Zymeworks Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the discovery, development and commercialization of next-generation bispecific and multifunctional biotherapeutics, today announced that Merck (known as MSD outside the US and Canada) has provided formal notification of their plans to advance a bispecific drug candidate into preclinical development. The drug candidate was developed by Merck, through a subsidiary, in collaboration with…
To understand how gene mutations affect neurodevelopment and learning in people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), PhD candidate Troy McDiarmid is looking at microscopic worms. McDiarmid, a graduate student in Dr. Catharine Rankin’s lab, was recently awarded a Frederick Banting and Charles Best Canada Graduate Scholarships Doctoral Award from the CIHR for his proposal to characterize ASD-associated gene mutations in worm models…
In a partnership with Dr. Sue Baldwin at the University of British Columbia, and with funding from Genome BC, Teck Resources Limited (Teck) is exploring how to optimize the use of microbes in water treatment to reduce selenium. Selenium is a naturally-occurring substance that can be released through the mining process and impact aquatic health in high quantities. The research…
“Based on data from a survey we produced last year, 80 per cent of Canadian Principal Investigators (PIs) have indicated plans to slow their research programs,” says Dr. Liisa Galea. “They’re worried about how they’re going to support new trainees, and funding is their primary concern.” Dr. Galea recently travelled to Ottawa in support of the Fundamental Science Review as part of a…
STEMCELL Technologies has signed an exclusive license with Propagenixof Rockville, MD to commercialize its patented EpiX™ technology, a novel and revolutionary cell culture medium that enables unprecedented expansion of tissue-resident epithelial stem cells without any genetic manipulation. EpiX™ outperforms current state-of-the-art cell culture systems, which typically yield fewer than 20 population doublings before the cells senesce. Epithelial stem cells derived from many…
he upward trajectory of the cannabis industry has garnered comparisons to the Internet boom of the early 2000s, as North American sales are on pace to record a compound annual growth rate of 25 percent through 2021, according to Arcview Market Research (1). These comparisons are certainly attention-grabbing, but the full potential of the evolving marijuana market could be even…
Tania Bubela, a health law and policy researcher with an extensive health biotechnology and legal background, is Simon Fraser University’s new dean of health sciences. Bubela joins SFU from the University of Alberta (U of A). A professor in the School of Public Health, she also served as associate dean of research (2014-2016). Prior to joining the school, Bubela clerked…
B.C. researchers are leading an new offensive against sepsis, one of the leading causes of death in Canada. Sepsis is a condition that’s caused by an “overwhelming immune response to an infection,” according to Statistics Canada. That can lead to “widespread inflammation, swelling and blood clotting,” as well as organ damage. When not treated quickly, it can result in organ failure…
BC’s forest products industry faces major challenges due to global competition and the decline in demand for traditional products such as newsprint. At the same time, there is increasing demand across the entire economy for environmentally-sustainable biomaterials. One way to address both of these issues is by converting woody biomass, which includes lignin, to higher valued bioproducts such as renewable…
Marking World Sepsis Day, Sepset Biosciences Inc., announces the commencement of a multi-country, multi-center human clinical study that will validate and refine Sepset’s proprietary gene signature to quickly and accurately identify patients with sepsis. A spin-out of The Centre for Drug Research and Development (CDRD), Sepset Biosciences, is developing a novel rapid diagnostic test that will enable healthcare professionals to provide…