RESEARCH

Bridging the Gap

Since its inception in 2015, BioCanRx has built a highly performing translational engine for cancer immunotherapy.

From Lab to Life

Turning Research into Treatments

The network bridges the gap between promising early-stage technologies and their clinical evaluation by taking a comprehensive, multi-disciplinary, ecosystem approach.

Canada has a strong record of health discovery and invention but does not perform as well as it could at translating these discoveries to innovations and treatments. Along the translational path, there are several roadblocks thwarting cancer researchers.

The Challenge

Our Solution

Made-in-Canada Innovation

“Given that the network started in 2015, it has demonstrated unprecedented efficiency in moving basic discoveries to clinical trials. The partnerships formed by BioCanRx succeeded in bridging a drug development gap in the Canadian drug development enterprise. Important Canadian discoveries that had no path for translation in Canada were transferred to other countries. With BioCanRx and its Canadian network, Canadian discoveries are now being developed and translated in Canada.”

International Patient Engagement Award

BioCanRx Funded Clinical Trials

Innovative Spinout Companies Launched

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Secured Through Partner Funding

Core & Biomanufacturing Facilities Supported

Strategic Partnerships Established Across Sectors

Novel Therapeutic Technologies Developed

Highly Qualified Personnel (HQP) Trained

From Lab to Clinic

BioCanRx’s Pipeline Approach

BioCanRx’s pipeline approach provides funding to innovations across the translational continuum – from the lab to the clinic, including proof of concept, pre-clinical development, process development and manufacturing, and clinical trials. These projects are supported by our Clinical, Social and Economic Impact (CSEI) program and our Core Facilities. The CSEI program addresses social, legal, ethical, economic, or health-system barriers — such as early health technology assessment (HTA) — as projects progress from pre-clinical research to clinical trials and adoption in the health care system. Core Facilities provide specialized expertise and services that help advance translational research.

Pipeline Funding

Supports all stages from proof of concept to clinical trials.

CSEI Program

Tackles social, legal, ethical, economic, and health-system barriers. (Icon: scales of justice or puzzle pieces)

Core Facilities

Deliver unique expertise and infrastructure for project teams. (Icon: lab building or gear network)

Innovation Journey

BioCanRx Projects Through Different Research Stages

BioCanRx has funded several technologies transitioning from one stage of development to the next via its research funding pipeline. For example, Dr. Robert Holt (BCCA)’s KRAS-targeting cell therapy productwas previously funded as a Catalyst Project and is now funded by an Enabling Studies award to position their innovation for clinical testing. The CLIC-19 CAR T cell therapy has also progressed through BioCanRx’s pipeline from Enabling Study project to Clinical Trial, which has further been supported by the integrated knowledge translation CSEI project, GO-CART.

Recombinant TCRs and
peptide-MHC antibodies to
target KRAS hotspot mutations
in pancreatic cancer Recombinant TCRs to target
KRAS hotspot mutations in
pancreatic cancer Capacity Building for Chimeric
Antigen Receptor (CAR)-modified T cell
therapies in Canada CLIC-1901 for the Treatment of Patients with
Relapsed/Refractory CD19 Positive
Hematologic Malignancies Getting better Outcomes with Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-cell therapy (GO-CART): A BioCanRx Research Excelerator to Safely and Effectively Translate CAR T-Cell Therapy for Hematological Malignancies

BioCanRx’s research pipeline concept has been highly successful, owing in part to its international Research Management Committee (RMC). The RMC ensures BioCanRx research investments are sound, and that funded projects are innovative, benchmarked against international initiatives, with potential for commercialization and adoption in the Canadian health system. The Cancer Community Partnership, a consortium of more than 50 cancer charities and NGOs, shapes the engagement of patients in network activities. The CSA also informs research program priorities related to patient access to innovative therapies and future health system adoption (e.g., highlighting the need for early HTA research for CAR T-cell therapy).

Get Involved

Translational Training Program Fit-for-Purpose

Key to accelerating biotherapeutic development to the clinic is targeted training to academic researchers and their teams of highly qualified personnel (HQP) on biologics drug development and regulatory affairs at critical junctures of their project pipeline. BioCanRx targeted training programs aim to fill knowledge gaps and provide hands-on training to network investigators and HQP with experts from the network. These initiatives have received a 95% satisfaction rating.

The BioCanRx Ecosystem

More Than the Sum of its Parts

Project intake and performance monitoring

Cancer Stakeholder Alliance & Joint Action Plan, The Learning Institute, Patient-Researcher Roundtable, BioCanRx public forums, online initiatives

Multiple spin-out companies and IP generated

New curative therapies available to patients

Better project outcomes

Engagement of multi-sectoral stakeholders (regulators, patient groups etc.); Funded projects that address clinical, social, and economic impact

Job-ready HQP

Viral Ventures for vector and vaccine development and GMP manufacturing; Addressing the skills gap in GMP though integrative learning program; Initiation of Point of Care network for cellular therapies against cancer