API Stories
Securing Canada’s Domestic Supply of Critical Medicines
Nearly a year ago, we broke ground on the Critical Medicines Production Centre (CMPC)— marking a major milestone in strengthening Canada’s biomanufacturing ecosystem.
Located in the Life Sciences Campus at the Edmonton Research Park, the CMPC is a key component of the Canadian Critical Drug Initiative (CCDI), a nearly $200 million project we lead in partnership with the University of Alberta.
The CMPC will be the only Canadian facility of its kind with integrated high-volume production capacity. During a crisis, the CMPC can produce sterile injectables, small molecules or biologic products for the entire country in a critical 100-day sprint.
Beyond emergency response, the CMPC will support both clinical trial material production and commercial manufacturing—accelerating innovation, expanding the production of Canadian-made drugs and attracting foreign investment. Its flexible capabilities will play a key role in securing Canada’s domestic supply of critical medicines while strengthening our position as a global biomanufacturing leader.
Learn more about the CCDI and the CMPC’s growing impact in our latest story.
Read the full storyBIO 2025: Where Global Leaders Meet
Last week, our team headed to Boston Convention & Exhibition Center in Massachusetts for the BIO International Convention 2025, joining more than 20,000 global leaders from across the biotechnology industry.
As part of the Alberta Delegation led by BioAlberta, API members Shawn Couch (Director of Business Development) and Julianna Weber (Director of Commercial Operations) were on-hand to discuss:
- Our expanding capacity for clinical trial material (CTM) production and commercial manufacturing through the development of the new Critical Medicines Production Centre (CMPC).
- Our full-service model and incubation support, offering integrated support across the life sciences—spanning early-stage discovery and development, regulatory strategy, clinical services and commercial manufacturing.
We’re pleased to share our work and explore new possibilities for collaboration as we continue advancing life sciences innovation!
It was inspiring to witness Canadian innovation showcased on the global stage and to see Canada positioning itself as a front-runner in health science innovation. In this new economic landscape, Canada is well positioned to be able to help innovators advance their life saving medicines. – Shawn Couch, Director, Business Development.
Events
Get Ready for Life Sciences Week 2025!
The 3rd Annual Life Sciences Week is just around the corner!
Spanning a full week of events across Alberta, Life Sciences Week celebrates the people, research and innovations driving health forward. From expert panels and facility tours to community showcases and networking receptions, the week offers something for everyone—whether you’re a researcher, entrepreneur, policymaker, or investor.
Want to get involved? There are plenty of ways to participate:
- Host an event: Your event, your way. Whether it’s a facility tour, panel discussion, presentation or networking session—add it to the Life Sciences Week calendar and be part of the celebration.
- Become a sponsor: Life Sciences Week brings the community together—and it’s a great way to get your brand in front of researchers, entrepreneurs and industry leaders. We offer a variety of sponsorship levels to match different budgets, while supporting an initiative aligned with your company’s values.
- Present at a Showcase Day: Have an innovative idea, challenge or opportunity to spotlight? We’re curating dynamic presentations for our Showcase Days in Calgary and Edmonton. If you or someone you know can inspire and inform with fresh perspectives, we’d love to hear from you!
Be part of Alberta’s biggest life sciences celebration!
Register/Get InvolvedLife Sciences & Innovation News
- Scale Up Canada has released its list of the 50 most scalable companies in the Edmonton region. Health companies on the list include PulseMedica, Umay, NanoSpeed Diagnostics Inc., Nanostics, 48Hour Discovery, Karma Medical, True Angle, Bio-Stream Diagnostics, SpectraCann, WWiKY BioSciences, Solidified, RNARevive, Pulmvita, Thoth Biosimulations, Clinisys EMR, and ArmLock.
- Future Fields has partnered with Protein Evolution, an AI-powered protein discovery and engineering platform based in Connecticut. The partnership announcement comes at the same time as the launch of the Partner Alliance Program, a network of 12 laboratory partners.
- Northern RNA announced the arrival of a new piece of equipment in its lab, a handheld Akta Avant from Cytiva.PanTHERA CryoSolutions was recognized by GlycoNet as Most Successful Start-Up Company of the Year at the Glyco27 Conference.
- RJH Biosciences acknowledged Mitacs for its continued support in driving innovation, and strengthening Alberta’s post-secondary ecosystem. Mitacs programs have empowered RJH Biosciences to train emerging talent while advancing work in nucleic acid delivery technologies.
- Entos Pharmaceuticals received funding from CureDuchenne to support the development of a novel muscle-targeting gene delivery platform that could transform Duchenne treatment. Entos uses its Fusogenix PLV platform for safe and effective delivery of functional genes to muscle cells throughout the body.
- Biohubx will run a two-week program in Calgary, Red Deer, and Edmonton from Sept. 15 to 26 for international companies in diagnostics, medical devices, oncology, biomanufacturing, and digital health. The program offers opportunities to access the life sciences and health tech network, explore funding, and develop tailored expansion plans for the North American market, including introductions to resources in Alberta, clinical trial opportunities, research collaborations, and navigating pathways into the US market.
- Genome Alberta is investing $1.67 million in two projects under Genome Canada’s eDNA Surveillance Initiative, using environmental DNA technologies for public health and ecosystem monitoring.
- Health Cities and the CAN Health Network are seeking Canadian AI start-ups with tools to support clinical decision-making and administrative automation in primary care. This initiative aims to foster smarter, more connected care, and create opportunities for Canadian innovations to scale.
- The Alberta government is investing in 19 projects through the Primary Care Innovation Fund ($5 million) and the Indigenous Primary Health Care Innovation Fund ($20 million) to improve health care access and support community health priorities. Minister Adriana LaGrange emphasized the importance of these investments for all Albertans, especially Indigenous communities.
- The Alberta government is committing $15 million over three years to Mitacs, a non-profit organization with a regional centre in Edmonton that funds research and training programs, primarily for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows.
- The University of Alberta‘s Edmonton Protocol, a groundbreaking islet cell transplantation approach for Type 1 diabetes treatment, marks its 25th anniversary. Since 1999, led by James Shapiro, this therapy has inspired more than 3,000 transplants globally and treated 330 patients in the Edmonton region, solidifying the region’s reputation as a world leader in diabetes research and regenerative medicine.
- The University of Alberta is launching an AI + Health Hub that will gather more than 120 researchers from 10 faculties to address health-care challenges using artificial intelligence. Neesh Pannu of FoMD, hub co-lead and vice-dean, emphasizes the opportunity to use new technologies to improve health care and minimize algorithm bias, leveraging Alberta’s population-based health data.