VANCOUVER, British Columbia–(BUSINESS WIRE)–The life sciences sector in British Columbia is building on excellence for a vibrant future in the province and beyond. Life Sciences BC is proud to showcase this with Access to Innovation (February 16 and 17, 2022), a two-day virtual summit of thought leadership and dialogue. Delegates will gain insight into the latest discoveries and solutions coming out of Canada’s fastest growing life sciences sector.
“Throughout the pandemic, B.C.’s life sciences companies have earned international recognition for new technologies and treatments that are making life better for people around the world,” said Ravi Kahlon, Minister of Jobs, Economic Recovery and Innovation. “When engaging with British Columbians from all walks of life, we’ve heard very clearly that people are our competitive advantage. Our government is committed to investing in people and supporting the continued growth and diversification of life sciences. Access to Innovation highlights the talent and innovation that will help us build a better B.C. for everyone.”
The BC life sciences sector is ideally positioned to drive growth not only in the provincial economy and healthcare system but also nationally and globally. Contributions during the pandemic to mRNA vaccine technology, medical equipment, COVID therapeutics and more put the BC life science sector firmly on the map. Our conference theme this year, Building on Excellence, celebrates this by showcasing sector innovation for post-pandemic economic and healthcare success. Industry experts and thought leaders will share their experience on what it takes to commercialize the path from bench to bedside, and where that excellence is poised to take us. Other sessions include data handling and integration for research, building the hospital of the future, and supporting diversity and inclusion within the sector for clinical trial success and clinical equity.
From the opening keynote, which celebrates the National Research Council of Canada’s 75-year anniversary of funding entrepreneurship for innovation success, to success stories from BC life science companies, the seventh Access to Innovation gives an unrivalled glimpse of a vibrant life sciences sector at work.
Speakers include Michael Martin, Chief Business Officer with Aurinia Pharmaceuticals, who will describe the path from R&D to the recent one-year anniversary of FDA approval for Lupkynis, the first FDA-approved oral therapy for lupus nephritis in adults.
During the Global MedTech and AI session, Dr. William Hunter, President & CEO of Canary Medical, and Dr. Pieter Cullis, Scientific Director & CEO, NanoMedicines Innovation Network, highlight recent development success in medical technology. In 2021, Canary Medical celebrated the first surgical implantation of its sensor-enabled knee implant that enables 24/7 post-surgical monitoring for patient progress. Lipid nanoparticle technology developed by Dr. Cullis, co-founder of Acuitas Therapeutics, ensured success for the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine; mRNA therapeutics are now poised to tackle rare and infectious diseases, play a role in preventive medicine, and treat cancer.
Quotes:
Wendy Hurlburt, CEO and President, Life Sciences BC
“Our annual Access to Innovation conference never fails to pull in the best and brightest from life sciences excellence around our province. This is the place to be for early insight into the upcoming developments, cutting-edge solutions, and industry thought leadership bursting from Canada’s fastest growing life sciences sector. Last year, over 350 delegates heard from industry experts on how our foundational excellence and world-leading research supports life sciences innovation, growth and success in our province and beyond.”
The Honourable Ravi Kahlon MLA, Minister of Jobs, Economic Recovery and Innovation
“Throughout the pandemic, B.C.’s life sciences companies have earned international recognition for new technologies and treatments that are making life better for people around the world,” said Ravi Kahlon, Minister of Jobs, Economic Recovery and Innovation. “When engaging with British Columbians from all walks of life, we’ve heard very clearly that people are our competitive advantage. Our government is committed to investing in people and supporting the continued growth and diversification of life sciences. Access to Innovation highlights the talent and innovation that will help us build a better B.C. for everyone.”
Pieter Cullis, Scientific Director & CEO, NanoMedicines Innovation Network
“Basic science, interdisciplinary collaboration and efforts to translate scientific discoveries into practical applications are key to innovation in the life sciences. Our lipid nanoparticle technology that enables mRNA COVID-19 vaccines such as the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine evolved from very basic research on the physical properties of lipids in biological membranes to systems that had therapeutic potential to the formation of companies to realize these opportunities and produce important therapeutics. But without basic, curiosity-driven research none of this would have happened.”
Ali Ardakani, Founder and Managing Director of Novateur Ventures and LSBC Vice Chair
“Our work at Novateur Ventures focuses on supporting BC life sciences innovation at start up with access to global and experienced technical resources that help the process from R&D, through clinical trials and on to commercial success. It’s always exciting to present success stories from our sector as inspiration for up-and-coming entrepreneurs at events such as Access to Innovation. My experience as Board Vice Chair with Life Sciences BC shows that sharing information within our community is essential, both for inspiration and also awareness.”
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Keynote Sponsors |
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AbCellera |
Gowling WLG (Canada) LLP |
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Deloitte LLP |
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Session Sponsors |
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AstraZeneca Canada Inc. |
Michael Smith Health Research BC |
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Aurinia Pharma Us Inc. |
Novateur Ventures Inc. |
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Compugen |
Oyen Wiggs Green & Mutala LLP |
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Genome British Columbia |
Providence Health Care |
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IRICoR |
STEMCELL Technologies Canada Inc. |
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Networking Sponsor |
Event Supporter |
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Innovative Medicines Canada |
Canada’s Digital Technology Supercluster |
Please register for Access to Innovation – Building on Excellence: A Vibrant Future for BC Life Sciences: https://lifesciencesbc.ca/event/access-to-innovation-2022/
About Life Sciences BC
Life Sciences BC is a not-for-profit, non-government, membership association that supports and represents the life sciences community of British Columbia through leadership, facilitation of investment and partnering, and promotion of our world-class science and industry.
Life sciences sectors, from biopharmaceuticals and medical technology to digital health and medical devices, are integrated into our organization and all that we do, ensuring that no life sciences sector is working in isolation — and that all sectors come together in a comprehensive, complementary and coordinated fashion.
Throughout the year, Life Sciences BC undertakes numerous programs and projects in support of these sectors. These include public policy initiatives, facilitating linkages between global industry and our local organizations, raising the profile of our industry internationally and thus facilitating investment and global partnering opportunities, and helping nurture economic development in British Columbia through the life sciences industry.
About the BC life sciences sector
BC is home to the fastest growing life sciences sector in Canada and our reputation is global. Vancouver was recently named the 2021 top life sciences start up ecosystem in Canada. Startup Genome ranked Vancouver 21 out of 280 global ecosystems, listing it as the only Canadian city in the top 25.
As you also know, we exceed Canada’s life sciences GDP growth (2018 data) and employ more than 18,000 employees (2020 data) at above-average salaries. During 2020, BC biotech companies more than doubled revenue from the top four deals compared to 2019.
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