A word from
our President

The last few months have been particularly dynamic for Canada's life sciences industry. Several biotech companies in the adMare portfolio have announced extraordinary news. For example, Bellus Health was acquired by GSK for $2.6 billion, and Abdera Therapeutics secured Series A/B financing of $185 million. I welcome you to watch this video to discover the story behind this company's success. Many other companies in our portfolio continue to make progress in the development of their new therapies.

The successes of our partners and colleagues have an important impact on the Canadian life sciences ecosystem. They demonstrate our potential, attract international investors and talent, and inspire the next generation. We would also like to highlight the initiative of the Government of British Columbia, which has put in place an ambitious strategy for life sciences and biomanufacturing that will contribute to the growth of our industry. This strategy includes a significant investment in adMare to build new laboratory space that will welcome more companies to our Vancouver Innovation Centre, foster their growth, and contribute to the dynamism of the ecosystem.

The talent gap is a significant issue facing our industry, and adMare is proud to contribute to the development of industry leaders and is grateful for their trust in our team. The adMare Academy Executive Institute invites executives working in life sciences companies in Canada to apply to join Cohort VI of our program. In addition, the adMare Academy is celebrating the graduation of Cohort I of the BIS: Foundations, designed to help early-career scientists develop the skills they need to succeed in the Canadian life sciences industry. Our Vancouver Innovation Centre had the honour of hosting four First Nations, Métis, and Inuit students from the Verna J. Kirkness Education Foundation. Throughout the week, the students gained better insights into the techniques behind drug commercialization and further explored future career opportunities in STEM.

We also had the pleasure of meeting many of you in Boston at the BIO conference in June. On that occasion, we announced the creation of the adMare Institute, a new voice that will publish reports based on scientific data and evidence to guide decisions on current and emerging life sciences challenges and related public policy. The adMare Institute aims to be a collaborative space for discussion. We, therefore, encourage you to propose ideas, questions, and issues that merit in-depth analysis of the literature and the Canadian scene.

We look forward to the new projects and successes to come over the rest of the year. Until then, we wish you an enjoyable and rejuvenating summer.

Respectfully,

Gordon C. McCauley
President and CEO, adMare BioInnovations

In the Spotlight

adMare BioInnovations launches the adMare Institute

The adMare Institute is focused on addressing the current and emerging health and life science policy challenges faced by Canadians and their governments. Through a commitment to impartial, balanced, and data-based analysis, the adMare Institute will offer insight into the sector and various stakeholders across Canada. The adMare Institute will explore pressing health and life science public policy issues, encouraging objective and comprehensive discussions.

Building Companies

adMare portfolio company Abdera Therapeutics secures combined Series A and Series B financing of $185 million

Abdera Therapeutics is a biopharmaceutical company that designs and develops antibody-based radiopharmaceuticals for the treatment of cancer. Versant Ventures and Amplitude Ventures led the Series A round, with participation from Northview Ventures as well as Abdera's founding partners, adMare BioInnovations and AbCellera. The Series B round was led by venBio Partners, with participation from existing and new investors, including Viking Global Investors, Qiming Venture Partners USA, and RTW Investments.

GSK completes acquisition of BELLUS Health, an adMare portfolio company dedicated to improving the quality of life of patients suffering from refractory chronic cough

GSK and BELLUS Health Inc. previously announced that they reached an agreement under which GSK would acquire BELLUS for a total net value of approximately $2.6 billion. The acquisition gives GSK access to camlipixant, currently in Phase III clinical development, for the first-line treatment of adult patients with refractory chronic cough. This molecule could be the best in the class of highly selective P2X3 receptor antagonists. On June 28th, GSK completed the acquisition. 

Domain Therapeutics, an adMare portfolio company, announces the appointment of two promising candidates

A first-in-class PAR2 NAM candidate, DT-9045, to unlock new cancer treatment possibilities.

A best-in-class CCR8 antibody candidate, DT-7012, further strengthening its unique portfolio of GPCR-targeting immunotherapies.

Good news for adMare portfolio company Thryv Therapeutiques

Thryv Therapeutics announces significant progress across all programs within its SGK1 Inhibitor portfolio and the closing of a convertible note financing with Investissement Québec.

adMare portfolio company Zucara Therapeutics announces two positive developments

Zucara Therapeutics receives approval to proceed with Phase 2 clinical trial of ZT-01.

Zucara Therapeutics announces additional JDRF funding to support Phase 2 trial of ZT-01.

Building Ecosystems

adMare BioInnovations receives support from British Columbia to build new laboratory space in Vancouver

In April, the adMare Vancouver Innovation Centre was honoured to welcome the Honourable Brenda Bailey, British Columbia's Minister of Jobs, Economic Development and Innovation (JEDI), for the announcement of British Columbia's Life Sciences and Biomanufacturing Strategy. She also took the opportunity to announce a $10 million investment for the construction of adMare's new laboratory space in Vancouver.

Visit the adMare Community to see the photos

adMare BioInnovations achieved prestigious LEED Green Building certification

"This new facility demonstrates how adMare is incorporating sustainability into its facilities & operations. The entire team recognized the importance of an efficient design for the global impact of the construction on the environment, but also because of the high energy consumption of laboratory buildings," declared Dominic Vachon, Senior Director of Operations and Innovation Centres at adMare. "By achieving the LEED® v4 certification, adMare confirms our commitment to environmental stewardship and social responsibility."

Discover the analytical services offered by adMare BioInnovations

Did you know that adMare has analytical laboratories offering a wide range of analytical services for small pharmaceutical compounds to life science companies across Canada? With over 30 years of experience, our team offers a turnkey solution for purification services, certificates of analysis, and open-access services.

adMare BioInnovations is proud to welcome two new resident companies to the adMare Vancouver Innovation Centre: Resilience Biosciences and SeraGene.

Resilience Biosciences is a young biopharmaceutical company evaluating the safety and clinical efficacy of natural health products to help overcome chronic opioid dependence.

SeraGene harnesses nanomedicine to develop hematological treatments aimed at protecting people against coagulation disorders such as chronic bleeding, thrombosis, and inflammation.

In the Media

It's a generational moment for the life science industry

In this editorial published in The Hill Times, Gordon C. McCauley, President and CEO of adMare, explains that after a strong response from industry and governments to find a solution to the pandemic, we must continue to invest to develop a globally competitive life sciences industry with concerted strategy and action.

Vancouver's wet lab space shortage is hurting life science startups

This article from Pique Newsmagazine details the consequences of the lack of laboratory space for Vancouver's life sciences industry.

adMare's new life sciences research institute about facts, not policy positions, says CEO

Learn more about the adMare Institute in this article published in Hill Times Research. "Mr. McCauley told Hill Times Research that there is a substantial amount of "well-researched" and "highly-validated" literature about what factors into an innovation ecosystem, and adMare's report will be about collecting the facts and publishing them in one source." 

adMare's company co-creation model - A pioneering approach in Canadian life sciences Industry

Find out more about how adMare builds companies and the advantages of our model in this article published in BIOTECanada's Insights magazine.

How adMare is helping Canada build a sustainable life sciences industry

"While Canada has an extraordinary research enterprise in areas like oncology, neurology, and stem cells, and a strong record of globally competitive scientific discovery, we've not been able to translate that into a consistently sustainable life sciences industry," says Gordon McCauley, President & CEO of adMare. And that's why adMare was created in 2019.

A Look Back at Recent Events

adMare Industry Builder Series featuring Dr. Serge Rivest

adMare was pleased to welcome Dr. Serge Rivest, Professor in the Department of Molecular Medicine at Université Laval's Faculty of Medicine, and Scientific Director of the CRCHU de Québec, to an Industry Builder Series webinar where he presented 30 years of fascinating research into Alzheimer's disease.

Rewatch his presentation here

Scientific entrepreneurship, a goldmine to be tapped

adMare and Axelys had the pleasure of hosting a captivating panel at Effervescence MTL on the entrepreneurial adventure in life sciences. Thanks to our three guest researchers, Dr. Philippe Crine, Dr. Elie Haddad, and Dr. Mike Sapieha, for sharing their inspiring stories and advice.

A successful 3rd edition of Sweet Biopharma Day

adMare was pleased to be one of the co-organizers of Sweet BioPharma Day 2023, alongside BIOQuébec, CQDM, and the Fonds de solidarité FTQ, where 16 entrepreneurs presented their research projects. Congratulations to Epitopea, this year's winner!

Join the adMare Community
today and you'll never miss a life sciences event again!
 

Building Talent

Applications now open for Cohort VI of the adMare Academy Executive Institute

Executives working in life sciences in Canada who want to develop their leadership skills are invited to apply before August 15, 2023.

Congratulations to Cohort V of the adMare Academy Executive Institute on completing the program

Cohort I of the adMare Academy's BioInnovation Scientist (BIS): Foundations finished on June 30, 2023

We welcomed 57 early-career scientists from across Canada to take part in a pilot version of the 8-week online program to gain fundamental knowledge in therapeutics discovery, development, and commercialization while simultaneously building their professional skills to succeed in the Canadian life sciences industry. We are thrilled that over 85% of the learners successfully completed the program.

A Final Word

adMare was delighted to have welcomed students from the Verna J Kirkness Education Foundation into its laboratories

By participating in this program, adMare welcomed First Nations, Métis, and Inuit students into our labs for a week of learning and developing the skills needed for a career in the life sciences industry.

We were honoured to welcome Dr. Verna Kirkness to our laboratories to show her what the Verna J. Kirkness Education Foundation students have been working on with us throughout the week.

adMare BioInnovations

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