Apr 12, 2018 | Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA), BioVectra, News
Extensive facility renovation, new equipment, assists life sciences firm in creating jobs, growing regional economy
April 12, 2018 – Windsor, NS – Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency
Canada is a country of innovators. Curiosity, creativity and a collaborative spirit are what lead to the kinds of innovations and technologies that improve our daily lives and drive our economy, and our country, forward. That is why the Government of Canada is investing $5,000,000 in BioVectra Inc. to help the Charlottetown-based biotechnology and pharmaceutical ingredient manufacturing company expand its operations to Nova Scotia. This will enable the firm to grow, create additional highly skilled positions and help build sustained economic prosperity in Atlantic Canada.
The funding was announced today by the Honourable Scott Brison, Secretary of the Treasury Board and Member of Parliament for Kings-Hants, on behalf of the Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development and Minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency(ACOA). The repayable contribution is being made through ACOA’s Business Development Program, which helps small and medium-sized enterprises expand and modernize to improve competitiveness.
BioVectra will use the assistance to complete major renovations at its Windsor facility and to purchase new equipment. This will allow the company to increase its capacity to develop and manufacture biologic drug substances for global pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. These materials are used in the creation of products to treat cancer, autoimmune disorders, diabetes, arthritis, and many other serious illnesses.
The project will create 28 full-time positions, and by 2020, when the plant is fully operational, it is expected that more than double that number of people will be employed there.
This investment builds on commitments made by the Government of Canada and the four Atlantic Provinces to drive economic growth in the region through the Atlantic Growth Strategy, which supports strategic investments in initiatives that build on the region’s competitive advantages, such as its strong export potential, growing innovation network, and skilled workforce.
Quotes
“Science and technology – along with stronger international trade – are rapidly changing the way Canadians live and work, bringing new challenges and more opportunities. Investing in BioVectra Inc., an industry-leading biotechnology and pharmaceutical ingredient manufacturing firm, will help strengthen and grow the middle class, and lay a more solid foundation for the next generations of Canadians.”
– The Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development and Minister responsible for ACOA
“The jobs of the future depend on Canadians’ ability to continue to adapt, innovate, and maintain our competitive edge in the fast-paced and increasingly global economy. BioVectra is already known worldwide for its expertise in developing and producing active pharmaceutical ingredients used in products that treat life-threatening diseases. This modern, 50,000 square-foot facility will increase the company’s manufacturing capacity by 40 per cent and allow BioVectra to become a rare one-stop shop for its global biotech and pharmaceutical customers.”
– The Honourable Scott Brison, President of the Treasury Board and Member of Parliament for Kings-Hants
“As an integral part and leader within the vibrant Atlantic Canadian BioScience cluster, we consider ourselves fortunate to operate in a supportive ecosystem where substantial emphasis is placed on talent, skills and innovation. The contribution from ACOA’s Business Development program will enable BioVectra to continue to thrive, create highly skilled jobs in Atlantic Canada, and help solidify Canadian leadership within the very competitive global markets we participate in.”
– Oliver Technow, President, BioVectra Inc.
Quick facts
- BioVectra Inc., headquartered in Charlottetown, P.E.I., has more than 300 employees, and will initially add another 28 jobs in Windsor. The company’s four locations – three in Charlottetown and one in Windsor – total approximately 110,000 square feet.
- BioVectra’s predecessor, Diagnostic Chemicals Ltd. (DCL), was founded in 1970 by Dr. Regis Duffy, then a UPEI chemistry professor, who began producing small amounts of a specialty chemical under contract to a U.S. firm.
- Since its inception, BioVectra, which is part of the active pharmaceutical ingredient life cycle from early clinical development to commercial supply, has created hundreds of products used on the market today.
Contacts
Alex Smith
Director of Communications and Outreach
Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency
Phone: 902-426-9417 / 902-830-3839 (cell)
E-mail: [email protected]
Jordan MacGregor
Communications and Marketing Manager
BioVectra Inc.
Phone: 902-566-9116 ext 6376
E-Mail: [email protected]]]>
Apr 12, 2018 | Adaptiiv, News
See original story here
CORALVILLE, Iowa, April 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ — CIVCO Radiotherapy, the leading global provider of high quality, innovative, patient-centric radiotherapy solutions, and Adaptiiv (formerly 3D Bolus), the definitive 3D technology platform for radiation therapy, are excited to announce their collaboration in bringing more personalized medical devices to the market. This initiative aligns with the missions of both companies to focus on improving patient outcomes in radiotherapy worldwide.
CIVCO will be distributing Adaptiiv software applications as a turn-key solution that enables 3D printing of patient-specific simple or modulated thickness bolus and high dose rate (HDR) surface brachytherapy applicators. The software application integrates directly with existing treatment planning systems allowing the planning software to calculate the treatment plan and provides the ability to 3D print a patient-specific radiotherapy bolus or applicator. This innovative technique requires less time and replaces the need for hard-to-fit simple bolus and expensive applicators and provides a more comfortable fit for the patient.
“Adaptiiv’s solutions truly align with our mission of improving patient outcomes worldwide. The ability to utilize images from the treatment planning system and provide customized three-dimensional bolus and applicators is yet another way we are involved in improving the quality and efficiency of care as well as the patient experience,” said
Nat Geissel, president of CIVCO Radiotherapy.
“CIVCO and Adaptiiv are aligned in our vision of the importance of personalized health solutions. As the innovators of software that enables clinicians to design and 3D print radiation therapy treatment accessories, our goal is to democratize the delivery of patient-specific treatment. To that end, Adaptiiv is thrilled to partner with CIVCO Radiotherapy. CIVCO’s highly professional sales team and international distributors give us global reach and will play a significant role in our efforts to provide our patient-specific solution to the global radiotherapy market,” stated
Peter Hickey, CEO of Adaptiiv.
About Adaptiiv
Adaptiiv (formerly 3D Bolus Inc.) is the definitive 3D technology platform for radiation oncology. Headquartered in
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada our technology platform seamlessly integrates into existing procedures to provide an end-to-end solution which facilitates the design and fabrication of personalized medical devices using 3D printing. Adaptiiv, formerly 3D Bolus, is ISO 13485 certified, has received a CE Mark and is pending approval by the FDA for a
510k. Currently in the
USA the software is an investigational device limited by Federal law to investigational use.
About CIVCO Radiotherapy
CIVCO Radiotherapy has over 35 years’ experience developing, manufacturing and providing high-quality, innovative, patient-centric solutions in radiotherapy. These solutions include: advanced patient immobilization and positioning hardware and consumables, fiducial markers, couchtops and overlays, software, patient care products and advanced 6DOF robotic patient positioning. Corporate information is available at
www.CivcoRT.com.
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Apr 9, 2018 | Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA), BioNB, Dalhousie University, Office of Commercialization and Industry Engagement, Newfoundland and Labrador Association of Technology Industries (NATI), PEI BioAlliance
See original article here
Over the past decade Canada has become a global leader in life sciences and biotechnology innovation and commercialization. The sector’s steady growth is largely due to its solid base of expertise and continued investment in world-leading research. And while biotechnology innovation can be found across the country, Atlantic Canada has become a hotbed of activity and is leading the country in key bio and life-sciences areas.
“The region has seen over $1 billion dollars in exits and follow-on investment over the past few years in this sector,” said Scott Moffitt, managing director of BioNova, Nova Scotia’s Life Science Association. “Being responsive, nimble and knowledgeable has helped us to get to this point.”
Today, Atlantic Canada is home to over 150 bioscience companies and 25 research organizations that are at the forefront of global research in human health, medical technologies and diagnostics, marine biology, vaccine diagnostics, pharmaceutical and therapeutics, animal and fish health products, and agricultural technology, including a strong potato research cluster.
Despite all the innovative work coming out of the region, one of the most frequently asked questions to biotech and life-sciences organizations is “Why are you located in Atlantic Canada?”
And while there’s not just one answer, the reasoning does stem from a regional uniqueness and an inherent entrepreneurial spirit that drives collaboration, partnership and a belief that our tiny little region on the East Coast of Canada can compete and win on the global stage.
Supported by federal and provincial organizations including Springboard Atlantic, BioNova, BioNB, the PEI BioAlliance and NATI, the region’s continued growth in bio and life sciences doesn’t show signs of slowing down.
“The demand for these technologies and new solutions is accelerating, says Rory Francis, CEO of the PEI BioAlliance. “And we are well positioned to be part of that.”
Atlantic Canada is home to many innovative companies driving innovative research and development in key areas of bio and life sciences. Despite representing just 5% of the Canadian population, the region has continued to punch above its weight in attracting new opportunities, including Natural Products Canada – one of just two bio Centres of Excellence for Commercialization and Research (CECR) in Canada.
This is in no small part due the world-class research talent and expertise from the region’s 20+ universities and colleges, the two dozen research institutes dedicated to supporting the region’s bio-based industries and a regional understanding that moving ideas to commercializable opportunities is key to growing the sector and region.
“It’s not enough just to do the research,” says Francis. “There’s a lot of discipline and a lot of understanding required to make this economically impactful.” And, he adds, that starts with our ability to work together as a sector.
This evolution of the Atlantic bio and life science sector leverages a history of scientific ingenuity and an entrepreneurial and self-reliant spirit – it has created a dynamic environment for innovation.
“We are not creating a sector from scratch here; we are building on 150 years of research and innovation in traditional industries that we know very well. That’s a base that not many regions have or understand,” says Meaghan Seagrave, executive director of BioNB.
“The sky’s the limit,” says Doris Grant, director for Industry Liaison and Innovation at Dalhousie University. “Collaboration is at the core of everything we do and having the whole ecosystem working together and recognizing this sector for the opportunity that it is only motivates us further.”]]>
