Feb 08, 2010
By KEN CASHIN Special Features Writer
Mon. Feb 8 - 4:54 AM
WHAT DO YOU get when you combine a research-intensive city like Halifax, a quality of life here that’s second to none, and some of the brightest minds and dedicated professionals in fields ranging from agricultural biotech to medical devices and technologies?
Answer: a thriving life sciences community.
With corporate and research expertise in the fields of disease diagnosis, treatment and prevention, functional food and nutraceuticals, and medical technology, Nova Scotia is increasingly being recognized as a centre for excellence.
"Some of the most innovative life sciences companies in the world are found right here in Nova Scotia," says Marli MacNeil of BioNova, the province’s over 3,400-member biotechnology and life sciences industry association.
"We now boast more than 50 companies with close to 500 products competing in the global marketplace," says MacNeil. "In addition we have over 300 products at various stages of development."
MacNeil says BioNova’s members are taking on the world and winning, with many entering into global markets, receiving awards and garnering world-wide attention for their pioneering work.
She points to examples like Ocean Nutrition Canada, BioMedica Diagnostics Inc., the National Research Council Institute for Biodiagnostics (Atlantic), and Immunovaccine Technologies Inc.
Immunovaccine is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing high-potential vaccines for human health. The company successfully went public Oct. 5, 2009, raising $8.9 million; its market capital today is $65 million.
Immunovaccine vice president, Brian Lowe, says the secret to the company’s success is its patented DepoVax vaccine delivery technology, which enables the vaccine to stay in the body longer.
The company recently received FDA clearance to initiate a Phase 1 clinical trial for its therapeutic cancer vaccine.
"We’re very excited because our vaccine will treat three types of cancer: breast, ovarian, and prostate," says Lowe. "We also recently licensed our technology to Pfizer Animal Health so that they can develop new and improved vaccines for livestock."
Lowe says the quality of life in our region helps recruit many talented people.
Michael Scott of Precision BioLogic says employees like to stay here, too. His company, which makes innovative products for the clinical laboratory assessment of blood coagulation disorders, was voted one of the 50 best workplaces in Canada in 2008 by the Great Place to Work Institute Canada.
A key challenge, says Kathryn Garden of e-health company DementiaGuide Inc., is securing investment capital in this promising, but still young industry.
However, she says the industry benefits by collaborations between companies and educational institutions, partnerships within the sector, and an expanding reach in the global market.
"We’re optimistic," says Garden, "that DementiaGuide will play a role in responding to the requirement for better care and disease management, and in the development of new treatments for Alzheimer’s disease and dementia."
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