carleton says. that improves the lives of “That’s an interesting area,” Meagher says, year.

The cumulative power of “to try to promote more partnerships and to patients who use it? such data is essential to driving encourage the academic community to be Dr. Bruce Carleton better health. Carleton points to more in tune with industries or hospitals or the improvement in leukemia health authorities.” Ą chair, Data Stewardship Committee

BY SAM EIFLING

T

he compendium of data British Columbia’s health system collects can begin to sound like lyrics from the old Police song, “Every Breath You Take.” The administrative data goes back more than 25 years, recording every hospital visit, birth and death. Every prescription written to a British Columbian, every cancer, mentalhealth case, workers’ compensation claim and early-childhood development record is tallied and stored.

This is all primarily to audit our big, expensive health-care system. But this mountain of information, coded for privacy, has other applications. Health outcomes correlate highly with a range of indicators – if a social policy is working, the people it affects are generally healthier. This has made the trove of information, collected by and accessible through Population Data BC, a public gold mine for researchers, by law the only people who

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LifeSciences 2013

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LifeSciences BC is a not-for-proďŹ t, non-government, industry association that supports and represents the life sciences community of British Columbia through leadership, facilitation of investment and partnering, advocacy and promotion of our world-class science and industry.

Promotion Raise awareness of B.C.’s life sciences capabilities and capacity.

To build a world-class life sciences community in British Columbia that contributes to the economic and social well being of the Province through a collaborative effort between industry, academia and government.

To broaden our representation of British Columbia’s converging “bio� community by building a forum for complementary technologies, and supporting the Province’s life sciences industry through advocacy, facilitation and promotion.

People Increase the general public’s understanding of the issues in B.C.’s life sciences community.

Partnerships Increase membership and explore collaborations with other organizations in support of our vision.

Policy Through consultation with members and government, provide guidance on public policy.

Canada’s Research-Based Pharmaceutical Companies, (Rx&D) Farris, Vaughan, Wills & Murphy LLP Genome British Columbia GlaxoSmithKline Inc. McCarthy TĂŠtrault LLP Merck Canada Inc. PďŹ zer Canada Inc.

Amgen Business in Vancouver Discovery Parks Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd. Janssen Inc. LifeScan Canada Ltd. Technology Vision Group LLC

AbbVie Airgas AstraZeneca Borden Ladner Gervais LLP The Centre for Drug Research & Development

Eli Lilly Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP inVentiv Health Clinique Inc. Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research Novartis PwC PROOF Centre of Excellence QLT Inc. SanoďŹ Canada STEMCELL Technologies Inc. UBC University-Industry Liaison OfďŹ ce Vancouver Economic Commission

Membership

Activities

,IFE3CIENCES "#

Membership Composition Corporate 35% Individual 1% Institutional 12% Multi-National 9% Life Science 33% Reciprocal 7% Student 1%

30 events

/VER

2,500

AND participants ANNUALLY s "REAKFAST 3PEAKING 3ERIES s -EDICAL DEVICE SEMINAR SERIES s )NDUSTRY ROUNDTABLES s 3TRATEGIC !LLIANCE &ORUM s 3ALMON ""1 s ,IFE3CIENCES "RITISH #OLUMBIA !WARDS s 3ANOl "IO'%.%IUS #HALLENGE #ANADA s ")/ )NTERNATIONAL #ONVENTION s "IO0RINCIPLES /NLINE Committees: -EMBERSHIP

#OMMUNICATIONS 0OLICY -EDTECH

185 Members

B.C.’s Life Sciences Sector Statistics .UMBER OF LIFE SCIENCES ORGANIZATIONS

Partnerships

310 4OTAL LIFE SCIENCE $ 902 MILLION EXPENDITURES 4OTAL ESTIMATED EMPLOYMENT 14,000 &4%S 4OTAL ESTIMATED WAGES AND $ 300 MILLION SALARIES !VERAGE ANNUAL LIFE SCIENCES $ 68,000 INDUSTRY WAGE 4OTAL LIFE SCIENCES RESEARCH $ FUNDING 424 MILLION 4OTAL ESTIMATED IMPACT ON $ PROVINCIAL '$0 1.03 BILLION

Top ten INVESTMENTS OF - n 8ENON 0HARMACEUTICALS )NC - n 4EKMIRA 0HARMACEUTICALS #ORPORATION 3. - n 7ELICHEM "IOTECH )NC 4. - n :YMEWORKS )NC 5. - n !LLON 4HERAPEUTICS )NC 6. - n 0ROTOX 4HERAPEUTICS )NC 7. - n %N7AVE #ORPORATION 8. - n .EOVASC )NC 9. - n I#O 4HERAPEUTICS )NC 10. - n BI/ASIS 4ECHNOLOGIES )NC

1.

2.

4OTAL INVESTMENT DOLLARS $ 550 million

STARS OF B.C. Partnerships lead B.C.’s most innovative companies forward

BY PETER MITHAM

W

ith more than $550 million in financin gs an d p ar tnerships inked in 2012, the B.C. lifesciences sector is showing resilience in changeable economic times. Building on vibrant, cross-sector relationships, the sector is attracting the interest of entities from the U.S. Department of Defense (UCDD) to international pharmaceutical companies and hometown food processors. Research ranges from biopharmaceuticals to medical devices and food technologies.

LifeSciences BC president Don Enns says research that’s focused on key therapeutic areas – especially HIV-AIDS, oncology and genomics – have been key to attracting interest from international players.

“As some of the venture capital has repositioned itself within the market, strategic partnerships have become a very significant way of financing ventures,” Enns says. He expects 2013 to bring more of the same.

Xenon Pharmaceuticals Inc. Burnaby-based Xenon Pharmaceuticals, headed by B.C. biotech veteran Dr. Simon Pimstone, garnered one of the biggest deals of 2012 with a $335 million agreement with Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. for the development and marketing of XEN402, which promises to reduce pain by blocking sodium channels in nerve endings.

With a focus on collaborative projects, Zymeworks develops therapies using a proprietary platform

Teva, based in Israel, will deliver the funds $11 million for the private Vancouver comin a series of payments at milestones in the pany. The offering was led by Advanced development, approval and sale of XEN402. Biotechnologies Venture Fund, which also The agreement reflected the strength of partnered on an $8.1 million deal in 2011 with Xenon’s international relationships. In addi- CTI Life Sciences Fund, L.P. Zymeworks, launched in 2003, develops tion to being active in the U.S. and Europe, Xenon claims as a co-founder Michael antibody- and protein-based therapies for the treatment of cancers, autoimmune disorders Hayden – chief scientific officer for Teva. and inflammatory diseases using a proprietary development platform. With a focus on Zymeworks Inc. Zymeworks’ success continued in 2012 with collaborative projects, it has struck partnerthe completion of a share offering that raised ships with the University of British Columbia Business in Vancouver Magazines

LifeSciences 2013

17

(UBC) and Simon Fraser University, as well as pharmaceutical giant Merck & Co. Inc. Proceeds from the latest financing will advance its lead oncology candidates through late-stage preclinical studies and into the clinic.

LEFT: EnWave co-CEOs John McNicol and Tim Durance have found fresh opportunities through partnerships

Tekmira Pharmaceuticals Corp.

Tekmira Pharmaceuticals began Phase 1 clinical trials in 2012 of a potential treatment for the Ebola virus, responsible for hemorrhagic fever in humans and a potential biological weapon. The work is taking place under a July 2010 agreement with the (USDD) that followed the publication of research results showing its lead drug candidate, which uses lipid nanoparticle technology to reach infected cells, offers primates full protection from Ebola. The virus is typically 90 per cent lethal to humans.

The agreement with the U.S. government is worth up to US$140 million if the drug reaches final approval; the first phase, which extends through Phase 1 clinical trials, is worth approximately US$34.7 million.

Neovasc Inc. Vancouver-based Neovasc tapped a vein of success in 2012 with a $4.5 million sale of manufacturing rights to its Xenosure surgical patch.

LeMaitre Vascular Inc. gained the right to produce the patches in-house, something Neovasc previously did. Neovasc, in turn, channelled proceeds from the sale to ongoing research and development of biological tissue technologies.

The latter half of 2012 saw Neovasc focus on its Reducer refractory angina device and its Tiara transcatheter mitral valve products.

The proceeds from Xenosure eliminate the need for the company to seek additional financing in the short term.

Welichem Biotech Inc. Welichem Biotech of Burnaby successfully sold rights to its experimental anti-inflammatory compound WBI-1001 to GlaxoSmithKline subsidiary Stiefel Laboratories Inc. in 2012.

WBI-1001 is in Phase 2 development for the treatment of psoriasis and atopic dermatitis.

The sale garners Welichem $35 million, a strong follow to a private placement at the beginning of 2012 that raised $600,000.

The deal gives Steifel rights to develop and market WBI-1001 in markets outside of China, Taiwan, Macao and Hong Kong, which were included in a previous 2011 agreement Welichem struck with Celestial

Pharmaceuticals (Shenzhen) Ltd. Welichem continues to focus on developing therapeutic drugs targeting autoimmune diseases and cancers.

Protox Therapeutics Inc. New York private equity firm Warburg Pincus boosted its stake in Vancouver’s Protox Therapeutics in early 2012.

Pursuant to a 2010 agreement, Warburg Pincus invested $8.3 million in Protox, which focuses on new treatments for urological diseases. Its lead product, PRX302 (PORxin), targets a benign form of enlarged

ABOVE: Neovasc is a star of B.C.’s life-sciences sector, with the $4.5 million sale of manufacturing rights to its Xenosure surgical patch allowing it to focus on developing its Tiara valve

continued on page 20 Business in Vancouver Magazines

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STARS OF B.C. continued from page 19

how i did it | DR. ANTHONY HOLLER I co-founded ID Biomedical in 1991.

Our initial focus was on gene-based diagnostics. We developed the first truly rapid test for antibiotic-resistant MRSA – a bacteria that causes several hard-to-treat infections. It normally took up to two days to get MRSA results – a huge problem for hospitals.

The speed of our test meant doctors could treat patients with the right antibiotic quicker, leading to shorter hospital stays and savings.

In 1999 we shifted gears, zeroing in on vaccines. We bought exclusive rights to an experimental tuberculosis vaccine and then sold it, using the money to build labs, hire scientists and license another experimental vaccine for strep throat.

In 2001 we acquired Intellivax, which held key inhalable-vaccine technology.

We used this science to develop an inhalable flu vaccine that eliminated needles and, because it didn’t use live germs, was safe and portable. We also developed vaccines against bioterrorist agents, plus a variety of viruses, bacteria and allergens.

In 2004 we acquired Shire Pharmaceuticals, which had a virtually brand-new plant that was being expanded to produce injectable flu vaccines. At the time there was a worldwide shortage of flu vaccines and our factory was one of the few sources able to supply them. We decided to focus on maximizing the value of our injectable flu vaccine and advancing the clinical development of our intranasal flu vaccine and strep vaccine. The latter had been extensively tested in adults; the next move was to test the pediatric population.

There are challenges in developing pediatric vaccines, namely having to test in tens of thousands of children.

The clinical trials are very expensive.

One of our strategies was to partner with large multinational vaccine companies. Before our products got to the large-scale pivotal Phase 3 studies, we wanted to have them partnered with 20

LifeSciences 2013

Dr. Anthony Holler, chairman of the board, CRH Medical: by the

time I became CEO I’d done most of the jobs at the executive level | DOMINIC SCHAEFER PHOTOGRAPHY firms that could eventually help us market and distribute them.

I’d say that making these strategic acquisitions and partnerships was one of our main strengths. We focused on our weaknesses. We addressed our weaknesses by hiring people and acquiring companies that had what we lacked – whether that was a specific talent or an entire manufacturing plant. Whenever we bought another company we strategically acquired a skilled team of people – some of the best people in the world – not just a product line.

Also, I never looked at myself as “boss.” Before we were taken over by GlaxoSmithKline in 2005 I held a number of positions with ID Biomedical, including CEO. For the first few years I was involved in various parts of the company, learning from each experience and gradually making the transition from science to business.

I always referred to it as “we” work – I may not be able to do these things, but we can. We ran a very flat organization, which allowed me to acquire a lot of knowledge. You watch your colleagues, you see their mistakes and, each time, you learn a little more. By the time I became CEO I’d done most of the jobs at the executive level, so I had a pretty broad experience. It was a matter of hard work, time and being a good learner.

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prostate. Protox is collaborating with Kissei Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. of Japan on the development and commercialization of PORxin in Japan.

Warburg Pincus has invested $26.7 million in Protox to date; the 2010 agreement allows it to invest up to $35 million. iCo Therapeutics Inc. UBC-spinoff iCo Therapeutics trumped its 2011 performance in 2012 with a $2.6 million financing led by Euro Pacific Canada Inc. With a portfolio of three pharmaceuticals it has identified for reformulation and commercialization in the treatment of sight-related diseases, iCo raised $1.1 million in 2011 to support clinical trials of iCo-007, which targets diabetic macular edema. It also enjoys a research collaboration with the Toronto-based Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation regarding the prevention, treatment and cure of Type1 diabetes.

EnWave Corp.

A novel dehydration technology is bearing fruit for EnWave, which landed its first major U.S. customer in 2012. Milne Fruit Products Inc. began commercial processing of fruit at its Nampa, Idaho, plant using EnWave’s radiant energy vacuum dehydration technology.

Boosting its fortunes, EnWave completed a $5.5 million private placement in support of ongoing research and development, as well as its $2.6 million acquisition of a 86.5 per cent interest in Germany’s Hans Binder Maschinenbau GmbH. Hans Binder designs and develops custom driers and dehydration plants. biOasis Technologies Inc. Strong financing and broad collaboration are taking biOasis Technologies of Vancouver into new territory. biOasis raised $2.5 million through a highly successful private placement in 2012, fuelling development of Transcend, its proprietary carrier for delivering therapeutic and imaging agents across the blood-brain barrier. The financing was over-subscribed, garnering biOasis $410,000 more than expected.

Collaborations with top-tier pharmaceutical companies in the U.S. and Europe – including Abbott Laboratories Ltd. and Brussels-based UCB – are assisting biOasis’ development of therapies for the diagnosis and treatment of neurological diseases and disorders. Ą

GENOMICS RESEARCH DELIVERS

A HEALTHY RETURN ON INVESTMENT

IN ͷͮ YEARS, GENOME BRITISH COLUMBIA HAS INVESTED OVER ͈ͱͱͶ MILLION IN GENOMICS RESEARCH. THE RESULTS? BREAKTHROUGHS that have the potential to revolutionize many aspects of our lives, including the way we diagnose and treat illness. Human health, food supply, energy and the environment — all of Ƥ ǡ Ǧ

by Genome BC. Genome BC programs are supported by the Provincial Government of British Columbia, the Government of Canada through Genome Canada Ƥ private partners.

Visit www.genomebc.ca for current funding opportunities.

BIOTECH IN B.C. MORE UPBEAT IN 2012 nationwide current. The latest Ernst & ancouver lawyer Joe Garcia has an Young global biotech report found that informal theory as to why he’s talking Canadian firms on the whole were more lately with more upbeat biotech com- cash-strapped than a year earlier. Only 10 per panies and financiers in the course of his cent of Canadian firms had more than five work as a partner in the life-sciences division years’ worth of cash on hand in 2011, down at Blakes. It goes like this: the past five years from 18 per cent a year earlier.

Still, after some clinical successes, Canadian have been tight in biotech and, during the downswing, the strongest companies have companies found greater funding, led by a Joe Garcia, a Vancouver lawyer who found a way to hunker down and run lean. 91 per cent jump to $166 million by private specializes in biotech business, finds Now investors are finding that the small, companies. that his clients are busier now than in “Capital in Canada is hard to come by at this recent years: “there are a lot of deals lean biotech-sector companies in B.C. look point,” Heine says. “Since that recession hit, getting done” increasingly like bargains.

“I have a lot of clients, and a lot of them have a lot of VCs haven’t been able to regenerate some activity,” Garcia says. “It could be on their funds. Is it changing? I think yes, but $41 million up front toward a distribution partnership that could gross another $335 the commercial front, on the financing front, slowly.”

This means investors are looking more million for Xenon. on the mergers and acquisitions front. What The next Ernst & Young report is still I find heartening is that most of them have closely at companies with present revenue streams and quicker turnaround three months away but, according to Paul something going on.” times on getting new products Karamanoukian, who helps to compile it, B.C. biotech companies appear Investors to market. Interest remains high preliminary 2012 numbers show Canada’s to be staying smaller, working in companies that specialize in biotech companies raised even less capital on products closer to market are looking medical devices or diagnostic than in 2011. Smaller firms, Karamanoukian and par tnering with larger more closely says, “Are getting sprinkled with dollars to services. corporations.

Two local bright spots have keep them alive for a bit.” Meanwhile it’s “ If any thing it ’s probably at companies fit that profile. Analogic, out of larger companies that are reaping about fourgoing to be another modest with present Boston, announced in January fifths of the total, with the money skewing year,” said Ian Heine, a tax that it was acquiring Richmond- toward more immediately marketable, less partner and biotech specialist revenue b a s e d u l t r a s o u n d i m a g e r exploratory ventures. at PricewaterhouseCoopers in streams “Where traditionally Canada used to get Ultrasonix for $83 million. A Vancouver. “This year, continuing month earlier, it was the Israeli a lot of innovation, now the service side is what was happening last year, a and quicker drug giant Teva Pharmaceutical where the money’s going – software, real lot of the capital you’re seeing is turnaround I n d u s t r i e s p a y i n g Xe n o n estate,” Karamanoukian says. “There seems coming from outside B.C.” Pharmaceuticals, of Burnaby, to be a shift toward the output as opposed B . C . i s o n l y f o l l o w i n g a times

BY SAM EIFLING

V

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how i did it | PAUL GEYER I left my hometown of Brantford, Ontario, in 1983 to study electrical engineering at the University of British Columbia. In my fourth year I developed a portable Breathalyzer that never made it to market. But my adviser on the project, Charles Laszlo, would help shape my career.

In 1987 I took a job at Symbion Medical, which made an artificial-heart device. When Symbion stopped making medical devices a year later, I decided to take out a licence for the heart-valve technology I’d been working on and partnered with Charles to form Mitroflow International.

In eight years we grew from nine to 125 employees and $5.3 million in sales. It’s a long process for a heart valve – it takes years. In 1999 Sulzer Medica bought us for $43 million, with another $20 million contingent on approval of our valves.

I stepped down as Mitroflow’s president in 2001 and started Performance Medical

Devices (now Neovasc), applying the technology we’d been doing at Mitroflow to tissue patches and other cardiac devices.

I get a lot of enjoyment helping people through medical technologies. I believe new technologies should let people enjoy a decent quality of life, not just keep them alive.

This isn’t an easy business; I’ve learned a lot along the way. The most critical thing is identifying a true need in the marketplace. If you’re just developing something that sounds “cool” to other engineers, it will end in disaster.

Whatever the idea is, it’s got to have an economic benefit. Unfortunately, it’s not enough to make something that saves lives; it’s also got to save money or time. That means making a cheaper, faster, better technology, or one that’s easier to use. The tendency these days is toward the economic impact, especially when you’re met at the door by a CFO. Most entrepreneurs have great intentions and unrealistic expectations when it comes to

Paul Geyer, co-founder, Mitroflow International: “whatever the idea is, it’s got to have an economic benefit” | DOMINIC SCHAEFER PHOTOGRAPHY

time and money. In this business it inevitably takes twice as much time and money than you initially anticipate. My advice: take your plan, multiply how long it’ll take and what it’ll cost by two, and divide how much you think you’ll sell by two – if you find it’s not OK, go back and rework it.

to drug development.”

Some good news for B.C. Karamanoukian noted was its private companies claiming an outsized share of the national take: about 25 per cent, far outpacing the 7.5 per cent B.C.’s public companies claimed among that Canadian total. “The pipeline looks promising for B.C. because it’s earlier-stage private companies,” he says. “So the future could be better if and when those companies go public.”

As it gets harder for smaller companies to acquire the funds to think longrange, Heine says, more of those will partner with large pharmaceutical companies earlier in the discovery process. Meanwhile, companies will in turn hire part-time employees or partner with universities in order to keep overhead down.

“If you look at where B.C. always does well in the early stage of the startup, there’s a lot of positivity – the university, the people we have, the ideas we churn out, the talent,” Heine says. “There’s always new and exciting things that are truly worldclass. There’s a lot of optimism. We have the next thing. If you look at it in segments, it’s a better story as you get smaller.” Ą Business in Vancouver Magazines

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Æ DISCOVER Enable BC’s brightest researchers to conduct their best research

Æ CONNECT Link people to health research resources across the province

Æ ENGAGE Bring people together for health research planning and action

ǁǁǁ͘ŵƐĬƌ͘ŽƌŐ ͮ ŝŶĨŽΛŵƐĬƌ͘ŽƌŐ ͮ dǁŝƩĞƌ͗ ΛŵƐĬƌ ͮ zŽƵdƵďĞ͗ ƚŚĞŵƐĬƌ ͮ ϲϬϰ ϳϯϬ ϴϯϮϮ

2 0 1 3

CORPORATE PROFILES Growing British Columbia’s Bio-Economy

Featuring

SPONSOR

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Applied Biological Material Inc BRI Biopharmaceutical Research Inc Genome British Columbia LifeLabs PROOF Centre of Excellence Seed Intellectual Property Law Group PLLC

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GENOME BRITISH COLUMBIA

www.genomebc.ca

Securing benefits for British Columbia

>

enome BC has invested over $550 mi l lion, including 140 research projects and science and technology platforms, to establish a world-class genome sciences region. This capacity for life-science innovation means that strategic areas such as human health, forestry, fisheries, agriculture, bioenergy, mining and the environment have a strong basis on which to develop inventive, applicable solutions to challenges facing British Columbia.

With significant capacity in place, Genome BC is working to support user-driven applications of genomics that will address sector-based needs and create new opportunities with the goal of helping to ensure a vibrant economy and regional prosperity for generations to come. To be successful in this process, Genome BC encourages active involvement with key participants in academia, industry and government.

Ensuring research translation As genomics technology matures and is translated into applications, there is reason to be optimistic about the future. A few examples of real-world utility include: s 4ESTS TO IDENTIF Y PATIENTS WHO ARE LIKELY TO HAVE ADVERSE reactions to certain drugs, making treatments safer for patients and reducing the significant health-care burden associated with adverse drug effects. s 4HE DEVELOPMENT OF TOOLS FOR lSH TREES AND CROPS THAT ARE NOW being used to examine responses to environmental factors, pathogens and pollutants, and for brood stock development, improving harvests and yields and improving the fitness of these stocks. s .OVEL TECHNOLOGIES TO IDENTIFY THE SOURCE OF WATER CONTAMInants in order to ensure clean drinking water and prevent public health outbreaks.

However, navigating the murky way from research laboratory to forest or from bench to bedside is not easy; many useful ideas, discoveries and inventions never see the light of day. To help address the needs of those in the laboratory and those in the forest, field, clinic or elsewhere, Genome BC has developed a robust business development program that spans the translation continuum. Genome BC continues to invest in social science and humanities research to facilitate translation by understanding the economic, environmental and social context in which the innovations will be realized.

A sector-orientated approach to investment In more than a decade of work with research groups and organizations, Genome BC has recognized a need to balance the research “push” and end-user “pull” of genomics technologies.

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LifeSciences 2013

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As part of its long-term strategic plan to move genomics along the research continuum, Genome BC is moving toward a balanced investment across the areas of discovery, applied research and translation. This dichotomy has been a limiting factor in the uptake and impact of some technologies. With a strong underpinning beneath it, Genome BC plans to right this imbalance. The current Strategic Plan (2010-2015) outlines securing benefits from previous and currently funded research through an emphasis on user-driven applications in B.C.’s key economic sectors. Understanding sectors and engaging with stakeholders across all sectors is pivotal to this goal being achieved.

In 2007-2008, Genome BC initiated significant dialogue with stakeholders about sector influences, challenges and opportunities that could be addressed with genomics. This engagement helped to inform the development of the Applied Genomics Consortium Program (AGCP), the Translational Program for Applied Health (TPAH) and, later, the Proof-of-Concept (POC) and the Strategic Opportunities Fund for Industry (SOFi) programs to support application and translation of genomic technology. More recently Genome BC has launched the User Partnership Program (UPP) to foster partnerships between researchers and users of research to encourage translation of genomics-based solutions to the needs of the key sectors of the B.C. economy.

Looking beyond 2015, Genome BC is taking a more focused sector-oriented approach to design the right programs for investment. These initiatives will lead to genomic-based solutions for more sustainable, profitable and competitive industries and public services.

Ongoing engagement Genome BC recognizes the fundamental need to remain engaged throughout all ranges of the innovation spectrum and plans to continue participation with stakeholders in key sectors. Identifying promising opportunities to help access new markets or develop new products is just one way in which Genome BC will continue to be a catalyst for interaction and innovation.

To get involved and engage with stakeholders in your sector or to learn about related activities contact: Rachael Ritchie, Director, Business Development Email: rritchie@genomebc.ca Tel: 604-637-4379

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LIFELABS

www.lifelabs.com

LifeLabs: Making a difference to the health of British Columbians

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ifeLabs Medical Laboratory Services is the largest diagnostic laboratory in Canada and the largest community lab provider in British Columbia. Its laboratory testing services focus on helping patients and their healthcare providers prevent, diagnose, treat and monitor disease.

As an important member of the extended health-care team, LifeLabs plays a vital role in the delivery of patient-focused care.

Studies estimate that up to 80 per cent of all clinical-treatment decisions are based on results from laboratory tests. This makes LifeLabs a key partner in delivering better patient-care outcomes.

Enhancing access to care Providing patients with access to care is a company priority.

“With increasing demand for testing services and a challenging fiscal environment, we need to become even more effective and efficient in ensuring British Columbians receive the best service and reliable access to testing,” says Sue Paish, President and CEO, LifeLabs.

Each year the company provides more than 50 million laboratory tests to over 10 million patients and 20,000 physicians in Canada. In British Columbia, LifeLabs serves 4 million patients each year at its 85 patient service centres and performs more than 44,000 tests daily to help doctors diagnose, monitor and treat their patients.

In support of the commitment to patient access, LifeLabs recently announced it has entered into an agreement to purchase B.C. Biomedical Laboratories Ltd. to better serve patients in the province of British Columbia. Both organizations provide highquality diagnostic services to community patients through patient service centres, home care and long-term care visits and dedicated laboratory testing facilities.

Leading the way with innovation Commitment to quality and innovation is also a crucial part of the foundation of LifeLabs’ services. Medical quality is promoted by a team of medical scientific experts – including microbiologists, hematopathologists and biochemists – that guide testing services to ensure the highest quality. These experts also support physicians through consultation and the interpretation of test results.

“At the same time we focus on quality, we will also continue to invest in technologies and innovation for patients and healthcare providers,” says Paish. LifeLabs regularly invests in new technologies and continues to expand the selection of tests

available to better serve patients and physicians. The company has developed novel methodologies and approaches that have been presented at international conferences and published in peerreviewed medical journals.

Innovat ion u nder pi ns t he company’s growth and service to patients. For example, in the 1990 s Li feL abs env i sioned a patient-centred future where lab results would be available electronically to caregivers, pulling data from multiple lab sources to provide a single, cohesive report.

LifeLabs was a partner in the creation of Excelleris, a software and services health information management company dedicated to providing health-care professionals with fast, accessible patient information. LifeLabs patients and health-care providers throughout British Columbia can now receive their test results electronically. As well, in 2012, LifeLabs introduced an innovative online booking system that allows patients to book their appointment online ahead of time in order reduce their wait at their next appointment.

Partnering for growth and success LifeLabs’ position as a major laboratory services provider makes it an ideal partner to government, academia and industry. The company works with research institutions and other health-care providers to identify the best possible diagnostic tools to raise standards in patient care. LifeLabs also works closely with patient advocacy organizations, chronic disease groups and pharmaceutical organizations to support advancements in disease management and treatment and an improved quality of life for patients living with chronic illness.

In addition to the public health benefits, these partnerships also benefit British Columbia economically. Helping to bring British Columbia research and advancements to the forefront of the medical field supports growth in the health-care sector and improves the province’s ability to attract and retain some of the best talent in the industry.

Through our team of dedicated employees and our focus on access, quality and innovation for the future LifeLabs is well positioned to make a significant difference to the health and wellbeing of Canadians.

Contact: Jeff Sumner, Vice-President, Business Development and Chief Scientific Officer Email: jeff.sumner@lifelabs.com Tel: 416-675-4530 x2405 Business in Vancouver Magazines

LifeSciences 2013

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APPLIED BIOLOGICAL MATERIALS INC

www.abmGood.com

Next generation technology for life science pplied Biological Materials Inc. (abm) is a unique wholesale supplier of premium quality genetic and cellular materials for life science research and the biotechnology industry. With a growing worldwide customer base, abm is now in its seventh year of business with over 30 employees and 10,000 square feet of wet lab space.

Operating out of Richmond, B.C., the company has experienced continual expansion and growth as a result of a successful business model based on providing innovative products with an uncompromised focus on quality at strongly competitive prices. abm consistently identifies emerging market needs in cutting-edge research areas such as miRNA, siRNA and recombinant viral vectors, in addition to providing specialized services in enzyme development and stable cell line generation.

8

cancer – thus highlighting the significance of ORF libraries for use in gene function studies, diagnostic assays and novel drug development. The recent availability of a human genome library has revolutionized the landscape of life science research worldwide and will undoubtedly continue to have a profound impact on the study of functional genomics and clinical applications in the future. With the development of a robust gene delivery technology platform, abm can boast one of the largest in-house ORF libraries for human, mouse and rat genomes in the world, readily available in any required format, including adenoviral or lentiviral vectors or as recombinant protein. abm holds a firm position as a market leader in recombinant gene expression and has established multiple technology platforms for ease of customization using a comprehensive range of vectors.

Next generation enzymes for personalized medicine

Delivering premium CRO services worldwide

With the completion of the Human Genome Sequencing Project, valuable information that can be gained from Whole Genome Sequencing is revolutionizing the field of personalized medicine and understanding of the genetic contribution to disease. This has led to significant clinical advances in early diagnosis and disease prevention, while enabling the customization of therapies for a tailored approach to treatment.

Whole Genome Sequencing is becoming an increasingly common clinical practice that requires extremely high accuracy rates. Therefore, abm has focused recent R&D efforts on developing an extended portfolio of Next Generation Enzymes with unparalleled quality and function for application in Next Generation Sequencing.

Standing confidently against the biggest names in the current market for demanding, high-fidelity PCR applications and Whole Genome Sequencing, abm’s enzymes offer the highest accuracy rates available, with superior sensitivity and yield together with extremely robust performance. abm’s Next Generation Enzymes are the ideal choice for high throughput applications where accuracy is paramount, significantly reducing the cost of sequencing and improving data quality. To further utilize the capabilities of its proprietary enzyme technology, abm is to launch the first available Whole Genome Sequencing service from a private Canadian company in 2013.

Through the multiple cutting-edge technology platforms established in-house, abm stands in a distinct position to provide a one-stop solution for any genetic and cellular engineering project.

These premium custom services include gene synthesis, optimized recombinant vector development, protein expression, stable cell line generation, antibody assay and development and high throughput screening. In addition, abm has established a reliable miRNA profiling service and siRNA library, as well as an advanced cell immortalization service.

All custom services are provided at highly competitive pricing with the aim of reducing workload and project expenses for research organizations and the biotech industry. abm has the expertise and technological capabilities in place to achieve this through flexibility within these established platforms, allowing ease of customization to service the unique needs of customers at the lowest possible cost. With guaranteed quality and rapid turnaround times, abm’s contract research services are unmatched by any organization in providing cost-effective solutions for virtually any project demands.

For a full list of services available, please visit the company website or contact abm directly for more information.

Complete ORF libraries for human, mouse and rat genomes ORFs (Open Reading Frames) are frequently employed to “overexpress” particular genes of interest. Sequentially flipping on the switches of genes one at a time can help reveal their individual functions – for instance those that play a pivotal role in diseases such as 28

LifeSciences 2013

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Contact: Heidi Chu, Business Development Email: BD@abmGood.com Tel: 604-247-2416

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PROOF CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE

www.proofcentre.ca

Better care through improved blood testing

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t i s e st i mated t hat he a r t, lung and kidney diseases are responsible for more t ha n 40 per cent of deaths and $3.46 trillion in health-care spending worldwide. In Canada and the 5 3 !

THERE ARE CURRENTLY million people suffering from these diseases.

4HE #ENTRE OF %XCELLENCE FOR the Prevention of Organ Failure (PROOF Centre) is a not-forprofit organization focused on developing unique blood-based biomarker tests for heart, lung and kidney failure.

Addressing unmet clinical needs Biomarkers are the building blocks for diagnostic tests that play an increasingly important role in personalized care. Through the use of biomarkers, the PROOF Centre produces blood tests that address pressing health-care needs, especially those related to heart, lung and kidney disease as well as transplant rejection.

We begin by working with clinicians to identify a clinical need in which a new blood test could enhance care. From start to ďŹ nish, we engage a variety of experts, including clinicians, health-care professionals, policy makers, economists, industry and government to ensure our tests address a pressing clinical need effectively.

Our patented biomarkers enable identification of disease presence (as a prognostic and/or diagnostic), ascertain the rate of disease progression and assess therapeutic responsiveness.

The PROOF Centre enables, facilitates and accelerates development of these cost-effective blood tests that address critical clinical needs and brings them to market. Along with our development partners, we deliver solutions to clinicians that will save lives, improve quality of life and save precious health-care dollars.

PROOF Centre uses information from healthy and diseased blood w it h clinica l informat ion to identify and deliver diagnostics critical to improved treatment not currently available. We use a proprietary in-house computational strategy involving statistical ensembling and decision trees to develop and evaluate multicomponent marker panels that are able to distinguish subtypes of patients. Our strong brand recognition in biomarker development activities enables a f lexible business model and a variety of collaborations with institutions, academics and, increasingly, the private sector.

Partnering to fast-track our tests to clinic The PROOF Centre is working with downstream commercial partners in its co-development of products, ensuring efficient integration of new tests into testing clinics and physician ofďŹ ces worldwide. As a result, our ďŹ rst products are already scheduled for the clinic within the year. In addition, our success has enabled the PROOF Centre the opportunity to offer its focused expertise and resources for test development and troubleshooting to an increasing number of public- and private-sector clients and collaborators.

The PROOF Centre’s services, consultation & collaboration opportunities: s s s s s s

%ND TO END BLOOD TEST DEVELOPMENT !NY FACET OF OUR TEST DEVELOPMENT PROCESS %XPERIMENTAL DESIGN GUIDANCE #OMPUTATION EXPERTISE AND ANALYSIS 3TANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE DEVELOPMENT #LINICAL AND BIOMARKER TRIALS

Meeting the growing demand The diagnostics market size is substantial and growing. For example, diagnostics addressing the needs of the emerging practice of personALIZED MEDICINE IS PROJECTED TO BE BILLION BY /UR TRANSplant, COPD and heart failure tests are projected to save more than $3 billion per year in Canada alone, and increase patient quality of life (QALY) ďŹ ve years after test use.

Contact: Janet Wilson-McManus, Chief Operating OfďŹ cer Email: janet.wilson-mcmanus@hli.ubc.ca Tel: 604-806-8328

Award-winning science grounded in clinical experience Our competitive advantage lies in the PROOF Centre’s scientiďŹ c strengths, grounded in clinical experience and in our product pipeline. Our fully-integrated team is internationally recognized for its ability to optimize laboratory and clinical data. The Business in Vancouver Magazines

LifeSciences 2013

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BRI BIOPHARMACEUTICAL RESEARCH

www.bripharm.com

BRI ... your drug development specialist “We strive to earn your trust and confidence”

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or more t ha n t wo decades, BRI has assisted hundreds of biotech and pharmaceutical companies on their pre-clinical and clinical development programs.

Being one of the few privately owned CROs with capabilities in bioanalytical, in-vivo and in-vitro DMPK and xenograft animal models in Western Canada, BRI’s uncompromising study protocols, stringent quality control measures and relevant study design allows it to build trusted and long-lasting partnerships with its highly valued clients.

The success stories In 2004 and 2007, two virtual biotech companies located in San Francisco and Los Angeles engaged BRI for development of bioanalytical assays in support of their IND-enabling and clinical program. In 2009, both companies licensed their drug candidates to big pharmaceutical companies for $700 million and $900 million, respectively.

A Seattle biotech company approached BRI in 2008 for a series of in-vivo and in-vitro DMPK and mechanistic studies. This biotech company was acquired for $600 million in 2011.

BRI’s successful track record in providing accurate and quality data while adhering to the strict guidelines of GLP, cGMP and FDA regulations has played an important role in these companies’ success.

GLP accreditation by Standard Council of Canada BRI is accredited by the Standard Council of Canada for its GLP compliance while holding a current GMP Establishment Licence through Health Canada. All IND-enabling studies and clinical bioanalytical studies performed at BRI follow the following regulations and guidelines. This allows data generated at BRI to be submitted to the U.S.A., Canada, Japan and all OECD countries. s United States Food & Drug Administration (FDA), 21 CFR Part 58 s Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare (MHLW), Ordinance No. 21 s Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Series on Principles of Good Laboratory Practice and Compliance Monitoring Monograph #1 to 15 14

metabolism studies including metabolic stability, inhibition, induction and ADMET-related plasma protein binding studies are often performed at BRI to define druglike properties.

AAALAC accredited animal facility with cytotoxic drugs handling capability BRI’s rodent facility is accredited by AAALAC and has performed numerous dose range finding, PK, bioavailability, metabolite excretion and mass balance studies.

Dried blood spot assay technique is used to allow serial blood collection in small rodents to reduce variability of PK data.

With Specific Pathogen Free (SPF) and cytotoxic compound handling capabilities, cell-based and patient-derived xenograft models for oncology drug efficiency screening are offered at BRI. Its cell repository contains over 100 cancer cell lines, providing a wide selection and flexibility to its clients.

Thermo Watson™ LIMS data management system To support IND-enabling animal TK/PK or clinical PK, the use of Thermo Watson LIMS for sample and data management is a plus. BRI’s bar code system enables BRI to store and manage thousands of samples and process its data effectively and efficiently.

To handle multiple site clinical studies, bar-coded labelled sample vials, customized sample collection kits, an ultra-low temperature freezer, an IATA and TDG specified shipping container, pre-filled waybills and commercial invoices are just a few solutions that BRI offers to allow smooth sailing of its clients’ clinical studies.

Stand out from the crowd The clients of BRI benefit from a wide range of services including LC/MS/MS bioanalytical assay, ELISA assay, hybridization assay, in-vivo and in-vitro DMPK and efficacy xenograft models.

These services are delivered by highly experienced scientists with specializations in the development of synthetic small molecules, microRNAs, RNAs, nucleotides and peptides drugs.

BRI is known for providing “fit-for-purpose” research in integrated drug development with competitive pricing. It has an outstanding record of client satisfaction and dedication to meet the highest standards in scientific “best practices,” integrity of data, timeliness and professional service.

C nuclear substance licence

With a 14C nuclear substance licence, BRI can efficiently identify metabolites and determine tissue distribution using 14C-labelled compounds.

In additional to metabolite identification, other in-vitro 30

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Contact: Ms. Clara Faan, VP Business Development Phone: 604-432-9237 x224

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The full range of methodologies from basic research tools to population health approaches are being used to discover real health solutions.

For more information on our services, visit: www.providenceresearch.ca

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Providence Health Care Research Institute is committed to improving the health and treatment of aging and vulnerable populations and of people at risk of or suffering from heart, lung, renal diseases or HIV/AIDS.

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Want to Learn Biotech?

BioPrinciples Online

LifeSciences BC Members - $199 Non-Members $249

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Biggest life-sciences companies in B.C.

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BIOTECHNOLOGY’S TRANSFORMATION

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Business in Vancouver Magazines

DON M. ENNS

Dominic Schaefer Photography

R

ecently the Federal Drug Administration in the United States cleared the way for ingestible sensors that are the size of a grain of sand to be embedded into an inert pill or pharmaceutical. Once in contact with the digestive fluids of the stomach, these “digital pills” can pass information from inside the user’s body to a patch worn on the skin that can wirelessly transmit key metrics, such as heart rate or whether the patient is taking their medications at the prescribed time and frequency. With the patient’s consent, it is possible for an individual to remotely monitor the condition of a child or aging parent from his or her smartphone.

This is the kind of future that is coming from biotechnological research. For most people, biotechnology is a term that is not fully understood. In short, it revolves around biological processes and, thus, impacts forestry, agriculture, energy, the environment and fisheries.

Even the wine we enjoy with a good meal has been touched by biotechnology. However, it is the connection between biotechnology and health care that is most prominent in people’s lives, which is increasingly changing how our health-care system operates.

Biotechnology is causing a transformation that will enhance the relationship between the patient and health-care professional, which is the essence of our health-care system. Such change can and should ensure sustainability of our system, provided we have the willingness to adapt.

Another example that typifies how biotechnology is changing our health-care system: Anne Wojcicki, the wife of Google’s creator, founded 23andMe, a company that analyzes your genetic makeup. For about $300 and a saliva sample, the company will provide insight into your risk for developing a disease such as Alzheimer’s, the probability of transmitting a disease to your children and your response to drug therapies. This is revolutionary in its simplicity, especially when one

considers that the human genome was only characterized approximately 10 years ago with the aid of a $3.8 billion investment from the U.S. government in the Human Genome Project. Studies have shown that from this investment, $796 billion in economic activity has resulted in the U.S. Interestingly, it was British Columbia’s own Nobel laureate, Dr. Michael Smith, who foresaw the potential of genomics in the 1980s.

There are many examples that can be cited, but the essential points are: Ą biotechnology and associated technologies are and will continue to have a transformational impact on the way our health-care system is delivered, provided we are prepared to enter into a constructive dialogue around its use. These technologies will allow the system to be more proactive as opposed to reactive; more emphasis will be placed on patient engagement; it will stratify populations so that health-care providers can “customize” treatment options; and, if deployed appropriately, these technologies will help lessen the cost increases of our healthcare system, which consumes almost 50 per cent of provincial revenues; and Ą The delivery of a publically funded health-

industry, regulators and patients care system is not at odds with With the has not escaped the attention of an economic development patient’s companies like Merck, a global strategy that focuses on the health-care company, which has growth of knowledge-based in- consent, it is committed in excess of $1 bildustries, such as biotechnology. possible for lion to strategic partnerships in In fact, the relationship is symVancouver – more than anywhere biotic if we confront the reality an individual else in North America. that our current health-care to remotely With this transformation that system cannot be economically is taking place, society’s ability sustained without change, in monitor the to understand its ramifications which biotechnology will play condition must be addressed if we are to an increasingly important role. realize the potential benefits.

B.C. can take a leadership pos- of a child or Issues around privacy, healthition in the transformation of aging parent disease predispositions, cost and health-care delivery, given the individual versus collective rights foundational elements we have in from their must be discussed in an open and place to build upon. For example, smartphone constructive manner. Nonetheless, the province has the largest longiit remains my opinion that change tudinal health-linked database of its type in the world, which is attractive is forthcoming in light of technological adto clinical research organizations. In addition, vances, patient outcomes will continue to B.C. has developed several health-related improve, there will be significant economic research organizations that are recognized for benefits and B.C. can play a leading national their expertise and global influence, such as and international role. Ą the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV-AIDS, the BC Cancer Agency’s Michael Smith Genome Don M. Enns is a 25-year veteran of British Sciences Centre and the PROOF (Prevention Columbia’s biotechnology sector, and of Organ Failure) Centre. Finally, our provincial president of LifeSciences BC. Originally pubecosystem that brings together academia, lished in the Vancouver Sun.

2012 Year in Review – Highlights JANUARY: EnWave Corp. founder Timothy

MAY: The BC Clinical Research

Durance receives the Investment Agriculture Foundation of B.C.’s award of excellence for EnWave’s innovative work in food dehydration.

FEBRUARY: Genome BC’s Proof of Concept program awards John Webb of the BC Cancer Agency’s Deeley Research Centre in Victoria funding to develop a broad-spectrum “therapeutic” vaccine against HPV. MARCH: OncoGenex Pharmaceuticals Inc. announced a $50 million public offering, which successfully closed on March 27 with the exercise of an overallotment that garnered a total of $53.8 million for the company’s coffers.

APRIL: The US National Institutes of Health awards SFU professor and Canada Research Chair Jamie Scott and three international collaborators $2.7 million to improve the effectiveness of a DNAbased vaccine for HIV-AIDS.

Infrastructure Network announces two public surveys to address the lack of public awareness and enrolment in clinical trials. These surveys are first steps toward greater public engagement regarding clinical trials in B.C. JUNE: The Province of B.C. announces $39 million in funding for the lifesciences sector, with $29 million allotted to the Centre for Drug Research and Development and $10 million for Genome BC. JULY: The BC Clinical Research Infrastructure Network announces Canada’s first clinical research professionals certification program. The program supports clinical research professionals in B.C. who wish to obtain certification through the Society for Clinical Research Associates’ internationally recognized certification program.

AUGUST: Welichem Biotech Inc. sells rights to its worm bacteria-based psoriasis cream to global pharmaceutical

giant GlaxoSmithKline for $230 million.

The sale is a landmark deal for B.C.’s lifesciences sector in a year offering a generally tough financing and employment picture.

SEPTEMBER: Indel Therapeutics Inc. becomes the industry partner of researchers at UBC and SFU for a new genomics-based research project to fight drug-resistant pathogens.

OCTOBER: UBC spinoff Lionsgate Technologies Inc. announces the launch of a software application that transforms smartphones, tablets and laptops into mobile medical diagnostic tools capable of real-time vital-signs monitoring.

NOVEMBER: UBC microbiologist Robert Hancock receives the Prix Galien 2012 Research Award, widely considered the most prestigious honour in Canadian pharmaceutical research and innovation.

The award recognizes Hancock’s pioneering work unravelling the complex interactions between antibiotics and bacteria.

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STAYING AHEAD BY STAYING AT THE FOREFRONT OF INNOVATION.

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BEST IN CLASS Research excellence and unique partnerships in B.C.’s life-sciences sector

BY NOA GLOUBERMAN

HAART of gold For years the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS has focused on highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) under its director, Julio Montaner.

“Early on we had the opportunity to be involved in a search for the effective treatment of HIV,” says Montaner. “We ended up with the landmark clinical trial to fully suppress the virus: an international clinic trial developed right here in Vancouver. It worked, and we showed the world that within a matter of months the death rates from AIDS in B.C. had gone down dramatically.”

Expanded coverage with HAART – a cocktail of three drugs that hinders HIV from progressing into AIDS – can help control the spread of the disease.

“HAART, which was partially discovered in our centre, is highly effective in lowering the viral load in HIV-positive patients, to the point that they’re less likely to transmit the virus to their partners,” he explains. “The wider use of HAART can curb the spread of HIV in entire communities, saving hundreds of millions of dollars by preventing new infections and averting future treatment costs.”

Montaner also champions a made-in-B.C. approach to treating vulnerable populations, such as injection-drug users and sex-trade workers. The Seek and Treat for Optimal Prevention of HIV/AIDS initiative includes normalizing HIV testing to help find those who are infected and do not know it, harmreduction programs like supervised injection sites and needle exchanges, and contacting hard-to-reach individuals.

While the HIV epidemic continues to grow elsewhere, Montaner says B.C. “stands alone as the only Canadian jurisdiction to see a

significant decline in new HIV diagnoses, from approximately 900 cases per year in the early 1990s to 289 in 2011.”

There is still work to do. In a Globe and Mail column published in July 2012, Montaner wrote, “Without the political will to expand antiretroviral treatment to everyone in need … infection may spiral out of control once again.”

He says there are 34 million people living with HIV/AIDS worldwide, and that only 8 million of the 15 million eligible people in reJulio Montaner, director, BC Centre for source-limited countries are being treated.

Excellence in HIV/AIDS: B.C. has seen a Several North American jurisdictions, significant decline in new HIV diagnoses, however, are following B.C.’s lead. People from approximately 900 cases a year in in Washington, D.C., for instance, can get the early 1990s to 289 in 2011 Business in Vancouver Magazines

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tested for HIV in motor-vehicle offices, grocery stores and high schools. In San Francisco, where the treatment-as-prevention approach has been adopted, significant declines in new diagnoses are being reported.

Adds Montaner, “It is truly heartening to see more and more communities implement evidence-based policies to combat HIV.”

At the Centre of Excellence for the Prevention of Organ Failure, director Bruce McManus works to develop blood and urine biomarkers that aid in the prevention and early detection of major diseases causing heart, lung and kidney failure

Hitting the biomark Vancouver’s Centre of Excellence for the Prevention of Organ Failure (PROOF) develops blood and urine biomarkers – molecular signals that aid in the prevention and early detection of major diseases causing heart, lung and kidney failure. The centre leads the way in finding practical, profitable solutions to the expanding burden that major-organ failure imposes on Canada’s health-care system.

“From replacing risky and costly biopsies with a simple, non-invasive blood test to personalizing care for patients, biomarkerguided prevention, detection and treatment will significantly decrease the costs to society and improve the quality of life for those faced with these diseases,” says centre

TREATMENT AS PREVENTION combines the testing, treatment, care, and support we know work. This groundbreaking strategy, pioneered by Dr. Julio Montaner and his team at the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, has led to a marked decrease in morbidity, mortality, and HIV transmission in B.C. Our laboratory and research programs, comprehensive clinical education and training, and urban health initiatives here and internationally, have placed B.C. at the epicentre of HIV/AIDS research and treatment.

Find out how by visiting

www.cfenet.ubc.ca/about

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director Bruce McManus.

PROOF recently granted Arizona-based HTG Molecular Diagnostics the exclusive rights to commercialize its gene-expression blood tests for the prognosis of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) who will experience frequent lung attacks.

Lung attacks are the leading cause of hospitalization among chronic-disease sufferers, accounting for over $5.7 billion in direct health-care costs each year in Canada. It is difficult to predict which COPD patients will suffer frequent attacks, and the ability to identify these individuals earlier will enable physicians to better tailor treatment to prevent future attacks.

The centre is also developing tests to speed up clinical trials that investigate the effectiveness of allergic-disease drugs. Using blood samples from the AllerGen network, PROOF researchers will identify biomarkers predictive of chronic inflammatory responses in allergic asthmatic adults.

“People with allergic asthma respond differently to allergen exposure such as pollen, mites or moulds,” McManus explains.

[A] blood test that can accurately predict late-phase allergic responses could be groundbreaking.”

High-tech health Vancouver-based Telus Corp. is a leading provider of health care-related e-tools for chronic-disease management, pediatric care and more. Patients can use the company’s Health Space service to manage their health online, while doctors can share updates following appointments.

Essential to building a more efficient health-care system are electronic medical records (EMRs) – computerized accounts of patient data. But, according to Telus senior vice-president of health solutions Paul Lepage, Canada’s EMR penetration rate of about 32 per cent “lags behind other OECD [Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development] countries.”

To address this issue Telus acquired two leading cloud-based EMR providers – Wolf Medical Systems and KinLogix – in 2012. Now, a team of EMR experts will work to help doctors co-ordinate and share information with their extended health-care team, as well as patients and their families.

LePage says the two acquisitions have strengthened Telus’ reach to physicians and will facilitate health-records integration across Canada. Ą

LIFESCIENCES BRITISH COLUMBIA AWARDS RECIPIENTS 2013 The faces of innovation Dr. Don Rix Award for Lifetime Achievement Dr. Joseph M. Connors, clinical professor, University of British Columbia, and clinical director, BC Cancer Agency Centre for Lymphoid Cancer Joseph M. Connors, MD, obtained his medical degree at Yale University, trained in internal medicine at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill and completed his medical oncology fellowship with Dr. Saul Rosenberg at the Stanford University Medical Center from 1979 to 1981. He then joined the staff and faculty at the BC Cancer Agency and UBC, with the focus of his clinical activities and research efforts in the area of understanding lymphoid cancers.

Dr. Connors is highly regarded for his research into the biology and treatment of Hodgkin lymphoma, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, chronic lymphocytic leukemias and multiple myeloma. He serves as a member of the executive committee of the Hematology Site Group for the National Cancer Institute of Canada Clinical Trials Group, as a councilor for the American Society of Hematology and on the scientific advisory board of the Lymphoma Foundation Canada.

Dr. Connors has published over 300 peerreviewed scientific articles addressing various aspects of research into lymphoid cancers and has been a senior co-investigator on research grants totalling over $20 million while at the BC Cancer Agency. He has been awarded the Terry Fox Cancer Research Award by the British Columbia Medical Association, the Bernard L. Schwartz Memorial Award by the Scripps health system in San Diego, the Canadian Cancer Society John W. Whittick Memorial Award by the Saskatchewan Medical Association and the Karl Musshoff Award of the German Hodgkin Lymphoma Study Group for lifetime achievement in Hodgkin lymphoma research.

Genome British Columbia Award for Scientific Excellence Dr. B. Brett Finlay, University of British Columbia Peter Wall distinguished professor, Michael Smith Laboratories

and the departments of microbiology and immunology, and biochemistry and molecular biology, UBC Dr. B. Brett Finlay obtained a B.Sc. (honours) in biochemistry at the University of Alberta, where he also did his PhD. (1986) in biochemistry under Dr. William Paranchych, studying F-like plasmid conjugation. Dr. Finlay’s postdoctoral studies were performed with Dr. Stanley Falkow at the department of medical microbiology and immunology at Stanford University School of Medicine, where he studied salmonella invasion into host cells.

In 1989, Dr. Finlay joined UBC as an assistant professor in the Biotechnology Laboratory, where his research interests are focused on host-pathogen interactions, at the molecular level. By combining cell biology with microbiology, he has been at the forefront of the emerging field of cellular microbiology, making several fundamental discoveries in this field and publishing over 400 papers.

Dr. Finlay’s laboratory researches several pathogenic bacteria, with salmonella and pathogenic E. coli interactions with host cells being the primary focus.

Dr. Finlay is recognized internationally for his work, and has won several prestigious awards including the E.W.R. Steacie Prize, the CSM Fisher Scientific Award, CSM Roche Award, a MRC Scientist, five Howard Hughes International Research Scholar Awards, a CIHR Distinguished Investigator, a BC Biotech Innovation Award, the Michael Smith Health Research Prize, the IDSA Squibb Award, the Jacob Biely Prize, the prestigious Canadian Killam Health Sciences Prize, the Flavelle Medal of the Royal Society and the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal, is a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences, a member of the German National Academy of Sciences and the UBC Peter Wall Distinguished Professor. He is also an officer of the Order of Canada and Order of British Columbia.

Dr. Finlay is a co-founder of Inimex Pharmaceuticals, Inc., and director of the SARS Accelerated Vaccine Initiative. He also serves on several editorial and advisory boards and is a strong supporter of communicating science to the public.

Milton Wong Award for Leadership Kenneth Galbraith, general partner, Ventures West Capital Ltd. Kenneth Galbraith joined Ventures West in 2007 and leads the firm’s biotechnology practice. He has over 20 years of experience acting as an executive, director, investor and adviser to companies in the biotechnology, medical device, pharmaceutical and healthcare sectors.

In 2006, Mr. Galbraith ser ved as the chairman and interim CEO of AnorMED, a biopharmaceutical company focused on new therapeutic products in hematology, HIV and oncology, until its sale to Genzyme Corp. Previously, he spent 13 years in senior management with QLT Inc., a global biopharmaceutical company specializing in developing treatments for eye diseases and oncology, retiring in 2000 from his position as executive vice-president and chief financial officer.

Mr. Galbraith was a founding Director of the BC Biotechnology Alliance and served as chairman of the Canadian Bacterial Diseases Network, one of Canada’s federally funded Networks for Centres of Excellence. He was also a director of the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research and the Fraser Health Authority. Ken currently serves as the past chair of the Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Centre and is a director with Genome British Columbia.

Mr. Galbraith has served on the board of several public and private biotechnology companies located in B.C. and the U.S., including Angiotech Pharmaceuticals and Cardiome Pharma Corp., and is currently on the board of Tekmira Pharmaceuticals. At Ventures West, he currently serves as a director of Alder Biopharmaceuticals, Aquinox Pharmaceuticals, Celator Pharmaceuticals, MacroGenics, NeurAxon and Presidio Pharmaceuticals.

Mr. Galbraith earned a bachelor of commerce (honours) degree from UBC, and is a chartered accountant.

Innovation and Achievement Award Dr. Richard Harrigan, director, laboratory program, British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS Business in Vancouver Magazines

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LIFESCIENCES BRITISH COLUMBIA AWARDS RECIPIENTS 2013 For more than a decade, Dr. Richard Harrigan has been a local, national and international leader in the development of cutting-edge translational research with important implications for the clinical management of HIV. He has contributed extensively to our understanding of HIV drug efficacy and resistance, as well as the human and viral parameters that influence HIV disease progression. Dr. Harrigan’s research in these areas has played a key role in enabling the significant improvements in quality and duration of life afforded patients by Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy.

He developed a “next generation” sequencing method to identify HIV-positive individuals who respond to maraviroc, the first approved “CCR5 antagonist” drug, as well as “ReCall” software for automated analysis of HIV drug resistance. The test and software have been adopted as the standard test across Canada and in over 30 countries.

In addition to the Glen-Hillson professor in clinical HIV virology, Dr. Harrigan holds the CIHR-GSK research chair in HIV-AIDS at UBC, and is associate professor in the division of AIDS (Faculty of Medicine) at UBC as well.

Medical Technology Company of the Year STEMCELL Technologies Inc. STEMCELL Technologies Inc. focuses on the development, manufacture and distribution of high-quality, standardized tissue culture media, cell separation reagents and instruments for customers in over 70 countries. With 95 per cent of sales from outside Canada, their products support leading-edge scientific research around the globe in stem cell biology, cancer research, immunology, cell therapy, regenerative medicine, tissue engineering and drug discovery.

STEMCELL is a fully integrated company with 525 staff in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Australia, Singapore and China. Distributors make their products available to medical researchers in 60 other countries. STEMCELL’s head office, research and manufacturing activities are all located in Vancouver, employing 425 people. Founded in 1993 by Dr. Allen Eaves as a spinoff from the Terry Fox Laboratory at the BC Cancer Agency, the company has been profitable since inception 42

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and remains private. Current annual sales a $646 million partnership with Genentech are $70 million and profits are re-invested to to develop novel drugs for treating pain. support growth, which has averaged over 20 The second deal, which was announced in December of 2012, was a $376 million per cent per annum.

STEMCELL reinvests 14 per cent of annual partnership with Teva Pharmaceuticals, also sales revenues into R&D and, as a result, holds in the area of pain. The company received 51 patents and 24 pending patent applica- $41 million up front as a licence fee and, in tions covering 24 significant independent addition, Xenon retained the option to coinventions. Close relationships with global commercialize resulting products. Phase 2b leaders in medical research has facilitated trials with Xenon’s XEN402 product will begin over 80 licensing agreements to manufac- shortly, with results expected in 2014.

These two partnerships add to the approxiture products in Vancouver. Currently, the company has over 30 collaborations with mately $90 million that Xenon has raised in non-dilutive R&D funding from alliance scientists from around the world.

The high quality of STEMCELL’s products partners in the past five years. This focus can be attributed to the knowledge staff on revenue generation has allowed the has in raw-material qualification, processing, company to continue to deliver novel proddevice manufacturing and supply chain ucts in what has been a very challenging logistics. Its processes are embedded in an financing environment for privately held environment of extensive quality control and biotechnology companies.

Xenon’s pipeline also includes a developquality assurance and are certified to the ISO 13485 standard. The success of the company’s ment-stage product (XEN701) for treating products in potential clinical applications anemia of chronic disease, which has been has moved it beyond the research-use-only funded in part by Genome British Columbia. market to address demands coming from The XEN701 product is expected to start the in-vitro diagnostic and cellular therapy clinical trials this year, which would be a key markets. The long-term success of STEMCELL milestone not only for Xenon, but also for depends on the scientific knowledge of its Genome British Columbia.

All Xenon’s programs have been borne out staff members, virtually all of whom have post-secondary training in science, including of the company’s genetic platform that, to a PhD. (60), MSc. (55), BSc. (165) and other date, has delivered numerous novel drug degrees and certifications (110). STEMCELL’s targets, which have been translated into goal is to create wonderful jobs for people innovative medicines in development. passionate about medical science and help Emerging Life Sciences turn Vancouver into “Science City”.

Company of the Year Zymeworks Inc. Life Sciences Company of the Year Zymeworks Inc. is a world leader in antibody Xenon Pharmaceuticals Inc. Xenon Pharmaceuticals Inc. is a privately design and development, and is committed held biotechnology company that uses its to building best-in-class protein therapeutics human genetics platform to develop novel for the treatment of cancer, autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. The company’s platpharmaceuticals for rare diseases.

One of Xenon’s first technologies, which it form technology focuses on the development licensed for the gene therapy treatment of of proprietary protein therapeutics, including a rare lipid disorder known as Lipoprotein bi-specific antibodies and multi-valent proLipase Deficiency, was recently approved teins. Zymeworks’ structure-guided protein engineering platform approach generates in Europe.

A deliberate business strategy for Xenon therapeutic candidates with best-in-class has been to ensure a revenue stream to sup- drug-like properties and manufacturability. port a broader and deeper product pipeline. The company’s business model centres on In order to achieve this, the company has strategic collaborations with pharmaceutical entered into seven large pharmaceutical companies, as well as the development of its alliances, two of which were announced in own pipeline of antibody and protein-based 2012. In January of 2012, Xenon announced drug candidates. Ą

LIFE SCIENCES MEMBERSHIP DIRECTORY 2013 Growing Canada’s Bio-Economy Academic & Research Institutions BC Cancer Agency 600 West 10th Avenue – Suite 2100, PO Box 6, Vancouver, BC V5Z 4E6 Canada 604-877-6000 www.bccancer.bc.ca BC Institute of Technology 3700 Willingdon Avenue, Burnaby, BC V5G 3H2 Canada 604-434-5734 www.bcit.ca/ BC Preclinical Research Consortium 4145 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1W5 Canada 604-827-4369 www.bcprc.ca British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS 608-1081 Burrard Street, Vancouver, BC V6Z 1Y6 Canada 604-806-9093 www.cfenet.ubc.ca/ British Columbia Clinical Research Infrastructure Network 555 West 8th Avenue, Suite 500, Vancouver, BC V5Z 1C6 Canada 604-675-1023 www.bccrin.ca Canada’s Michael Smith Genome Sciences Centre 570 West 7th Avenue – Suite 100, Vancouver, BC V5Z 4S6 Canada 604-877-6086 www.bcgsc.ca/ Centre for Drug Research and Development 2405 Wesbrook Mall, Fourth Floor, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z3 Canada 604-221-7750 www.cdrd.ca iCAPTURE Centre #166-1081 Burrard Street, Vancouver, BC V6Z 1Y6 Canada 604-806-8346 www.icapture.ubc.ca ICORD Blusson Spinal Cord Centre, 818 West 10th Avenue, Vancouver, BC V5Z 1M9 Canada 604-675-8800 www.icord.org The Jackson Laboratory 600 Main Street, Bar Harbor, Maine 4609 United States of America 207-288-6000 www.jax.org

PROOF Centre of Excellence Room 166, Burrard Building, 1081 Burrard Street, Vancouver, BC V6Z 1Y6 Canada 604-682-2344 Ext. 66795 www.proofcentre.ca Providence Health Care Research Institute St. Paul’s Hospital, 1081 Burrard Street, Vancouver, BC V6Z 1Y6 Canada 604-806-9608 www.providenceresearch.ca Research Universities’ Council of British Columbia 880 Douglas Street Suite 400, Victoria, BC V8W 2B7 Canada 250-480-4819 www.rucbc.ca Rick Hansen Institute 6th Floor, 818 West 10th Avenue, Vancouver, BC V5Z 1M9 Canada 604-707-2100 www.rickhanseninstitute.org

Simon Fraser University 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, BC V5A 1S6 Canada 778-782-3111 www.sfu.ca Trinity Western University, Department of Biology 7600 Glover Road, Langley, BC V2Y 1Y1 Canada 604-513-2043 http://www.twu.ca/ academics/science/biology// TRIUMF 4004 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 2A3 Canada 604-222-1047 www.triumf.ca University of British Columbia 2329 West Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4 Canada 604-822-2211 www.ubc.ca University of British Columbia – UILO 103-6190 Agronomy Road, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z3 Canada 604-822-8580 www.uilo.ubc.ca University of Northern BC 3333 University Way, Prince George, BC V2N 4Z9 Canada 250.960.5555 www.unbc.ca University of Victoria 3800 Finnerty Road, Victoria, BC V8P 5C2 Canada 250-721-7211 www.uvic.ca

Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute Rm 100 – Willow Chest Centre – 2647 Willow Street, Vancouver, BC V5Z 3P1 Canada 604-875-5641 www.vchri.ca

Associations ACCT Canada 130, 3553-31st Street NE, Calgary, AB T2L 2K7 Canada 403-270-2449 www.acctcanada.ca ACETECH 900-1188 West Georgia Street, Vancouver, BC V6E 4A2 Canada 604-683-5852 www.acetech.org/ AdvantageBC Suite 3093, Three Bentall Centre, 595 Burrard Street, Vancouver, BC V7X 1C4 Canada 604-683-6626 www.advantagebc.ca Ag-West Bio Inc. 101-111 Research Drive, Saskatoon, SK S7N 3R2 Canada 306-975-1939 www.agwest.sk.ca/ BC Cancer Foundation Suite 600 – 686 West Broadway, Vancouver, BC V5Z 1G1 Canada 604-877-6098 bccancerfoundation.com BC Technology Industries Association (BCTIA) Suite #900 – 1188 West Georgia Street, Vancouver, BC V6E 4A2 Canada 604-683-6159 www.bctia.org BioTalent Canada 1100 – 85 Albert Street, ON K1P 6A4 Canada 613-235-1402 Ext. 229 www.biotalent.ca BIOTECanada 1 Nicholas Street, Suite 600, Ottawa, ON K1N 7B7 Canada 613-230-5585 www.biotech.ca

Canada’s Research-Based Pharmaceutical Companies, (Rx&D) 55 Metcalfe Street, Suite 1220, Ottawa, ON K1P 6L5 Canada 613-236-0455 www.canadapharma.org DigiBC 900 – 1188 West Georgia Street, Vancouver, BC V6E 4A2 Canada 604-602-5237 www.digibc.org

Genome British Columbia 500 – 555 West 8th Avenue, Vancouver, BC V5Z 1C6 Canada 604-738-8072 www.genomebc.ca The Student Biotechnology Network Box 13, 2386 East Mall Gerald McGavin Building, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z3 Canada 604-767-4712 www.thesbn.ca Vancouver Board of Trade Suite 400, 999 Canada Place, Vancouver, BC V6C 3E1 Canada 604-640-5484 www.boardoftrade.com Vancouver Economic Commission 134 Abbott Street, Suite #402, Vancouver, BC V6B 2K4 Canada 604-632-9668 www.vancouvereconomic. com Washington Biotechnology & Biomedical Association 1551 Eastlake Avenue E, Suite 300, Seattle, WA 98102 United States of America 206-456-9567 www.washbio.org Wavefront Wireless Innovation Society of BC 1055 West Hastings Street, Suite 1400, Vancouver, BC V6E 2E9 Canada 778-331-7571 www.wavefrontac.com

Bioinformatics Kinexus Bioinformatics Corp.

Suite 1 – 8755 Ash Street, Vancouver, BC V6P 6T3 Canada 604-323-2547 www.kinexus.ca Oneworld accucracy Inc, (previously HealthMetrx Inc) 306-2083 Alma Street, Vancouver, BC V6R 4N6 Canada 1-800-665-7436 www.digitalpt.com STEMSOFT Software Inc. Suite 400 – 570 West 7th Avenue, Vancouver, BC V5Z 1B3 Canada 604-668-0843 www.stemsoft.com/Home/

Biopharmaceuticals Alectos Therapeutics Inc. 8999 Nelson Way, Burnaby, BC V5A 4B5 Canada 604-628-7129 www.alectos.com Alectos Therapeutics is dedicated to the discovery and development of novel smallmolecule therapeutics for the treatment of serious human diseases.

Allon Therapeutics Inc Suite 506, 1168 Hamilton Street, Vancouver, BC V6B 2S2 Canada 604-736-0634 www.allontherapeutics.com Allon Therapeutics Inc. (TSX: NPC) is a clinicalstage biotechnology company focused on bringing to market innovative central nervous system therapies.

Amgen British Columbia Inc. 7990 Enterprise Street, Burnaby, BC V5A 1V7 Canada 604-415-1800 www.amgen.ca Amgen British Columbia Inc., one of several research facilities operated by Amgen Inc., specializes in the discovery and development of human therapeutic antibodies.

Aquinox Pharmaceuticals Inc. Suite 430 – 5600 Parkwood Way, Richmond, BC V6V 2M2 Canada 604-629-9223 www.aqxpharma.com Aquinox Pharmaceuticals is committed to the discovery, development, and commercialization of novel and targeted small molecule therapeutics for the treatment of cancer and inflammatory disease.

Augurex Life Sciences Corp.

1423 Dempsey Road, North Vancouver, BC V7K 1S7 Canada 778-839-3319 www.augurex.com Augurex Life Sciences Corp. develops biomarker technologies such as 14-3-3 which is a novel biomarker and arthritis drug target.

BioMark Technologies Inc. 600-1665 West Broadway, Vancouver, BC V6J 1X1 Canada 604-836-6950; 282-6567 www.biomarktech.com BioMark is focused on the research, development and commercialization of its novel Acetylated Biomarker Assay (ABA) Red Alert technology platform.

Boreal Genomics 302 2386 East Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z3 Canada 604-604-822-8268 www.borealgenomics.com Boreal Genomics develops and commercializes high performance methods and instruments for bio-molecule purification, enrichment, and detection.

Cardiome Pharma Corp.

405 6190 Agronomy Road, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z3 Canada 604-677-6905 www.cardiome.com Cardiome is a research-based biopharmaceutical company. Our lead clinical programs target the treatment of atrial fibrillation through cardiac ion-channel modulation.

Celator Pharmaceuticals 810-1140 West Pender St, Vancouver, BC V6E 4G1 Canada 604-08-5858 www.celatorpharma.com Celator Pharmaceuticals Inc. is developing new carrier technology for targeting combinations of rationally selected chemotherapeutic agents to sites of disease.

Eupraxia Pharmaceuticals Inc. 1240 – 666 Burrard Street, Vancouver, BC V6C 2X8 Canada 604-558-0920 www. eupraxiapharmaceuticals.com Eupraxia Pharmaceuticals Inc. is discovering, developing, and plans to market innovative technologies for some of society’s most prevalent diseases.

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iCo Therapeutics Inc. Suite 760 – 777 Hornby Street, Vancouver, BC V6Z 1S4 Canada 778-2301675 www.icotherapeutics.com iCo Therapeutics Inc. is a Vancouver-based reprofiling company focused on redosing or reformulating drugs with clinical history for new or expanded indications.

ImStar Therapeutics Inc. 1285 West Broadway, Suite 600, Vancouver, BC V6H 3X8 Canada www.imstartx.com ImStar Therapeutics is developing a breakthrough new approach to treat patients with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) and other related neurodegenerative disorders such as Dementia, Alzheimer’s Disease and Parkinson’s Disease.

Inception Sciences Canada 115 – 887 Great Northern Way, Vancouver, BC V5T 4T5 Canada 604-396-4064 Inception Sciences Canada focus is creating high-value therapies with transformative potential to address diseases and disorders with significant unmet need.

Indel Therapeutics Inc. 4068 West 11th Avenue, Suite 100, Vancouver, BC V6R 2L3 Canada 604-551-8464 www.indelrx.com Indel Therapeutics Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company dedicated to developing new drugs to address the global health crisis caused by antibiotic resistance.

Innovative Targeting Solutions Inc. 309-4475 Wayburne Drive, Burnaby, BC V5G 4X4 Canada 604-433-6779 www.innovativetargeting.com Innovative Targeting Solutions Inc. (ITS) is focused on the development of novel human antibody technologies. iProgen Biotech 126-11782 River Road, Richmond, BC V6X 1Z7 Canada 415-800-4392 www.iprogen.com iProgen Biotech Inc. is committed to the development and expansion of a new class of protein therapeutics using intracellular protein delivery technology.

MedGenesis Therapeutix Inc. 730 View Street, Suite 730, Victoria, BC V8W 3Y7 Canada 250-386-3000 www.med-genesis.com MedGenesis Therapeutix Inc. is a company developing and commercializing innovative treatments for patients with serious neurologic diseases.

Medicenna Therapeutics, Inc. 220 – 1075 West Georgia Street, Vancouver, BC V6E 3C9 Canada Medicenna is focused on developing receptor targeted therapeutic fusion proteins (Fuzin™) to deliver pro – or anti-apoptotic treatment of cancer, or degenerative diseases, respectively.

MSI Methylation Sciences Inc. 108-4475 Wayburne, Burnaby, BC V5G 4X4 Canada 604-435-515 www.methylationsciences.com Methylation Sciences, Inc.(MSI) has patented a new formulation of a naturally occurring human molecule called S-Adenosyl Methionine (SAMe).

Network Immunology Inc. 3311 Quesnel Drive, Vancouver, BC V6S 1Z7 Canada 778-847-7521 www.networkimmunologyinc.com Network Immunology is developing an HIV vaccine, an organ transplant facilitation technology, and a therapeutic for autoimmune diseases including type 1 diabetes and lupus.

Neurodyn Inc. 1260 – 1188 West Georgia Street, Vancouver, BC V6E 4A2 Canada 604-619-0990 www.neurodyn.ca Neurodyn Inc. is developing and marketing early stage, pre-clinical, diagnostic and theraputic products to treat neurodegeneration.

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OncoGenex Technologies Inc. 1001 West Broadway, Suite 400, Vancouver, BC V6H 4B1 Canada 604-736-3678 http://www.oncogenex.com/ OncoGenex Technologies Inc. is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing targeted therapeutics for Cancer.

Ondine Biomedical Inc. 888 – 1100 Melville Street, Vancouver, BC V6E 4A6 Canada 604-669-0555 www.ondinebio.com Ondine Biopharma Corporation is focused on developing and commercializing innovative products using its patented photodisinfection technology.

Pacific Rim Laboratories #103, 19575 – 55A Avenue, Surrey, BC V3S 8P8 Canada 604-532-8711 www.pacificrimlabs.com Pacific Rim Laboratories Inc. (PRL) is an ultratrace organic laboratory by utilizing high resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS).

Phyton Biotech 1527 Cliveden Avenue, Delta, BC V3M 6P7 Canada 604-777-2340 www.phytonbiotech.com Phyton Biotech is a global provider of chemotherapeutic agents including Paclitaxel and Docetaxel Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (API’s) and Taxane intermediates.

QLT Inc. 887 Great Northern Way, Suite 101, Vancouver, BC V5T 4T5 Canada 1-877-764-3131 www.qltinc.com QLT is dedicated to the development and commercialization of innovative ocular products that address the unmet medical needs of patients and clinicians worldwide.

Qu Biologics Inc. 887 Great Northern Way, Suite 150, Vancouver, BC V5T 4T5 Canada 604-734-1450 www.qubiologics.com Qu Biologics’ immunomodulators (SSIs) are designed to stimulate the body’s innate immune response to treat chronic inflammatory diseases such as cancer and autoimmune disease.

RepliCel Suite 2020 - 401 West Georgia Street Vancouver, BC V6B 5A1 Canada 604-248-8730 www.replicel.com RepliCel is developing an autologous cell-based procedure for the treatment of pattern baldness and general hair loss in men and women.

Sirius Genomics Inc. 603 1125 Howe Street, Vancouver, BC V6Z 2K8 Canada 604-484-7195 www.siriusgenomics.com Sirius Genomics Inc. correlates patient genetics with clinical information to develop rapid, DNA-based companion diagnostic and pharmacogenetic tests for acute medical conditions.

Sirona Biochem Corp.

950-789 West Pender Street, Vancouver, BC V6C 1H2 Canada 604-641-4466 www.sironabiochem.com Sirona Biochem is developing diabetes therapeutics, cancer vaccine antigens, skin depigmenting and anti-aging agents for cosmetic use, and biological ingredients.

Superna Life Sciences Suite 102, 577 Great Northern Way, Vancouver, BC V5T 1E1 Canada 1-877-469-1254 www.supernapharma.com Superna Life Sciences is made up of industry veterans experienced in the approval and commercialization of hematology and oncology products.

Tekmira Pharmaceuticals Corporation 100 – 8900 Glenlyon Parkway, Burnaby, BC V5J 5J8 Canada 604-419-3200 http://www.tekmirapharm.com/ Tekmira Pharmaceuticals Corporation develops and commercializes proprietary drugs and drug delivery systems to improve the treatment of cancer and other diseases. viDA Therapeutics 115-887 Great Northern Way, Vancouver, BC V5T 4T5 Canada 788-373-0916 www.vidatherapeutics.com viDA Therapeutics Inc. (viDA) focuses on the discovery and development of treatment of agerelated and chronic inflammatory conditions.

Business in Vancouver Magazines

Vifor Pharma #1203-4464 Markham Street, Victoria, BC V8Z 7X8 Canada 250-744-2488 www.viforpharma.com/en/ Vifor Pharma is a fully integrated speciality pharma company of the Galenica Group. It is based on two main pillars: the business units Rx (prescription products) and Consumer Healthcare (OTC products).

Xenon Pharmaceuticals Inc. 3650 Gilmore Way, Burnaby, BC V5G 4W8 Canada 604-484-3363 www.xenon-pharma.com Xenon Pharmaceuticals is engaged in developing small molecule therapies based on the genetic causes of select metabolic, neurological and cardiovascular diseases.

Zymeworks Inc. 540-1385 West 8th Avenue, Vancouver, BC V6H 3V9 Canada 604-678-1388 www.zymeworks.com Zymeworks designs and develops best-in-class bi-specific antibodies and multi-valent protein therapeutics for the treatment of oncology, autoimmunity and inflammatory diseases.

BioProducts & BioEnergy Diacarbon Energy Inc. Unit 120 – 2250 Boundary Road, Burnaby, BC V5M 3Z3 Canada 604-291-0001 http://www.diacarbon.com/ Earth Renu 15500 Westminster Hwy, Richmond, BC V6V 1A6 Canada 604-521-6142 www.earthrenu.com EnWave Corporation Suite 2000 – 1066 West Hastings Street, Vancouver, BC V6E 3X2 Canada 604-525-1128 www.enwave.net Functional Technologies Corp.

570-1285 West Pender Street, Vancouver, BC V6E 4B1 Canada 604-648-2200 http://www. functionaltechcorp.com

Malachite Management Inc. 375 West 5th Avenue, Suite #201, Vancouver, BC V5Y 1J6 Canada 604-874-4004 www.malachite-mgmt.com Metaphase Health Consulting Canada 604-224-5925 www.metaphase-consulting. com PR1ME Suite 475 – 425 Carrall Street, Vancouver, BC V6B 6E3 Canada 604-689-3446 www.pr1me.com QualMed Corporation 23 Forestview Drive, Cambridge, ON N1T 1V1 Canada 226-789-8420 www.qualmed.ca Rocket Builders 300– 1275 West 6th Avenue, Vancouver, BC V6H 1A6 Canada 604-484-9491 www.rocketbuilders.com Technology Vision Group LLC 5200 Soquel Avenue, Suite 202, Santa Cruz, CA 95062 United States of America 831-464-4230 www.techvision.com TM Ventures North American Office: 16-39758 Government Road, Squamish, BC V8B 0G3 Canada tmventures.com.au True North Synergy 5371 Kew Cliff Road, West Vancouver, BC V7W 1M3 Canada 604-922-1045 www.truenorthsynergy.com

World Courier of Canada Ltd. Suite 170, 3751 Shell Road Airport Executive Park, Building B, Richmond, BC V6X 2W2 Canada 604-232-9444 http://www.worldcourier. com/locations/canada

Communications Solegear Bioplastics Inc. #300 – 108 West Hastings Street, Vancouver, BC V6B 1G8 Canada 604-998-4058 www.solegear.ca

Business In Vancouver 102 East 4th Avenue, Vancouver, BC V5T 1G2 Canada 604-688-2398 www.biv.com

Business Consultants

Canister Creative Inc. 2440 East Georgia Street, Vancouver, BC V5K 2J5 Canada 604-868-4838 canistercreative.com Abnousi Corporate Finance Suite #900 – 1188 West Georgia Street, Vancouver, BC V6E 4A2 Canada 604-218-4594 http://www.abnousi.com Advance Biomedical Inc. 2943 Wall Street, Vancouver, BC V5K 0A6 Canada 604-219-1356 www.advancebiomedical.ca Arazy Group Pier 32 Granville Island, 350-1333 Johnston Street, Vancouver, BC V6B 2S2 Canada 604-681-6888 www.arazygroup.com Christie Consulting Service 3715 West 30 Avenue, Vancouver, BC V6S 1W7 Canada 604-839-2581 www.christieconsultingservices.com

Emergo Group Suite 300, 1275 West 6th Avenue, Vancouver, BC V6H 1A6 Canada 604-909-1265 www.emergogroup.com Intertox 600 Stewart Street, Suite 1101, Seattle, WA 98101 Canada 206-443-2115 www.intertox.com/

Contract Research & Scientific Services Applied Biological Materials Inc. 8-13520 Crestwood Place, Richmond, BC V6V 2G2 Canada 604-247-2416 www.abmgood.com Aurora Biomed Inc. 1001 East Pender Street, Vancouver, BC V6A 1W2 Canada 604-215-8700 www.aurorabiomed.com

BRI Biopharmaceutical Research Inc. #101-8898 Heather Street, Vancouver, BC V6P 3S8 Canada 604-432-9237 www.bripharm.com

Covance Inc. 3301 Kinsman Boulevard, Madison, WI 53704 United States of America 608-442-8200 www.covance.com

inVentiv Health Clinique Inc 5160 boul. Décarie, 8th Floor, Montreal, QC H3X 2H9 Canada 514-978-0258 www.pharmanet.com Laporte Consultants Inc 112 W, 8th Avenue, Vancouver, BC V5Y 1N2 Canada 604-568-0180 www.laporteconsultants.com Lifebank Corp.

Suite 200 – 4475 Wayburne Drive, Burnaby, BC V5G 4X4 Canada 1-888-888-7836 www.lifebank.com Maxxam Analytics 4606 Canada Way, Burnaby, BC V5G 1K5 Canada 604-734-7276 www.maxxam.ca MPI Research 54943 North Main Street, Mattawan, MI 49071 United States of America 269-668-3336 www.mpiresearch.com MRM Proteomics 1275 West 6th Avenue, Suite 311, Vancouver, BC V6H 1A6 Canada 604-800-2296 www.mrmproteomics.com Northern Lipids Inc. 8855 Northbrook Court, Burnaby, BC V5J 5J1 Canada 604-222-2548 www.northernlipids.com

Optum 4 Innovation Drive, Dundas, ON L9H 7P3 Canada 1-866-722-6734 http://www.optuminsight.com/ PharmEng Technology 130 – 10691 Shellbridge Way, Richmond, BC V6X 2W8 Canada 905-415-3922 www.pharmeng.com SignalChem Pharmaceuticals Inc. Suite 550 – 5600 Parkwood Way, Richmond, BC V6V 2M2 Canada 604-232-4600 www.signalchem.com

Syreon Corp.

260 – 1401 West 8th Avenue, Vancouver, BC V6H 1C9 Canada 604-676-5900 www.syreon.com Viva Pharmaceutical Inc. 13880 Viking Place, Richmond, BC V6V 1K8 Canada 604-718-0816 www.vivapharm.com Wax-it Histology Services 202 – 2386 East Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z3 Canada 604-822-1595 http://www.waxitinc.com/

Facilities & Real Estate

CB Richard Ellis 600-1111 West Georgia Street, Vancouver, BC V6E 4M3 Canada 604-662-3000 http://www.cbre.com/

Chernoff Thompson Architects 110 – 1281 West Georgia Street, Vancouver, BC V6E 3J5 Canada 604-669-9460 http://www.cta.bc.ca Discovery Parks Trust #155 – 887 Great Northern Way, Vancouver, BC V5T 4T5 Canada 604-734-7275 www.discoveryparks.com Vancouver Island Technology Park #2201 – 4464 Markham Street, Victoria, BC V8Z 7X8 Canada 250-483-3200 www.vitp.ca

Financial Services & Insurance AON 900 Howe Street, PO Box 3228, Vancouver, BC V6B 3X8 Canada 604-683-2561 www.aon.ca BDC-Venture Capital One Bentall Center 505 Burrard Street Suite 2100, Vancouver, BC V7X 1M6 Canada 604-666-7815 www.bdc.ca CMW Insurance 700-1901 Rosser Avenue, Burnaby, BC V5C 6R6 Canada 604-294-3301 www.cmwinsurance.com Ernst & Young LLP 700 West Georgia Street, Vancouver, BC V7Y 1C7 Canada 604-891-8200 www.ey.com KPMG LLP 777 Dunsmuir, Vancouver, BC V7Y 1K3 Canada 604-691-3000 www.kpmg.ca Morneau Shepell Ltd. 2925 Virtual Way, Suite 310, Vancouver, BC V5M 4X5 Canada 604-642-5200 www.morneaushepell.com PwC 250 Howe Street #700, Vancouver, BC V6C 3R8 Canada 250-483-7011 www.pwcglobal.com RBC Knowledge Based Industries 1055 West Georgia Street, 36th Floor, Vancouver, BC V6E 3S5 Canada 604-665-8470 www.rbc.com

Government BCIC 900 – 1188 West Georgia Street, Vancouver, BC V6E 4A2 Canada 604-683-2724 www.bcic.ca British Consulate-General Vancouver 800-1111 Melville Street, Vancouver, BC V6E 3V6 Canada 604-683-4421 www.ukincanada.fco.gov.uk

Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research 200 – 1285 West Broadway, Vancouver, BC V6H 3X8 Canada 604-730-8322 www.msfhr.org National Research Council 4250 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1W5 Canada 604-221-3000 www.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca NSERC Pacific Suite 407 – 138 Melville Street, Vancouver, BC V6E 4S3 Canada 877-767-1767 www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca

International Pharmaceutical Corporations AbbVie 8401 Trans-Canada Highway, St. Laurent, QC H4S 1Z1 Canada 514-832-7000 www.abbott.ca AstraZeneca Canada Inc. 1004 Middlegate Road, Mississauga, ON L4Y 1M4 Canada 905-277-7111 www.astrazeneca.ca Boehringer Ingelheim (Canada) Ltd. 5180 South Service Road, Burlington, ON L7L 5H4 Canada 905-639-0333 www.boehringer-ingelheim.ca Celgene Corporation 6755 Mississauga Road, Suite 600, Mississauga, ON L5N 7Y2 Canada 1-877-923-5436 Eli Lilly Canada Inc. 3650 Danforth Avenue, Toronto, ON M1N 2E8 Canada 416-694-3221 www.lilly.ca

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Genzyme 2700 Matheson Boulevard East West Tower, Suite 800, Mississauga, ON L4W 4V9 Canada 905-625-0011 www.genzyme.ca DuMoulin Black LLP 10th Floor – 595 Howe Street, Vancouver, BC V6C 2T5 Canada 604-687-1224 www.dumoulinblack.com

GlaxoSmithKline 7333 Mississauga Road, Mississauga, ON L5N 6L4 Canada 905-819-3000 www.gsk.ca Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd. 2455 Meadowpine Boulevard, Missisauga, ON L5N 6L7 Canada 1-800-561-1759 www.rochecanada.com

Janssen Inc 19 Green Belt Drive, Toronto, ON M3C 1L9 Canada 1-800-387-8781 http://www.janssen.ca LEO Pharma Inc. 123 Commerce Valley Drive East, Suite 400, Thornhill, ON L3T 7W8 Canada 905-886-9822 www.leo-pharma.ca

Merck Suite 600-1285 Broadway W, Vancouver, BC V6H 3X8 Canada 514-428-8600 www.merckfrosst.ca Novartis Pharmaceuticals Canada Inc. 385 Bouchard Boulevard, Dorval, QC H9S 1A9 Canada 514-631-6775 www.novartis.ca Pfizer Canada Inc. 17300 Trans-Canada Highway, Kirkland, QC H9J 2M5 Canada 514-695-0500 www.pfizer.ca Sanofi Canada 2905 Place Louis-R.-Renaud, Laval, QC H7V 0A3 Canada 1-800-363-6364 en.sanofi.com/ Takeda Canada, Inc. Suite 101 435 North Service Road West, Mississauga, ON L6M 4X8 Canada 905-469-9333 www.takedacanada.com UCB Canada Inc. 401 – 2060 Winston Park Drive, Oakville, ON L6H 5R7 Canada 905-287-5129 www.ucb.com/

Legal Services Borden Ladner Gervais LLP 1200 – 200 Burrard Street, PO Box 48600, Vancouver, BC V7X 1T2 Canada 604-687-5744 www.blg.com Bull, Housser & Tupper LLP 3000 Royal Centre, PO Box 11130, 1055 West Georgia, Vancouver, BC V6E 3R3 Canada 604-687-6575 www.bht.com

Christensen O’Connor Johnson Kindness 1420 Fifth Avenue, Suite 2800, Seattle, WA 98101-2347 United States of America 206-682-8100 www.cojk.com

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Farris, Vaughan, Wills & Murphy LLP 25th Floor, 700 West Georgia Street PO Box 10026, Pacific Centre South, Vancouver, BC V7Y 1B3 Canada 604-684-9151 www.farris.com Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP 2900-550 Burrard Street, Vancouver, BC V6C 0A3 Canada 604-631-3131 www.fasken.com Gowling Lafleur Henderson LLP 550 Burrard Street Suite 2300, Bentall 5, Vancouver, BC V6C 2B5 Canada 604-683-6498 www.gowlings.com MBM Intellectual Property Law LLP. 700 West Pender Street, Suite 700, Vancouver, BC V6C 1G8 Canada 604-669-4350 www.mbm.com/ McCarthy Tétrault LLP Suite 1300, 777 Dunsmuir Street PO Box 10424, Pacific Centre, Vancouver, BC V7Y 1K2’ Canada 604-643-7100 www.mccarthy.ca

Oyen Wiggs Green & Mutala LLP 480 – 601 West Cordova Street, Vancouver, BC V6B 1G1 Canada 604-669-3432 www.patentable.com

Seed Intellectual Property Law Group PLLC 701 Fifth Avenue, Suite 5400, Seattle, WA 98104 United States of America 206-622-4900 www.seedip.com

Medical Devices Biolux Research Ltd. 220-825 Powell Street, Vancouver, BC V6A 1H7 Canada 604-669-0674 www.bioluxresearch.com Biolux Research Ltd. is a world leader in innovative Light Accelerated Regeneration technology and products for use in dentistry markets.

Critical Systems Lab Inc. 618 – 475 Howe Street, Vancouver, BC V6C 2B3 Canada 604-688-2754 www.criticalsystemslabs.com

Farabloc Development Corp.

211-3030 Lincoln Avenue, Coquitlam, BC V3B 6B4 Canada 604-941-8201 www.farabloc.com Farabloc Development Corporation was incorporated in 1983 for the purposes of research and development focused on the product Farabloc.

Business in Vancouver Magazines

Heart Force Medical Inc. Suite 305 – 1818 Cornwall Avenue, Vancouver, BC V6J 1C7 Canada 604-566-8200 www.heartforcemedical.com HeartForce Medical Inc. is dedicated to researching, developing and commercializing products and services for general physicians and cardiologists, specifically for Seismocardiographic and Ballistocardiographic assessments of patients.

Innovatek Medical Inc. #3 – 1600 Derwent Way, Delta, BC V3M 6M5 Canada 604-522-8303 www.innovatekmed.com Innovatek Medical Inc. is a Canadian company selling rapid diagnostic kits in the areas of women’s health, drugs of abuse and infectious diseases.

Kardium Suite 100 – 12851 Rowan Place, Richmond, BC V6V2K5 Canada 604-248-8891 www.kardium.com Kardium is a technology pioneer developing new medical devices to address cardiovascular diseases, particularly focused on developing a novel ablation catheter for treating atrial fibrillation.

LED Medical Diagnostics Inc. 235-5589 Byrne Road, Burnaby, BC V5J 3J1 Canada 604-434-4614 www.velscope.com LED Medical Diagnostics inc. recently launched the VELscope Vx Enhanced Oral Assessment system that helps dental practices screen patients for oral cancer and other oral disease.

Life Scan Canada Ltd. #300 – 4170 Still Creek Drive, Burnaby, BC V5C 6C6 Canada 604-293-2266 www.onetouch.ca LifeScan Canada Ltd. provides a unique system of products and services tailored for the diabetics and health care professionals.

LightIntegra Technology 650-999 West Broadway, Vancouver, BC V5Z 1K5 Canada 604-734-3548 www.lightintegra.com LightIntegra Technology Inc. is developing ThromboLUX, a medical device that analyzes the quality of platelets immediately prior to a transfusion.

Lungpacer Medical Inc. 8888 University Drive, Room L9003 Burnaby, BC V5A 1S6 Canada 778-782-3141 www.lungpacer.com/ Lungpacer’s mission is to develop and commercialize a novel therapeutic system to prevent diaphragm atrophy and lung damage from mechanical ventilation.

Neovasc Inc. 13700 Mayfield Place, Suite 2135, Richmond, BC V6V 2E4 Canada 604-270-4344 www.neovasc.com Neovasc Inc. develops, manufactures and markets cardiovascular products such as the Reducer™, Tiara™ and a line of advanced implantable biological tissues.

Novadaq Technologies Inc. 13155 Delf Place, Unit 250, Richmond, BC V6V 2A22 Canada 604-232-9861 www.novadaq.com Perceptronix Medical Inc. (PMI Labs) 555 West 8th Avenue, Ste. 400, Vancouver, BC V5Z 1C6 Canada 604-629-8785 Ext.408 www.perceptronix.com Response Biomedical Corp.

1781 – 75th Avenue West, Vancouver, BC V6P 6P2 Canada 604-456-6010 www.responsebio.com/ index.html# Response Biomedical commercializes the world’s only immunoassay platform with lab quality information in a matter of minutes, anywhere, every time.

Sorin Group Canada Inc. 5005 North Fraser Way, Burnaby, BC V5J 5M1 Canada 604-412-5650 www.sorin.com The Sorin Group develops, manufactures and markets medical technologies for cardiac surgery and for the treatment of cardiac rhythm disorders.

StarFish Medical 455 Boleskine Road, Victoria, BC V8Z 1E7 Canada 250-388-3537 www.starfishmedical.com StarFish provides medical device development services, from business, market, and product planning to proof of concept to manufactured devices.

SterileCare Inc. 115 – 887 Great Northern Way, Vancouver, BC V5T4T5 Canada 778-285-6645 www.sterilecareinc.com/ SterileCare is leading innovation with a simple solution to improve quality of health through innovative sterilization methods.

Traumis Surgical Systems Inc. 1950 Graveley Street, Vancouver, BC V5L 3B4 Canada 604-367-0700 www.traumis.com Traumis Surgical Systems Inc. aims to improve and accelerate surgical procedures with a minimum need for adaptation of tooling, procedures, or operating environment.

Verisante Technology, Inc. #306 – 2309 West 41st Avenue, Vancouver, BC V6M 2A3 Canada 604-605-0507 www.verisante.com Verisante (TSX-V: VRS) is a medical device company dedicated to skin cancer detection.

The company’s award-winning device, AuraTM, is approved for sale in Canada, Europe and Australia.

ViewsIQ #115-887 Great Northern Way, Vancouver, BC V5T4T5 Canada 1-855-847-7226 viewsiq.ca/ ViewsIQ is a Canadian healthcare technology company that develops microscopy imaging solutions for academic institutions, research and clinical laboratories.

Scientific Suppliers Airgas Bay 133, 3016 10th Avenue NE, Calgary, AB T2A6A3 Canada 360-944-4000 www.airgas.com GE Healthcare Life Sciences 500 Morgan Boulevard, Baie d’Urfé, QC H9X 3V1 Canada 1-800-463-5800 http://www. gelifesciences.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ Home/en/GELifeSciences-CA// Iotron Industries Canada Inc. 1425 Kebet Way, Port Coquitlam, BC V3C 6L3 Canada 604-945-8838 www.iotron.com K’(Prime) Technologies Inc. Unit 105, 90 Freeport Boulevard NE, Calgary, AB T3J 5J9 Canada 403-226-5897 www.kprime.net/ STEMCELL Technologies Inc. 570 West Seventh Avenue, Suite 400, Vancouver, BC V5Z 1B3 Canada 604-877-0713 www.stemcell.com VWR International Ltd. 2360 Argentia Road, Mississauga, ON L5N 5Z7 Canada 1-800-932-5000 www.vwrsp.com

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