Montréal
Life Sciences

With the largest concentration of biotech R&D in Canada, Montréal ranks as one of the world's leading clusters in the rapidly evolving domain of life sciences. The community's life sciences cluster boasts 540 companies employing more than 37,000 people, 125 research centres, and employment growth of over 2,000 jobs annually. The Montréal life science cluster has garnered more than $400 million in investment over the last three years, and is home to largest number of biotechnology start-ups in Canada.

Montréal's critical mass of life science activity is reinforced by the presence of dozens of large, transnational pharmaceutical companies, including such industry giants as Abbott Laboratories, Bristol-Myers Squibb, and Merck Frosst. The community's scientific capacity is underpinned by a number of world-class research organizations, including the Montréal Neurological Institute, the Clinical Research Institute of Montréal, the research arm of the University of Montréal Hospital, the Montréal Heart Institute, the Armand-Frappier Institute and the NRC Biotechnology Research Institute (NRC-BRI). Together, these labs have helped the Montréal life sciences cluster assume a leadership position in cardiovascular diseases, epidemiology, immunology, neurology, neurobiology, oncology, and virology.

Community Engagement

1987 – NRC-BRI officially opens 1996 – Montréal International cluster agency created 1998 – Industrial Partnership Facility opens NRC-BRI 2003 – DSM Biologics unveils $150M investment next to NRC-BRI 2005 – 10th Annual Crossroad Conference held at BRI

NRC's Major Partners

Montréal International The City of Montréal Université de Montréal McGill University Quebec Gene Therapy Association Génome Québec

Facts and Figures

Montréal is now home the eighth largest life science cluster in the world Life sciences employment is over 37,000, with 2,000 new jobs added annually More than $400 million in new investment over three years in the cluster NRC-BRI IPF – NRC's largest – houses 14 companies Community profile: 125 research centres and over 540 life science companies

Commercialization Success

NRC-BRI and Montréal-based Biophage Pharma recently renewed an ongoing collaboration aimed at commercializing NRC-developed technology for quick and accurate biosensors. The patent-pending technology has applications in Biodefence, environmental monitoring (air, water and food) and biomedical diagnosis of antibiotic resistant bacterial infections.

"The Government of Canada has worked closely with the Province of Québec and the City of Montréal to support DSM Biologics' investment and expansion in Montréal. DSM Biologics' decision to choose Montréal is a clear indicator that Canada has all the strengths and attributes required to attract forward-looking global biotechnology companies and internationally renowned scientists." Dr. Francis Bellido, CEO, SGF Santé

NRC's Role

For almost 20 years, NRC-BRI has been an active participant in Montréal's biotechnology cluster, helping lift the community to an impressive fifth place ranking in life science concentrations in the world. From a research perspective, NRC-BRI focuses on discovery and design of new compounds for infectious diseases and cancer under its health research program. Additionally, it also offers significant expertise in bioprocesses (microbial fermentation, cell culture, and recombinant protein and viral vector production), as well as new environmental biotechnology applications and processes related to pollution monitoring, prevention and treatment as well as eco-efficient industrial production.

NRC-BRI also offers contract R&D services, and it licenses technology to, and conducts collaborative research with many of the university, industry, government and and other stakeholders in the Montréal cluster. This technology transfer, a function critically important to the cluster's vitality, is bolstered by NRC-BRI's 9,800-m² Industrial Partnership Facility (IPF), geared to nurturing biotech start-ups in the Montréal cluster. NRC-BRI has NRC's largest IPF.

NRC-BRI's partnerships with organizations in the cluster have steadily expanded since it was officially opened in 1987. In fiscal 2004, for example, NRC-BRI inked 11 formal collaborative agreements, valued at over $7.3 million. In financial terms, that represented more than a six-fold increase over the previous year.

Recent Developments

One NRC-BRI's major partners is Laborium Biopharma Inc, a Montréal-based private company being engaged in specialized activities for preclinical and clinical biomanufacturing. With NRC-BRI's bioprocessing expertise and facilities close at hand, Laborium built a strong business case for an investment of over $40 million in a new biopharmaceutical manufacturing facility adjacent to NRC-BRI. Additionally, it has been planned that the BRI-NRC should elaborate and build a practical training center, upon reception of the appropriate financing, as well as additional R&D facilities that will work in synergy with the innovation capacity of the present and future industrial partners. Complementary collaboration agreements are expected in a near future, and will be prepared to consolidate the strategic initiative for cGMP biomanufacturing within the Montréal Metropolitan area. With such an agreement, great expectations can be made to short-term position the Greater Montréal area as one of the five World leading geographical zones for cGMP biomanufacturing.

The Laborium investment is just one of the recent outcomes of NRC-BRI's participation in the Montréal biotechnology cluster. Each year, NRC-BRI also takes a lead role in organizing and hosting the Crossroad of Biotechnology, an international symposium attracting over 500 participants from around the world. This unique event, where business meets science, bridges the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries.

Other recent events hosted by NRC-BRI include the 6th colloquium of the Quebec Association of Gene Therapy, and the 3rd Edition of the Montréal MicroArray Symposium. The latter event coincided with an expansion of NRC-BRI's MicroArray lab, which recently penned an agreement to become the official Custom Bio-Chip service provider to McGill University and Génome Québec.

NRC-BRI also participates in several grassroots initiatives aimed at boosting the Montréal biotechnology cluster. The NRC institute is represented on the Life Sciences committee of Montréal International, has participated in Bio-Quebec's strategy to assemble Canadian and American venture capitalists and has been actively involved in the municipality's plan to develop and promote Montréal as a "City of Knowledge."

Other recent collaborative cluster developments include a new 10-year agreement with Montréal Centre for Experimental Therapeutics in Cancer, involving viral production for gene therapy applications. That the Montréal Centre held its first two annual meetings at NRC-BRI is clear evidence of value the community attaches to the Institute.

For more infomation on this Technology Cluster...

NRC Biotechnology Research Institute (NRC-BRI)

Montréal: (514) 496-6100

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