It’s a Beautiful thingDemand for natural cosmetics is nourishingAlberta’s specialty chemicals industry

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

2013

Eye On Innovation

Your Grandma’s ChickenPoultry Research Centre preserves genetic diversity

Future Leaders Alerting university students to careers in the life sciences industry

2 BIOZINE 2013

BIOZINE 2013 3

4 Message from the President

6 Eye On Innovation

8 It’s A Beautiful Thing

17 Your Grandma’s Chicken

20 Future Leaders

22 BioAlberta Awards

24 BioAlberta Members

26 BioAlberta Partners

contents10221 123 St. NWEdmonton AB, T5N 1N3T 780.451.1379 F 780.482.5417www.odvodpublishing.com

Publisher/ EditorOrville Chubb

Art DirectorRory 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 Place9707-110 StreetEdmonton AB, T5K 2L9T 780.425.3804F 780.409.9263E info@bioalberta.comwww.bioalberta.com

PresidentRyan Radke

Director, External Affairs and CommunicationsAmanda Stadel

Manager, Medical Product Development ProgramSanah Jowhari

Events and Membership ManagerHeather Pontikes

Administrative Co-ordinator Donna Parker

HR and Financial Co-ordinatorBev Pederson

BIOZINE is the offi cial magazine of Alberta’s Life Sciences Industry. Published by Odvod Publishing for BioAlberta

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4 BIOZINE 2013

WeLcome to the 2013 edItIon of bIoZIne! This year marks the 14th year of BioAlberta supporting

the life sciences community in Alberta. We have supported the community through its growth from less than 25 companies in 2000, to more than 200 companies in 2013.

Dramatic changes are occurring within the industry; however, economic diversifi cation continues to be a goal of the life sciences revolution. Similar to the way the speed of the Internet has transformed how business operates, the speed of new advances in life sciences is blurring the boundaries between agriculture, chemicals, health, pharmaceuticals, energy, and computing.

A message from the President

In the 2004 issue of BIOZINE we set some 10-year goals for the industry:• Sustaining at least two large, revenue-generating, locally originated biotech

ompanies in Alberta• Increasing the number of biotech companies to more than 100, including Alberta-based

companies and signifi cant local operations of non-Alberta-based companies• Increasing the number of people directly employed in biotech to 5,000• Heightening the recognition of Alberta as an up-and-coming

global biotech regionToday, we have multiple homegrown companies that generate revenue, more than 200 biotech and life sciences companies, and around 4,100 people directly employed in the industry. We hope that next year we can surpass the 5,000 jobs mark.

We continue to participate in programs that support industry development across the province and ensure that our companies are represented in policy decision-making. This year we welcome new linkages across Canada, new science awareness activities, and the launch of the Agricultural Biotechnology International Conference (ABIC) 2013 in September in Calgary. This global conference will be THE gathering point for ag-biotech in 2013! Make sure it is in your calendar.

Thanks for reading BIOZINE 2013. Effective April 1, 2013, I will be stepping down from my position as President of BioAlberta. I have enjoyed working with you all, and hope that you will continue to work with the BioAlberta team as we focus on growing the life sciences industry in Alberta through our advocacy, marketing and industry development activities.

Regards,Ryan Radke, President, BioAlberta

BIOZINE 2013 5

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SynInnova Laboratories Inc.www.syninnova.com

SynInnova LaboratorIeS Inc. is an innovative Canadian contract research organization that provides timely and competitively priced advanced chemistry services to the pharmaceutical, biotech and agrochemical sectors, and to universities and research organizations. SynInnova also supplies its customers with specialty organic chemicals and intermediates.

SynInnova provides quality medicinal chemistry, custom synthesis, and process design and development services. The company’s highly skilled scientific and technology team designs unique compound libraries that are advanced tools for drug discovery, enabling new generations of chemical entities that can produce target compounds from milligrams to hundreds of kilograms, as per customers’ specifications. These compound libraries are designed to possess drug-like properties and are created using innovative technologies in combination with traditional medicinal chemistry principles.

SynInnova understands what its customers need, and can support any project at any stage, from creation to optimization to scale-up.

GrowSafe Systems Ltd. www.growsafe.com

GrowSafe SyStemS Ltd. has developed transformative technology that offers a scientifically proven and unprecedented ability to automatically and continuously monitor individual animals, measure and predict market value, and identify and treat targeted animals without human intervention—all in real time. The result: safe, healthy and high quality protein produced in an environmentally sustainable manner.

GrowSafe’s intelligent animal measurement, monitoring and management platform non-invasively acquires data from multiple biometric and environmental sensors deployed in the production environment. This ‘big data’’ platform deploys novel methods of data collection, analysis and visualization, which harnesses the incredible processing power of the computer and the connectivity of the Internet.

The GrowSafe platform accelerates the discovery to delivery pipeline, which takes groundbreaking livestock research rapidly to practical producer application. The first commercial application of GrowSafe’s technology has become the global gold standard for measuring feed intake in livestock production environments. Genetic selection for feed efficiency can reduce animal feed intake by as much as 12 per cent, methane by 30 per cent, and manure and NPK by 17 per cent without a corresponding production loss. With feed costs representing about 70 per cent of a livestock operation’s costs, improving the feed efficiency of a beef cattle herd can mean big savings.

Akshaya Bio Inc. www.akshayabio.com

akShaya bIo Inc. develops innovative therapeutics for infectious diseases and cancer. Using its proprietary Chimigen® Platform Technology, Akshaya has developed a portfolio of biotherapeutic agents to treat chronic hepatitis B and hepatitis C virus infections, HIV, malaria, cancer, influenza and alphavirus infections, for which there are no or limited treatments available. The company’s current focus is on developing HIV and cancer vaccines.

The Chimigen® Platform is used to produce dendritic cell receptor-targeted chimeric molecules, which have therapeutic as well as prophylactic applications. The vaccines produced in insect cells incorporate functional elements of both antigens and antibody. They mimic endogenous antigen presentation and elicit balanced cellular and humoral immune responses. Akshaya’s lead product candidate, Chimigen® HBV Therapeutic/Prophylactic Vaccine, has been licensed to Nuron Biotech Inc. (Exton, PA, USA), and is expected to enter clinical trials in 2013. Nuron holds the option to license Akshaya’s second product candidate, Chimigen® HCV Prophylactic/Therapeutic Vaccine, until the end of 2013.

Aquila Diagnostic Systems Inc. www.aquiladiagnostics.com

aquILa dIaGnoStIc SyStemS Inc. has developed a point-of-care diagnostic platform that performs low cost and high-speed multi-parameter testing for infectious diseases and cancer, without the need for highly skilled operators, or more costly and time-consuming laboratory procedures. The Aquila platform can be used for surveillance, monitoring and diagnosis, and is designed for field use or clinics. It is composed of a plastic chip with an array of gel strips and a portable instrument equipped with a heating device, LED light source, CCD-based detector and on-board control systems. Each strip is contained in a compartment on the chip and performs a separate nucleic acid-based diagnostic test on a droplet of blood, urine or other bio-fluid. The array of gel compartments allows for differential diagnosis by performing multiple, independent molecular diagnostic tests on a single disposable chip.

Test targets include malaria, bovine and porcine viruses, and host genomic indicators of drug resistance or toxicity. Aquila expects to launch its first products for the agricultural-veterinary market by December 2013.

BIOZINE 2013 7

Taiga BioActives Inc. www.taigabioactives.com

taIGa bIoactIveS Inc. focuses its research on botanical extracts and oils that offer unique benefits and curative properties. The company’s main goal is to provide consumers with natural solutions for their personal care and natural health product needs. Taiga has harnessed the benefits of botanicals in its formulations, choosing from the finest sources around the world.

Specially chosen natural herbal extracts, specialty ingredients, and essential oils provide results based on natural active properties. No sensitizing fragrances are used. Taiga’s formulators bring many years of experience to formulating uniquely effective cosmetic, personal care and natural health products. Taiga’s current development focus is on the benefits derived from Geranium, Cornflower Water, and Cucumber Extract.

Taiga’s botanical-based products are among the most natural on the market and offer the highest levels of performance.

Fedora Pharmaceuticals Inc.www.fedorapharma.com

Increasingly, bacteria have developed a resistance to beta-lactam antibiotics by producing beta-lactamases, which are enzymes that destroy the antibiotic activity of beta-lactam antibiotics, such as penicillin derivatives, cephalosporins, monobactams and carbapenems. fedora PharmaceutIcaLS Inc. is developing a portfolio of beta-lactamase inhibitors that have the unique ability to re-sensitize resistant bacteria to these current beta-lactam antibiotics, which comprise 65 per cent of the antibiotics market worldwide. The new inhibitors have been designed to have activity against bacteria that possess all four classes of beta-lactamases, the first time this spectrum of activity has been accomplished with a single compound.

Fedora is in the lead optimization stage of preclinical development with its first beta-lactamase inhibitor candidates, and anticipates entering the final stages of preclinical investigation in 2013, leading to an Investigational New Drug (IND) application and initiation of clinical studies in 2014.

Founded in 2012, Fedora is a private biotechnology company headquartered in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The chemistries that form the foundation of the work being conducted at Fedora originated at, and were licensed from, NAEJA Pharmaceutical Inc., a private drug discovery and contract research company also based in Edmonton.

Chenomx Inc.www.chenomx.com

chenomx Inc. has developed and offers an advanced, patented method to support metabolomics research using Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Chenomx’s powerful and easy-to-use NMR-based method and software helps ensure that metabolomics research can be conducted more accurately and efficiently.

Metabolomics is the study of small molecule metabolites, with the goal of better understanding the metabolism of organisms ranging from single cells through to animals and humans. For example, metabolomics can successfully study the effects of disease, nutrition, pharmaceutical drugs and environmental toxins. Metabolomics can also be applied to the exciting area of bioproduction process design and optimization. For customers in this area, Chenomx offers the analysis of media or extracts from the production cells, in order to monitor and analyze the various stages of the bioproduction process.

Chenomx’s patented method can be licensed (software and database) or accessed through its analysis services.

Bertech Pharma Ltd.www.bertechpharma.com

bertech Pharma Ltd. is a private company focused on the development of next-generation, innovative products that address the needs of colorectal cancer (CRC) patients. Bertech is advancing the ability of physicians to diagnose and treat CRC by utilizing biomarker assays to increase early detection rates, undertake patient stratification, improve treatment selection and assessment, enhance post-treatment monitoring, and by developing new, targeted compounds to treat CRC more effectively. There is significant demand for enhanced CRC diagnostic tests, personalized treatment assessment capabilities and new, targeted therapies in this multi-billion dollar global market. Bertech’s lead products include: a novel, non-invasive blood test in pivotal trials that detects early stage CRC; a proprietary blood test in pilot studies that monitors patients’ immune response to CRC treatment, which allows clinicians the ability to modify treatment regimes to maximize the effectiveness of the patient’s immune system to fight against CRC; and targeted cytotoxic compounds in preclinical studies with increased potency, reduced side effects and the capability to reverse multi-drug resistance.

These new assays and treatments will improve early detection, enhance screening compliance, increase survival rates, and reduce treatment costs.

8 BIOZINE 2013

It’s a It’s a It’s a Beautiful Beautiful Beautiful Beautiful Beautiful Beautiful Beautiful Beautiful Beautiful Thing Thing Thing Thing Thing Thing Thing Thing Thing Thing Thing Thing

ho doesn’t like it when something created for one purpose is suddenly ideal for other uses? that’S the beauty behInd maP™, whIch waS Invented by Environment Canada in the 1990s, to remove pollution and other contaminants from soil, groundwater and surface water. In the past decade, the microwave-assisted processing technology has been commercialized by Edmonton-based Radient Technologies Inc., to extract natural ingredients from plants. Those ingredients, which are part of the specialty chemicals sector, are like gold to the cosmetics industry, as consumers worldwide clamour for greener, more natural products.

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INDUSTRIAL BIOTECHNOLOGY:

SPECIALTY CHEMICALS

How the demand for natural cosmetics is nourishing Alberta’s specialty chemicals industry

BIOZINE 2013 9

10 BIOZINE 2013

“The consumer is king,” says Kathy Lowther, team lead on the government of Alberta’s Specialty Chemical Ingredient Initiative. “So there’s a strong movement by multinationals to replace petrochemically based ingredients with bio chemicals that have natural ingredients.”

In fact, the natural and organic products market is the segment of the cosmetic and personal care industry that’s growing the fastest. Its global worth is already close to $10 billion; in Canada, the market is expected to grow exponentially through 2016 at a rate of 7.2 per cent, according to fi gures from research company Organic Monitor. Prices for natural ingredients are affected by the cost and availability of the raw material, market supply and demand, and the amount of processing required. At the same time, only small quantities of highly effi cacious, specialty natural ingredients may be extracted from plant-based sources. That means they can potentially command higher prices than synthetic ingredients when used in cosmetics and personal care products.

Radient has a leg up in this market because it is the only company in the world that’s commercialized and patented the microwave-assisted extraction method —a method that has several impressive advantages over existing ones.

With conventional technology, raw plant materials (biomass) are put into a solvent such as ethanol. The two are heated and the target ingredient precipitates into the solvent so that it can be recovered. But that process takes many hours, uses quite a bit of energy and needs several repetitions to extract suffi cient ingredient. With MAP™, pressure builds up on the water molecules in the biomass and literally drives the compound out. It takes minutes, using less energy and 50 to 75 per cent less solvent.

“There hasn’t been a signifi cant technological advance in extraction methods in a number of years. That’s why we capture people’s attention.” Denis Taschuk, President and CEO, Radient Technologies Inc.

Even better, MAP™ is a platform technology that works well across a number of industries where natural ingredients are desired, including pharmaceuticals, food, cosmetics and personal care. Radient is also conducting technology and scale studies for clients such as brewing and tobacco companies who are keen to recover bioproducts from their waste mass for use in biofuels, potentially yet another sizeable market.

“There hasn’t been a signifi cant technological advance in extraction methods in a number of years,” says Denis Taschuk, the company’s President and CEO. “That’s why we capture people’s attention.”

Radient’s new Edmonton manufacturing plant, capable of dealing with fi ve tonnes of biomass per day, is scheduled to go on stream in the second quarter of 2013. The fi rm has been in discussions with international Fortune 500 and blue chip companies since mid-2011, so it already has prospective clients eager to either be supplied with ingredients once the plant opens, or with licenses for the technology.

Radient’s emerging success is a major milestone for the specialty chemicals sector in Alberta, and is but one piece of evidence that the industry is — as Ryan Radke, President of the life sciences industry association BioAlberta, puts it — “on the verge of tremendous growth in this province, on the cusp of taking off.”

Exciting developments are also occurring at Ceapro Inc., which is best-known as the Edmonton biotech fi rm that was the fi rst in the world to fi gure out why and how oatmeal provides relief from itching and infl ammation. Since 2001, its fl agship product has been the powerful molecule

BIOZINE 2013 11

12 BIOZINE 2013

avenanthramide, which it supplies to such giant personal-care multinationals as Johnson & Johnson. Avenanthramides usually exist in extremely minute quantities in oats, so until now, the market for them has been limited to the cosmetic and personal care industry, which requires proportionately small amounts of the ingredient.

But in November 2012, Ceapro signed a partnership agreement with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) to collaborate on a unique variety of hull-less oat (originally cultivated by AAFC and exclusively licensed by Ceapro), which will allow Ceapro to extract two to three times the amount of avenanthramides. With this far better and more reliable supply, Ceapro expects to boost production, decrease costs and possibly produce new, higher concentrate extracts by 2014, when this oat will be its primary feedstock crop. More significantly, the new supply might also allow the company to enter the market of enhanced foods for health use. The possibilities for growth there are dazzling.

“There have been studies done at a U.S. university that show all kinds of benefits from consuming oats for interior inflammatory illness, including atherosclerosis, inflammatory bowel syndrome and even some effect shown on colon cancer,” says Branko Jankovic, Ceapro’s CFO and Vice-President, Finance. “For exercise-induced inflammation in the seniors population, these avenanthramides have been shown to quench and provide relief for that.”

Menopausal women, who for some as-yet unknown reason seem more prone to inflammatory diseases, may also benefit, Jankovic says, citing a small study in which 15 post-menopausal women were fed cereal bars high in avenanthramides and showed a dramatic decrease in inflammatory markers.

By capitalizing on that one molecule, which Ceapro understands better than anyone else, “in terms of revenue, that can really explode,” says Jankovic.

Meanwhile, in addition to avenanthramides, the company has four other oat-related products on the market, including oat beta glucan, a liquid extract from oat fibre, which is used for anti-

aging and wound healing products. Its first non-oat product is the peptide from sweet blue lupin, which is used in shampoos.

While Radient and Ceapro are among the high-profile companies in Alberta’s specialty chemicals sector, there are several other entities contributing to the activity that’s building a buzz. These include Taiga Bioactives Inc., of Calgary, which is creating makeup remover products with botanical ingredients derived from cucumber, geranium and cornflower water extracts. Over at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, the Cereal Protein and Cellulose Program is developing platform technologies that produce emulsions, films, gels and other encapsulations from barley and wood pulp cellulose. The emulsions can be used in creams and hair products, while the films are suitable as coatings for nutraceuticals or cosmetics.

BIOZINE 2013 13

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o, why all this o, why all this o, why all this momentum momentum momentum

in Alberta? in Alberta? in Alberta? in Alberta? in Alberta? in Alberta?

The province has the whole package, points out Radke. “We’ve got the raw materials, the expertise within the research community, the industry interest and the end users, whether the oil companies or the consumers.”

With agriculture so vital to this prairie province, important infrastructure already exists, too, adds Taschuk. Among Alberta’s resources are the government’s food processing development plant in Leduc, and the nearly 90-year history of the former Alberta Research Council, which was rolled into Alberta Innovates Technology Futures in 2010. “There’s a government that understands agriculture and the importance of agriculture and has a willingness to fi nd opportunities for biomass,” says Taschuk.

Indeed, the province’s agriculture ministry created the Specialty Chemical Ingredients (SCI) Initiative about a decade ago, specifi cally to build a globally competitive, plant-based specialty chemicals industry in Alberta. “Because we have traditional and non-traditional plant-based sources (growing in the province), we could be specialists in this area,” says SCI’s Lowther.

Not that there aren’t challenges. “Cash is obviously one,” says Taschuk. “It’s particularly true when you’re building bricks and mortar. Investors shy away from bricks and mortar, they like to invest in technology and opportunities.”

Another looming challenge may be the competition for qualifi ed personnel — not just scientists and technicians, but also those well-versed in the requirements and regulations of foreign markets.

But the trigger for the specialty chemicals industry’s healthy growth in Alberta — consumer demand for natural ingredients in health and beauty products — will likely prove helpful in giving it distinct profi le, too.

“People can relate to it,” says Radke. “It might be diffi cult to relate to new diagnostics or to a drug that won’t be ready for four or fi ve years. But when you tell them there’s a new shampoo that’s made with Alberta lupin, that holds the colour in your hair more readily, everybody understands that and can see the benefi t in their lives.”

SSSSSSo, why all this o, why all this o, why all this So, why all this o, why all this o, why all this So, why all this o, why all this o, why all this So, why all this o, why all this o, why all this

BIOZINE 2013 15

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Light Sussex

BIOZINE 2013 17

Your Grandma’s Chicken Poultry Research Centre preserves genetic diversity

The PouLtry reSearch centre (Prc) IS enSurInG the LonG-term vIabILIty of herItaGe chIckenS. In recent years, due to a variety of reasons, including the result

of large-scale operations, the way we breed and consume chickens has changed, causing genetic diversity among chickens to decrease signifi cantly over time. In the last 30 years, approximately 60 genetic stocks of birds have been wiped out in Canada alone. Now, only nine remain.

AGRICULTURAL BIOTECHNOLOGY:

ANIMAL AND FOOD SCIENCE

18 BIOZINE 2013

The PRC is part of the Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science at the University of Alberta, and is partnered with the poultry industry, the Alberta Government and other funding agencies. It has focused on developing and researching sustainable production practices for the poultry industry for over 25 years. Now, the PRC is successfully building up flocks of thousands of birds of five different breeds: Light Sussex; Barred Plymouth Rock; White Leghorns; New Hampshire; and Brown Leghorns. These breeds are classified as heritage chickens because they have not been genetically selected for a particular trait.

“Yes, we have had success in building up flocks of heritage species; the challenge now is to find ways to make the flocks more sustainable, and reintroduce these breeds into the industry,” says Agnes Kulinski, Business Director at the PRC.

There are several market conditions that give Kulinski hope. The rise of the ‘local food’ movement and the popularity of farmers markets, local restaurants and even backyard chicken coops all play a part in the restoration of these breeds.

To boost the marketplace’s acceptance of heritage chicken products, the PRC began to sell eggs directly to consumers at the local farmer’s market in Edmonton and is now selling dozens of eggs a week to happy repeat customers.

“We are not as well-known as the global brand of ‘Alberta Beef’, but we are well on our way to making the ‘heritage chicken’ a quality product that consumers will look for,” Kulinski states confidently.

We are well on our way to making the

‘heritage chicken’ a quality product

that consumers will look for.

Agnes Kulinski, Business Director, Poultry Research Centre

White Leghorn

BIOZINE 2013 19

Heritage chickens are only one of the ongoing initiatives at the PRC that benefi t the poultry industry. Other projects focus on improvements to the industry’s cost-competitiveness, new value-added products and utilization of undervalued poultry by-products:

Dr. Martin Zuidhof is leading the development of a precision broiler feeding system, which feeds chickens a precise amount of food at specifi c times. It addresses the ineffi ciency of current feeding systems, which cause reproductive complications and homogeny issues. A precise feeding system will result in increased productivity and lower feed costs.

Dr. Mirko Betti has developed a new salt fl avour enhancer using proteins from low value parts of poultry, fi sh and vegetables, and “kokumi” peptides. Kokumi is a food attribute identifi ed by the Japanese that is translated as “heartiness” or “mouthfulness”, and enhances the taste of salt. This new functional ingredient can reduce the amount of salt in food without sacrifi cing fl avour, and lead to lower sodium intake and a healthier diet.

Dr. Jianpin Wu is commercializing a patent-pending adhesive made up of spent hens and/or protein from canola meal. It presents a cost-effective, non-food application for spent hens, and signifi cant economic benefi t to the canola industry, which is the major oilseed crop in Canada. This new adhesive can also serve as a sustainable and environmentally friendly alternative to petroleum-based adhesives, which emit carcinogens when they are produced and are generally considered more harmful to the environment.

For more information about the PRC, visit www.poultryresearchcentre.com

20 BIOZINE 2013

BioAlberta believes that supporting university students with their studies will alert them to career opportunities in the life sciences industry and encourage them to investigate those paths. So, for the 2011-2012 academic year, BioAlberta granted two scholarships, targeting two diff erent streams of students.

Fu tFu tFu t uuu r er er eL e a d e r sL e a d e r sL e a d e r s

bIoaLberta’S underGraduate SchoLarShIP in science at the University of Alberta is awarded to a third or fourth-year student majoring in biological sciences and minoring in business. The 2011-2012 recipient was cIan hackett. With his undergrad studies now complete, in September 2012 Cian enrolled in the MD program at the University of Alberta. His goal is to not only become a patient-centred physician, but one who effects societal change as a health advocate and researcher.

the bIoaLberta marketInG SchoLarShIPat the Bissett School of Business at Mount Royal University in Calgary is awarded to a business student with high achievement in marketing courses. For 2011-2012, the recipient was reId LarSen.Since completing his degree in April of 2012, Reid has worked with Design4Change, a graduate- and student-run marketing agency based at Mount Royal, which works with Calgary high-tech startups through an institutional grant from Alberta Innovates Technology Futures.

Science Scholarship Marketing Scholarship

BIOZINE 2013 21

Keeping Canada’s life sciences industry competitivethe SanofI bIoGenIuS chaLLenGe canada (Sbcc) has always been enthusiastically received by high school students in Alberta, and BioAlberta is proud to co-ordinate the regional competition on an annual basis. The SBCC matches students with university mentors and provides the students with a chance to channel their creativity, curiosity and scientifi c skills into cutting-edge research projects that tackle some of today’s toughest challenges. The SBCC is aimed at encouraging more students to pursue studies and careers in the life sciences, with a view to keeping Canada competitive in this critical industry. Many students from past challenges return to share their success stories, and how participating in the competition has enhanced their skill set, as they move to the next stage in their education and careers.

nIkoLa vIktorov and andy Le from Old Scona Academic High School, Edmonton, whose project titled “Detecting Enzymatic Cleavage of the JunB Protein,” focused on providing researchers with a tool to monitor cell death in lymphoma cells. The $2,000 prize was presented by Carmen Wyton from Sanofi .

The success of the SBCC program is, in large part, due to the efforts put forth by mentors, many of whom make extensive contributions toward the SBCC program. BioAlberta recognizes dr. haSan uLudaG, Associate Professor, Chemical & Materials Engineering, University of Alberta, as a valued mentor of the SBCC, for his long-term participation and contributions.

The fi rst-place winners in the regional 2012 Sanofi BioGENius Challenge Canada were:

20121212202012122020

22 BIOZINE 2013

Award for Scientifi c

Achievement and Innovation

Presented to an individual or a team who is responsible for a breakthrough innovation with a commercial application

dr. davId breSSLer, Associate Professor with the Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutritional Science at the University of Alberta, has led the Biorefi ning Conversions Network (BCN) as its Executive Director since it launched in April 2009. Unlike traditional research networks, the BCN focuses heavily on engaging industry and on collaborations that have commercial outcomes. The BCN contributes to the advancement of Alberta’s bioeconomy, including the agriculture, forestry and energy sectors.

art froehLIch’s roots in agriculture reach back to his childhood on the family farm in Saskatchewan.

Art works with a wide variety of industry stakeholders, and shares his expertise with private and public sector organizations that focus on finance, processing, research, international marketing and retailing. Art also supports companies that export agriculture and food products from Canada to markets around the globe.

Along with his professional commitments, Art is still involved in the family farm, raising registered Red Angus cattle and producing wheat, malting barley and milling oats. He volunteers his time to the Canadian Foodgrains Bank and to organizations that help adults with developmental disabilities. Art has also served as a mentor to young entrepreneurs through the Business Development Bank of Canada.

Recently, Art has taken on a philanthropic developmental initiative in Peru, where he supports

local communities outside Lima to establish community gardens, composting and tree planting programs. Art also provides financial aid to young agricultural scientists from the developing world to allow them to attend major agricultural scientific conferences.

With an undergraduate degree from the University of Saskatchewan and an Executive MBA from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business, Art has spent the last 35 years working in primary food production, agri-business and agri-marketing in Canada, the U.S., Europe, South America and Asia. Art has served as the President of AdFarm, President of Westcan Malting, General Manager of Operations for Alberta Wheat Pool and the Director of Sales and Marketing at Hoechst Canada. In 2005, Art received the distinguished Agrologist Award from the Alberta Institute of Agrologists and the Alberta Centennial Gold Medal by the Province of Alberta.

Company Awards

Award for Company

of the Year

Presented to a company that has shown signifi cant commercial achievement and leadership within Alberta’s business community

cIrcLe cardIovaScuLar ImaGInG Inc.is a Calgary company that develops analytical software for cardiac imaging. Circle operates worldwide and its products have been approved for the Canadian, U.S., Australian and European markets. Its cmr42 is now considered to be the most comprehensive software of its kind.

Presented to one early-stage BioAlberta member company to access professional marketing services from Odvod Media, Gold sponsor of BioAlberta and avid supporter of Alberta’s life sciences industry

aquILa dIaGnoStIc SyStemS Inc.is focused on bringing new and revolutionary point-of-care testing for infectious diseases and genomic markers to the medical and veterinary sectors. The IBO Grant will assist Aquila to develop marketing material that will build recognition for the company, and position it for growth in its target markets.

Hall of Fame The Alberta Bioindustry Hall of Fame recognizes individuals who have made extensive and tangible contributions to the Alberta life sciences community.

BIOZINE 2013 23

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BioAlberta Members 2013

Association for Life Science Industries

Abbott Laboratories Ltd. SILVER

ACAMP

ACCUMOL Inc.

Advance-Tek Consulting Inc.

Afinix Life Sciences Inc.

Ag-West Bio Inc.

Akshaya Bio Inc.

AIHS Team for SMART

Neuralprostheses (PROJECT SMART)

Alberta Agriculture and Rural

Development

Alberta Enterprise

and Advanced Education

PATRON

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 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

ATGCell Inc.

AVAC Ltd. GOLD

Bennett Jones LLP

Bertech Pharma Ltd.

Best Environmental Technologies

Best Management Services Inc.

BioNeutra Inc.

Biorefining Conversions Network SILVER

BioTalent Canada SILVER

BIOTECanada

Canada’s Research-Based Pharmaceutical

Companies (Rx & D)

Canadian Bio-Systems Inc.

Canadian Strategy Group Inc. (CSG)

CanBiocin Inc.

CEAPRO Inc.

ChemRoutes Corporation

Chenomx Inc.

Circle Cardiovascular Imaging Inc.

clinexus, A Division of Alberta

Innovates Technology Futures

Contract Laboratory Inc.

CQI Consulting Ltd.

Deloitte & Touche LLP PLATINUM

Dow AgroSciences Canada Inc. SILVER

Drug Development & Innovation Centre (DDIC)

D-TEX Inc.

Edmonton Economic Development Corporation

Edmonton Northlands

Eli Lilly Canada Inc. SILVER

EMD Inc. SILVER

Enerkem

Epsilon Chemicals Ltd.

Ernst & Young LLP

Exciton Technologies Inc.

Fraser Milner Casgrain LLP

Genome Alberta

Genzyme Canada Inc. GOLD

GlaxoSmithKline Inc. GOLD

Gowling Lafleur Henderson LLP

GrowSafe Systems Ltd.

Hannibal Ventures Inc.

Himark bioGas Inc.

Hoffmann-La Roche Limited

iHear Unicare Inc.

IMBiotechnologies Ltd.

Innovate Calgary

Innovative Trauma Care Inc.

Innovotech Inc.

Institute for Reconstructive Sciences

in Medicine (iRSM)

Intellectual Capital Corporation Inc. (ICCI)

IntelligentNano Inc.

Isotechnika Pharma Inc.

Janssen Inc. SILVER

Keystone Labs Inc.

Companies

BIOZINE 2013 25

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Braconnier, Paul

Cox, David (Dr.)

Desai, Pete (Dr.)

Dias, Vernon (Dr.)

Gourley, Al

Huestis, Garth

McKay-Carey, Mary Jane

Rimes, Bob

Sherburne, Craig

Sustrik, Gordon

Swanson, Eric (Dr.)

Welsh, Michael

KMT Hepatech Inc.

Matter Industrial Design

McCarthy Tétrault LLP GOLD

Merck Canada Inc. GOLD

Meros Polymers Inc.

Metabolomic Technnologies Inc.

Monsanto Canada Inc.

MTN Consulting Associates

NAEJA Pharmaceutical Inc.

NanoSpeed Diagnostics Inc.

NATIONAL Public Relations

Northern Alberta Clinical Trials and

Research Centre

Northern Alberta Institute

of Technology (novaNait)

Novartis Pharmaceuticals Canada Inc. SILVER

Odvod Media Corp. GOLD

Oncolytics Biotech Inc.

Osteometabolix Pharmaceuticals Inc.

Parlee McLaws LLP

Parvus Therapeutics Inc.

PBR Laboratories Inc.

Pfi zer Canada Inc. GOLD

Poultry Research Centre, The

QiQ Inc.

Radient Technologies Inc.

Resverlogix Corp.

Sanofi Aventis Group SILVER

SinoVeda Canada Inc.

SmileSonica Inc.

SynInnova Inc.

Taiga BioActives Inc.

Takeda Canada Inc.

Tangent Design Engineering Services

TC Scientifi c Inc.

TEC Edmonton

Technology North Corporation

UCB Canada Inc.

University of Lethbridge

ViaGen Inc.

VWR International Ltd.

W. A. Cochrane & Associates Inc.

WAI BioProcess Solutions

Wax-it Histology Services Inc.

Western Economic

Diversifi cation Canada

PATRON

Zymetrix Inc.

Individuals

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26 BIOZINE 2013

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P A t r o n

BIOZINE 2013 27