Biotechnology Focus Podcast

Welcome to another episode of Biotechnology Focus radio. This week we are discussing a recent investment, the engineering of a CAR molecule to combat cancer, a new surgical treatment and a study notifying us that viruses are literally falling to Earth. I am your host Michelle Currie, here to bring you the lowdown on the Canadian biotech scene.

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Ontario Genomics is investing $100,000 in one of Toronto's newest start-up companies, Bright Angel Therapeutics to develop anti-fungal treatments.

Fungal diseases are a growing global public health problem. Data compiled by the Global Action Fund for Fungal Infections shows that "over 300 million people are afflicted with a serious fungal infection and 25 million are at high risk of dying or losing their sight." Mortality due to fungal infections is primarily due to the development of resistance to the few available anti-fungal compounds.

Ontario Genomics' Pre-commercial Business Development Fund investment will help Bright Angel Therapeutics develop new compounds that are strategic to treating fungal infections. By targeting a stress response mechanism that enables fungi to become drug-resistant, this strategy will transform existing antifungals from ineffective to highly effective against all the leading fungal pathogens. Importantly, the stress response-targeting strategy being developed by Bright Angel enhances the efficacy of all three classes of current antifungal drugs. It is applicable to the leading causes of invasive fungal infection and prevents the emergence of drug-resistance. This strategy will allow the company to tap into the existing very large antifungal market.

Bright Angel Therapeutics was erected by Drs. Leah Cowan and Luke Whitesell, now both at the University of Toronto, based on technology developed while they were at the Whitehead Institute in collaboration with the late Dr. Susan Lindquist. With the assistance of MaRS Innovation, the company has partnered with Schrödinger Inc. to take advantage of Schrödinger's world class molecular modeling and drug design expertise and will continue to provide start-up guidance.

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The Princess Margaret Cancer Centre in Toronto is leading a research team spearheaded by senior scientist Dr. Naoto Hirano that may have engineered a molecule that has the potential to augment existing immunotherapies.

This research is of relevance to chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy – a therapy that uses a patient's own immune cells (T-cells) identify and fight cancer cells. This study was published in the journal Nature Medicine.

In layman's terms, CAR T-cell therapies help the immune system to recognize and destroy cancer cells through a process that begins with the isolation of T-cells from patients. Next, these cells are genetically modified so that they produce the CAR molecule on their surface. The CAR molecule is a modified version of a T-cell receptor that is specifically engineered to recognize tumour cells. These genetically modified cells are then grown in a lab to increase their numbers before being infused back into patients.

So far, CAR T-cell therapy has only been approved in the United States for blood cancers such as advanced lymphoma and acute lymphoblastic leukemia. This is believed to be because existing CAR

constructs don't produce certain signals known to support the continued destruction of malignant cells, despite alerting the immune system of the presence of cancer.

Dr. Hirano's team has engineered a molecule that activates specific protein signalling pathways which are known to enhance the growth and function of T-cells.

Hirano comments, "In our experimental models, the CAR molecule we engineered enabled T-cells to display more potent activity against different cancers, including solid tumours, which remain a challenge in the field. Current CAR T-cell therapies have shown limited success when treating solid tumours likely because of the harsh conditions faced by immune cells attempting to infiltrate the interior of the tumour. Furthermore, in these same models, we did not observe any worsening of potential side effects."

While these findings are preliminary, the performance of the engineered CAR T-cells created by Hirano's team suggests that optimizing CAR molecules may help to broaden the effectiveness of CAR T-cell therapies against different cancers. Work in the future will entail translating these findings into clinical trials to explore the safety and efficacy of the engineered CAR molecule.

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The Centre hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal (CHUM) is now offering a new surgical treatment for patients with lymphedema – swelling that is caused by the abnormal accumulation of lymph fluid in a body part, often the arms or legs.

Lymphovenous bypass surgery consists of microsurgically connecting the affected lymphatic vessels to the venous system to facilitate lymph fluid flow, decrease the severity of the lymphedema, reduce the complications related to this chronic disease and improve the quality of life of lymphedema patients.

The first lymphovenous bypass surgery to be performed at the CHUM took place on January 22, 2018, by Dr. Ali Izadpanah, on a 23-year-old man who developed secondary lymphedema following a motorcycle accident. For nearly three and a half years, Olivier Lagacé was limited in his movements because of the swelling in his left leg, which had nearly 35 per cent more volume than his right leg, despite continuous treatments (decongestive therapy and the wearing of compression socks). With the surgery performed at the CHUM, he will be able to hope for a reduction in not only the swelling in his leg, but in the number of treatments needed to control his illness. Lymphedema is a chronic disease for which there is currently no cure.

Lymphovenous bypass surgery was developed in Japan a few years ago and, although it is now available at many centres in the U.S., it is still not easily accessible by Canadians with lymphedema.

As a university hospital centre, the CHUM is presently working on developing a multidisciplinary clinical and research unit for lymphedema treatment that will make it possible not only to treat patients with this disease, but also to create a prospective database related to patients' post-operative quality of life improvement. With its microsurgical simulation laboratory, which opened a year ago on the premises of the Direction de l'enseignement et de l'Académie CHUM, the hospital centre is also equipped and has set plans to contribute to lymphovenous surgery training and the development of new methods specific to this type of surgery.

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Although there are many things people would like to fall for – whether it be in love or for a joke – viruses are most likely not one of them.

Researchers from Canada, Spain and the US have discovered that there are a phenomenal number of viruses circulating around the Earth's atmosphere – and they're falling back to the ground every day.

This study marks the first-time scientists have quantified the viruses being swept up from the Earth's surface into the free troposphere (layer of atmosphere beyond Earth's weather systems but below the stratosphere where jet airplanes fly). The viruses can be carried thousands of kilometres there before descending back to the Earth's surface.

University of British Columbia virologist Curtis Suttle, one of the senior authors of a paper in the International Society for Microbial Ecology Journal that outlines the findings says, "Every day, more than 800 million viruses are deposited per square metre above the planetary boundary layer—that's 25 viruses for each person in Canada."

This study brings to light how nearly identical viruses can traverse time and space and seemingly "pop up" around the globe.

Suttle adds, "Roughly 20 years ago we began finding genetically similar viruses occurring in very different environments around the globe. This preponderance of long-residence viruses travelling the atmosphere likely explains why—it's quite conceivable to have a virus swept up into the atmosphere on one continent and deposited on another."

Bacteria and viruses are swept up into the atmosphere mostly from natural methods like small particles in soil or dust and sea spray.

Suttle and colleagues at the University of British Columbia, the University of Granada and San Diego State University wanted to know how much of that material is carried up above the atmospheric boundary layer above 2,500 to 3,000 metres. At that altitude, particles are subject to long-range transport unlike particles lower in the atmosphere.

The researchers found that billions of viruses and millions of bacteria particles are falling to earth per square metre per day. They used the high altitude of Spain's Sierra Nevada Mountains to calculate these findings with deposition rates for viruses being nine to 461 times greater than the rates of bacteria.

Bacteria and viruses are typically deposited back to Earth via rain events and Saharan dust intrusions. However, the rain was less efficient removing viruses from the atmosphere.

Hitching rides with smaller, lighter particles like sea spray, viruses have the ability to stay at loftier heights for longer and give themselves a farther reach. The findings are an eye-opener as to how pandemics and other viruses spread around the world. Now the problem remains – what will fall and when?

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Well that wraps up another episode of Biotechnology Focus radio. If you have any questions, comments or story ideas, please contact us at [email protected], and don't forget to follow us on our twitter handle @BiotechFocus.

I also wanted to mention that The 2018 Clinical Trials Conference hosted by Clinical Trials Ontario are taking place March 27-28, 2018 at the Sheraton Hotel in Toronto. It is an interactive and collaborative 2-day event that brings together over 350 people from industry, research, ethics, healthcare, non-profit, government and academia to exchange ideas, build relationships, and develop new strategies with respect to improving clinical trials and bringing more clinical trials to Ontario. For information about speakers, session topics, and registration, visit www.ctoconference.ca.

Hope you all have a great week! From my desk to yours – this is Michelle Currie.

Welcome to another episode of Biotechnology Focus radio. This week we are discussing some of the recent mergers and acquisitions that have been rocking the headlines, some recently awarded grants and how machines are moving fast. I am your host Michelle Currie, here to bring you the lowdown on the Canadian biotech scene. 

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Celgene, a biotech giant, has merged with and acquired Juno Therapeutics and their leading blockbuster drug cancer therapy in one of their largest deals ever. For a total of $9 billion, Celgene will pay $87 a share in cash for those not already owned by this corporation. 

Celgene and Juno have been collaborating since June 2015 under which the two companies would leverage T cell therapeutic strategies to develop treatments for patients with cancer and autoimmune diseases with an initial focus on CAR-T and TCR technologies. In April 2016, Celgene exercised its option to develop and commercialize the Juno CD19 program outside of North America and China. 

Juno develops cell-based cancer immunotherapies based on chimeric antigen receptor and high-affinity T cell (CAR-T cell) receptor technologies to genetically engineer T cells to recognize and kill cancer. Several product candidates have shown compelling clinical responses in clinical trials in refractory leukemia and lymphoma conducted to date. 

This acquisition will position Celgene to become a preeminent cellular immunotherapy company with a platform to be at the forefront of future advances. JCAR017, a pivotal stage asset, with an emerging favorable profile in DLBCL, is expected to add approximately $3 billion in peak sales and significantly strengthen Celgene's lymphoma portfolio, and JCARH125 will enhance Celgene's campaign against BCMA (B-cell maturation antigen), a key target in multiple myeloma. 

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The global pharma industry is undergoing a dramatic transition from a quest for blockbusters to the design of a precision medicine based drug design. Artificial intelligence is one of the most prominent elements that has been adopted as part of the transition from a fully integrated pharmaceutical company model of drug design to extensive interaction with smaller innovative R&D companies as well as academic institutions. 

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is the activity devoted to making machines intelligent, and intelligence is that quality that enables an entity to function appropriately and with foresight in its environment (definition proposed by Nils J. Nillson, Stanford U.). Even though there are numerous definitions for AI, this one fits nicely into the goal of using machine learning for improving the rate of success in the design of novel and cost-effective therapeutics. 

One of the primary reasons that AI has such a great potential in drug development is that there is a huge amount of health data available right now in the public health system. Clinical trials' data, electronic medical records (EMR), genetic profiles and much more is the wealth representing the notion of BIG DATA in healthcare. The main challenge regarding the processing of big data is the need to process it in a meaningful and cost-effective fashion. That is why training a machine to fulfill the task becomes so attractive. Selecting and adjusting the right algorithms is the first essential step but once it is in place, training machines to find optimal patterns between the structure of "druggable molecules" and their optimal activity is within reach. 

Canada has established a leadership position in training of machines to learn how to perform complex tasks, in a relatively short period of time. Based on recent commitments to the space, it is expected that we will witness in the foreseeable future designs of novel and much more specific therapeutics with higher potency and lesser side effects. The prospects are quite encouraging in light of the shift global pharma industry is adopting towards precision medicine. That shift will rely on sifting through patients' medical records. Canadian AI machines are learning fast and are expected to become a key player in advancing academic concepts into standard and streamlined processes and organizations. In Ontario, the University of Toronto has emerged as a world-leading hub for research and entrepreneurship in this area. A potent combination of long-standing academic research in conjunction with the adoption of machine learning methodologies have already proven to be game-changing opportunities. Interactive approaches to computer science and medical research, combined with emerging best in class entrepreneurship programming and training is already yielding some fascinating fruits in the area of AI for drug discovery. 

Companies like Structura Bio are taking the complex computational challenge of reducing noisy images from cryo-electron microscopes into readable highly accurate 3D structures of proteins and are doing what used to take a server room filled with computers a week, in a matter of seconds. Similarly, Phenomic AI (a recently incorporated UTEST company) uses a technique called deep learning to analyze data from high-throughput phenomic screens to analyze cell and tissue phenotypes in microscopy data with incredible accuracy. It holds out the potential for eliminating human intervention in the assessment of all that data. In some cases, companies like Deep Genomics and Atomwise are going all the way by leveraging their respective AI technologies to become drug discovery engines themselves. Our awareness of the impact of the AI revolution in drug discovery is already enormous and we're only at the beginning of its adoption cycle. Future advances in Canada will be buoyed further by strong academic and institutional foundations that have been put in place to assist Canada in sustaining this advantage. The Vector Institute, as an example, was established in 2017 in partnership with Canada's largest companies and the Federal and Provincial Government's to attract and retain world-leading research talent and to promote cutting-edge research in the field. 

Recently, partnerships have been established between the MaRS Innovation research healthcare ecosystem (UHN, Sickkids, Sunnybrook) with global players in the space of machine learning based drug design and developments. Partnerships with Schrödinger and Evotec have been established to capture the enormous potential of "fishing in the pond" of EMR's rich source of unraveling the tissue/cellular architecture as a baseline for the discovery of novel disease targets, which thereby establishes a mechanism for better drugs. 

The field of AI in the service of medical research is still in its infancy, but the initial avalanche of results is already starting to give us an idea of the great potential that machine learning can offer to those embarking on advancing drug development. Reducing screening times, aiding new drug candidates and finding the most effective drugs for specific diseases at a speed that humans cannot achieve is compelling, and we believe that AI will increasingly become part of the medical landscape. Once hurdles such as data standardized collection and storage as well as data privacy concerned are addressed, it is expected that we will witness an exponential inclination in the implementation of machine learning as a powerful tool in the design of more potent drugs with lesser side-effects. The FDA and Health Canada are encouraging pharmaceutical companies to join the choir. 

To conclude, rephrasing from Eric Topol of the Scripps Research Institute (CNBC, May 2017), "The potential of artificial intelligence has probably the biggest impact of any type of technology on healthcare." 

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Two of Canada's largest producers of cannabis have struck a deal after months of negotiations and a hostile takeover bid. The board of directors and the special committee of the CanniMed board have agreed to support a new offer made by Aurora for the acquisition of all of the issued and outstanding shares of CanniMed not owned by Aurora.  

Terry Booth, the CEO of Aurora Cannabis says, "We are very pleased to have come to terms with CanniMed on this powerful strategic combination that will establish a best-in-class cannabis company with operations across Canada and around the world."  

The new offer for CanniMed is approximately $1.1 billion based on Aurora's implied share price of $12.65. The maximum amount of cash available under the amended offer will be $140 million, and the number of Aurora shares to be issued will be between approximately 72 million and 84 million. Assuming maximum cash elections, each CanniMed shareholder would receive $5.70 in cash and 2.9493 Aurora shares. 

Despite CanniMed filing a law suit against Aurora earlier this month, this deal provides the optimum outcome for both companies. 

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The Ottawa Hospital has been awarded $12.7 million in the most recent project grant competition from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). The grant funding will be going to sixteen research groups at the hospital who are in affiliation with the University of Ottawa. This represents an enormous success rate of 30 per cent, doubling the national average. 

The new funding will provide researchers the much-needed capital to delve deeper into their studies ranging on a plethora of subjects – anywhere from oncolytic viruses as immunotherapy treatments, using a holistic approach to improving the quality of life for the homeless, to understanding the role of liquid metabolism in the brain. 

"I'm delighted that our researchers have once again achieved such a high success rate," says Dr. Duncan Stewart, executive vice president of research at The Ottawa Hospital and professor of medicine at the University of Ottawa. "These new research projects have the potential to redefine the future of health-care, both at home and around the world." 

The Ottawa Hospital has scored above the national average in CIHR grant competitions for the past several years, including 2015, 2016, and 2017. This research centre shows great promise and innovative studies for the years ahead. 

For the summaries of all the projects please visit biotechnologyfocus.ca  

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Well that wraps up another episode of Biotechnology Focus radio. If you have any questions, comments or story ideas, please contact us at [email protected], and don't forget to follow us on our twitter handle @BiotechFocus. From my desk to yours – this is Michelle Currie.  

076 | Regulations, Drug Discovery, and Collaborations Welcome to another episode of Biotechnology Focus radio. This week we'll be discussing regulations when working with drugs, financing drug discoveries, and an East Coast collaboration that will develop new opportunities for marine biotechnology. I am your host, Michelle Currie, here to give you a run-down of the top stories of Canada's biotech scene. +++++ Health Canada maintains tight control over the sale of drugs in Canada by applying the Food & Drug Regulations to all involved parties. In order to bring a drug product to market, a manufacturer must provide evidence to Health Canada on drug safety and efficacy, and demonstrate that processes planned for production are consistent with the regulations. Enforcement of the regulations is not limited to the pre-approval phase. After receiving approval, license holders must continue to ensure that all parts of their supply chain operate in compliance with Health Canada regulations. Logistic partners including importers, distributors and wholesalers are required to operate in compliance with the Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) section of the regulations when working with drug products so that procedures in place do not adversely affect the quality of drugs. The GMP is broad in scope and covers numerous areas of responsibility such as building design, sanitation practices, distribution records/inventory control, record keeping and testing of products where necessary before they are made available for sale. One important aspect of GMP requirements is the stipulation that all procedures involving drug products are performed according to written procedures and are to be performed by qualified and trained personnel at all times. For some groups in the supply chain, this high level of accountability may not be achieved without significant updates to operational procedures or investments in additional staffing or equipment. The term "GMP" is recognized worldwide as the quality standard for drug products. However, how companies receive certification from their local regulatory bodies vary throughout the world. In some regions, GMP regulations have been enacted by a federal authority, but the actual approval of GMP compliance is not managed by that same authority, and instead, certification is provided by third-party auditors (for example the FDA in the United States). Health Canada has a unique system whereby evidence to demonstrate GMP compliance is approved directly by Health Canada before facilities are permitted to carry on activities with drug products. This pre-review system of GMP evidence may pose a barrier to entry for some groups looking to get into the drug product business, and is a frequent hurdle for importers wishing to bring drug products into Canada for further sale. Up until a few years ago, Health Canada's efforts in GMP regulation and compliance were focused primarily on drugs in finished form. However, over time it became evident that regulating starting materials, otherwise known as active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) were also a crucial part of the process of ensuring the quality of finished drugs. Health Canada, therefore, made a significant update to the GMP regulations in 2013 by expanding their scope to include API sources. Given that a large proportion of API sources are located abroad, the recent adjustment to the GMP regulations has resulted in an increased regulatory burden for Canadian importers of drug products and manufacturers of drug products; particularly if they are sourcing API from numerous foreign facilities. Challenges for the drug supply chain with respect to GMP compliance may rise as the trend toward outsourcing and increased use of third-party distribution centres continues. It remains the responsibility of the drug product license holder to ensure that all locations involved in bringing their drugs to market in Canada are GMP compliant. Planning for GMP compliance at early-stages of negotiations with contractors can assist with minimizing delays and interruptions in supply chains and production of drug products in Canada. ++++++ CQDM (Quebec Consortium for Drug Discovery) and Brain Canada announce a $1 million nondilutive funding to AbCellera and the University of British Columbia. AbCellera will also be contributing $450,000 to the project, which will expand and apply its state-of-the-art microfluidic antibody discovery platform for the detection of function-modifying antibodies against G-protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) targets. The CQDM support was made possible by the financial contributions of five of its industrial members, including GSK, Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson, Merck, Pfizer, and Sanofi. These contributions underscore their commitment to driving innovation that can expand the accessible target space of antibody-based therapeutics, the fastest growing class of drugs. AbCellera, started in Carl Hansen's laboratory at the University of British Columbia in 2012 has become a reputable name in antibody discovery from natural immune repertoires. AbCellera's microfluidic singlecell screening platform allows for deep profiling of natural immune responses with an unmatched combination of throughput, speed, and assay capabilities. This funding will allow AbCellera's to further expand its leading capabilities for antibody discovery against high-value complex membrane proteins that have proven intractable by conventional approaches, including hybridoma, phage and yeast display. The continued collaboration between AbCellera and the University of British Columbia is a model example of how public-private partnerships can efficiently translate cutting-edge research into practical applications to accelerate the discovery and development of new therapies for patients. Carl Hansen commented that, "AbCellera is now the recognized leader for antibody discovery against difficult membrane protein targets. To date, they have run successful discovery programs on six GPCR or ion channel targets. Their technology has vastly outperformed what is possible by classic hybridoma and display methods, has succeeded in generating hundreds of unique antibodies per target, and has provided leads to advance partner programs that were otherwise stalled." This collaboration, will further expand AbCellera's technology to enable direct cell-based assays capable of selecting ultra-rare antibodies with function-modifying properties. When combined with the throughput and speed of their platform, it will create game-changing capabilities for targeting complex membrane proteins." ++++++ Thanks to a University of Toronto's antibody engineering technology, a new cancer immunotherapy has received a US$62 million helping hand in its development. The therapy called, Myeloid Tuning, has been designed to boost the body's anti-tumour immunity by removing cells that normally hinder or halt the immune system using engineered antibodies. They were developed at the University of Toronto's Toronto Recombinant Antibody Centre (TRAC). Sidhu originally co-founded TRAC with Professor Jason Moffat as a state-of-the-art antibody engineering platform at the Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research, where they are both coincidently faculty members. Engineered antibodies are becoming increasingly more popular, as their uses are more precise and will target any molecule or cell type for which they were designed. It is new therapy like these that are leading to a new generation of immunotherapy drugs. The research collaboration between Sidhu, Moffat and Max Krummel, a professor at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF), five years ago has led to myeloid tuning. In 2011, Krummel co-invented the first engineered immunotherapy against skin cancer. Three years later, Sidhu and Krummel cofounded Pionyr Immunotherapeutics in San Francisco to turn research ideas into something more concrete. Pionyr announced recently that it raised US$62 million from investors, bringing their total funding to $72 million. The funds have been raised over the course of two years to develop myeloid tuning into a form that will be compatible with humans. The funding boost came on the back of promising proprietary data obtained with antibodies created in Toronto. So far, Myeloid Tuning has been shown to be effective in multiple mouse tumour models. Starting from scratch in 2010, TRAC has grown immensely and become a sought-after platform with more than 50 ongoing collaborations worldwide. Moffat and Sidhu want to see a continual growth of new drugs developed in Toronto. Thanks to the support of philanthropist Terrence Donnelly, whose ongoing donations have founded the interdisciplinary biomedical research institute, Donnelly Centre, to support research and innovation. The most recent $10 million gift will be used to launch a new hub for biotechnology startups that will accelerate the translation of its research discoveries into new therapies. Its first occupants will be Systems Biologics Inc. and SciGenom Life Sciences, Canada, new Canadian corporations that will develop TRAC antibodies into treatments for cancer and other major diseases. +++++ Croda International acquires Nautilus Biosciences Canada Inc. The two companies already have a proven track record of successful collaborations during the past six years developing specific applications for skin care and hair care, as well as crop care. Croda intends to establish Nautilus as a Croda Centre of Innovation for Marine Biotechnology at the existing base at the University of Prince Edward Island. Through this acquisition and associated patents, Croda will utilise Nautilus' innovative science for applications across all its market sectors. This location is ideal for biotechnology research and has already attracted and facilitated partnerships with many other biotechnology-based companies. Nautilus has exclusive global access to the Marine Microbial Library which is based at the University of Prince Edward Island. The founder of Nautilus, Russell Kerr explains that they have enjoyed a very positive and collaborative relationship with both Croda and the University of Prince Edward Island for a number of years and have always been impressed with Croda's drive to develop the opportunities from marine biotechnology. Becoming part of the Croda group will provide Nautilus the resources and support to establish a key centre for the research and development of marine-derived natural products, as well as providing Croda new products for commercial success. Nautilus was founded in 2007 by professor Russell Kerr and, together with its world-class scientists, focuses on using marine microbial biodiversity to discover novel actives and materials. Roy Francis, executive director of the PEI BioAlliance adds, "Croda's investment in Nautilus and Prince Edward Island is a great return on everyone's commitment. It's how a cluster works." +++++ Well that wraps up another episode of Biotechnology Focus. For the full stories, please visit the website biotechnologyfocus.ca. Thanks again for listening! From my desk to yours – this is Michelle Currie.

075 | Partnerships, potential cures and pandemics 

Welcome to another episode of Biotechnology Focus radio. This week has brought new partnerships and novel research to light from across Canada.  

An international partnership sets its sight on developing a cure for Alzheimer's disease 

A recent study on Huntington's could aid cognitive decline 

Research suggests link between mortality rates of influenza pandemics  

And implanting a potential cure for type 1 diabetes  

Welcome to another episode of Biotechnology Focus radio. I am your host, Michelle Currie, here to give you a run-down of the top stories of Canada's biotech scene. 

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A deal has been signed between the Krembil Research Institute and French multinational pharmaceutical company, Servier, for the development of a potential disease-modifying drug for Alzheimer's disease. 

This strategic research partnership agreement with Toronto-based company Treventis Corp., a company founded by the director of Krembil, Dr. Donald Weaver, is to co-develop a lasting treatment. Studies are already underway the University Health Network (UHN). 

Dr. Donald Weaver stated that "this was a very bid deal. Drug discovery is a tremendously competitive field and this partnership demonstrates the ability of Krembil and UHN to achieve a level of excellence on the world stage. It also helps cement our place as one of the leading neuroscience research facilities in Canada." 

As part of the collaborative agreement, researchers from both countries will be targeting two key proteins that have been identified with memory loss. 

Weaver's team has been working on a therapeutic strategy for near two decades to slow or stop this degenerative disease. Currently, there are no disease-modifying treatments on the market to prevent or stop the progression altogether. Alzheimer's disease affects over 564,000 people in Canada and is expected to rise to a distressing 937,000 by 2031[1]. 

In 2013, Treventis was awarded $4.7-million in funding from the prestigious Wellcome Trust to investigate compounds, with the hopes of designing a drug that can safely and effectively treat people with chronic neurological dementias, such as Alzheimer's. Funding from the Wellcome Trust, a British-based independent charity, is extremely competitive, difficult to obtain, and is traditionally awarded to researchers in the U.K. 

Some of the donors and contributors to the advancement of this research are the Brain Campaign, Alzheimer Society of Canada, Canadian Institutes of Health Research, The W. Garfield Weston Foundation, Bright Focus Foundation, and the Krembil Foundation. 

As part of the agreement, Servier will fund all research costs and maintain worldwide rights to develop and commercialize drugs advanced during the partnership, while the Toronto researchers set to discover a candidate for a phase I clinical trial. 

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A York University study might have found a new treatment option for Huntington's disease. Christine Till, a psychology professor at the university wanted to know if working memory – a mental workspace that stores information while carrying out a task – training would help early-stage patients with the disease. 

In collaboration with the funder, North York General Hospital (NYGH), she led the study where nine patients received working memory training. The results were published in the journal PLoS ONE and detailed how seven of the nine participants completed the training and perceived benefits. 

Huntington disease, is a genetic brain disorder characterized by cognitive decline. It is often accompanied by mood changes such as anger, depression, and anxiety. Symptoms usually start when the patient is between 30 and 50 years of age. 

The Huntington Study Group estimates that there are between 4-7 individuals per 100,000 diagnosed with Huntington's in Canada. This number is up for debate largely due to people fearing to take the test because of possible genetic discrimination from health insurers. 

This was a pilot, small study aimed at figuring out feasibility, time and costs. It allows researchers to tweak it before running a comprehensive study. 

Previous studies of early-to-moderate stage Huntington disease had focused on improving motor functions like gait and balance. Till became encouraged by studies that demonstrated how mice, who were characterized as having genetic mutations mimicking Huntington disease, had benefited from environmental enrichment. These mouse models showed that an enriched environment could enhance motor activity and reduce brain loss. 

Inspired by this research, Till began to construct home-based computerized training programs to enhance mental activity in participants with Huntington's disease. 

Participants underwent neuropsychological testing at North York General Hospital or York University twice – once, at the start of the study, and once one week after the completion of the training. This testing was comprised of 90 minutes of questionnaires and neurocognitive assessments. 

The training itself involved 25 sessions that were run through the internet and each lasting 40 to 50 minutes. Training was typically completed over a five-week period, five days a week, using the patients' home computers. 

It consisted of exercises that targeted visual-spatial working memory and verbal working memory. Task difficulty was taken into account and adjusted automatically so that the exercises were consistently engaging. 

A training coach called the participants weekly to inquire about their experience with the program and to provide motivational support and note any changes in health. Additionally, the training program provided feedback to the participant after each trial was completed. It calculated this by showing comparisons of previous scores and high scores, and providing auditory comments such as "Way to go!" when the participant's response was correct. Daily performance on the training program was tracked by the computer. 

Exit interviews provided powerful insights into the progress of the program and its effectiveness. 

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New research out of McMaster University and the Université de Montréal suggests that people who were born during a time of an influenza pandemic are at a higher risk of mortality amidst another pandemic arising. While typically, one develops an immunity from exposure to similar, or sometimes different, influenza A viruses, researchers are expressing that there might need to be exceptions to this rule. 

The new data that was collected proposes that people who were born the time of the 1957 H2N2 or Asian Flu pandemic were at a higher risk of dying during the 2009 H1N1 Swine Flu pandemic, as well as the resurgent outbreak in 2013-2014. 

The influenza virus has posed a great threat to humanity throughout the years. Its ability to cause widespread pandemics, leaves researchers and scientists scrambling to find a cure. Over the last 100 years, at least five notable pandemics have occurred. This includes the 1918 H1N1 Spanish Flu, the 1957 H2N2 Asian Flu, the 1968 H3N2 "Hong Kong Flu", the 1977 Russian Flu, and the 2009 H1N1 Swine Flu. 

The results align with at least two previous influenza A virus pandemics, in 1918 and 1968, when there were higher death rates among those born during previous pandemic years in 1890 and 1918, respectively. 

Matthew Miller, senior author of the paper, and assistant professor of biochemistry and biomedical sciences at McMaster University suggests that this phenomenon is not unique. He believes that exposure to pandemic influenza early in life is a risk factor for mortality during subsequent cross-strain pandemics. 

Further research is required to develop appropriate vaccines.  

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The University of British Columbia and Vancouver Coastal Health are testing a radical way to cure diabetes. The researchers are implanting pancreatic cells grown in a lab from embryonic stem cells to replace ones previously damaged. The hope is that the implanted cells would mature and multiply to eradicate the reliance on insulin and everyday monitoring of blood sugar via finger pricking.  

Dr. David Thompson, a principal investigator in the clinical trial, says that, "If these replacement cells restore a person's ability to produce their own insulin when needed, it would prevent dangerous episodes of low blood sugar and lessen the complications resulting from high blood sugar, such as blindness, heart attacks and kidney failure." 

The trial could involve about 10 or more people in Vancouver with a severe form of type 1 diabetes, in which a person's immune system attacks the pancreas, degrading or eliminating its ability to produce insulin. 

The team received a grant from the Stem Cell Network of Canada for $500,000 to implement these treatments. Currently, they have only implanted one person, but intend to implant more in the coming weeks. Participants will be followed for two years to see if the implanted cells mature into insulin-producing beta cells and other cells capable of controlling a person's blood sugar, and whether there are significant side effects. 

The implants are part of a larger clinical study by ViaCyte that plans to test the cell-replacement therapy on approximately 40 patients between the US and Canada. ViaCyte has developed a technique for coaxing the embryonic cells along a path to become mature pancreatic cells. The company has also developed for the clinical trial, a protective packet – smaller than a VISA card – that will be implanted just beneath the skin. The packet's membrane will allow blood vessels to permeate inside so that oxygen and other nutrients will stimulate them to differentiate further. The researchers expect some of the cells will become beta cells, which sense blood sugar levels and release insulin when needed. 

As well as these packets, other smaller "sentinel" packets will be implanted and taken out at an earlier stage to evaluate the condition and the development of the cells inside. 

With the intention to prevent the participants'' bodies from rejecting the units, they will be taking immunosuppressants. This, however, makes the patients more susceptible to other infections and is therefore only being clinically tested on people who have a particularly dangerous form of type 1 diabetes. 

The procedure for implanting the cells, performed by a team led by Dr. Garth Warnock, a UBC surgery professor, is similar to transplanting clusters of beta cells, known as "islets," from deceased donors – a treatment pioneered at the University of Alberta. If this clinical study is successful, it could be a promising lead to a cure for type 1 diabetes. 

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Well that wraps up another episode of Biotechnology Focus. For the full stories, please visit the website biotechnologyfocus.ca. From my desk to yours – this is Michelle Currie.  

074 | An unprecedented act of kindness, a jump in cancer immunotherapy, and trusting your gut On this episode of Biotechnology Focus radio are some of the top stories this week: How an unprecedented act of kindness will transform lives Promising news out of Ottawa that could take cancer immunotherapy to the next level How a known anti-psychotic has the possibility of being a solution to ALS And how a researcher's gut reaction turned out to be right. ++++++ Making headlines this week is about the staggering $100 million anonymous donation that was received by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) in Toronto to combat the causes of mental illness and develop cures to save lives and further hope. This anonymous gift leaves many incredulous and excited to fuel discovery and create social change for all Canadians. The donor made a comment on how they had seen first-hand the impact mental illness has on individuals and their families, and that they just wanted to support the next generation of researchers so that they can transform care. This investment has presented CAMH the opportunity to create the Discovery Fund, aimed to transform the lives of those touched by mental illness. The fund will attract talent, explore innovative ideas, support young scientists and leverage data to pick the brain and uncover how the pieces fit together. Dr. Catherine Zahn, the president and CEO of the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health said that "Complex problems need complex solutions. We need to invest in the fundamental research and the clinical innovation that will improve the health of individuals and populations, locally, nationally and globally. This gift will make that a reality." +++++ The Ottawa Hospital and the University of Ottawa have released a promising study. It suggests that combinations of two immunotherapies – oncolytic viruses and checkpoint inhibitors – could be more successful as treatments for combating triple-negative breast cancer than traditional methods. The study was published in Science Translational Medicine using mice models by Dr. Marie-Claude Bourgeois-Daigneault, lead-author of the study and postdoctoral fellow, and Dr. John Bell, a grantee from the Alliance of Cancer Gene Therapy (ACGT), professor at the University of Ottawa and senior scientist at the Ottawa Hospital. Cancer immunotherapy has become a prominent tool in the treatment of cancer, especially melanoma and leukemia, but has not had such a strong effect on solid tumour cancers. The researchers studied three mouse models of triple negative breast cancer and found that all were resistant to a checkpoint inhibitor which is commonly used to treat other kinds of cancer. They also found that while an oncolytic virus called Maraba could replicate inside these cancers and help the mouse's immune system recognize and attack the cancer, the virus alone had minimal impact on overall survival. The researchers decided to up the ante and put both the oncolytic and checkpoint inhibitor in unison to determine if the results would change in models that mimicked metastatic breast cancer. They found that this combination cured 60 to 90 per cent of the mice, compared to zero for the checkpoint inhibitor alone and 20 to 30 per cent for the virus alone. In these models, the virus was given previous to the surgery and the checkpoint inhibitor was given afterward. There are other ongoing clinical trials that are testing oncolytic viruses, such as Maraba, in aggregation with checkpoint inhibitors in people with cancer, as well as expanding the use of oncolytic viruses to fight other infectious diseases, such as HIV. These results could be a breakthrough and make this an incredibly exciting find. +++++ Most people are familiar with the Ice Bucket Challenge that went viral a couple years ago to raise awareness for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or more familiarly known as ALS. It topped the charts with over $17 million participants that raised a substantial amount of money for the cause. So where did these raised funds go? Well, some of that capital has been invested into a research study at the University of Calgary to investigate a potential pre-established drug for use as a treatment for ALS. Dr. Lawrence Korngut, associate professor at the Cumming School of Medicine and a member of the Hotchkiss Brain Institute, is spearheading a clinical trial associated with nine hospital centres around Canada to determine if a well-known anti-psychotic drug could be repurposed to either cure or treat symptoms of ALS. Studies from researchers in Montreal indicated that the use of pimozide to stabilize mobility was receptive in animal models who were born with the equivalent of human ALS. They discovered that the drug had a particular knack for preventing paralysis in fish with a genetic form of ALS by preserving the neuromuscular function – which can be related to the disease in humans. After only six weeks, the research team started to see results of the drug's effectiveness. One of the first more typical signs of ALS – which is the loss of control of the thenar muscles – maintained normal functioning. However, it is not known yet if pimozide can be repurposed for this disease. More studies will be necessary to determine if this will only have a stabilizing effect, or if it is curative. It appears as if things are looking up for ALS patients as more clinical trials are introduced, but there is still no definitive cure for the disease. More ALS patients are needed for these studies. Any who are interested in participating please contact [email protected]. +++++ Many people around the world rely on catheters every day to empty their bladder – especially people with spinal cord injuries. After a well-respected publication concluded that catheters could be reused without an increased risk of infection, a professor and researcher from the University of British Columbia began to question. Dr. Andrei Krassioukov, a professor of medicine at UBC and chair of rehabilitation research with International Collaboration On Repair Discoveries (ICORD), who works closely with groups such as the American Paraplegic Society, and the Canadian Association of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, just this past summer spoke to a few of the wheelchair athletes that participated in the Summer Paralympics in London about the single-use versus multiple-use issues on catheters. A urinary tract infection (UTI) is an infection in any part of your urinary system — your kidneys, ureters, bladder, and urethra. Most infections involve the lower urinary tract — the bladder and the urethra. It can be an extremely painful and incapacitating infection. Antibiotics like amoxicillin, are used to heal the infection and soothe the symptoms. Sexually active women and patients that use catheters, like spinal cord injury patients are at higher risk. It has been a debate amongst the medical community of whether or not to reuse catheters. The instrument can cost anywhere from $5 to $30, and for people with spinal cord injuries that require a new one every time they release their bladder, it begins to add up. Around the world, and even within Canada, there are price and coverage differences for the individual. In France, it is illegal to reuse catheters; and in other countries, they simply can not afford the healthcare costs of single-use. Cochrane Canada, a non-profit, non-governmental organization formed to organize medical research findings to facilitate evidence-based choices about health inventions, reviewed evidence from 31 clinical trials of single vs. multi-use catheters and urinary tract infections in 2014. Their statement is that there was no convincing evidence that the incidence of infection was linked by catheterization. From Krassioukov's clinical experience and study conducted at the Paralympics he instinctively knew that these results were false. He assembled a team of experts from around the world to re-examine the evidence. Due to the sufficiency of the errors they found in the previous concluding evidence, Cochrane has since withdrawn their conclusion. While there have been new developments on how to make catheters sterile and ready for multi-use, they have yet to be fully confident that it will not reimpose infection. +++++ Well that wraps up another episode of Biotechnology Focus Radio. If you are interested in contributing an article to Biotechnology Focus, please email us at [email protected]. For the full stories of this week's headlines, check out biotechnologyfocus.ca. Thank you all so much for listening. I hope you are having a great week and tune in soon again! From my desk to yours – this is Michelle Currie.

Happy 2018 from Biotechnology Focus! Ahead on today's episode are some of the headlines that are shaking things up in the new year.  

Sanofi launches digital clinical trials for increased probability of participation 

A repurposed drug could be the key to successful stem cell transplants 

Experts advise caution of the use of Sanofi's dengue vaccine as new warnings are added to the label 

Virus vs. Virus – could Maraba knock out HIV? 

Welcome to another episode of Biotechnology Focus radio. I am your host, Michelle Currie, here to give you a run-down of the top stories of Canada's biotech scene. 

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First up this week, Sanofi launches a digital way to partake in clinical trials – to make participation more widely available and lower the duration of the trial itself. Clinical trials are a crucial step to putting the potentially life-saving medication on to shelves. However, due to the specifics required for each participant and their proximity to a research centre, 80 per cent of clinical trials are delayed due to recruitment problems in the US alone according to a study by the Centre of Information and Study on Clinical Research Participation (CISCRP). 

Unfortunately, these delays prevent some of these innovative medicines from reaching its patient base or taking longer than necessary. Sanofi, partnering with Science 37 decided to tackle this problem head-on by taking a digital approach. 

According to the study by Centre of Information and Study on Clinical Research Participation, 87 per cent of patients are willing participants for clinical studies, but yet 70 per cent of them live over two hours away from a research centre – deterring them. Many studies require the participant to check in a few times a week, which is too far for most people to attend during their busy lives. 

Science 37's approach allows patients to be monitored and report to researchers via an Apple iPhone equipped with the company's NORA technology. Qualified study participants are provided with the phone, a data plan, any sensors or any devices needed to obtain the information for the study. With quick access to researchers, mobile nurses and under the care of local health care professionals, this could be a solution the geographical gap. 

Sanofi's agreement with Science 37 covers use of its Metasite model and NORA technology across the U.S. with plans to expand internationally in the future. By eliminating months of searching for patients and long travel time to study sites, virtual clinical trials could reduce total trial time by as much as two years. 

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Canada is known for its long track record of success in stem cells, specifically in blood stem cells, and the research from British Columbia will be no exception. Peter Zandstra, a founder and chief scientific officer at the Centre for Commercialization of Regenerative Medicine (CCRM) and director of UBC's new School of Biomedical Engineering, as well as researchers from UofT and UBC, publish in Science Translation Medicine, a potential way to repurpose an anti-inflammatory drug for blood stem cell transplants. 

Earlier work looked at cell interaction and signaling between cell population where the researchers noticed that one of the growth factors tumour-necrosis-factor-alpha (TNF-a) – a protein that cells deploy against infection, which is sometimes overproduced, killing healthy cells – had a negative effect on blood stem cells. This observation emerged when the researchers did not get the expected number of stem cells to rise to mature blood cells during blood stem cell transplantation. This finding influenced Zandstra to explore whether one of several existing drugs that block TNF-a would allow human blood cells to thrive in a new host. 

Zandstra and his team added the blocking agent either with the transplant or up to two weeks later. The results they received from testing on animal models far surpassed expectations. The mice had numerous more blood stem cells, and more importantly, diversification – more rapid T and white blood cells, which suggested a healthy transplant. 

Zandstra had stated that this could lead to using smaller grafts, and would provide two main benefits. The first being that there are many of those available with a large pool from which to choose; and second, the potential to have better matches from those existing pools. A significant portion of banked umbilical cord blood is simply not suitable for use on adults because they are either too small or not appropriately matched. 

These results provide a strong basis to advance the research to clinical trial and observe whether TNF-a blockers improve patient outcomes or save lives. This repurposed drug could be the key to successful stem cell transplants. 

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If you're thinking about going on holiday this winter season and deciding which vaccines to get for your trip – experts at World Health Organization are advising caution of the use of Sanofi's dengue vaccine, at least for now. The vaccine, could be putting people, especially children, at a heightened risk of severe disease. 

Sanofi recently changed the warnings on the label of their vaccine, Dengvaxia, even though experts from the World Health Organization (WHO) had told them a year previously that the vaccine had safety risks and should only be used in people who have had a previous dengue infection. 

Based on six-years of clinical data, the analysis from Sanofi that evaluated the long-term safety and efficacy of Dengvaxia in people who had been infected with dengue previously and with those who had not, confirmed that it should only be used in people who had a previous infection and over the age of 9 in dengue-infested regions. The age recommendation coming from surveillance data which indicated that 70-90 per cent of people will have been exposed to dengue by the time they reach adolescence. 

Dengue, a mosquito-borne viral disease is painful and debilitating, for which there is no treatment. Approximately 4 billion people are at risk of dengue fever. It hits hardest in rainy seasons around tropical areas and can be lethal. There are five strains of the virus, but only one will provide the infected with anti-bodies for lifelong immunity. The other strains will, unfortunately, have a short-term immunity, leaving the infected with the potential of subsequent infections that can cause severe complications. 

The vaccine, which can act as a first infection to those who have not been infected with dengue before, has been approved in 19 countries and launched in 11. The Philippines, who had invested a hefty sum into the dengue vaccination program recently pulled the vaccine off the shelves after Sanofi's statement that the vaccine could cause "severe disease" was released. The country braces for the worst after hearing this news and after the immunization of over 730,000 children. 

Sanofi urges physicians and health authorities to update the information regarding the vaccine. 

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Researchers at the University of Ottawa and the Ottawa Hospital discover that the Maraba virus, or MG1, is effectively targeting and destroying the kind of HIV-infected cells that standard antiretroviral therapies can not reach. These findings were published in the Journal of Infectious Diseases and may very well help lead to a cure for HIV in humans. 

While there are certain "cocktails" that are taken daily by people who have been diagnosed with HIV, there is no current cure for the disease, even when the cells lie dormant and a person is deemed "undetectable". "Undetectable" meaning that they are undergoing antiretroviral therapy and their white blood cell counts have increased and their viral load significantly decreased to an "undetectable" level – but there it lies in wait – for the virus load will quickly rebound if one of these "cocktails" are missed. 

These latent HIV-infected cells are hard to target because they are not distinguishable from normal cells. Dr. Jonathan Angel's team had decided to try an innovative approach to identifying these dormant cells using the MG1 virus. This virus attacks cancer cells that have defects in their interferon pathway, which makes the cells more vulnerable to viruses. Previously, Angel and his team had discovered that latent HIV-infected cells shared this defect. 

The research group used several laboratory models of latent HIV-infected cells to discover that the MG1 virus targeted and eliminated the HIV-infected cells and left the healthy cells unharmed. 

While most of these cells in patients are in the lymph nodes and other organs, a tiny number are found in the blood. When the researchers added MG1 to relevant blood cells taken from HIV-positive individuals, the levels of HIV DNA in the sample dropped. This indicated that the HIV-infected cells had been eliminated. 

Pending funding and approvals, the research team's next step is to try the virus in animal models of HIV or move directly to clinical trials. Further examination and time will tell whether this is a knockout solution for combating HIV. 

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Canada is known for its long track record of success in stem cells, specifically in blood stem cells, and the research from British Columbia will be no exception. Peter Zandstra, a founder and chief scientific officer at the Centre for Commercialization of Regenerative Medicine (CCRM) and director of UBC's new School of Biomedical Engineering, as well as researchers from UofT and UBC, publish in Science Translation Medicine, a potential way to repurpose an anti-inflammatory drug for blood stem cell transplants. 

Earlier work looked at cell interaction and signaling between cell population where the researchers noticed that one of the growth factors tumour-necrosis-factor-alpha (TNF-a) – a protein that cells deploy against infection, which is sometimes overproduced, killing healthy cells – had a negative effect on blood stem cells. This observation emerged when the researchers did not get the expected number of stem cells to rise to mature blood cells during blood stem cell transplantation. This finding influenced Zandstra to explore whether one of several existing drugs that block TNF-a would allow human blood cells to thrive in a new host. 

Zandstra and his team added the blocking agent either with the transplant or up to two weeks later. The results they received from testing on animal models far surpassed expectations. The mice had numerous more blood stem cells, and more importantly, diversification – more rapid T and white blood cells, which suggested a healthy transplant. 

Zandstra had stated that this could lead to using smaller grafts, and would provide two main benefits. The first being that there are many of those available with a large pool from which to choose; and second, the potential to have better matches from those existing pools. A significant portion of banked umbilical cord blood is simply not suitable for use on adults because they are either too small or not appropriately matched. 

These results provide a strong basis to advance the research to clinical trial and observe whether TNF-a blockers improve patient outcomes or save lives. This repurposed drug could be the key to successful stem cell transplants. 

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Well that wraps up another episode of Biotechnology Focus. For the full stories, please visit the website biotechnologyfocus.ca. From my desk to yours – this is Michelle Currie.  

Ahead of Biotechnology Focus radio are some of the highlights of the week.

ImmunoBiochem is haloed with angel investors after completing a new round of financing.

Biotalent Canada provides subsidy to fund more "green jobs" for young graduates.

eSight named one of the best inventions in 2017 by giving the gift of sight.

Zymeworks presents results of ongoing completed dose escalation phase 1 oncology study.

Welcome to another episode of Biotechnology Focus radio. I am your host, Michelle Currie, here to give you a run-down of the top stories of Canada's biotech scene.

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Our first story this week takes us to the heart of Toronto with ImmunoBiochem Corporation as it completes a new round of financing led by angel investors and the company's founding investor. The corporation has expanded its operations and is now located at Johnson & Johnson, JLABS, in the centre of Toronto.

The company is focused on solving tumour heterogeneity by targeting a class of proteins in the tumour microenvironment with antibody drug conjugates (ADCs). This is an anticancer therapeutics class that combines the selectivity of targeted biologics with the potency of highly cytotoxic small-molecule drugs. One of the highest priorities of ImmunoBiochem is to transform the lives of patients who have triple-negative breast cancer – an extremely aggressive disease that has poor survival rates and does not respond well to major therapies.

ImmunoBiochem in partnership with the Centre for the Commercialization of Antibodies and Biologics (CCAB) and the University of Toronto, has developed fully-human antibodies for the treatment of breast cancer and solid tumours.

JLABS Toronto is a 40,000 square foot facility located in the MaRS Discovery District. The labs provide a flexible environment for start-up companies pursuing innovative technologies and research platforms for life sciences. Johnson & Johnson does not take an equity stake in the companies occupying their space or in developed products.

ImmunoBiochem is a member of the Ontario Bioscience Innovation Organization and is partaking in the OBIO Capital Access Advisory Program. The company is also supported by MaRS Health and the Health Innovation Hub (H2i) accelerator at the University of Toronto.

The company will be at the JPMorgan Healthcare week in California next month and is open to additional partnerships and investment.

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BioTalent Canada announces the extension of its wage-subsidy program aimed at helping new graduates across Canada gain access to "green jobs". The federally funded program will provide $2.3 million in wage subsidies and create over 200 new placements over the next two years in biotech, environmental and likewise sectors.

Career Focus Green Jobs is a wage subsidy initiate intended to alleviate youth unemployment. It has been funded in part by the Government of Canada's Youth Employment Strategy. Wage subsidies have a positive record of jumpstarting careers, especially for biotech grads and aiding small to mid-sized enterprises acquire the funds to hire more talent.

According to the BioTalent Canada's 2017 labour market report on youth employment, almost 85 per cent of new graduates retain full-time employment after their wage subsidy ends.

BioTalent Canada, a national non-profit HR association for Canada's bio-economy, has a long track record of successful implementation of wage-subsidy programs and will disburse over $10.3 million in wage subsidies, to create 1,400 job placements over the next four years. The Green Jobs program will form an important component of those new placements.

Eligible companies will be those with a sustainable development mission, or those with products or services that directly reduce carbon footprint, enhance recycling or reduce waste. Similarly, positions that are dedicated to those ends from other industries may also be eligible for the subsidy. Companies interested in applying are encouraged to visit biotalent.ca/wage-subsidies for more information.

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Time magazine has named eSight one of the best inventions in 2017. After years of challenging work, and millions of dollars, the company was able to develop electronic glasses that actually allowed the blind to see. Inspired by his two blind sisters, the founder had decided to use his engineering skills to find a solution they could live with.

The organization believes that everyone deserves to see. This technology has the capability of changing millions of individual lives across the world. It will allow for mobility and freedom and for each person to experience those momentous moments when they can see their loved ones faces, their peers, and a whole new way to virtually see life.

Dr. Brian Mech, president and CEO of eSight says that "For eSight to receive this recognition from Time is a wonderful affirmation of the breakthrough work we do on a daily basis to Make Blindness History. eSight's world-class lab is the largest and most advanced, anywhere in the world, that specializes exclusively in developing clinically-validated medical devices that allow the legally blind to actually see and be independently mobile."

eSight will work on individuals with low vision, and who are legally blind. People who are legally blind have an acuity of 20/200 or poorer in their better eye. Low vision is another term often used, referring to people who have an acuity of 20/70 or poorer in their better eye. The eyes are very complex organs and there are many eye conditions that can cause blindness or low vision.

There are many testimonials from legally blind individuals who have used this device can not express enough how much this technology has changed and enhanced their life.

The company has seen tremendous amounts of interest from companies wishing to help their blind employees to schools wanting to give the gift of sight to students. Time magazine has aptly named eSight for being one of the best inventions in 2017.

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Lastly this week, Zymeworks Inc. presents the completed dose escalation portion of its phase I study of ZW25, a bispecific antibody targeting two distinct domains of the HER2 receptor. The HER2-mediated signaling pathway is perceived to contribute to tumour growth in several cancers.

There have been 22 patients enrolled in the study – 11 with breast cancer, eight with gastric, gastroesophageal junction, or esophageal (GE), and three with other HER2-expressing cancers. Part one of the multi-part study was a standard dose escalation where patients received ZW25 either weekly or bi-weekly in cycles of four weeks each.

The Study Highlights are:

– Six Partial Responses (PR) were observed across all dosing groups.

– Clinical benefit was observed in heavily pretreated HER2-high breast and GE cancer patients.

– Breast cancer patients received a median of six prior HER2-targeted regimens for metastatic disease; partial response in 56 per cent (5/9) of breast cancer patients with measurable disease, with 89 per cent (8/9) experiencing a decrease in target lesions.

– Three HER2-high GE cancer patients with measurable disease displayed shrinking tumours.

– ZW25 was well-tolerated at all doses and schedules, with the most common adverse events being diarrhea, infusion reactions, or nausea.

– The dose escalation portion of the phase I trial is complete and enrollment in the expansion cohorts is underway.

There was a reduction in target lesions per RECIST criteria in 79 per cent of breast and GE cancer patients with measurable disease (11/14). The best overall response (BOR) in 17 patients that had at least one tumour restaging was six in breast and GE cancer patients' PR (35 per cent), three with SD (18 per cent) and eight with progressive disease (47 per cent).

Of the eleven breast cancer patients, all were HER2-high and had received a median of six prior HER2-targeted regimens for metastatic disease. Of the eight GE patients, six were evaluable for response, and had received a median of four prior systemic regimens. Three of five patients with measurable disease had a decrease in tumour size.

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Well that wraps up another episode of Biotechnology Radio. We hope you enjoyed it. If you have any feedback or story ideas, please reach out to us via [email protected]. From all of us here at Biotechnology Focus, have a wonderful week ahead. From my desk to yours – this is Michelle Currie.

Ahead on Biotechnology Focus radio are some of the stories from universities across the country and their innovative research this week.

The University of British Columbia presents research that Alzheimer's might be a whole-body problem.

The University of Guelph identifies key protein in cancer metastasis.

A University of Toronto scientist will be conducting a real-time study of astronauts while on mission.

And, Western University's National Centre for Audiology will be testing a device that may lay the foundation for hearing in the future.

Welcome to another episode of Biotechnology Focus radio. I am your host, Michelle Currie, here to give you a run-down of the top stories of Canada's biotech scene. 

Our first story this week takes us to British Columbia, where recent studies are showing that Alzheimer's might be linked to more than just deteriorating brain matter and plaque. It could be a whole-body phenomenon. The findings that were published in Molecular Psychiatry offer hope that future drug therapies might be able to stop or slow the disease without acting directly on the brain. Instead, the drugs might be able to target areas such as the liver and kidney to flush out the toxic proteins that cause dementia before ever reaching the brain.

Weihong Song, a psychiatry professor from the university of British Columbia and Yan-Jiang Wang, a neurology professor at the Third Military Medical University in Chongqing, China, demonstrated the mobility of a protein linked to Alzheimer's disease through a technique called parabiosis. The technique involves surgically attaching two specimens together so they share the same blood supply for several months.

The scientists attached normal mice, which don't naturally develop Alzheimer's disease, with mice modified to carry a mutant human gene that produces elevated levels of the protein called amyloid beta. In people with Alzheimer's disease, that protein ultimately forms clumps, or "plaque".

The findings described the mice who had been attached to an amyloid beta inflicted counterpart ended up "contracting" the disease, all in just a few months.

Not only did the normal mice develop plaque, but also a "tangle"-like pathology, which are twisted protein strands that form inside brain cells that disrupt their function to eventually kill them from the inside-out. Other signs of Alzheimer's-like damage included brain cell degeneration, inflammation, and microbleeds. Even the ability to transmit electrical signals involved in learning and memory were impaired after a brief time being joined.

Amyloid beta is produced in other areas of the body besides the brain. It can be found in blood platelets, blood vessels, and muscles. Until these experiments, it was unclear if amyloid beta from outside the brain could contribute to Alzheimer's disease. It appears from this study, that indeed it can.

Perhaps in the near future, researchers and scientists will develop a drug that would tag the amyloid beta biochemically in such a way that the liver or kidney will be able to flush it out before generating damage.

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The University of Guelph researchers have made a discovery during one of their ground-breaking studies. They have identified a protein known as cadherin-22 that binds cancer cells together and allows them to invade tissues. Hindering this protein showed signs of reduction in metastatic cancer patients for breast and brain cancer cells by up to 90 per cent.

This study was published in the journal Oncogene and looks specifically at hypoxia in tumours. More solid cancer tumours that are depleted of oxygen, are difficult to treat and replicate at a faster rate. The researchers from the university discovered from the analysis of more than 100 patients with breast or brain cancer that there was a link between the quantity of cadherin-22 and the level of hypoxia in a tumour itself. The more hypoxic the tumour was, the higher the protein count of cadherin-22.

Until now, little was known about how oxygen-deprived cancer cells bound together and interacted to spread. The U of G researchers found that it is precisely under conditions of low oxygen that cancer cells trigger the production of cadherin-22, putting in motion a kind of protein boost that helps bind cells together, enhancing cellular movement, invasion, and likely metastasis. The protein is found on the outside of cells and allows hypoxic cancer cells to migrate together.

Scientists have known for decades that hypoxia plays a role in tumour growth and metastasis, as well as a poor patient outcome. Professor Jim Uniacke and his team identified that cadherin-22 plays an integral part in the advancement of cancer cells.

The researchers used an incubator to monitor cancer cells in a low-oxygen environment comparable to a tumour, where the protein cadherin-22 had been removed via molecular tools. The cancer cells failed to spread.

These findings offer vital insights into the aggression and migration of cancer cells.

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A University of Toronto scientist will be performing real-time blood cell analyses on astronauts to reveal how time, space, and speed affect the immune system. Dr. Chen Wang hopes that this research will lead to an understanding of how stress and other environmental factors impact our ability to fight disease.

Wang, a professor in the faculty of medicine's department of laboratory medicine and pathobiology and a clinician-scientist at Mount Sinai Hospital, will be leading the project named Immuno Profile, to study the astronauts on the International Space Station over the course of five years.

Canadian astronaut and physician, David Saint-Jacques, will be part of the next mission to the space station and will participate in several Canadian-made health experiments announced by the Canadian Space Agency.

The astronauts will use a device that will take finger-prick blood samples during the flight mission, then the information will be sent back to Wang and his team for analysis.

Wang expects to see immune cell and cytokine mediator changes, identify different types of immune cells and to see if the cells are functioning well or not.

Wang also commented on the uniqueness of the space flight environment to study immune system stressors. Immune dysfunction relates to many diseases, including cancers, viral infections, MS, type I diabetes, and even the aging process. The weightlessness of space can also be used to learn more about the less-understood lymphatic system, which depends on the pressure to flow properly.

They hope to develop a new model for how the immune system responds to circadian rhythm and various stresses.

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Lastly for this week, Western University's National Centre for Audiology (NCA) is testing a new device that may lay the foundation for the hearing of the future.

Recently approved by Health Canada and already available in the states, Earlens hearing aid offers a remarkable chance for the hearing impaired to listen in to the everyday world. Its sound-to-light technology eliminates the whistling noise common in conventional hearing aids and delivers the broadest frequency on the market that results in a more life-like sound with crisp highs and rumbling lows.

Western University is the first Canadian location authorized to test out the Earlens hearing aid and see if it measures up.

Traditional hearing aids are worn behind the ear or in the ear and pick-up, amplify and process incoming sounds and direct them into the ear canal. Meanwhile, the Earlens rests directly on the eardrum and gently activates the natural hearing system.

Western's National Centre for Audiology is a state-of-the-art research centre. It has developed national protocols for pediatric heating assessments, developed methods for fitting hearing aids, has tested numerous devices for more than a dozen companies across the globe and is dedicated to tackling complex issues related to hearing loss.

The NCA will be testing the Earlens device using a double-blind study to examine if its light pulse invention turns on the bulb to resonate a way to the future of hearing.

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Well that wraps up another episode of Biotechnology Radio. We hope you enjoyed it. If you have any feedback or story ideas, please reach out to us via [email protected]. From all of us here at Biotechnology Focus, have a wonderful week ahead. From my desk to yours – this is Michelle Currie.

Hi! This is Michelle Currie and on this episode of Biotechnology Focus radio, we will be discussing outsourcing. A topic defined as "the strategic use of outside resources to perform activities traditionally handled by internal staff and resources." It is a strategy used by organizations to contract out major functions to specialized providers. 

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I have with me today, Michael Stopay, the director from Pacer Air Freight, a Canadian life science logistics company to discuss with us the advantages of outsourcing for small to mid sized enterprises and how his company plays a role.  

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Well, that concludes our Biotechnology Focus radio for this week. I would like to thank Michael Stopay for being with us today and hope that you will listen in next week! From my desk to yours – this is Michelle Currie.   

The field of biotechnology is constantly evolving. It encompasses everything that harnesses cellular and biomolecular processes to develop technologies and products that will improve our lives and the health of our planet. This is Michelle Currie with the breaking biotechnology news of the week from Biotechnology Focus radio.

Today, I will be discussing how a Canadian drug firm was fined this week for overcharging the U.K. health system roughly £34 million pounds; how the University of Alberta's researchers have built on the studies from the Edmonton Protocol's in hopes of making a powerful revolution in diabetes treatment; the release of the first digital pill that will track when it has been ingested; and, how partnerships, like Hoffmann-La Roche Limited and the University of Toronto Mississauga's Master of Biotech program are fruitful and beneficial – allowing this metropolitan stem hub to reap the awards of such collaborations.

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Britain's National Health Services has slapped a £34 million (equivalent to $57.5 million dollars Canadian) to drug company Concordia International for allegedly overcharging the health provider by more than $169 million over a period of 10 years for the sale of a thyroid drug used by thousands of patients.

According to the United Kingdom's Competition Markets Authority, this Ontario-based specialist in generic and legacy pharmaceutical products jacked up the price of its liothyronine drug from £4.46 ($7.54) in 2007 to £258.19 ($436.59) in July this year – that's an increase of almost 6,000 per cent.

The price hike caused Britain's National Health Services' bill for the drug to shoot to £34 million ($54.5 million) in 2016 from what was formerly about £600,000 ($1 million) in 2015.

The Competition Markets Authority began its price investigations in October 2016 and issued a statement of objection to Concordia and the former owners of the company's international segment in relation to the pricing of liothyronine in the U.K. from November 2007 to July 2017.

The drug company is refuting the allegations of overcharging.

However, there have been several instances in the past when Concordia had raised its drug prices. For instance, in May last year, the company raised the price in the U.K. of its eye drops for bacterial conjunctivitis by 5,700 per cent. Concordia was the sole distributor of the medication in the country.

The Concordia case is just one of a number of competition markets authority's cases in the pharmaceutical sector, including a recent fine against Pfizer and Flynn Pharma of nearly £90 million in relation to excessive and unfair prices for anti-epilepsy treatment, phenytoin sodium capsules.

Concordia said it will review the Competition markets authority's preliminary position and that it will continue to "work cooperatively as the CMA proceeds with its investigation."

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In the late 1990s, transplant surgeon Dr. James Shapiro and fellow researchers at the University of Alberta developed a method of implantation of pancreatic islets for the treatment of Type 1 diabetes.

The work was done by Shapiro and Drs. Jonathan Lakey, Edmond Ryan, Gregory Korbutt, Ellen Toth, Garth Warnock, Norman Kneteman, and Ray Rajotte who would later be known as the Edmonton

Protocol. The treatment garnered worldwide attention in the field of diabetes research because seven patients treated with the Edmonton Protocol remained insulin-independent after an average of 12 months.

Nearly twenty years later, UAlberta researchers are seeking to build upon the success of the protocol with two novel diabetes trials underway.

Dr. James Shapiro commented in a recent interview with the University of Alberta's journalism site, Folio, that, "today, we're moving to the next level, expanding on past discoveries and tackling their limitations in the journey toward a powerful revolution in diabetes treatment,"

One project involves implanting a device that is as thin as a credit card into a patient. The device will contain human insulin-producing stem cells that are shielded from the body's immune system.

The other research project aims to reverse Type 1 diabetes in newly diagnosed patients. In Type 1, the body's immune system attacks its beta cells which are responsible for producing insulin in the pancreas, said Peter Senior, an endocrinologist, and member of Shapiro's research group.

He said they are trying a cocktail of drugs that are meant to reprogram the body's immune system and save the beta cells. However, they have encountered some challenges along the way.

In the first project, scar tissue began developing around the implanted device, which blocked the secretion of insulin. This has promoted the researchers to redesign the model of the device to facilitate survival of more stem cells. For further information, please visit the university's website.

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The US Food and Drug Administration approves the first-ever digital pill. The pill has its own ingestible digital tracking system embedded into Abilify MyCite to record that the medication was taken. The original product was approved for schizophrenia, acute treatment of manic and mixed episodes associated with bipolar disorder and for use as an add-on treatment for depression in adults back in 2002, but stems to the possibility that this concept could be more widely used in the future.

The system works by sending a message from the pill's sensor to a wearable patch. The patch transmits the information to a mobile application so that patients can track the ingestion of the medication on their smartphone or IPad. Patients can also permit their caregivers and physician to access the information through a web-based portal.

The mental diseases this pill could stand to benefit are debilitating ones. Diseases that could cause considerable influxes in erratic behaviour that the tracking of medication might help avoid.

Abilify MyCite contains a boxed warning alerting healthcare professionals of the possible side-effects that should be heeded, especially with elderly dementia-related psychosis.

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Lastly this week, whether you know Mississauga as "Pill Hill" or "Pharma Alley", you'll know that there is some major work going on that has created one of the largest life sciences clusters in North America. Affectionately nicknamed by its residents, Mississauga is tirelessly growing and continuing to build this

recently acclaimed second-largest Canadian life sciences hub. The city has an abundance of researchers, scientists, technicians, students and skilled labourers that encompass this booming market.

However, it didn't just happen overnight.

During an interview with Ronnie Miller, the president and CEO of Hoffmann-La Roche Limited, Roche Canada, he described Mississauga as having "a lot of first-class research centres", referring to the many universities and health networks in the surrounding area that make these, plus the number of companies and graduates, quick access to entertainment, the airport, and a highly skilled labour force the perfect place to be.

At least one of these institutions has forged a successful partnership with several of the companies that reside in the Mississauga region. The University of Toronto launched their Masters of Biotechnology program at its Mississauga campus back in 2001 with 100 per cent co-op placement since inception and has been working closely with Roche Canada since their first cohort of students in 2002.

Many of the past students expressed how the experience they had at Roche was invaluable and that they felt like an employee, as opposed to a co-op student. Likewise, the staff at Roche Canada appreciate the student's contributions and bring fresh eyes to the table.

Mississauga continues to be a growing metropolitan in the greater Toronto area with an ever-expanding sector in life sciences. It has the capacity to attract, train, and retain skilled workers for the biotech sector. Recapturing Ronnie Miller's statement, "It is the perfect place to be."

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Well that's it for this week's update from Biotechnology Focus. For more information on any of the articles please visit our website at biotechnologyfocus.ca. Next week we will be conducting an interview with Michael Stopay, from Pacer Air Freight, about how their family-run life science focused Canadian logistics company outsource and how that can benefit a substantial number of businesses across North America and abroad. From my desk to yours – this is Michelle Currie.