T H E O F F I C I A L M A G A Z I N E O F A L B E R T A ’ S L I F E S C I E N C E S I N D U S T R Y

2014

Commercialization in Alberta and what it takes to succeed

Mission: Possible

Eye on Innovation A spotlight on inventive companies

Growth in Every Way State of the Industry 2013

Training Gen-Next Meet the future of life sciences

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BIOZINE 2014 3

4 Message from the President

6 Eye on Innovation

9 Mission: Possible

17 Growing Up and Diversifying

20 Training Gen-Next

22 BioAlberta Awards

24 BioAlberta Members

26 BioAlberta Partners

contents10221 123 St. NW Edmonton AB, T5N 1N3 T 780.451.1379 F 780.482.5417 odvodpublishing.com

Publisher/Editor Orville Chubb

Art Director Rory Lee

No part of this publication may be reproduced without the written consent of the publisher.

The views and opinions herein do not necessarily represent those of Odvod Publishing, the publisher Orville Chubb or BioAlberta.

314 Capital Place 9707 110 St. NW Edmonton AB, T5K 2L9 T 780.425.3804 F 780.409.9263 E info@bioalberta.com bioalberta.com

President Amanda Stadel

Manager, Medical Product Development Program Sanah Jowhari

Events and Membership Manager Heather Pontikes

Project Manager Judi Bahl

Administrative Coordinator Donna Parker

HR and Financial Coordinator Bev Pederson

BIOZINE is the official magazine of Alberta’s life sciences industry. Published by Odvod Publishing for BioAlberta.

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4 BIOZINE 2014

A Message from the PresidentWELCOME TO THE 2014 EDITION OF BIOZINE, THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF Alberta’s life sciences industry.

BioAlberta first launched BioZine in 2001. Since then, it has evolved into a mainstay document that is widely distributed to targeted audiences, through a variety of channels, including key national and international conferences for life sciences companies.

While the last several years have been challenging for this sector, there are signs it is on the upswing, along with a renewed global interest in the technologies it generates. Our industry will be at the forefront of addressing the most pressing issues of today, namely an aging global population, health sustainability and challenges involved in feeding a growing population, estimated to reach nine billion by 2050.

Our Life Sciences in Alberta, State of the Industry 2013 report, highlighted in this edition of BioZine, confirms these positive industry indicators, and emphasizes Alberta companies’ expectations of strong research and development spending, cash on hand remaining steady and anticipated employment growth. BioAlberta is proud to say that our industry now has over 200 companies, with a strong presence in the health biotechnology and medical device sectors, which account for over 60 per cent of the life sciences industry provincially.

I encourage you to read “Eye on Innovation,” which focuses on progressive technologies and products emanating from our local industry, as well as “Mission Possible,” which speaks to the commercialization environment within the province, and companies that have successfully navigated various stages along this pathway.

I hope that you will take the opportunity to connect with some of the companies featured in this year’s BioZine, and, as the hub of Alberta’s life sciences industry, I encourage you to bookmark BioAlberta.com to ensure you stay informed about the exciting initiatives taking place in our province.

Regards,

Amanda Stadel, President, BioAlberta

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PBR Laboratories Inc. pbr.ca

SINCE 1984, PBR HAS STEADILY DEVELOPED UNIQUE CAPABILITIES, combining talents and technology in cellular and genetic toxicology, microbiology, cell biology and analytical chemistry.

PBR’s vision is to become a part of the technological infrastructure necessary for promoting a diversified industrial development. It aims to achieve this by establishing successful research and analytical capabilities that incorporate advanced technologies in product development, environmental monitoring and human health protection.

Various organizations turn to PBR for its expertise in many sectors, including pharmaceuticals, natural health products, food safety, water quality, agriculture and the environment.

Recently, PBR developed bacterial cultures and processes for bioremediation of organic contaminants and validated an in vivo Mammalian (Pig-a gene) Mutation Assay, a high-throughput assay uniquely suitable for detecting mutations in humans and all animal species. Aside from drug safety evaluation, it has wider applications in biomonitoring for human exposure to mutagens and carcinogens and health risk assessments.

Currently, PBR is working on the development of a genome-based assay for the detection of pathogenic E.coli in collaboration with University of Laval, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and the National Research Council Canada. PBR’s laboratory facility incorporates all the requirements of GLP (Good Laboratory Practice) and Biosafety Containment Level 2 and operates in compliance with ISO/IEC 17025.

Botaneco Incorporated as Concept Capital Management Ltd. botaneco.ca

BOTANECO HAS CAUGHT THE ATTENTION OF GLOBAL COMPANIES BY purifying unique extracts from oilseeds that improve the natural authenticity and performance of personal care, food and feed products, leading to better quality of life. The company produces the only truly natural emulsifier on the market today with multi-functional properties, including delivery system attributes.

Botaneco amalgamated novel technology, commercially viable assets and key people with the knowledge and experience to revolutionize how oilseeds are processed — no heat, chemicals or re-naturing steps. By taking novel oilseed technology, first developed in Alberta over a decade ago, along with substantial capital investment and a long-term vision, it has experienced significant growth. Sales to global companies have expanded, production capacity has doubled and many Alberta- and Canada-based jobs have been created.

Its diversification into new feed stocks such as canola will provide benefits to our supply chain as it produces more value-added food and feed products in the future. The talent of agriculture-based resources in Alberta and Canada and the support of local governments that see the need to build diversified world-class businesses have been key ingredients to Botaneco’s growth and developments.

KMT Hepatech Inc. kmthepatech.com

KMT HEPATECH INC. OFFERS EFFICIENT AND COST-effective preclinical in vivo studies by utilizing a proprietary animal model, the KMT Mouse™(uPA/SCID chimeric mouse model with stable human hepatocytes engraftment of up to 95 per cent).

The humanized liver mouse model has been utilized commercially for over 10 years and more than 150 Hepatitis C (HCV) leads have been evaluated. The model now serves as the gold standard in HCV efficacy testing, and the predictive value of the KMT Mouse™ has been confirmed by multiple clinical trial results.

Since 2006, KMT Hepatech has been the only preclinical development contractor worldwide for the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) to provide in vivo testing of antiviral agents for HCV.

Due to expanding interest in the humanized liver mouse model across a wide range of drug development fields, the company now offers services in the following areas:• Infectious diseases, such as Hepatitis C, Hepatitis B (HBV)

and Malaria • Preclinical safety studies: early assessment of potential

hepatotoxicity in in vivo settings before first-in-human studies• DMPK: characterization of human-type drug and

lipoprotein metabolism in in vivo settings before first-in- human studies

TC Scientific Inc. tcscientific.com

TC SCIENTIFIC IS A CHEMISTRY-BASED RESEARCH company in Edmonton, Canada dedicated to helping businesses meet their goals and succeed.

TC’s professional team consists of highly skilled, enthusiastic and motivated organic and medicinal PhD chemists who are capable of handling the most difficult and challenging synthetic assignments in the most cost-efficient ways.

With over five decades of experience shared between TC’s PhD organic and medicinal chemists in research and development in the synthetic chemical industry, its expertise is sought by some of the largest, most reputable pharmaceutical and biotech companies around the world.

While providing outstanding services for a varied consumer base, TC Scientific Inc. is also conducting its own research. Its unique research and development activities and products include the design and synthesis of stable isotope-rich products, high-value building block synthesis and nanomaterials. TC Scientific also specializes in custom synthesis of reference compounds and stable isotope-labeled compounds.

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TerraVerdae BioWorks Inc. terraverdae.com

TERRAVERDAE BIOWORKS INC. IS A CANADIAN GREEN BIOMATERIALS company developing sustainable performance biomaterials and industrial bio-based chemicals that have significantly enhanced greenhouse gas profiles compared to traditional products and processes.

In July 2013, the company established its Bioprocess Development Centre at the Agri-Food Discovery Place in Edmonton, Alberta. TerraVerdae is currently optimizing and scaling up its bioprocess for commercial scale and developing products with improved performance characteristics for a number of applications.

TerraVerdae is focusing on high-value applications in industrial, automotive and agricultural materials as well as specialty chemicals. It also has an established service business for the high-efficiency expression of engineered proteins, bioprocess development and scale-up optimization.

TerraVerdae’s development effort is supported by funding from Alberta Innovates BioSolutions, Alberta Innovates Technology Futures, The Technology Strategy Board (UK), and the Department of Energy (US). The company also has a number of key development and commercial partnerships with Woodbridge Foam Corporation (Canada), Saint Goblin Performance Plastics (US), Enerkem (Canada) and the Edmonton Waste Management Facility (Canada), as well as technology partnerships and collaborations with the University of Alberta, The National Research Council (Canada) and The Centre for Process Innovation (UK).

Zenith Epigenetics Corp. zenithepigenetics.com

ZENITH EPIGENETICS CORP. IS A SCIENCE-DRIVEN BIOTECHNOLOGY company developing novel and innovative therapeutics for cancer and autoimmune disease patients by targeting epigenetics.

Epigenetics, a frontier in the search for new treatments of human diseases, refers to modifications to DNA or the proteins associated with DNA, which in turn determine whether a gene’s activity is high or low. The level of activity of a gene will, in many cases, mean the difference between a healthy normal physiological effect and a disease.

Through Zenith’s epigenetic drug discovery platform and large compound library, novel small molecules are rapidly being developed as inhibitors of BET bromodomains, which are readers of the epigenetic code. These molecules have the potential to impact multiple diseases, including autoimmune diseases and cancers.

Zenith’s strong development organization efficiently and rapidly explores and progresses proprietary molecules from discovery to early development, building product pipeline opportunities for both orphan as well as common diseases.

The company currently focuses on hematologic cancers, including leukemia, and is planning to initiate clinical trials later this year.

Surface Medical Inc. surfacemedical.ca

SURFACES IN HEALTHCARE SETTINGS, INCLUDING PATIENT rooms, have been shown to harbour dangerous pathogens that contribute to Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAI). HAI are infections patients acquire during treatment for other conditions in healthcare facilities. HAIs contribute to hundreds of thousands of deaths and billions in direct economic costs globally. One of the easiest and most cost-effective ways to reduce preventable HAIs is to keep surfaces clean and intact.

Surface Medical is dedicated to creating innovative products that reduce the transfer of infection and facilitate the safe administration of healthcare for the benefit of practitioners and patients alike. Its flagship product, CleanPatch™ is a medical surface repair patch for hospital beds and stretchers that restores damaged mattresses to an intact and hygienic state, providing a cost-effective tool to enhance patient safety.

Over the last 12 months, Surface has achieved many significant milestones, including successfully completing a clinical study, obtaining regulatory acceptance in Canada, the United States and Europe, launching CleanPatch™ throughout North America with a network of leading distributors and having over 60 Canadian hospitals adopt the product. It has also closed significant financing and added additional people.

XORTX Pharma Corp. xortx.com

XORTX PHARMA CORP. IS DEDICATED TO DEVELOPING cardiovascular medications for the treatment of health issues caused by chronically increased serum uric acid (cSUA), thereby improving patients’ health and future quality of life.

Increased cSUA has been implicated as causative in a “disease axis” that includes obesity, hypertension, insulin resistance, diabetes, diabetic nephropathy, and fatty liver disease. Methodical applications for patents based upon discoveries by Dr. Richard Johnson include claims to the use of all uric acid lowering agents within this set of diseases.

XORTX’s experienced management team has developed xanthine oxidase inhibitors for large market opportunities through past New Drug Application submissions. Recent product development successes have permitted the company’s lead program in hypertension to advance to Phase II clinical development using a proprietary formulation of a xanthine oxidase inhibitor.

Recently, non-clinical and clinical studies validating XORTX Pharma Corp. patents and applications have been strengthened by Phase II clinical trials that show cSUA is causative in adolescent hypertension and chronic kidney disease. Current clinical results in humans suggest a high probability of translating our robust patent coverage into multiple large-market approvals for treatment of diseases that result from cSUA.

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BIOZINE 2014 9

MISSION: POSSIBLE

Dr. Jacqueline Shan had always been most comfortable in a lab, donning the white coat and assuming the role of research scientist. She didn’t think much about how her

discoveries could be propelled out of the lab and, ultimately, into the hands of people who could buy and use them. That changed after she and a team at the University of Alberta discovered natural cold remedy COLD-FX, now a household name. They emerged from the lab after 10 years of product development to discover they couldn’t find any companies to help them bring it to market.

“We had this notion that only the international, big companies can do marketing and sales, and we were just back here doing the bench work,” says Shan, Founder, President, CEO and Chief Science Officer of Afinity Life Sciences Inc.

Alberta is a great place for life sciences companies to find success — and we’re willing to step out of our

comfort zone and work for it. By Eliza Barlow

2014

200Life sciences companies in Alberta:

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Undeterred, Shan threw herself into the marketing world with the same gusto she had when developing her product. Her successful journey to commercialization is an inspiration to other life sciences companies seeking to do the same.

There’s no question Alberta is a hotbed of research, innovation, and entrepreneurial spirit. In 2005, 80 life sciences companies operated here. Today, there are more than 200.

Now, Alberta’s commercialization process is evolving as industry players embrace the notion that developing a great product is only the beginning of the journey. They’re developing new solutions for how emerging companies can grow their ideas from concept to commodity and reap the financial rewards they deserve while contributing to Alberta’s economic diversification.

“Commercialization is the critical piece,” says Dr. Dennis Filips, Founder, President and CEO of iTraumaCare™ and inventor of the iTClamp™, a hairclip-like device that stops hemorrhaging when applied to a wound.

Filips, a former military trauma surgeon, designed his product, which he says takes “three seconds” to apply, as an alternative to cumbersome tourniquets. He and his partner received funding from BioAlberta’s Medical Product Development Program (MPDP) and started the ball rolling on their project.

But as Filips found out, great technology “doesn’t translate into sales; it doesn’t translate into revenue. You might have the best device in the world, but until you can navigate all those hurdles, nobody’s going to come knocking at your door.”

To commercialize his product, it was crucial for Filips to build a team with experience in regulatory approvals, logistics, sales

and marketing, he says.“Using their lessons learned and expertise, we were able to

build a successful team.”The iTClamp™ is now selling to emergency medical services,

hospitals and militaries in 29 countries. Filips adds that with some strategic vision and concerted

effort, Alberta can expand its commercialization opportunities. “When people start to see some local successes, they might be more likely to put resources into it.”

Dave Hancock, Alberta’s Premier and Minister of Innovation and Advanced Education, believes part of the solution lies in coaxing Alberta investors out of their oil-and-gas comfort zones and educating them about investment opportunities in life sciences.

“Getting people to broaden their portfolios is a challenge,” he says. Hancock adds supporting commercialization in the

province’s life sciences industry is “one of the most important pieces for Alberta’s future.” He says the province has an expert panel examining the concept of an applied research institute, as proposed in a 2011 provincial report.

“Alberta has attracted some of the best and the brightest. We need to focus on financing, building the commercial side of the industry so they don’t end up leaving when they get something they can bring to the next level.”

Shan says if you have the right attitude and approach, there’s no reason to leave.

“I believe we have all the essential components in Alberta,” she says. “You really need to want it — to have that passion and love

for dealing with the consumer. And you have to relentlessly

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pursue that quality, to make sure your product does what you say it will.”

“Doing the marketing, sales and branding is no different than building the science.”

At this stage in her long career, she has become a mentor for other life sciences companies seeking success, and urges small and medium life sciences companies to “think big.”

Reg Joseph has taken the cue. He’s thinking big when it comes to the urine test his company, Metabolomic Technologies Inc. (MTI), has developed to detect polyps in the colon.

Ninety per cent of colon cancer derives from specific types of polyps that, once they become cancerous, yield a five-year survival rate of just 50 per cent.

Metabolomics science detects biochemical markers for a diverse range of disease in a variety of bodily fluids. The beauty of MTI’s test is that it can catch the presence of problematic polyps very early with a simple urine test, as well as screen a lot more people.

“Right now the best thing is colonoscopies, which are invasive and capital-intensive. We just do not have the capacity to screen all the people that we need to screen,” says Joseph, the company’s CEO.

The urine test has gone through a 1,200-patient clinical trial at the University of Alberta, and now, as part of quality assurance and quality control standards testing, MTI has partnered with Alberta Health Services and DynaLIFE Dx to scale up the test.

“We need to be able to screen tens of thousands of patients. We need to make sure it will work on a large scale,” says Joseph.

Partnerships with business-minded companies are important, says Joseph.

“Companies take a key role, putting their capabilities and resources behind the product. Those skills aren’t often found in academia or the health system.”

For Shan and COLD-FX, the toughest part of the commercialization process was branding — differentiating the product in the marketplace.

“The most difficult thing is to convince the consumers to

actually go and buy your product,” she says.Filips agrees. “You have to get people excited and wanting to buy.”On the horizon, Joseph sees a critical mass in Alberta, where

life sciences companies can flourish.“If [Alberta companies] are able to sell their products and put

the profits back into research and development, we could have a circle that keeps evolving new tests.”

He stresses success isn’t about turning the province’s universities into R&D shops for private industry, but about having them act as engines to diversify our economy beyond fossil fuels.

Getting great ideas to market is complicated, but Joseph is in it for the long haul. “We’ve passed many hurdles, but we need to pass more.”

Those hurdles — clinical trials, regulatory, manufacturing and distribution — are crucial steps on the road to commercialization. That’s where Alberta Innovates Technology Futures (AITF) comes in.

The goal of the provincially funded organization is to support commercialization and economic diversification, and it has developed several programs to help companies get through the various stages.

Its Regulatory Advisory Services program assists companies early on in developing quality management systems to meet various standards, including ISO 9001 and ISO 13485.

“Normally, companies wait until they have a full-fledged product to start the process, but they should start as soon as they get into the development stage,” says Dr. Bhavin Rawal, AITF’s program leader for regulatory affairs, adding that companies with ISO certification have a survival rate fourteen times higher than companies that don’t.

Other AITF programs include Health Product Development Support and Clinical Testing Support. Both offer funding for specific projects during health technology development, focused on the “valley of death” — when research funding has dried up and multinationals or venture capitalists aren’t yet ready to invest.

Dr. Ernst Bergmann, AITF business partner for medical technology development, points out that while companies have

“Doing the marketing, sales and branding is no different than building the science.”

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“We have some of the best manufacturing activities in North America along the Edmonton-Red Deer-Calgary corridor.”

always needed to prove the safety and efficacy of a product, those who are making the decision about whether to buy it increasingly want them to prove something else: how the product will affect their bottom line.

“You could have the greatest medical breakthrough, but you’ll have a difficult time selling it if it adds cost,” he says.

He sees great potential in the Alberta manufacturing sector.

“We have some of the best, most condensed manufacturing activities in North America along the Edmonton-Red Deer-Calgary corridor.”

There’s no reason those manufacturers couldn’t make medical technology, says Bergmann, once they amass some sector-specific expertise.

“We’re looking at leveraging Alberta’s existing strengths to diversify as opposed to building something from scratch.”

BioAlberta is working hard to advocate for changes that will maximize these strengths. President Amanda Stadel sees many possibilities to spur investment in the industry, such as investor tax credits or flow-through shares, that already exist for other industries.

The association also sees the potential to consolidate some of the existing funding mechanisms, which can be small and onerous to apply for, into a broader program that would provide a steady flow of larger amounts of milestone-driven funding.

“Alberta has the seeds for success — we just need to refine the soil in which they grow,” says Stadel.

Shan sees the soil shifting already.Twenty years ago, the focus was on simply

creating a great product. Now the culture has changed, and the focus on commercialization has improved, she says. She believes other Alberta life sciences companies can go just as far as she did after she first came out of the lab with a product that, today, is on shelves in 6,000 retail stores.

“I was a scientist,” she says. “I knew nothing about selling products. You need to be gutsy. Know your road map and know what you want. Don’t be afraid to think about the very top of the value chain.”

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Alberta’s life sciences

industry continues

to grow and stabilize

Every two years since 2006, BioAlberta has taken the

pulse of Alberta’s life sciences industry through a

survey of company leaders. To create a snapshot of the

industry, the survey asks leaders what their company

does, how their company is doing and where they

expect their company to be in the future.

The responses make up Life Sciences in Alberta, State of the Industry 2013, released last September. The report shows a steadily evolving and diversifying industry, with many companies expecting to continue growing, raising capital and hiring more staff. Read on for some of the report’s highlights.

L E T T H E F A C T S B E G I N !

GROWING UPAND

DIVERSIFYING

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S u r v e y F a c t s Over 200 companies, from small startups to large public companies, were surveyed. Of those, 114 returned partial or complete responses, an over 55 per cent response rate.

S e c t o r s Alberta’s life sciences industry’s two largest sectors are medical technology and devices, comprising 38.3 per cent of respondents, and health biotechnology and pharmaceuticals, making up 22.7 per cent.

G o i n g T h r o u g h P h a s e s Respondents represented companies in all phases of development, from research through to commercialization.

Of the respondents in the health biotechnology and pharmaceutical sector, 29.4 per cent have a lead product in the research and development phase, 23.5 per cent are in Phases I through III of clinical trials and 20.6 per cent have a product in market.

Of medical technology and device companies, 18.4 per cent are in the research and development phase while 15.8 per cent are in the scale-up marketing phase and 28.9 per cent have a product in market.

Nearly a third (31.6 per cent) of agricultural biotechnology, natural health or nutraceutical companies are in the research and development phase, while just over half (52.6 per cent) have a lead product or technology in market.

Industrial biotechnology and bioprocessing companies are split almost evenly, with 57.1 per cent having a pilot or demonstration plant and 42.9 per cent operating a full-scale plant.

W e a r e M a n y Out of the companies surveyed, 58.8 per cent are located in Edmonton and 31.6 per cent are in Calgary. The remaining 9.6 per cent are in smaller centres such as Lethbridge, Red Deer and Lloydminster.

M a t u r i t y While Alberta’s life sciences industry is growing, it is also maturing. The number of new companies created after 2004 (40.4 per cent) dropped from the 2002 – 2011 period, indicating a decline in new company creation. However, the number of companies established at least 20 years ago increased 5.3 per cent to 27.2 per cent.

Almost half (48.6 per cent) of the respondents consider themselves to be in the emerging phase, while 60.6 per cent expect to be in the growth phase during 2014.

N o w H i r i n g The life sciences industry contributed a total of approximately 14,100 jobs to Alberta in 2012, with nearly two thirds of companies expecting to increase their staff.

BIOZINE 2014 19

R a i s i n g C a p i t a l Alberta’s life sciences companies raised $137.4 million of capital in 2012 and expect to raise $163.5 million in 2013.

S m a l l b u t M i g h t y You don’t need many to accomplish a lot, as 86 per cent of the surveyed companies prove, with their 30 or fewer employees. Of the entire survey, 49.1 per cent of respondents had just seven employees.

Y o u ’ v e G o t t o S p e n d M o n e y The companies that disclosed their total R&D spending recorded the highest amounts since the state of the industry reports began in 2006, with aggregate R&D spending totalling almost $182 million.

K e e p i n g i t ( S o m e w h a t ) L o c a l Almost three quarters (74.6 per cent) of aggregate 2012 fiscal revenues reported were earned in Canada and the United States. The largest share, 32.8 per cent, was earned in Alberta.

I s s u e s F a c i n g t h e I n d u s t r y The three main issues facing Alberta’s life sciences industry are:

• Improving the investment climate and funding opportunities

• Continuing to improve tax-based incentives for companies, including angel tax incentives and flow-through shares

• Adding sustainable funding sources, such as the Small Business Innovation Research program

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Training Gen-Next BioAlberta is committed to supporting the education and training of university students in various business and science aspects of the life sciences industry that will, in turn, encourage them to explore diverse career opportunities within the industry.

In the 2012-2013 academic year, the following scholarships were granted at various universities in the province:

Scholarship in MarketingShannon Parrott at Mount Royal University

Scholarship in ScienceJesse Hill at University of Alberta

Scholarship in Agricultural BiotechnologyMiriam Belsheim at University of Lethbridge

Phot

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BIOZINE 2014 21

Sanofi BioGENEius Challenge Canada (SBCC)

BioAlberta has been proud to co-ordinate the SBCC provincially since 2000. This unique competition enables enthusiastic high school students to explore their research interests and develop a range of skills within different areas of biotechnology. Students are matched with academic or industrial mentors and have a chance to work on real-world research projects. During the past thirteen years of the Alberta program, over 280 projects, researched by close to 700 students, have been supported by more than 180 volunteer mentors at various academic and industrial organizations across the province.

Many program alumni have returned to share their success stories as they moved on to pursue a range of career opportunities within biotechnology and healthcare. Several are recipients of prestigious science and technology accolades, such as the University of Alberta’s Youth Investment Award, Canada’s Top 20 under 20 Award, Alberta Science and Technology’s Leader of Tomorrow Award and the Alberta Centennial Medal.

In 2013, the regional winner of the SBCC, Arjun Nair, a Calgary grade 11 student, secured first place at the national competition, and later represented Alberta and Canada internationally at the International BioGENEius Challenge competition held at the 2013 BIO International Convention in Chicago, US.

Supported by the University of Calgary, Arjun’s project focused on photothermal therapy for the treatment of cancerous tumours.

Arjun Nair, receiving the first place award at Nationals from Jon Fairest, Past President and CEO of Sanofi Canada (left), and Hon. Dr. Kellie Leitch, Minister of Labour and Minister of Status of Women, Canada (right).

2013

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Company Awards

Company of the Year This award is presented to a company that has shown significant commercial achievement within Alberta’s business community through strong performance or a leadership role.

NAEJA PHARMACEUTICAL INC. For nearly thirty years, NAEJA Pharmaceutical Inc., along with its predecessor, SynPhar Laboratories, Inc., has been a major player within the Canadian pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry. NAEJA has attracted various collaborations and strategic partnerships worldwide, including with global pharmaceutical companies, such as AstraZeneca and Boehringer Ingelheim and many more that have trusted NAEJA’s solid expertise in drug discovery. Under the leadership of CEO Christopher Micetich, NAEJA has collaborated and established over 150 successful partnerships with companies in the US, Europe, Japan, Korea and other parts of the world.

The level of expertise that NAEJA has developed over the years has not only benefited its partners, but has also resulted in the training and employment of over a thousand highly qualified and skilled scientists. NAEJA’s track record also includes many innovative pharmaceutical products that are either under clinical development or selling worldwide. The company has also created several successful spinoff operations.

Scientific Achievement and InnovationThis award is presented to an individual or a team who is responsible for a breakthrough innovation with a commercial application.

DRS. DENNIS FILIPS AND IAN ATKINSON, iTraumaCare™Drs. Filips and Atkinson have developed the iTClamp™, an innovative medical device designed to control bleeding, the leading cause of preventable death in traumatic injury. The iTClamp™ works by sealing the edges of a wound closed to create a temporary pool of blood under pressure, which forms a stable clot that mitigates further blood loss until the wound can be surgically repaired. No comparable product exists in the space and the iTClamp™ solves a significant unmet medical need. This unique technology was selected as an EMS World 2012 Top EMS Innovation Award Winner and highlighted in EMS World Magazine as “a stunning example of elegant simplicity.”

In April 2010, Drs. Filips and Atkinson founded iTraumaCare™ together in Edmonton, Alberta to develop and commercialize the iTClamp™, a clip-like device that quickly stops wound hemorrhages. In just over three years, under the doctors’ leadership, iTraumaCare™ has successfully developed, commercialized and launched the iTClamp™ into markets around the world. The iTClamp™ now has regulatory approval and is available for purchase in Canada, Europe, and US. The first human use of the device was in April 2013 in Alberta. Several successful cases have been reported and the iTClamp™ is currently being used by emergency medical services, both civilian and military, worldwide.

Award for Company of the Year: NAEJA Pharmaceutical Inc.; Accepted by Christopher Micetich, President and CEO, Founder (left); presented by Steve Allain, National Director

for External Relations, AstraZeneca Canada (right)

Award for Scientific Achievement: Dr. Dennis Filips, CEO (left) and Dr. Ian Atkinson, COO (right); presented by Daria Horbay,

Senior Manager, Alberta Government, Patient Access and Health Policy Pfizer Canada (centre)

2013

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AbbVie Inc. SILVER

ACCUMOL Inc.

Afinity Life Sciences Inc.

Ag-West Bio Inc.

AIHS Team for SMART

Neuralprostheses (PROJECT SMART)

Akshaya Bio Inc.

Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development

Alberta Glycomics Centre

Alberta Innovates - Alberta Research

and Innovation Authority

Alberta Innovates - Bio Solutions SILVER

Alberta Innovates - Health Solutions PLATINUM

Alberta Innovates -

Technology Futures

SILVER

Alberta Innovation and

Advanced Education

PATRON

Alberta International and

Intergovernmental Relations

Alzheimer’s Innovation Institute

AMGEN Canada Inc. SILVER

Aqua Air Systems Ltd.

Aquila Diagnostic Systems Inc.

AstraZeneca Canada Inc. GOLD

ATB Financial

Companies

BioAlberta Members 2014AVAC Ltd. SILVER

Bennett Jones LLP

Bertech Pharma Ltd.

Best Environmental Technologies

Best Management Services Inc.

BioNeutra North America Inc.

Biorefining Conversions Network SILVER

BioTalent Canada

BIOTECanada

Botaneco incorporated as Concept

Capital Management Ltd.

Canada’s Research-Based

Pharmaceutical Companies (Rx & D)

Canadian Bio-Systems Inc.

Canadian Strategy Group Inc. (CSG)

CEAPRO Inc.

ChemRoutes Corporation

Chenomx Inc.

Circle Cardiovascular Imaging Inc.

CQI Consulting Ltd.

Deloitte & Touche LLP PLATINUM

Delta Genomics

Dentons Canada LLP

Drug Development & Innovation Centre (DDIC)

Edmonton Economic Development Corporation

Edmonton Northlands

Eli Lilly Canada Inc. SILVER

EMD Inc. SILVER

Enerkem

Epsilon Chemicals Ltd.

Ernst & Young LLP

Exciton Technologies Inc.

Genome Alberta

Genzyme Canada Inc. GOLD

GlaxoSmithKline Inc. GOLD

Gowling Lafleur Henderson LLP

GrowSafe Systems Ltd.

Hannibal Ventures Inc.

iHear Unicare Inc.

IMBiotechnologies Ltd.

Innovate Calgary

iTraumaCare™

Janssen Inc. GOLD

Keystone Labs Inc.

KMT Hepatech Inc.

Matter Industrial Design

McCarthy Tétrault LLP GOLD

Medlior Health Outcomes Research Ltd.

Merck Canada Inc. GOLD

Meros Polymers Inc.

Metabolomic Technnologies Inc.

Monsanto Canada Inc.

BIOZINE 2014 25

BioAlberta Members 2014Braconnier, Paul

Bricker, Ross

Cox, David (Dr.)

Desai, Pete (Dr.)

DeWitt, Sean

Gourley, Al

Huestis, Garth

Lai, Chien-Tsai

McKay-Carey, Mary Jane

Muhammad, Shaan

Redmond, Mark

Rimes, Bob

Sherburne, Craig

Smith, Rick

Sustrik, Gordon

Tauh, Poonam

Tucker, Joseph

Individuals

MTN Consulting Associates

NAEJA Pharmaceutical Inc.

NanoSpeed Diagnostics Inc.

NATIONAL Public Relations

Northern Alberta Clinical Trials and

Research Centre

Novartis Pharmaceuticals Canada Inc. SILVER

Odvod Media Corp.

Osteometabolix Pharmaceuticals Inc.

Parlee McLaws LLP

PBR Laboratories Inc.

Pfizer Canada Inc. GOLD

Poultry Research Centre, The

QiQ Inc.

Quest PharmaTech Inc.

Radient Technologies Inc.

Resverlogix Corp.

Sanofi Aventis Group SILVER

Shire Canada Inc.

SinoVeda Canada Inc.

SmileSonica Inc.

Surface Medical Inc.

SynInnova Laboratories Inc.

Taiga BioActives Inc.

Takeda Canada Inc.

Tangent Design Engineering Services

TC Scientific Inc.

TEC Edmonton

Technology North Corporation

TerraVerdae BioWorks Inc.

UCB Canada Inc.

University of Lethbridge

ViaGen Inc.

VWR International Ltd.

W. A. Cochrane & Associates Inc.

WAI BioProcess Solutions

Western Economic Diversification

Canada

PATRON

XORTX Pharma Corp.

Zenith Epigenetics Corp.

26 BIOZINE 2014

To learn more about Alberta’s growing life

sciences industry, visit bioalberta.com

BioAlberta Partners 2014

P A T R O N

BIOZINE 2014 27