Statistics say: biotechnology in Canada
Biotechnology is a rapidly evolving industry. It is also somewhat misunderstood. Biotech has wide-ranging applications outside of the most obvious field, medicine. These graphs seek to answer some basic questions on the state of the biotech industry in Canada. According to the 2018 Deloitte Biotech Industry Data survey, nearly half (45 per cent) of Canadian […]
Unleashing productivity growth through open science innovation
Canadian labour productivity is negative this year. As a country, we are producing less, while using more resources. For the first time, the federal government created an innovation strategy aimed at reversing this. While its effects have yet to reach the economy, the strategy still remains tentative. We need to do more: develop innovative approaches […]
Potential agricultural, human health benefits of gene editing outweigh risks
Gene editing is the latest technology focused on modifying the DNA of a species that offers the potential for large improvements in human, animal, and environmental health. The benefits could be particularly great for the world’s poorest—Bill Gates claims gene editing can help lift millions out of poverty through reducing food insecurity and human health […]
ISED working with BIOTECanada to get better, much-needed industry data
BIOTECanada, the industry association that represents more than 200 Canadian biotechnology companies, has been in talks with Innovation, Science, and Economic Development Canada for “over a year” in an effort to get much-needed, comprehensive federal statistics on the biotechnology industry in Canada, says BIOTECanada president Andrew Casey. The department did not respond directly to questions […]
Outdated data infrastructure is stifling Canadian innovation in health
When clinicians care for patients, we generate enormous amounts of electronic clinical data. Every blood test, X-ray, or medication forms a rich repository of information. Combined across the health system, these billions of data points are the kind of ‘big data’ that could be used to improve patient care, make the health system more efficient […]
Canada needs a biotech strategy to turn scientific capital into commercial gold
TORONTO—Canada is rich in the scientific capital needed to make us a serious player in the transformative world of biotechnology. This capital is the new knowledge generated in our universities, where researchers are seeking ways in which biological technologies can be used to address the grand challenges in life sciences, agriculture and food, the environment, […]
Canada should focus on game-changing technologies that can improve health care
With the federal election underway, Canadians across the country are going to be hearing a lot about health care over the next several weeks, and rightly so. With health-care spending exceeding 10 per cent of Canada’s GDP and accounting for nearly 50 per cent of many government budgets, it is an important topic and one […]
Biotech Policy Briefing
There’s another pipeline we need to talk about
There’s only one word running through my mind these days: pipeline. I’m not referring to Kinder Morgan, oil development or Canada’s latest acquisition. The pipeline I am referring to is the one that we must continually replenish in our health sciences sector. Given Canada’s considerable investments in research and development and in health care, why […]
Access to capital, government red tape among top barriers cited by biotech firms, survey finds
Access to capital remains the biggest challenge for Canada’s biotechnology sector, even as most of its companies have tapped into federal programs offered to startup companies, according to a new report released on Sept. 24. While the industry has shown signs of promising growth, a survey polling 208 biotechnology companies in Canada found 57 per […]
