Provincial funding boosts development of made-in-BC medicines

Provincial funding for Canada’s Immuno-Engineering and Biomanufacturing Hub (CIEBH)—a national initiative led by UBC—is set to usher in a new era of made-in-BC medicines that will strengthen Canada’s ability to respond rapidly to urgent health challenges.

On December 15, the Government of BC announced $33 million for research infrastructure associated with CIEBH, a UBC-led coalition that aims to establish 100-day start-to-finish drug development in BC for Canada. The investment is part of BC’s Look West economic plan, which aims to strengthen the local life sciences sector through skills training, research, and innovation.

“BC is home to the fastest-growing life science sector in Canada, thanks to our world-class workforce and business leaders,” said the Honourable Ravi Kahlon, BC’s Minister of Jobs and Economic Growth. “With unprecedented uncertainty and disregard for science and scientific expertise from our neighbours, it’s vital that we double-down on investing in Canadian research and infrastructure that allow us to develop, test, and commercialize lifesaving technologies right here in BC. It’s part of our Look West economic plan to drive growth and deliver innovative solutions at home and around the world.”

The announcement was made as UBC broke ground on The Edge, a state-of-the-art, multi-use building on UBC’s Vancouver campus. The Edge will be home to one of CIEBH’s flagship projects: a new Advanced Therapeutics Manufacturing Facility (ATMF), where UBC researchers and biotech startups will be able to develop clinical-grade treatments for infectious diseases, cancer, autoimmune disorders, and other serious health conditions.

“This important investment in Canada’s Immuno-Engineering and Biomanufacturing Hub builds on UBC’s global strength in life sciences and ensures that health research breakthroughs made in BC can be developed, manufactured, and delivered to improve lives here and around the world,” said Dr. Benoit-Antoine Bacon, President and Vice-Chancellor of UBC. “UBC is grateful to the Government of British Columbia for their partnership and critical support of research and innovation infrastructure.”

First-in-BC biomanufacturing

The provincial investment includes more than $22 million for the ATMF, where construction is now underway and expected to be completed by early 2028.

The 2,300-square-metre facility will be the first of its kind in Western Canada, filling a critical gap in Canada’s ability to develop therapeutics for use in human clinical trials. As a Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) facility with advanced cleanrooms and drug manufacturing equipment, the ATMF will provide the specialized environment required to produce clinical-grade vaccines, cell therapies, and other regenerative medicines.

The ATMF is co-led by Dr. Megan Levings (PhD’99), a professor of surgery and biomedical engineering at UBC, and Dr. Robert Holt (BSc’92), a professor of medical genetics at UBC, professor of molecular biology and biochemistry at Simon Fraser University (SFU), and distinguished scientist at BC Cancer.

“The ATMF will give researchers and biotech startups the ability to manufacture advanced, clinical-grade therapies right here in BC, instead of sending promising discoveries out of the province,” said Dr. Levings. “That means keeping more Canadian science in Canada—powering up BC’s life sciences sector with discoveries, skilled talent, new companies, and jobs—while also accelerating translation from the lab to clinic so patients have access to lifesaving treatments.”

The ATMF will be located within The Edge, a six-storey building owned and managed by UBC Properties Trust, located next to the bus loop on UBC’s Vancouver campus. The lower floors of the building will feature commercial retail space, including a grocery store, while the upper floors will feature purpose-built lab space tailored to the ATMF and other industry partners’ needs.

The remaining provincial funding supports three other CIEBH projects:

• $3.45 million to equip the facilities of the AVENGER project, led by UBC, which is developing a flexible vaccine library that can be adapted to fight future pandemics and diseases. (Lead researchers: Pieter Cullis [BSc’67, MSc’70, PhD’72], Anna Blakney);
• $6.87 million to equip the facilities for the PROGENITER project, led by UBC, which is using advanced imaging and AI to create ready-to-use antibody treatments for viruses like COVID-19 and bird flu. (Lead researcher: Sriram Subramaniam);
• $423,000 for the Bridge Research Consortium, led by SFU, which brings together experts from across Canada to study how to build public trust in vaccines and immune-supporting innovations.

Strengthening BC’s life sciences sector

The provincial support for CIEBH leverages $140 million from the federal government and more than $22 million from other sources, bringing total funding for CIEBH projects to date to $195 million.

Each CIEBH project includes important training opportunities for students, strengthening the talent pipeline for BC’s life sciences workforce.

“The ATMF will provide UBC students like me the unique opportunity to see our research through, from the first findings all the way to clinical-grade manufacturing, ensuring our ideas can grow right here in BC and help people in local communities,” said Dana Lao (BSc’24), a master’s student at the UBC Faculty of Medicine who is developing cell therapies that could improve bone marrow transplant outcomes and treat conditions like type 1 diabetes. “This hands-on training in biomanufacturing will prepare us to lead the future of BC’s life sciences sector and to develop cutting-edge therapies for people here at home and across the globe.”

CIEBH is a consortium of more than 60 academic, industry, not-for-profit, and health system partners that aims to accelerate drug development through advanced research, talent development, biomanufacturing, and commercialization of treatments in Canada.

CIEBH is building capacity for cutting-edge research infrastructure and training in BC, which is critical to creating the next generation of BC life science entrepreneurs and companies. The hub is further attracting and training top talent and providing local businesses with more opportunities to collaborate with academia, expand their operations, innovate, and compete on a global scale.

“Health care is expected to create nearly 200,000 job openings over the next decade, and this investment helps make sure people in BC are ready to fill them,” said the Honourable Josie Osborne (BSc’93), BC’s Minister of Health. “By developing and producing new medicines right here at home, we can get treatments to patients faster, be better prepared for future health emergencies and create good jobs for people in our communities. This is about building a stronger, safer, and healthier future for everyone in British Columbia.”

Funding for the CIEBH projects is part of the BC Knowledge Development Fund (BCKDF), the Government of BC’s primary source for capital investment in research infrastructure.

The provincial government also announced it is providing an additional $15.3 million in BCKDF funding to support 71 other research projects at UBC in areas including life sciences, clean tech, natural resources, and agrifoods.

A version of this story was originally published on the Government of BC website.