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reports and analyses of the forces driving science and technology investment in Canada
editor: Mark Henderson How it looks to me.... by Mark Henderson FEATURE REPORTS | RESEARCH BRIEFS | PERSONALITIES How it looks to me.... by Mark Henderson, editor, RE$EARCH MONEY Knowledge-based industries across Canada are taking a serious look at the associations that represent them, and in many cases firms are concluding that fewer is better. As sectors grow, new associations often evolve that, over time, become burdened by overlapping mandates, a hazy focus and weak funding. The downsizing trend has been accelerated with the withdrawal of government funding. The sunsetting of Industry Canada's Technology Outreach Program has prompted a wave of consolidation in many sectors, including microelectronics and mining (see lead story). The consensus among their respective memberships is that this is a positive move, and can only result in associations that are better run and more fiscally responsible than their government-supported predecessors. The most recent example of merger mania is the plastics industry. But perhaps more significant is the melding of exporting, manufacturing and research interests in the Alliance of Manufacturers and Exporters Canada. The Association of Provincial Research Organizations (APRO) is the latest to join this mega association, and the combined interests of the three groups can only mean an enhanced image abroad and more political muscle at home for technology-intensive firms. In the absence of government support and the self-serving entities spawned by such largesse, the emergence of umbrella associations signal a new era of representation worth watching.
FEATURE REPORTS...
ASSOCIATION OF PROVINCIAL RESEARCH ORGANIZATIONS AGREES
MRC-PMAC HEALTH PROGRAM POSTS LACKLUSTER SECOND YEAR
PMPRB REPORT SHOWS THAT PHARMACEUTPICAL FIRMS CONTINUE
AGRICULTURAL BIOTECH & TECH TRANSFER GAIN PROMINENCE
BIOTECHNOLOGY REPORT LAYS OUT STRATEGY TO TACKLE
GOVERNMENT REPORT SAYS SASKATCHEWAN AGBIOTECH SECTOR
RESEARCH BRIEFS
StressGen raises $20 million through share offering StressGen Biotechnologies Corp has completed a $20.1 million equity financing through the sale of 4.225 million common shares priced at $4.75. Net proceeds will be used to conduct core research relating to the development of its stress protein technology and the generation of data necessary for the filing of initial investigational new drug applications, the commencement of clinical studies and collaboration with large pharmaceutical or biotechnology companies. The underwriting group has been granted an option to purchase an additional 633,750 shares. The Victoria-based firm is focused on R&D for products based on the therapeutic application of its stress proteins, which activate the immune system and aimed at the vaccine market....
Resolution gets $10-million venture capital injection Resolution Pharmaceuticals Inc has completed a $10-million private placement by a group of investors led by Working Ventures Canadian Fund Inc and Triax Growth Fund Inc. The placement is a key milestone in the Toronto-based firm's strategy to become a public company by the end of the decade (R$, February 28/96). The new investors join founding joint venture partners Allelix Biopharmaceuticals Inc and Nordion International, and will be used to accelerate development of its lead products, RP128, and exploit new products and applications for its proprietary technology platform. RP128 is currently in Phase II clinical trials to test its effectiveness in treating accurate diagnostic imaging of chronic and acute inflammation such as rheumatoid arthritis....
LifeTech to collaborate with Cdn Red Cross Society LifeTech Corp has formed a strategic research alliance with the Canadian Red Cross Society (Ottawa) to use its Sterizone sterilization system on CD34 stem cells necessary for bone marrow transplants. Sterizone is currently used to sterilize blood and blood products and will require minor modifications, opening up a new area of market development....
UBC to exploit cellulose binding domain technology The Univ of British Columbia's University-Industry Liaison Office (UILO) has signed two exclusive worldwide agreements for applications of its cellulose binding domain (CBD) technology. CBD's are naturally occurring polypeptides with bind tightly to cellulose, offering a specific and biological alternative to current chemical coupling methods. This new platform technology has applications in the bioprocessing, diagnostic, pharmaceutical, pulp and paper, textile and detergent industries. The agreements are with Novo Nordisk, Bagsvaerd, Denmark, the world's largest produce of industrial enzymes, and CBD Technologies Inc, a Fort Erie NJ-based firm created last year to foster development of CDB technology between UBC and Hebrew Univ, Jerusalem, which is pursuing similar R&D. CBD plans to create a BC-based subsidiary within 18 months to conduct manufacturing related to CBD R&D. Novo purchased the rights to explore the uses of CBD in the areas of textiles and detergents, while CBD Technologies has rights for all other fields. Both firms will continue research and product development in conjunction with UBC scientists. The UILO added value to the technology by supporting research through its prototype development program and securing the necessary patents....
Caisse and CGI team to create new portfolio management firm The Caisse de dépot et placement du Québec is spinning off its information systems and technology (IST) division which will be jointly held by Sofinov, Caisse's investment subsidiary, and CGI, the largest Canadian-owned public information technology consulting firm. The new unnamed firm will begin operations July 1 with an $8.7 million, renewable five-year contract to fulfil Caisse's information services requirements, and will offer its services to other financial clients throughout North America. CGI will hold 70% of the new company's voting shares, which will specialize in portfolio management. Approximately 60 employees from the Caisse's IST division will be transferred to the new firm....
Plastics industry groups unite under single association Three plastics industry organizations have merged to create the Canadian Plastics Industry Association (CPIA), a regionally driven association designed to provide strategic focus on national and regional issues. The CPIA integrates the initiatives and core competencies of the Society of the Plastics Industry of Canada, the Canadian Plastics Institute and the Environment and the Plastics Institute of Canada. It will contain two standing committees on the environment, health and safety, and industry competitiveness. An interim board of directors comprised of the three executive committees of the former organizations will be responsible for implementing the CPIA for its official launch January 1/97. As envisaged, CPIA will operate one national office and four regional offices. Gerry Finn chairs the steering committee that is defining the new, decentralized organization....
CISTI signs agreement with Quebec research libraries The National Research Council's Canada Institute for Scientific and Technical Information (CISTI) has signed a collaborative agreement with an organization representing 19 Quebec-based university institutions. The three-year agreement with the Conférence des recteurs et des principaux des universitiés du Québec (CREPUQ) calls for: better sharing of library resources through continued renewal of journal subscriptions of interest to Quebec university libraries; joint development and promotion of scientific and technical publishing in Canada; joint development and testing of new information and communications technologies; and, pooling of staff training and development. The pact gives Quebec university and research libraries access to CISTI resources at a preferential rate, and could lead to similar arrangements with other regional and provincial library consortia....
Theratechnologies receives patent for new molecule Theratechnologies Inc has received a US patent for TH9402, its new photosensitive molecule used in the photodynamic treatment of leukemia and bone marrow cancers. The discovery of the molecule was made by a five-member team at the Univ of Montreal. Efficacy and toxicology studies are planned in preparation for preclinical trials, with clinical trials slated to commence in 1997. The worldwide market for leukemia treatment is estimated at US$800 million. In addition to treating cancers originating in the bone marrow, the Montreal-based firm plans to expand the treatment to cancers invading the bone marrow, such as those involving the breast, prostate, ovaries and testicles. Treatment entails the extraction of bone marrow, saturating the cancerous cells with TH9402 and purging them to light of varying wavelengths. and intensities...
Montreal's Haemacure to raise nearly $28 million through IPO Haemacure Corp is filing an initial public offering in the form of a treasury issue of 4,286 million common that will secure net proceeds of $27.64 million. The new revenue will be used primarily to complete the regulatory process for its Hemaseel Fibran Sealant and Hemaseel Dressing, as well as ongoing R&D and the acquisition of products under licence. The closing of the IPO is slated for June 27. The Montreal-based firm specializes in the development and marketing of biological adhesives, biomaterials and devices for the acute surgical wound market....
RIM raises $34 million in special warrant financing Waterloo ON-based Research In Motion Ltd (RIM) has raised $34 million through a special warrant financing to boost its R&D, acquire additional space and equipment and use for working capital. RIM is a designer, manufacturer and marketer of specialized wireless communications systems, including products for two-way paging, mobile computing, point-of-sale, and alarms. It has developed strategic relationships with COM DEV, Intel, Clearnet, US Robotics and AT&T....
PERSONALITIES
John Sheridan has been appointed president of MediaLinx Interactive Inc, a multimedia subsidiary of BCE Inc formed two years ago and mandated to spend $250 million developing content applications in partnership with industry players. He replaces original president Fred Klinkhamer. Sheridan, who is also group VP business development, Bell Canada Innovation Centre, joined Bell Canada in 1979. He has served as chief executive of Encom Cable TV and Telecommunications Ltd, and most recently was COO of UK-based Bell Cablemedia plc. Sheridan is a Queen's Univ graduate with a master's degree in economics. He holds undergraduate degrees from the Univ of Waterloo and Wilfrid Laurier Univ in environmental studies and economics....Monique Lefebvre is resigning as CEO of the Centre de recherche informatique de Montréal (CRIM) to accept the position of CEO at Gestion Micro-Intel (GMI), a CRIM member. Established in 1990, GMI recently sold a 25% interest to Quebecor Multimédia through the Société en Commandite, and a 15% stake to Investissements Desjardins. It is focused on developing multimedia products with education, training and information applications. While at CRIM, Lefebvre increased self-financing from 47% to 70%, while the Centre's annual budget rose from $6.8 million to $16 million. She also helped attract many new academic, industry and institutional members, and establish three divisions: the Applied Software Engineering Centre, the Réseau interordinateurs scientifique québécois (RISQ) and Consortium multimédia CESAM.... Peter MacPhail has been appointed VP and chief technical officer of IPSCO Inc, succeeding the retiring William Bailey. A 23-year veteran of the steel industry, MacPhail will be responsible for corporate R&D, and the development and implementation of a technology strategy. IPSCO operates a major steelworks in Regina and is constructing a second in Montpelier IA utilizing an innovative, in-line production method featuring higher quality steel and lower operating costs.... Dr Donald Woods has been appointed program leader of the Canadian Bacterial Diseases Network (CBDN), replacing Dr Robert Hancock who will remain an active network member. Woods will step down as chair of the Univ of Calgary's department of microbiology and infectious diseases to work fulltime for CBDN, one of 14 federally supported Networks of Centres of Excellence. Woods received a PhD in microbiology from the Univ of Texas Health Sciences Centre, and completed a post-doctoral fellowship at the Oregon Health Sciences Univ of Portland. Since graduation, he has held several positions, including his most recent position at the Univ of Calgary and as director of a Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Research Development Program.... In other CBDN news, Dr Peter Morand and Kenneth Galbraith have been appointed to the Network's board of directors. Morand, a former NSERC president, was on the steering committee for the administration and policy setting of the NCE program. In addition to holding positions on several boards, he is president of Peter Morand and Associates, focusing on advanced technology projects at the local, provincial and national levels. Galbraith is senior VP and CFO of QLT Phototherapeutics Inc, where he has been instrumental in raising $200 million in public and private equity capital. He is a founder and current board chair of the BC Biotechnology Alliance and an active member of several initiatives to stimulate high tech growth in BC.... Dan Hadary has been appointed president and CEO of Micrologix Biotech Inc, a Vancouver-based biotechnology firm specializing in anti-infective compounds. Hadary comes from Cangene Corp, where he served as VP biopharmaceuticals for a seven-year period. He moved to Canada in 1988 from Israel, where he worked with the US BioTechnology General in several senior product development and management positions. Hadary brings to Micrologix expertise in new product development and alliance agreements with major pharmaceutical firms....
Applied PeR$pectivesBuilding with CCNB-INNOV… Relationships that go a Long Way! CCNB-INNOV, the applied research and development arm of CCNB has adapted its range of services to better meet the unique needs of the regional shipbuilding industry.
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