NEWS
BioHubNet Receives $19 Million in Federal Funding to Address HQP Shortage in Biomanufacturing
Published: May 6, 2024 (L-R) Gilbert Walker, Molly Shoichet and Darius Rackus (supplied images)
By: Luella Chow
Biomanufacturing Hub Network (BioHubNet), an immersive talent development program led by U of T University Professor Molly Shoichet and Scientific Director of PRiME Next-Generation Precision Medicine, along with co-leads Gilbert Walker, Professor of Chemistry at U of T, and Darius Rackus, Assistant Professor of Chemistry and Biology at Toronto Metropolitan University, has been awarded $18.9 million in federal funding from the Canada Biomedical Research Fund (CBRF) and Biomedical Research Infrastructure Fund (BRIF). This significant investment aims to address the severe shortage of industry-ready highly qualified personnel (HQP) in the biomanufacturing sector over the next four years.
BioHubNet is one of the four research programs in the Canadian Hub for Health Intelligence and Innovation in Infectious Diseases (HI3) that has received $72 million in federal funding from the Canada Biomedical Research Fund (CBRF) and Biomedical Research Infrastructure Fund (BRIF). This infusion of capital not only bolsters the nation’s biomanufacturing capacity but also reinforces its resilience against emerging health threats.
Molly Shoichet underscores the urgency of expanding Canada's pipeline of skilled research talent, stating, “Canada’s future as a leader in bio-innovation depends on having highly qualified workers, yet the sector is predicted to face severe workforce shortages in the coming years. By expanding the pipeline of skilled research talent in Canada, BioHubNet will accelerate the translation of promising discoveries from bench to market and ensure that this country’s biomanufacturing sector continues to grow and attract further international investment.”
Darius Rackus echoes this sentiment and says, “BioHubNet is a very comprehensive program targeting different industry-identified problems related to training that will help grow and expand Canada's biomanufacturing sector.”
To tackle this pressing shortage of industry-ready talent head-on, BioHubNet will leverage its 26 industry and training partners, spanning multinational corporations and local biotech firms alongside five Ontario colleges. Together, they will spearhead the development of comprehensive training programs and curricula, providing hands-on learning experiences to HQP, such as graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and others, preparing them for seamless integration into industrial roles.
The timing of this funding couldn’t be more critical. With projections indicating a staggering shortfall of skilled workers in the biomanufacturing sector, with only a quarter of the required positions anticipated to be filled by 2029, BioHubNet aims to bridge this gap by nurturing nearly 1,000 highly skilled workers through micro-credential courses, industry internships, academic exchange placements, and entrepreneurial training.
Gilbert Walker envisions the transformative impact of this initiative, stating, “The outputs of this training program – industry-ready HQP – will contribute to the operation and growth of Canada’s biomanufacturing and life sciences sector broadly. By investing in the cultivation of HQP, we are poised to create a river of innovations across the entire bioprocess spectrum.”
Embedded within BioHubNet’s mission is a steadfast commitment to create more equitable and inclusive participation in the biomanufacturing sector. Through intentional recruitment and active support for underrepresented groups, BioHubNet aims to cultivate a diverse talent pool that reflects the rich tapestry of the Canadian life science ecosystem.
In addition to BioHubNet, three other research programs have also received funding:
The Integrated Network for the Surveillance of Pathogens: Increasing Resilience and capacity in Canada’s pandemic response (INSPIRE) based at the University of Windsor. Co-led by Windsor professor Mike McKay and University of Guelph professor Lawrence Goodridge, the INSPIRE program leverages community-level wastewater surveillance data, infrastructure and expertise to monitor the arrival and spread of infectious threats. The program also received infrastructure funding from BRIF to implement technologies and processes across its network that will streamline wastewater surveillance efforts to be more rapid, agile and sensitive. Importantly, these infrastructure supports will expand wastewater monitoring capacity in northern Ontario and at the Windsor-Detroit border to strengthen supply chains.
The Prepare, React, Collect, Innovate, Share and Engage (PRECISE) Diagnostic Platform, based at Sinai Health and co-led by Jennie Johnstone and Anne-Claude Gingras, will advance a comprehensive, streamlined approach for responding to emerging threats by driving the timely development of rapid diagnostic tools that will scale up testing capacity and reduce reliance on global supply chains.
The Pandemic Preparedness Engaging Primary Care and Emergency Departments (PREPARED) program, based at Unity Health Toronto and led by Andrew Pinto, aims to engage primary care clinics and emergency departments across the country to enhance disease monitoring, improve patient care and health system efficiency, accelerate the development of medical countermeasures and boost recruitment to clinical trials.
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Empowering Progress: PRiME Celebrates Women in STEM this International Women’s Day
March 8th, 2024
By: Naz Savranoglu
On March 8th, International Women’s Day, PRiME proudly celebrates the incredible women shaping the future of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Embracing, the UN’s theme "Invest in Women: Accelerate Progress," we recognize and amplify the outstanding contributions of women in STEM.
At PRiME, we wholeheartedly endorse this powerful call to action, emphasizing the critical role of investing in women's potential to propel global innovation and advancement. By championing women in STEM and providing them with the resources and recognition they deserve, PRiME is dedicated to catalyzing progress towards a more equitable and innovative world.
This year, we’re thrilled to announce that half of our PRiME Fellowship awardees are women in STEM, underscoring our commitment to fostering diversity and empowering women in the field. Join us in celebrating this International Women's Day as we continue to dismantle barriers and foster an environment where women's contributions lead the way in science and technology.
Our community thrives on the diverse perspectives and groundbreaking research led by women, including our esteemed PRiME team, our membership, and past and present PRiME Fellows. Their unparalleled leadership and dedication to excellence in research and beyond inspire us as we march towards a more inclusive and equitable future in STEM.
Happy International Women's Day from all of us at PRiME! Let’s come together to honour the achievements and ongoing impact of women in STEM, as we stride forward together towards a more inclusive, equitable, and innovative world.
TIAP and PRiME collaborate to accelerate next generation precision medicine ventures in Toronto
Published: November 30, 2023 Photo by Mongkolchon via Adobe Stock Images
By Naz Savranoglu
Toronto Innovation Acceleration Partners (TIAP) and PRiME Next Generation Precision Medicine (PRiME) are pleased to announce their strategic partnership aimed at advancing research to commercialization in Toronto.
Located at the forefront of innovation at the University of Toronto, PRiME brings together a community of world class scientists, engineers, and medical doctors from across the ecosystem to advance drug discovery and diagnostics to address unmet needs in disease biology. By synergizing expertise across pharmaceutical sciences, medicine, physical sciences, and engineering, PRiME is actively advancing innovation, training, and fundamental science in the realm of next-generation precision medicine. The goal is to generate therapeutics, diagnostics and tools that address critical gaps in developing new and better solutions for human diseases, specifically designed for the individual.
This strategic alliance merges the prowess of TIAP, a leader in commercialization and life sciences venture building that provides expertise, early-stage funding and deal-brokering, with PRiME’s cutting-edge research community. By harnessing mentorship, entrepreneurship training, investment capital, and an expansive industry network, this partnership is poised to accelerate the transformation of ground-breaking ideas into market-ready solutions and new emerging life sciences companies.
“We are excited by this opportunity where we will bring PRiME’s research excellence and inventions together with TIAP’s translational strength,” said Prof Molly Shoichet, Scientific Director, PRiME.
“With Ontario being home to a thriving research ecosystem, we have a golden opportunity to establish the province as a global life sciences hub — one that leverages our world-class research institutions to generate and commercialize made-in Canada health innovations that improve the health of people worldwide and support the building of globally competitive companies,” added Parimal Nathwani, President & CEO, TIAP. “We look forward to working alongside our PRiME colleagues to realize this vision.”
About PRiME
PRiME Next-Generation Precision Medicine is a community of world-class scientists, engineers and innovators at the University of Toronto and Affiliated Institutions that tackles unmet needs in drug discovery, diagnostics, and disease biology. With an interdisciplinary approach that goes beyond genomics and mutational profiling, PRiME is an accelerator of new discoveries and novel solutions that will deliver on the promise of Precision Medicine.
About TIAP
Since 2008, TIAP has been building relationships with innovators and entrepreneurs at Toronto’s top universities, hospitals and research institutes to identify the most exciting sparks of ground-breaking therapeutic, medical device and digital health/AI innovation; and then providing the tools, resources, and know-how to transform this work into successful commercial ventures. With a 15-year track record that includes the launch of more than 70 new companies, the raising of over $1B in private investment, and the creation of more than 1,000 jobs, TIAP has generated significant commercial and social return on our Member Institutions’ research; making a measurable impact on the growth of the Ontario life sciences sector and a significant contribution to Canada’s economic prosperity. TIAP is partially supported through the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario.
For additional information, please contact:
PRiME
Akshita Vincent, Director of Strategy & Partnerships
PRiME Next-Generation Precision Medicine
akshita.vincent@utoronto.ca
TIAP
Barry Gee, Director of Public Affairs
Toronto Innovation Acceleration Partners (TIAP)
bgee@tiap.ca
PRiME Infographic Competition
Eligibility: Open to undergraduate and graduate students, and postdoctoral researchers from the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, Faculty of Arts & Science, Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering.
DEADLINE: Thursday, July 13th, 2023 - 5:00PM EST
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PRiME Next-Generation Precision Medicine has developed this exciting new competition as part of our efforts to enhance the accessibility and dissemination of Next-Generation Precision Medicine. The intention is to generate and share content that relays evidence-based concepts related to precision medicine to non-specialized audience(s).
Cash prize! First prize of $500, with three runner-up prizes of $200. Additional specially commended infographics will receive PRiME commemorative items and will be invited to share their infographic as a poster at the Annual PRiME symposium in the Fall.
Infographics must be relevant to precision medicine, but the content can range from broad explanations of overarching concepts all the way to a research project specific overview. Some examples of possible subject areas include (but are not limited to):
What is Next-Generation Precision Medicine?
How will your research one day help patients?
How is precision medicine tackling a specific disease?
Why is it important to enhance diagnostics to advance precision medicine?
What role does a platform technology play in advancing precision medicine?
How is nanomedicine enhancing drug delivery?
Research Impact Canada has created a great module to develop the skills to create effective infographics. We recommend that you complete the module as you are preparing your submission, estimated to take approximately one hour.
In addition to the infographic, applicants must submit a 500-word summary plus up to 5 publications to enable the judges to assess the quality of the evidence that has been summarized.
Jump Start Workshop: Ontario Centre of Innovation (OCI) - Connecting researchers with industry partners and funding for collaborative R&D, technology development, and commercialization
Event date: April 26th, 3:00-4:30PM EST
This event is hybrid and will be taking place in the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy Building Room 850 (8th floor) and Zoom.
Registration is required.
This Jump Start Workshop will feature panel speakers from Ontario Centre of Innovation (OCI) to discuss how researchers can connect with industry partners and gather the funding needed for collaborative R&D, technology development, and commercialization opportunities. During this session, speakers will introduce the various programs OCI that researchers can join such as Collaborate 2 Commercialize and the Life Sciences Innovation Fund to expand their network.
The PRiME Jump Start workshop series provides a comprehensive look into the essential steps involved in the development of pre-clinical drugs, devices, and platform technologies. The goal of PRiME's Jump Start series is to ensure investigators and trainees are equipped with knowledge and skills for each step of the biotechnology development process, with the aim of facilitating the transition of academic researchers from all career stages to entrepreneurship. In the series we engage with experts to discuss important considerations to ensure success at each step of the development process, and increase collaboration between academia, government, and industry partners.
Panelists
Feiran Zhou
Business Development and Commercialization Manager
Ontario Centre of Innovation (OCI)
Feiran Zhou is the Business Development and Commercialization Manager with the Ontario Centre of Innovation. She joined the organization in 2018 and has been based in both Eastern Ontario region and GTA region. She has over 10 years of experience in the Ontario Innovation ecosystem, supported companies across various sectors on commercialization, industry/academic collaborations, and emerging technologies adoption. Feiran is also on the selection committee with Capital Angel Network to identify and assess potential technology startups for investment opportunities.
Mandeep Rehal, MBA, B.E
Business Development and Commercialization Manager
Ontario Centre of Innovation (OCI)
Mandeep Rehal is the Business Development and Commercialization Manager with the Ontario Centre of Innovation. He holds a Master of Business Administration from HEC Montreal (Quebec) and a Bachelor of Engineering in Manufacturing Engineering from College of Engineering Guindy (India). Prior to joining OCI, Mandeep was working with innovation labs at HEC Montreal – the ERPsim Lab and the Creative Destruction Lab-Montreal where he led business development and academic outreach.
PRiME celebrates International Women's Day
The theme of this year’s International Women’s Day, as declared by the United Nations, is “DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality.”
At PRiME, we celebrate our ever-growing community of women in STEM conducting groundbreaking research in innovation and technology. The images above feature some of the many women who have been instrumental in the success of PRiME - including the PRiME team, some of our principal investigators, and PRiME Fellowship awardees. Their leadership is an inspiration to us all.
Happy International Women’s Day!
adMare BioInnovations and PRiME collaborate to translate academic research into life-changing therapeutics
adMare BioInnovations (adMare) and PRiME Next-Generation Precision Medicine (PRiME) are pleased to announce their new partnership to support the building of new Canadian life science companies and therapeutic products through the advancement of precision medicine research and commercialization.
Based at the University of Toronto’s Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, PRiME brings together world-class scientists, engineers, and innovators across the Toronto ecosystem to tackle unmet needs in drug discovery, diagnostics, and disease biology. Through this partnership, adMare will work together with PRiME and University of Toronto’s Innovation and Partnerships Office (IPO) to identify innovative research and early technologies made across the university that have the potential to be collaboratively translated into new therapeutic products and other novel health innovations.
“This partnership between PRiME and adMare is an important part of PRiME’s expanded mandate to support researchers in taking the early steps to commercialization that are essential to allow research advances to reach the clinic and benefit patients,” said Dr. Carolyn Cummins, co-Director of PRiME. “Establishing this close relationship with adMare will enhance opportunities for PRiME investigators and trainees to grow as entrepreneurs.”
adMare and PRiME are also delighted to announce that a new collaborative R&D partnership has already emerged between the two organizations. Dr. Rebecca Laposa’s research lab and adMare are currently working together to generate and co-develop novel small molecule therapeutics that block key metabolic cell processes specifically in cancer cells as a potential therapeutic.
“Our partnership with adMare’s deep expertise and resources has been tremendous for accelerating this project,” said Dr. Laposa, a researcher with PRiME and a faculty member in the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology at the Temerty Faculty of Medicine. “This exciting work gives us the opportunity to advance biomedical discoveries to the next step in drug development.”
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“At adMare, we’re elated with this partnership with PRiME, which will allow us to engage earlier and more closely with researchers who are taking promising approaches to drug discovery, therapeutics and technology,” said Dr. Claudio Sturino, adMare’s Senior Director of Chemistry. “Through this partnership, adMare is providing specific industry expertise to accelerate the commercial development of Dr. Laposa’s innovative therapeutic approach, that has great potential to improve outcomes for cancer patients. It’s been very exciting to see our teams working together to further advance the research born in Dr. Laposa’s lab.”
About adMare
With a strong track record of globally competitive scientific discovery, Canadian life sciences are primed to lead the world. To make this a reality, adMare BioInnovations uses its scientific and commercial expertise, specialized R&D infrastructure, and seed capital to build strong life sciences companies, develop robust ecosystems, and foster industry-ready talent. It re-invests its returns into the Canadian industry to ensure its long-term sustainability. adMare currently has 28 portfolio companies that have attracted $1.4 billion of risk capital, have a combined value of $3 billion, and have created over 1,000 jobs in Canada. For more information, please go to www.admarebio.com
About PRiME
PRiME Next-Generation Precision Medicine is a community of world-class scientists, engineers and innovators at the University of Toronto and Affiliated Institutions that tackles unmet needs in drug discovery, diagnostics and disease biology. With an inter-disciplinary approach that goes beyond genomics and mutational profiling, PRiME is an accelerator of new discoveries and novel solutions that will deliver on the promise of Precision Medicine.
About the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto
The Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy at the University of Toronto is Canada's top-ranked faculty of pharmacy, offering cutting-edge undergraduate and graduate programs. We are globally recognized for impactful pharmaceutical sciences research and fostering expert and innovative clinical practice. Our scientific research focuses on the role of pharmacists in the health care system, and the full scope of drug discovery and delivery. We advance education programs that develop leaders in science and clinical practice and work to strengthen the link between research, education, and patient care.
For additional information, please contact:
Amie Phinney, Senior Director of Partnership
adMare BioInnovations
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Sarah De La Rue, Director of Strategy & Partnerships
PRiME Next-Generation Precision Medicine
Jump Start Workshop: Toronto Innovation Acceleration Partners (TIAP) - How to build translational potential of academic research & access early-stage funding
Event Date: January 18th, 2023 3:00-4:30PM
This event is hybrid and will be taking place in the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy Building Room 1210 (12th floor) and Zoom.
Registration is required.
The Jump Start Workshop will feature panel speakers from Toronto Innovation Acceleration Partners (TIAP) to discuss how to build translational potential of academic research and access early-stage funding. During this session, the flagship Lab150 Program drug discovery and development program will be introduced and followed by a discussion panel. The speakers will share their expertise in developing life science technologies and go over the benefits of working with TIAP, including close collaboration with industry and the investment community. You will learn how to identify and develop commercial assets in disease-related academic research, significantly shorten the drug discovery timeline, and access early-stage funding opportunities.
The goal of PRiME's Jump Start series is to ensure investigators and trainees are equipped with knowledge and skills for each step of the biotechnology development process, with the aim of facilitating the transition of academic researchers from all career stages to entrepreneurship. In the series we engage with experts to discuss important considerations to ensure success at each step of the development process, and increase collaboration between academia, government, and industry partners.
These workshops are open to all Staff, Trainees and Faculty at UofT.
Panelists
Philip Goldbach, PhD
Director, Technology and Venture Development
TIAP
Phil Goldbach combines scientific, management and intellectual property (IP) expertise to guide the development of innovative life science technologies and ventures. In his current role at TIAP, he co-manages the LAB150 Drug Discovery & Development Program, a collaboration between TIAP and Evotec SE, designed to accelerate the development of novel therapeutics based on breakthrough discoveries at the University of Toronto and its affiliated teaching hospitals. Within the program, Phil manages and acts as commercialization lead for portfolio projects in diverse therapeutic areas, including oncology, dermatology and rare disease. Prior to joining TIAP, Philwas Director of IP at a biotechnology company based in Mississauga and, prior to that, trained atan IP boutique law firm in downtown Toronto as a member of the firm’s life sciences patent practice group, with exposure to an array of technologies including biologics, small molecules, medical devices, and information technologies. Phil received his PhD in Molecular Genetics at U of T and his JD from Osgoode Hall Law School.
Ido Kaminsky, MSc
Director, Technology and Venture Development
TIAP
Ido leads scouting and project managements activities across a portfolio of early-stage therapeutics programs, as well as investments into spinouts from the TIAP Membership. Prior to TIAP, Ido served as the Director of Business Development at FutuRx, a biotech incubator established by J&J (JJDC), Takeda Ventures, and Orbimed. There, he conducted scouting, diligence, and transactional activities, and was involved in the inception of over 10 biotech start-ups. Before FutuRx, Ido spent several years with RM Global Partners, an investment bank and consulting firm in the biotech and medical-device space. There, he worked on corporate strategy and financing with clients across Israel, the US, and Korea, as well as the inception of a VC Fund. Before that, he was an Analyst at the Frankel Group, a life-science focused strategic consulting firm.
Ido holds a M.Sc. in biochemistry from the Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel.
Jump Start Workshop: How to Accelerate Research and Technology Development with BARDA & JLABS
Event Date: Wednesday, November 30th, 2022 | 12:00-1:30 PM EST
This event is hybrid and will be taking place in the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy (Room TBD) and Zoom.
Registration Required.
During this session our panelists will present and discuss early activities that researchers should engage in to identify funding and accelerate technology development. Programs from BARDA (BLUE KNIGHT™ and DRIVe) and JLABS @ Toronto will be introduced and followed by a discussion panel. You will learn from real-world examples about where to start, how to identify the right funding opportunity for your technology, from proof of concept to validation, and how to identify the right accelerator space for your team and venture. You will learn about what to expect from BARDA and JLABS and how to gain access to coaching, professionals-in-residence, and investors. This session aims to stimulate commercial thinking during the research and discovery phase for everyone interested in drug, device and platform development at UofT.
The goal of PRiME's Jump Start series is to provide a comprehensive look into the essential steps involved in development of pre-clinical drugs, devices, and platform technologies. In the series we engage with experts to discuss important considerations to ensure success at each step of the development process.
These workshops are open to all Staff, Trainees and Faculty at UofT.
Panelists
Rachel Rath, Director, BARDA Alliance
Interim Head JLABS @ TMC
Johnson & Johnson Innovation – JLABS
Rachel is the Director of the BARDA Alliance for Johnson & Johnson Innovation, based at Johnson & Johnson Innovation – JLABS (JLABS) in Washington, DC and the Interim Head of JLABS @ TMC in Houston, Texas. As BARDA Alliance Director, she is responsible for managing BLUE KNIGHT™, a joint initiative between JLABS and the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), which aims to stimulate the innovation and incubation of science and technologies that may improve health security and response by supporting companies focused on public health threats and emerging infectious diseases. Rachel leads the strategic direction, alliance management, and oversight of all operational activities related to the collaboration with BARDA, including managing the sourcing and selection of high potential companies for JLABS locations and developing global programming.
As the Interim Head of JLABS @ TMC, she is responsible for external engagement, innovation sourcing, company onboarding, portfolio management, operational excellence, educational programming and P&L. In this role, she catalyzes and supports the translation of science and technology into valuable solutions for patients and consumers across the pharmaceutical, medical device, consumer, and healthtech sectors.
Dozie Amuzie, Head, Johnson & Johnson Innovation
JLABS Canada
As Head, Dozie is responsible for external engagement, innovation sourcing, company onboarding, portfolio management, operational excellence, educational programming, and P&L. He catalyzes and supports the translation of science and technology into valuable solutions for patients and consumers across the pharmaceutical, medical device, consumer, and health tech sectors.
Dozie earned a dual Ph.D. in Comparative Medicine and Integrative Toxicological Sciences at Michigan State University and, thereafter, completed a residency in Veterinary Pathology at Michigan State. He also received a D.V.M from University of Nigeria and is a Diplomate with American Board of Toxicology, as well as a Diplomate of American College of Veterinary Pathologists.
Moderators
Lamisa Mizan,
PhD Candidate, Department of Molecular Genetics, UofT
PRiME Associate
Allan Tran
PhD Candidate, Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, UofT
PRiME Associate
PRiME successfully hosts the 4th Annual Symposium
Thank you for attending the 4th Annual PRiME Symposium!
This year’s symposium featured new and established PRiME faculty speaking about their research, lightning talks from our 8 ‘high risk, high reward’ PRiME fellows, an industry session featuring ecosystem partners, and ended off with an engaging and thoughtful panel discussion on how to build something big and impactful in the life sciences and precision medicine.
The symposium welcomed 150+ attendees, talks from our 8 PRiME fellows, presentations from 19 speakers, and 38 poster presenters.
With this event, we would like to acknowledge our vibrant and innovative PRiME community. We hope to see you again next year!