On March 15, leaders from throughout B.C.’s biotech sector gathered at UBC to rejoice the launch of Canada’s Immuno-Engineering and Biomanufacturing Hub (CIEBH) – a brand new UBC-led nationwide analysis hub geared toward strengthening Canada’s pandemic preparedness and growing lifesaving new medicines that may rework the well being of Canadians.
The celebration introduced collectively lots of the hub’s greater than 50 provincial, nationwide and worldwide companions, who’ve united beneath a imaginative and prescient to make Canada a worldwide epicentre for the event of next-generation immune-based therapeutics.
Collectively, UBC and its CIEBH companions are pursuing an built-in program of biomedical analysis and expertise growth, together with constructing infrastructure to assist the event and manufacturing of progressive new medical remedies in B.C. and Canada.
The aim: To ascertain a seamless drug growth pipeline that may allow Canada to answer future pandemics and different well being challenges in fewer than 100 days.
“The way forward for drugs is occurring proper now, proper right here in Canada,” stated Dr. Dermot Kelleher, UBC Vice-President, Well being, and Dean of the School of Medication. “UBC researchers and spin-off firms enabled the event of the COVID-19 vaccine and different therapies at report velocity. Now, by way of this hub, we’ll carry collectively the extraordinary experience of B.C. and Canada’s biomedical neighborhood to carry transformative new well being options to Canadians sooner.”
Learn the complete UBC information launch saying the brand new biomedical innovation hub.
Visitors gathered in Jack Poole Corridor at UBC’s Robert H. Lee Alumni Centre. Dr. Michelle Wong, Senior Director, Analysis, UBC School of Medication, greeted hub companions, supporters and UBC neighborhood members and guided the celebration’s proceedings.
“This hub is all about partnership, and I’m delighted that we might be joined as we speak on this room by so lots of the excellent companions, supporters and leaders from B.C. and Canada’s life sciences sector.”
— Dr. Michelle Wong
Senior Director, Analysis
UBC School of Medication
The Honourable Joyce Murray, Member of Parliament for Vancouver Quadra and Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, introduced federal assist for CIEBH as one in every of 5 new biomedical analysis hubs in Canada. The Authorities of Canada, by way of the Tri-agency Institutional Applications Secretariat and Canada Basis for Innovation, is investing $570 million over the subsequent 4 years to assist venture proposals related to these hubs.
Dr. Gail Murphy, Vice-President, Analysis & Innovation, UBC, spoke about how the hub will construct on the strengths of B.C.’s biotech and life sciences business, and people of its nationwide and international companions, to make Canada a world chief within the growth of lifesaving medicines.
“That is the ecosystem that was a frontrunner in responding to the SARS outbreak in 2003, and performed a crucial function within the international response to the COVID-19 pandemic.”
— Dr. Gail Murphy
Vice-President, Analysis and Innovation
UBC
Amongst CIEBH’s companions are main B.C. and worldwide biotech firms. Dr. Véronique Lecault, Chief Working Officer, AbCellera, mirrored on her firm’s roots at UBC and the way the college ecosystem offered key elements – like expertise, applied sciences, innovation and inventive considering – that helped catalyze AbCellera’s progress into a worldwide chief.
“That is the possibility to construct a life sciences sector that makes our nation stronger, extra resilient, that helps carry medicines to sufferers sooner, and that builds a legacy of innovation in Canada for many years to come back.”
— Dr. Véronique Lecault
Co-Founder and Chief Working Officer
AbCellera
Dr. Pieter Cullis, a professor of biochemistry and molecular biology at UBC’s School of Medication, took the rostrum as a member of the hub’s core scientific workforce. He mirrored on his forty-year analysis profession, throughout which he has skilled a whole bunch of younger Canadian scientists and led breakthrough analysis on lipid nanoparticle drug supply techniques that helped allow progressive new mRNA therapeutics, such because the extremely efficient COVID-19 mRNA vaccine.
“This hub will maintain Canada within the vanguard of well being care analysis and innovation.”
— Dr. Pieter Cullis
Professor, Division of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Following the announcement, Minister Murray met with Dr. Anna Blakney, one other member of the hub’s core scientific workforce and professor at UBC’s College of Biomedical Engineering, together with pupil researchers working in her lab.
Dr. Blakney and her workforce are growing next-generation RNA-based medicines that construct on the present mRNA vaccine platform. The brand new therapeutics promise to harness the facility of the immune system to forestall and deal with a variety of ailments – from most cancers to infectious ailments.
UBC PhD college students Credo Casmil (entrance) and Nuthan Bathula (again) demonstrated for Minister Murray how RNA- and lipid nanoparticle-based medicines are made.
“I stay up for seeing my analysis on self-amplifying RNA transfer into the clinic and the impression it may have for saving lives in the true world, particularly within the context of future pandemic response.”
— Nuthan Bathula
PhD pupil
The self-amplifying RNA know-how Dr. Blakney’s workforce is engaged on is 100 occasions extra environment friendly than the mRNA utilized in present vaccines.
“By my work to enhance the effectivity of self-amplifying RNA applied sciences, I hope to allow vaccinations towards infectious illness that may assist extra folks, by way of a more cost effective platform.”
— Credo Casmil
PhD pupil
After the lab tour, CIEBH companions and supporters gathered again at Jack Poole Corridor for a reception to rejoice the launch of the hub and to attach with colleagues throughout the hub community.
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Revealed: March 27, 2023