Government invests in Vancouver Phase I trial unit
The Canadian Government has announced plans for a Phase I trial unit at a hospital in Vancouver, British Columbia to aid life sciences companies and researchers.
The unit – at Mount Saint Joseph Hospital – will house six beds and cater for developers working on a range of therapies. The facility is due to open next year.
Brenda Bailey, Canadian minister of jobs, economic development and innovation, said “The new clinical trials unit will give significant opportunities for B.C.’s life sciences companies to keep their teams and intellectual property here at home.
“Successful clinical trials will also lead to new business agreements with pharma companies that will better position us to commercialize new, life-changing drugs and treatments for people in B.C. and around the world.”
The unit will be made available to biopharmaceutical companies and academic researchers.
The announcement Government invests in Vancouver Phase I trial unitwas welcomed by Anne Stevens, vice-president of business development at Vancouver-based antibody therapeutics firm, AbCellera.
“Strengthening B.C.'s early-stage clinical trials ecosystem will advance life-saving medicines for patients by fostering collaboration between researchers, clinicians, and industry experts.
“This project will also help position B.C. as a leading destination for clinical trials, which will attract investments and partnerships from global biopharmaceutical companies.”
The provincial government is also providing $2.4 million to the University of British Columbia (UBC) to support the establishment of an endowed research chair focused on accelerating capacity to design and conduct trials of next-generation therapeutics.
According to a press statement “The new chair will provide academic leadership for the CTU and lead an integrated research and education program in clinical pharmacology at UBC.
“The chair will also work to establish a new residency training program in clinical pharmacology that will strengthen the talent pipeline of clinical researchers and clinical trial investigators in the province.”
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