Outdated data infrastructure is stifling Canadian innovation in health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 […]
The real perils of biotech
The public discussion about genetically modified organisms (GMOs) almost invariably focuses on bitter disputes about the safety of GMO crops. While many argue that the technology poses threats to natural systems and to human health, most research suggests that this is not the case. Still, peer-reviewed studies fall on both sides of the question. Given the […]
‘The conditions are ripe’: industry says it’s time for feds to consider a national bioeconomy strategy
With Canada’s biotechnology sector showing signs of new growth, industry advocates say it’s time the federal government consider a national biotech strategy, more than a decade after one created in 1998 was nixed by the Conservative government. In January 2018, the Public Policy Forum released a report recommending the creation of a national life sciences […]
If government strategy isn’t coherent, it’s a complete waste of money
When it comes to science and technology, government involvement is key. Let’s take the pharmaceutical industry as an example. From 1969 to 1987, the mandatory licensing regime offered little patent protection, driving up the production of generics in Ontario. Ontario was pleased with this policy that provided little innovation but ensured a high economic turnout. […]
Too much tax hurts tech sector
Canada is on the cusp of the Fourth Industrial Revolution with the emergence of the biotechnology industry. This revolution, where digital processes and artificial intelligence (AI) are changing the way products are made, is also coming at a time when Canada is experiencing a brain drain in our tech sector. A study published earlier this […]
