Canada has the talent and ideas to lead in health innovation — with BioCanRx bold action is underway.
Canada has a proud legacy of scientific discoveries that have changed lives around the world — from insulin to stem cells to the technology behind modern vaccines. But too often, Canadian innovations are commercialized abroad, missing the opportunity to translate homegrown science into homegrown solutions.
Take, for example, Dr. Daniel Drucker’s groundbreaking work at the University of Toronto on GLP-1 peptides — the foundation of blockbuster diabetes and weight loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Although the foundational research and early development happened in Canada, the therapies were brought to market by companies in Denmark and the U.S., generating an estimated $50 billion global market. Canada was left largely on the sidelines.
Closing the gap
So how do we ensure Canada doesn’t miss out on the next transformative health innovation? BioCanRx, a not-for-profit and national network focused on translating cancer immunotherapy discoveries into treatments, is doing just that by spearheading a distinctly Canadian approach to biomedical innovation.
Even if the cancer comes back, this has given me precious time, and I know the research will help manty others. It has given me a fighting chance.
– Camille Leahy
By investing in the critical translational stage between lab discovery and patient access via clinical trials, BioCanRx is ensuring that promising therapies are developed, tested, and manufactured here in Canada — for Canadians.
Proven results and real impact
Since its launch in 2015 with $40 million from the Government of Canada (leveraging nearly $110 million in partner contributions), BioCanRx has continued to receive national support — including $38 million from the Strategic Science Fund. And the results speak for themselves:
- 34 immunotherapies — including Canadian-made CAR T cell therapies — have advanced toward clinical trials
- 7 new biotech companies have been spun out
- 35 patent applications have been filed across 18 countries
- Over 400 Canadian cancer patients have gained access to novel, potentially life-saving therapies
Just as importantly, BioCanRx is building a skilled, collaborative ecosystem: linking researchers, clinicians, biomanufacturing experts, industry, regulators, and policy-makers across the country, while also seeking out global innovations and adapting them to the Canadian context. It’s a model of how Canada can build not just scientific excellence — but the capacity to deliver it — and the results prove it can be do ne.
Taking the shot
With talent, ideas, and infrastructure already in place, what’s needed now is bold investment to support translation of Canadian research into products and decisive action.
Wayne Gretzky once said, “You miss 100 per cent of the shots you don’t take.” In life sciences innovation, Canada can’t afford to sit on the bench. Camille — a patient whose life was transformed through access to a Canadian-made therapy — and many others expect us to take that shot.
To learn more, visit biocanrx.com.
