Future Growth in the Picture for Halifax Imaging Centre
News Release
Government of Canada Invests in New Lab Equipment, Business Development and Marketing for BIOTIC
Halifax, N.S. – Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA)
The Government of Canada is investing $600,124 in Halifax’s IWK Health Centre to support the growth of the Biomedical Translational Imaging Centre (BIOTIC). The contribution is made through the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA)’s Business Development Program.
BIOTIC, embedded in the IWK and QEII Health Sciences Centre, works to create new imaging techniques and methods for diagnosing and monitoring treatment. Since its establishment in 2013, BIOTIC has become a vital resource in the life sciences community, working with local and international companies who continue to benefit from the Centre’s world-class imaging capabilities. Drug development companies, for example, use BIOTIC’s imaging to visibly track their product in the body. BIOTIC is now ready to expand its offerings and forge new partnerships.
ACOA is investing $350,124 to equip BIOTIC with new technology to study the behavior of molecules and cells in the body and a new imaging system that will take aligned MRI and PET scans simultaneously, saving time and expanding possibilities for research. An additional $250,000 supports business development and marketing for BIOTIC to grow its partner base. The projects are designed to ensure the sustainability and growth of a critical life sciences sector resource.
Quotes:
“The Government of Canada is making targeted investments to expand innovative, globally-connected organizations like BIOTIC. These organizations are helping to drive economic growth and building on a strong foundation of scientific research.”
- The Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development and Minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency
“The Government’s investment enables BIOTIC to expand its offerings and focus on specific business development activities to grow the base of companies it’s working with and to promote its capabilities not only locally, but nationally and internationally.”
- Darrell Samson, Member of Parliament for Sackville-Preston-Chezzetcook
“The IWK is focused on transforming care through innovative research, and BIOTIC's work on new imaging techniques and methods for diagnosing and monitoring treatment is a stellar example of this. We and our partners, NSHA and Dalhousie have worked with the BIOTIC team and our industry partner Cubresa to not only impact patient care, but also develop new opportunities for science and commercialization for Nova Scotia.”
- Tracy Kitch, President & CEO, IWK
“ACOA’s strategic investments in the IWK Health Centre have been critical in supporting BIOTIC’s ability to take new scientific discoveries in medical imaging, and turn them into the next generation of technologies that can place our region at the forefront of healthcare innovation.”
- Dr. Steven Beyea, BIOTIC
Related Products:
- BIOTIC Brain Power: Research Centre Creates Neurosurgical App and Partners with Experts to Combat Traumatic Brain Injuries (ACOA News Release 2015)
Associated Links:
- BIOTIC Website
- BIOTIC Facebook Page
- BIOTIC on Twitter
- IWK Website
- Nova Scotia Health Authority Website
Contacts:
Alex Smith
Director of Communications and Outreach
Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency
(902) 426-9417
(902) 830-3839 (cell)
Email: alex.smith@canada.ca
Denise DesLauriers
Research Services
IWK Health Centre
(902) 470-7548
Email: denise.deslauriers@iwk.nshealth.ca
Background:
The Izaak Walton Killam (IWK) Health Centre, established in 1970, provides care to women, children, youth and families of the Maritime Provinces and beyond. They are also a research centre for diseases and disorders that affect women and children, managing annual research efforts that average $15 million.
The Biomedical Translational Imaging Centre (BIOTIC) is a partnership between the IWK and the QEII Health Sciences Centre of the Nova Scotia Health Authority (NSHA). BIOTIC is a multi-disciplinary imaging centre that has expertise in all facets of pre-clinical and clinical imaging. The BIOTIC team collaborates on commercial development projects with large multinationals like Elekta and General Electric and with local companies such as ABK Biomedical and Immunovaccine.
Two Government of Canada investments through ACOA’s Business Development Program support the sustainability and growth of BIOTIC:
- $350,124 enables BIOTIC to establish new technologies supporting molecular and cellular imaging research and acquire a positron emission tomography (PET) system to be integrated inside BIOTIC’s preclinical 3T MRI. This will allow for simultaneous imaging of anatomic structures and of the molecular and cellular function of those tissues, as well as enable BIOTIC to provide expanded services to companies, particularly those developing new therapeutics.
- $250,000 supports business development and marketing efforts for BIOTIC with the goal of achieving long-term sustainability. The project includes engagement of business development resources, redevelopment of promotional materials and website, product and service demonstrations and resources to market BIOTIC's capabilities within the life sciences sector.
ACOA’s Business Development Program (BDP) helps organizations start up, expand or modernize. Focusing on small and medium-sized enterprises, the BDP provides access to capital in the form of interest-free repayable assistance. Most business sectors are eligible except retail/wholesale, real estate, government services, and services of a personal or social nature. The BDP also provides financial assistance, in the form of non-repayable assistance, to not-for-profit organizations that provide support to Atlantic businesses.
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