Turning crisis into opportunity: a Canadian-made bio-revolution
Twenty years after the Human Genome Project, we have made significant strides in understanding what “genomics” can do to transform health care. Today, genomics pave the way for a bio-revolution that reaches far beyond human health into crop optimization, food production, and the sustainable manufacturing of products using yeasts and microbes as ‘mini-factories.’ A life-threatening […]
Rebuilding biotech sector requires diversified training, say researchers
Canada’s preparedness to tackle future pandemics will hinge heavily on attracting more talent to the biotech sector, but also on diversifying training to allow researchers to handle different health emergencies, according to health researchers. “What we’re short on right now are trained, skilled workers who have the ability to work in these vaccine manufacturing facilities,” […]
Going beyond the search for biotech unicorns
Canada is one of the global leaders in the application of biotechnology. We invest heavily in research into the technology and have great opportunity to apply new innovations to our economy, our society and our environment. The problem is that we are fixated on blockbuster innovations, the $1-billion-plus opportunities that the venture capital world calls […]
Stop the shift to corporate self-regulation of GMOs
The minister of health recently allowed Health Canada to give up its role as independent regulator when it comes to the safety of many future genetically engineered (genetically modified or GM) foods, and the minister of agriculture and agri-food is contemplating a similar set of proposals on seeds from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. This […]
Biotech solutions at a critical time for Canada
The central value of the biotechnology sector has always been the solutions it brings to the challenge of a global population moving quickly to 10 billion people and the imperative of finding ways to fundamentally alter how we grow, manufacture, cure, and fuel our economies and societies. Not surprisingly, the pandemic’s economic, social, and health […]
Biotechnology Policy Briefing
Reinvestment needed to develop a lagging biotechnology sector
The term biotechnology usually conjures up images of medical laboratories, but it has applications beyond human health. Agriculture and forestry use biotechnology to create new products and better crops. The chemical and manufacturing industries use biotechnology to enhance their performance and reduce the cost of their products. For much of the 20th century, Canada was […]
Canada’s life sciences sector: its time has come
One of the most critical lessons to have emerged from this pandemic is the central importance of the life sciences for human health and economic well being. From PCR diagnostics, to genomic surveillance, to treatments and vaccines, the life sciences have been at the forefront of every country’s strategy to defeat COVID-19. If Canada is […]
No ‘silver bullet’ to address biotech talent shortage, says BIOTECanada president
An industry association says it’s reaching out to biotechnology companies across Canada to develop a strategy to contend with a labour shortage problem in the sector which has accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic. “It’s a highly competitive space. You’re trying to attract talent from around the world to Canada. You’re also trying to retain what […]
Biotechnology Policy Briefing
