API Stories
Welcoming Dr. Launa Aspeslet as API’s First Chief Translational Officer
The API team is proud to announce the appointment of Dr. Launa Aspeslet as our first Chief Translational Officer—a key step forward in our efforts to strengthen Canada’s position as a global leader in life sciences commercialization.
Dr. Aspeslet brings nearly three decades of leadership across the life sciences sector, from early-stage biotech ventures to multinational pharmaceutical companies. She has helped move multiple products from discovery through FDA approval, developed regulatory strategies for global markets and scaled a clinical research organization to operations across more than 20 countries.
A trusted advisor since API’s inception—and past Chair of our Board—Dr. Aspeslet has helped shape our work. In this newly created role, she will lead our translational research efforts, overseeing early-stage clinical and commercialization through regulatory planning, preclinical and clinical development and early product prototyping.
“She brings both vision and operational excellence, and her leadership in this new role will ensure we continue to meet the needs of scaling companies across Canada and beyond. This is a major step forward in our mission to make Canada—and particularly Alberta—a global hub for life sciences commercialization.” – Andrew MacIsaac, CEO
We’re excited to have Dr. Aspeslet step into this role as we accelerate our life sciences commercialization efforts across Canada!
Read the full releaseNew Mitacs Investment to Fuel Research, Innovation and Talent in Alberta
Last week, the Honourable Rajan Sawhney, Alberta’s Minister of Advanced Education, announced a $15 million investment in Mitacs over the next three years aimed at advancing research and development efforts, driving innovation and talent development across the province.
This new investment is set to support more than 3,000 internships through 2028, linking post-secondary students and postdocs with local companies to address real-world challenges across various high-impact sectors.
Over the last 6 years, API has supported over 20 trainees through the Mitacs program and we’re excited to build on this momentum, creating more opportunities for students and postdocs to contribute to Alberta’s growing life sciences sector.
Our Senior Scientist, Dr. Siddharta Biswas, had the opportunity to share his experience from being a former Mitacs trainee to now making meaningful contributions as a key member of our team.
“Support from Mitacs, along with Alberta’s commitment to the program, has been key in helping me remain in the province to pursue my career after completing my postdoctoral studies and applying my research skills in a commercial setting. It allowed me to integrate into industry culture, build academic-industry collaborations, and contribute to the growth of the life science sector in Alberta.”
Thank you to the Government of Alberta and Mitacs for championing this initiative! This is a powerful example of what’s possible when academia and industry come together to build Alberta’s future-ready workforce.
Read the full storyCollaborating with National Leaders to Advance Canadian Life Sciences Manufacturing
Earlier this month, our team headed to Toronto for this year’s MaRS Impact Health to connect with industry leaders and contribute to discussions shaping the future of health innovation in Canada.
Our CEO, Andrew MacIsaac, participated in a panel discussion alongside Don Stewart, CEO of PlantForm Corporation and Dr. John Bell, Senior Scientist at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute. Together, they highlighted the sector’s potential to accelerate innovation, fuel economic growth and collaborative strategies to strengthen our local life sciences manufacturing capacity.
We’re proud to contribute to these discussions and highlight our role in strengthening Canada’s life sciences manufacturing capacity through our Canadian Critical Drug Initiative (CDDI), in partnership with the University of Alberta. This initiative will establish an integrated hub for research, commercialization and manufacturing in the Edmonton Region, driving investment, creating high-quality jobs and keeping intellectual property and talent in Canada.
Learn more about the CCDIEmpowering A Future-Ready Healthcare System
Recently, our team joined educators, innovators and health professionals at Advancing Healthcare Through Simulation: A Provincial Summit to explore how simulation is transforming healthcare in Alberta.
Hosted by the Centre for Advanced Medical Simulation (CAMS), the event featured focused presentations and expert-led sessions that demonstrated how simulation goes beyond training — it’s a driver of safer, smarter, and more responsive healthcare systems. From improving clinical skills through simulation-based education to building a more capable workforce, healthcare simulation is advancing patient care and supporting a future-ready health system.
Our team appreciated the opportunity to connect with students and health leaders at our booth, where we highlighted our support for medical technology innovators and our role in advancing health innovation across Alberta. We look forward to continued collaboration with academic partners like NAIT as we work to shape the future of healthcare!
Explore how we help medical innovators accelerate their productEvents
27th International Glycoconjugate Symposium
Explore the latest breakthroughs shaping the future of glycomics at the 27th International Glycoconjugate Symposium, jointly co-hosted with GlycoNet’s 8th Canadian Glycomics Symposium from May 25-30 at the Edmonton Convention Centre!
Bringing together researchers and global industry leaders, this event offers unparalleled opportunities to engage with world-renowned experts, learn emerging trends in glycomics and discover innovations transforming the field. We’re proud to sponsor this event and be part of a global community advancing glycomics research and innovation!
2025 CSPS/CC-CRS/PSJ Symposium
Curious about the latest advancements in the Canadian pharmaceutical sciences? Join leading experts from academia, industry and healthcare at the 2025 Canadian Society for Pharmaceutical Sciences Annual Symposium from May 27-29 at the Université de Montréal in Quebec.
This year’s theme, “Pharmaceutical Sciences Beyond Borders: Advancing Global Health Through Innovation and Collaboration,” promises an inspiring lineup of international speakers and thought leaders who will dive into the latest insights in drug development, public health strategies and cross-border collaboration to tackle today’s most pressing health challenges.
As a proud sponsor, we look forward to contributing to global discussions that will help accelerate the future of healthcare!
Learn moreCanada’s Regulatory & Quality Medtech Conference 2025
From June 10-12, MedTech Canada is bringing together health and regulatory experts at Canada’s Regulatory & Quality Medtech Conference 2025 in Ottawa and online to explore Canada’s rapidly evolving regulatory landscape.
Featuring speakers from Health Canada, the conference offers a fantastic line-up of sessions and workshops that will provide insights into the latest global regulatory developments for medical technologies. Don’t miss their Pre-Market Review Workshop, a valuable opportunity to dive into technical components to help streamline your processes!
Our Regulatory Specialist, John Huang, and Product Manager Associate, Bronsen Kwong, will be attending virtually and look forward to gaining valuable insights to help strengthen our support for medical technology innovators at every stage of their commercialization journey.
I’m interested!Life Sciences & Innovation News
- 48Hour Discovery announced a new method to convert selected macrocyclic peptides into more stable bicyclic structures, improving their performance as drug candidates. This advance enables scientists to enhance the stability and effectiveness of peptide-based drug candidates after they’ve been identified, potentially leading to more precise and durable treatments for conditions such as cancer and other serious diseases.
- Entos Pharmaceuticals will collaborate with European company Circio Holding to test Circio’s circular RNA expression vectors using Entos’s Fusogenix PLV nucleic acid delivery technology. If successful, the collaboration could lead to developing therapeutic candidates for genetic medicine, chronic disease, and vaccines.
- Lumiio co-founder and chief medical officer Lawrence Korngut discussed the critical role of international databases and collaboration in early diagnosis and treatment, pointing to platforms like BetterLife FSHD, at the Rare Disease Day Conference in Calgary.
- Nanostics has recruited its first patient for clinical trials of its ClarityDX platform. The platform uses biomarkers from fluids like blood or urine and clinical data to come up with a risk score that represents the probability that a patient has a disease like prostate cancer. For the clinical utility study, 1,074 men will be selected at two urology sites in Alberta and then screened for prostate cancer using the ClarityDX platform.
- Nanostics has partnered with Protean BioDiagnostics to provide access to CDX Prostate, Nanostics’ test for aggressive prostate cancer, to men in the United States.
- NiaHealth, a healthtech startup focused on preventative health testing, has raised $2.5 million in pre-seed funding. The company is now offering a beta blood-testing program, which starts at $299 annually, and includes at least 35 tests. The program is currently available in Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, and Ontario, and the company plans to expand it across Canada and internationally.
- Pinaki Bose of OncoHelix, executive vice-president and scientific lead of the Precision Oncology and Experimental Therapeutics program, is leading a pan-Canadian collaboration using technologies like spatial transcriptomics and AI to research head and neck cancer.
- Pacylex Pharmaceuticals shared new research showing that its oral cancer drug candidate, zelenirstat, disrupts energy production in aggressive breast cancer cells, including those linked to metastasis and relapse. The findings suggest that zelenirstat could play a significant role in treating triple-negative breast cancer by targeting cancer stem cells and impairing mitochondrial function.
- Voyageur Pharmaceuticals launched its new line of barium contrast media products across Canada and other Health Canada-compliant markets. It is distributing product samples to diagnostic imaging centres, with a performance study at Canada Diagnostic Centres showing results on par with global brands.
- Biohubx announced a partnership with TBZ Partners, a Korea-based accelerator that supports tech and digital innovation startups, on April 22. TBZ Partners specializes in commercialisation, proof of concept, and global market entry strategies, connecting startups with global partners and investors through its Connect platform.
- CASTL, in collaboration with BioTalent Canada and the Future Skills Centre, released a report highlighting strategies to address workforce challenges in Canada’s rapidly growing biomanufacturing sector.
- Calgary city council approved $60 million in funding for the Opportunity Calgary Investment Fund to boost economic growth by scaling local companies and attracting talent. The four-year plan allocates $15 million annually from the city’s Fiscal Stability Reserve, requiring OCIF to provide yearly progress reports.
- Genome Alberta, Genome British Columbia, Trail Appliances AB/SK, and the Broderick Cardiomyopathy Program are investing $750,000 to improve access to cardiovascular genetic care for Western Canadians at risk of genetic cardiomyopathy. Fewer than 15% of patients with cardiomyopathy have received clinically indicated genetic testing, which places them and their families at risk.
- Genome Alberta announced a new Genome Canada funding opportunity for Indigenous-led training and capacity-building projects. The initiative will invest up to $400,000 to build Indigenous capacity in genomics, promote career development, integrate Indigenous knowledge and perspectives, and advance Indigenous self-determination.
- Eight research projects have received funding to improve disease testing and treatment. The Government of British Columbia, Genome British Columbia, and Genome Alberta are supporting the projects, which will focus on precision medicine for cancer, heart disease, and organ transplants, among other areas.
- The University of Alberta, in partnership with the Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital, is advancing rehabilitation technologies using AI to develop more intuitive prosthetics. Chris Neilson of the lab co-led by Patrick Pilarski and Jacqueline Hebert showcased the Bento Arm at the 2024 Cybathlon, placing eighth in the upper limb prosthesis race.