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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 The next few weeks will determine whether Canada is to become a significant player in genomics research and the major commercial opportunities it promises to offer in the 21st century. The request to the federal government is a relatively modest $250 million over five years, with the remainder of the $395-million price tag to be covered by the provinces and other stakeholders. The tireless supporters of the Genome Canada concept have come a long way since their initial federal funding request was turned aside earlier this year. The name itself now elicits recognition rather than blank stares, and its heightened profile even won it a mention in the bellwether Speech from the Throne. All the indicators for success are good, but this is certainly no time for complacency. Following last February's Budget announcement, support for genomics research now totals $50 million a year, but Canada remains the only developed nation lacking a formal program. A major infusion of financial support is essential to pull Canada back into the game, or risk severe, longterm economic and social consequences. Genome Canada champion Dr Martin Godbout only slightly overstates the point when he says new investment is "primordial, it's a must". The federal government has many competing pressures for new S&T spending, but with Genome Canada, it has a quickly closing window of opportunity to right past wrongs.
FEATURE REPORTS...
RESEARCH BRIEFS
Medicure raising $2M in capital for cardiovascular research Medicure Inc has reached another major milestone in its attempts to finance its research on MC-1, its lead product for treatment of heart attacks, congestive heart failure and other cardiovascular disorders. The Winnipeg-based spin-off from the Univ of Manitoba has been acquired by Lariat Capital Inc (a junior capital pool firm on the Alberta Stock Exchange) through a reverse takeover. Lariat was created for the express purpose of raising capital for Medicure, and will now change its name to Medicure. Financing raised will total $2 million with the closure of an ongoing share issue set to close by the end of the year. Medicure is based on a patent pending discovery made by a research team led by Dr Naranjan Dhalla, who approached medical entrepreneur Dr Albert Friesen with the idea of creating a company around his technology. The staff of 10 is working to extend the research to create a pipeline of new cardiovascular therapies. Dhalla heads the experimental cardiology program at the St Boniface General Hospital Research Centre and is the largest recipient of public research funding for cardiovascular research in the country".
U of O researchers receive NCI funds for ovarian cancer research The US National Cancer Institute has awarded a US$2.9-million grant over five years to a team of researchers including several from the Ottawa Regional Cancer Centre (ORCC) and the Univ of Ottawa. The funding was granted to a Mouse Models for Ovarian Cancer study, which will be conducted in conjunction with scientists from the Fox Chase Cancer Centre in Philadelphia PA. The Ottawa contingent is led by Dr Barbara Vanderhyden, a career scientist with ORCC's cancer research group and an associate professor at the Univ of Ottawa's department of medicine. The research plans to produce inheritable mouse models of ovarian cancer that resemble the human cancer, allowing for better identification and strategies for prevention, diagnosis and new treatments. The joint proposal was one of 19 successful applications and the only one with a Canadian component....
MDS boosts Hemosol investment with $10-million credit facility Hemosol Inc will receive a $10-million credit facility from MDS Inc, its largest shareholder, helping it achieve its near term objectives. The credit and additional capital stemming from warrants issued in July/98 will also go towards obtaining Phase III trial results for Hemolink, currently near completion in Canada and the UK. The Toronto-based firm is also finalizing the design, engineering and debt financing for a commercial scale production facility....
Neurochem scores with R&D deal worth up to US24.5 million Neurochem Inc, Montreal, has entered an R&D agreement with H Lundbeck A/S, a Danish pharmaceutical firm focused on diseases of the central nervous system. The agreement will see Neurochem receive US $17 million in milestone payments and up to $7.5 million to support its research programs over the next three years, as well as an equity investment in the firm and royalty payments based on sales. Neurochem will use the funds to further development of its therapeutic strategy for Alzheimer's disease, based on a series of proprietary compounds to combat the toxic effects of amyloid fibrils on cells of different organs of the body....
Biomira Inc has entered a research agreement and licensed two patents from Dr Senitiroh Hakomori of Seattle's Biomembrane Institute to further development of a vaccine method for preventing cancer cells from replicating and growing. Hakomori is a pioneer in the field of carbohydrate antigens and their application in immunotherapy. Under the agreement, Biomira will fund research at the Institute on a quarterly basis over five years, with no royalties attached to any product sales. The Edmonton-based company will also have exclusive right to negotiate a licence for any technology stemming from the research collaboration. Biomira focuses on the development of synthetic vaccines and novel strategies for cancer immunotherapy....
The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) is investing $16.5 million over five years to establish up to 16 regional Chairs in Design Engineering in a new program, making it one of the larger new NSERC programs in recent years. NSERC will award $200,000 annually for each chair and also match funds contributed by private or public organizations on a matching basis, raising the total funding available for the first phase of the program to $32 million. The initial phase will focus on the creation of innovative designs and design tools for new or improved products, processes or technologies which are environmentally friendly and ecologically efficient. Treasury Board is providing $4 million over four years for this phase, honouring a 1997 Red Book II commitment. The remainder of the chairs will be non-targeted. There will also be a training component to each chair. The concept for the program was hatched two years ago by former NSERC Leo Deryx as part of a strategy to ensure that the granting council's future direction dovetailed with the needs of the research community and Canada at large. The program has been modified to include the environmental component and was approved last June by NSERC's governing council. It was announced at last week's Canada Foundation for Innovation conference, but was unofficially launched on the NSERC web site in early October....
CATA Alliance and the National Press Club have launched a Crystal Globe Speakers program focusing on issues confronting Canada's high technology industry. The first keynote speaker was Nortel Networks Corp CEO John Roth. He will be followed in the coming months by Brian Barry, president/CEO Ericsson Communications Inc, Mike Cowpland, president/CEO Corel Corp, Brian Edwards, president/CEO Bell Emergis, Antoin Paquin, president/CEO Philsar Electronics Inc and Kirk Mandy, president/CEO Mitel Corp. All speakers will appear at Ottawa's Chateau Laurier".
The Michael Smith Science Promotion Awards have been transferred from Industry Canada to NSERC and given a substantial increase in financial support. The awards have been increased to $10,000 for organizations and $5,000 for individuals and will be paid for by NSERC. The program was sunsetted by Industry in 1998 along with several other S&T promotion programs, although it was the only one that was not discontinued. A website has been established to promote the independently juried awards, and news about the winners will be posted there. The cost of the program will be $80,000 in the first year, and slightly less thereafter....
A steering committee has been established to examine the requirements for an Ottawa-area information networking group of technology companies focused on regulatory compliance. To be called Regulatory Approval Forum on Technology (RAFT), it is being championed by the Ottawa Centre for Research and Innovation. The forum will bring in guest speakers from regulatory organizations and plans tours of test facilities. Launch date for RAFT is scheduled for next month. FMI: (613) 592-8160....
NSERC has created a $1-million annual award for science and engineering research in honour of the late Dr Gerhard Herzberg, who received the Nobel Prize for chemistry and worked for many years at the National Research Council in the field of molecular spectroscopy. To be called the Gerhard Herzberg Canada Gold Medal for Science and Engineering, it is considered the nation's top research prize. If the winner is not an NSERC grant recipient, he/she will be able to direct $200,000 annually over five years to scholarships or the creation of a research chair. If the winner is already receiving NSERC grant funds, the grant will be increased to $200,000. Two runners up will receive a one-time award of $50,000 in research support....
The Univ of British Columbia was the big winner in the most recent New Opportunities Fund program of the Canada Foundation for Innovation. UBC took one third of the $3.2 million 21 new faculty equipment awards, with four going to various aspects of genomics research, including funds for team leaders at UBC's Genome Sequence Centre. The Univ of Toronto and the Univ of Ottawa were the only other institutions to receive more than a single award. The awards bring the CFI's total investment in research infrastructure to $454 million, covering 632 awards to 74 institutions....
PERSONALITIESDr. Suzanne Fortier will be leaving her position as VP research of Queen's Univ to take up the position of the university's VP academic for a five-year term, effective July 1/00. She will be replaced in an acting capacity by Bruce Hutchinson, currently the university's director of research services and associate VP research. Hutchinson is also the director of the CFI/ORDCF Task Force that coordinates applications to those two funding bodies. He may bow out of this position once he takes up his new acting duties. A search for Fortier's replacement will begin shortly... George Masters has been chosen to chair the advisory committee for Ontario's new Biotechnology Commercialization Centre Fund (BCCF). Masters is a retired businessman from Burlington ON with a range of experience in the biotechnology industry, having held management and executive positions in major firms in North America. He chairs the boards of directors for CME Telemetrix, ImmuCell and Biocatalyst Yorkton. He is also a board member for Xanthon and Apollo Biopharmaceuticals, and a co-founder of the Biotechnology Industry Association. Members of the BCCF advisory committee are: Dr Bob Church, chair of the Alberta Science and Research Authority; Don Lenz, president of Seldm Ltd (private investment firm); John Oliver, president of Maple Leaf Bio-Concept (consulting firm); Dr Bonnie Patterson, president and vice chancellor of Trent Univ; James Skinner, president/CEO Xanthon; and, Dr Gabrielle Adams, DG of the National Research Council's Institute for Biological Sciences. The BCCF will spend $20 million over the next four years to establish a series of biotechnology incubators (R$, November 10/99).... Nick Tidd has been appointed president of 3Com Canada Inc, moving up from VP distribution and consumer business unit and marketing. Tidd joined 3Com with its acquisition of US Robotics in 1997. With that firm, he established the Canadian office for its mobile communications division. As president he will be responsible for all operations including R&D....
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