Ontario Institute for Cancer Research

Program supports women entrepreneurs in life science who are driving the advancement of innovations and healthcare TORONTO, March 6, 2025 /PRNewswire/ - Ahead of International Women's Day, FACIT and OBIO® are pleased to announce the first cohort of women-led companies to receive investment and commercialization resources from the FACIT and OBIO® joint Women's Synergistic Entrepreneurship and Economic Development (WeSEED) program. A.I. VALI Inc., Genetics Adviser Inc., AiimSense Inc., Asima Health Inc., and Cura Therapeutics Inc. represent promising start-ups with differentiated solutions to improve healthcare access, patient impact and economic benefits for Ontario. Building on FACIT and OBIO's successes in independently backing women entrepreneurs, the WeSEED program was launched to leverage the combined complementary capital, business expertise and resources of the organizations. The resulting synergies provide a continuum of seamless support and lower barriers faced by women STEM leaders in accessing business training, advisory resources, networks and venture funding. Start-up A.I. VALI is commercializing software to streamline and improve endoscopy workflow in clinics and hospitals, with two market-ready products and a Canadian distribution agreement. Genetics Adviser is a digital health company transforming the genetic testing journey, offering a customizable, evidence-based platform to help scale the delivery of precision genomic medicine. With global collaborations and licensing agreements, Genetics Adviser is on track to expand international adoption of its leading clinical solutions. Both companies are recipients of FACIT's Compass Rose Oncology Fund investments under the WeSEED program, with A.I. VALI having advanced from OBIO's WiHI Seed Program. AiimSense is a medical device start-up developing a portable brain imaging technologies for stroke, traumatic brain injury and brain tumor detection. Early-stage cancer diagnostic start-up Asima Health is developing a pan-genomic approach to genetic cancer testing that is also accessible at the community level. Cura Therapeutics is developing cross-functional immunotherapy platforms capable of addressing multiple diseases mechanisms while reducing toxicity, with a lead cytokine fusion protein that activates and synchronizes major immune system mechanisms to destroy cancer cells. Through OBIO's WiHI initiative, as part of the WeSEED program, these women-led companies are recipients of dynamic entrepreneurship training and development resources to help better position them attract additional financing partners. All women-led companies in the WeSEED program benefit from both FACIT and OBIO's commercialization resources. OBIO® and FACIT have established track records co-investing and working closely with different commercialization groups locally and globally, increasing value for Ontario life sciences intellectual property and driving economic impact. The WeSEED program aligns with government priorities to strengthen the entrepreneurial ecosystem for women-led businesses. While diverse and independent seed stage programs and investors are key to addressing the unique needs of early-stage life sciences entrepreneurs, partnerships on targeted initiatives drives innovation and can make a difference for patients with cancer. Quotes: Dr. Maura Campbell, President of OBIO® – "We are delighted to announce the inaugural WeSEED cohort in partnership with FACIT. This exciting group of women-led companies is poised to transform the oncology landscape, and we look forward to supporting their commercialization journey with our best-in-class programming." Dr. Connie Chen, Senior Director of Strategy and Corporate Development, FACIT – "This fantastic inaugural cohort already demonstrates the benefits of leveraging the strengths of novel and inclusive public-private partnerships. Helping position and propel women-founded start-ups and healthcare innovation in Ontario to advance homegrown IP and secure financing was the driver for FACIT and OBIO® to partner on the WeSEED program. It is very rewarding to see our organizations elevate the equity, representation, and positioning of women STEM leaders." About OBIO® Founded in 2009, OBIO® is a not-for-profit, membership-based organization engaged in strategy, programming, policy development and advocacy to address the needs of the next generation of companies developing innovative human health products. OBIO® supports early-stage and venture-backed life sciences and health tech companies enabling them to raise capital, hire and train industry-ready talent, facilitate the commercialization and market adoption of their technologies in health systems, and access infrastructure. OBIO® advances its mission through collaborative partnerships with industry, the investment community, academia, the healthcare system and government. For more information, please visit and follow OBIO® on LinkedIn and X. About FACIT FACIT is an award-winning commercialization venture firm that builds companies with entrepreneurs to accelerate oncology innovation, with a portfolio that has attracted more than $1.6 billion in investment to Ontario. Blending industry experience, capital and the unsurpassed clinician-scientist network of its strategic partner the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research (OICR), FACIT capitalizes on the province's investment in research and healthcare to the benefit of the local economy and patients worldwide. Cancer Breakthroughs. Realized. facit.ca. SOURCE FACIT Inc. WANT YOUR COMPANY'S NEWS FEATURED ON PRNEWSWIRE.COM? 440k+ Newsrooms & Influencers 9k+ Digital Media Outlets 270k+ Journalists Opted In GET STARTED

CALGARY, AB and TORONTO, May 23, 2024 /PRNewswire/ - Providence Therapeutic Holdings Inc. ("Providence"), a messenger RNA (mRNA) and lipid nanoparticle platform company engaged in the development of vaccines and therapeutics, and the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research (OICR), Ontario's largest publicly funded cancer research institute delivering real-world solutions to people affected by cancer, today announced the signing of a collaboration agreement for mRNA drug discovery and development. This is a unique collaboration that combines OICR's expertise in cancer genomics and translational drug discovery with Providence's next generation of mRNA and LNP technology to accelerate preclinical drug development and launch new clinical initiatives that answer key questions in clinical oncology. "OICR and Providence share a common vision of advancing research in cancer prevention and treatment in Ontario, across Canada, and globally. We look forward to leveraging Providence's next generation mRNA and LNP platform technology and drug development expertise alongside the experts at OICR to improve the lives of people battling cancer," said Brad Sorenson, CEO and Founder of Providence Therapeutics. "Partnering with an mRNA industry leader like Providence will help OICR harness our strengths in bioinformatics, genomics and immunology to generate new and exciting ways to prevent and treat cancer," says Dr. Laszlo Radvanyi, President and Scientific Director of OICR. "I am especially excited for the impact this partnership will have for people affected by cancer as well as the potential economic value it can bring in helping drive Canada's leadership in this rapidly growing field." OICR and Providence's partnership will help advance modern drug development in Canada and create new clinical initiatives that will touch the lives of people across the country. As product development and manufacturing will be done domestically, Canadians will be first in line to participate in new clinical oncology programs and access new treatments. All programs that emerge from this strategic partnership will result in guaranteed country-of-origin rights to Canada that will ensure Canadians will have affordable access to any medicines created. About Providence Therapeutics Providence Therapeutics has developed an mRNA medicines platform and has established itself as a competitive player within the mRNA scene for the last 10 years. Consisting of a clinically proven mRNA platform and a next-generation lipid-nanoparticle (LNP) platform, the company developed to enhance immune responses to cancers and infectious diseases. Along with this, Providence also has manufacturing and regulatory platforms that are capable of producing drugs for personalized vaccines up to pandemic scale amounts. Providence has a robust pipeline consisting of preclinical and clinical oncology, infectious diseases, and animal health programs. These programs have been developed internally and in collaboration with academic and industry partners that specialize in many different fields. For more information, please visit About Ontario Institute for Cancer Research OICR is funded by the Government of Ontario. As the province's cancer research institute, we take on the biggest challenges in cancer research and deliver real-world solutions to find cancer earlier and treat it more effectively. We are committed to helping people living with cancer, as well as future generations, live longer and healthier lives. For more information visit . View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Providence Therapeutics

FACIT's pitch competition continues to build a culture of entrepreneurship in Ontario to benefit people living with cancer TORONTO, May 6, 2024 /PRNewswire/ - At the sold-out Falcons' Fortunes pitch competition hosted by FACIT, Dr. Hatim Fakir delivered the winning pitch as selected by the panel of judges for the $100,000 Ernsting Entrepreneurship Award. The recognition aligns well with the start of Brain Tumour Awareness for the month of May. Developed at London Health Sciences Centre, Dr. Fakir's RadioSphere is a patient-centred technology to revolutionize existing gamma knife radiotherapy procedures by providing the most precise tumour localization capabilities. Surgeons armed with more refined 3-D localization information can better pinpoint challenging tumours, including those arising from multi-focal metastases, and eliminate them without affecting healthy adjacent tissue. The award and commercialization support from FACIT is an important step to advancing a game-changing technology that will result in better comfort and care for patients. Emceed by Brian Bloom, Chairman & CEO of Bloom Burton & Co., the Falcons' Fortunes event showcased six of Ontario's latest and compelling innovative cancer solutions being developed by entrepreneurial scientists as they competed for the best pitch award. FACIT's Prospects Oncology Fund sponsors the award, which is a critical source of pre-seed capital for early-stage, proof-of-concept projects with commercial potential. Serial entrepreneur and patient advocate Rachel Bartholomew, CEO and Founder of Hyivy Health, also delivered an inspirational keynote address highlighting her own journey to create a start-up to address a need that was identified during her recent fight with cervical cancer. For entrepreneurs launching their early-stage ventures at Falcons' Fortunes and others starting this path, FACIT's funds strategically target the seed capital gap and help propel early-stage ventures across the most critical hurdle. With an Ontario First mandate, FACIT's successful commercialization venture model has helped start-ups advance along the challenging innovation pathway for over a decade. Many Falcons' Fortunes participants who pitch their innovations at the annual event go on to receive FACIT's seed capital and additional supports from its network. "All six finalists are winners, as their entrepreneurial spirit and desire to translate discoveries into the marketplace are important for building Ontario's biotech industry as well as in the battle against cancer, remarked Dr. David O'Neill, President of FACIT. "We see a future where patients living with cancer benefit from homegrown science and innovations, which will build prosperity and fund future cancer research in the province." "There are not many sources of early seed capital for Ontario life sciences innovations and availability of follow-on financing sources are even more scarce," said Rachel Bartholomew. "FACIT helps to fill this gap, and ensuring this capital is available for Ontario entrepreneurs is critical to advance translation so innovations can reach patients sooner." About FACIT FACIT is an award-winning commercialization venture firm that builds companies with entrepreneurs to accelerate oncology innovation, with a portfolio that has attracted more than $1.6 billion in investment to Ontario. Blending industry experience, capital and the unsurpassed clinician-scientist network of its strategic partner the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research (OICR), FACIT capitalizes on the province's investment in research and healthcare to the benefit of the local economy and patients worldwide. Cancer Breakthroughs. Realized. facit.ca SOURCE FACIT Inc.