BioPortal | Report on Biotechnology

Prosperity is measured globally in today's economy in the currency of knowledge. Countries that succeed recognize that the greatest benefits derive from a readiness to innovate - to accept change, to embrace new ideas, to take greater risks. If Canada is to secure a competitive advantage in the global, knowledge-based economy, our country must proactively pursue research discoveries that will lead to innovative products and services for the international marketplace.

The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) is Canada's premier federal agency for health research. With its 13 institutes, CIHR partners with Canadian researchers and biotechnology companies in the commercialization pipeline, connecting academia with industry and government. In addition to funding the foundation of health research, CIHR's collaborative programs support subsequent knowledge translation, helping to bring new products and treatments to the marketplace that improve quality of life, enhance the Canadian health care system, and contribute to a robust economy. CIHR funds research in areas covering the four pillars of health research: biomedical; clinical; research respecting health systems and services; and the social, cultural and environmental factors that affect the health of populations. Through its coherent suite of programs designed to create a culture of innovation, CIHR is fueling the pipeline of discovery, catalyzing commercialization, informing health care practice and policy, and positioning Canada as a vibrant player in this century of health research.

To nurture such discoveries, the Government of Canada invests heavily in knowledge development. Canada's federal research funding agencies invest in people, discovery and innovation to improve the quality of life of Canadians and to build a strong Canadian economy. The agencies support research in universities, colleges, hospitals and other research institutions as well as the training of research scientists, engineers and clinicians. Individually, and collectively, these agencies have made valuable contributions to the development of biotechnology in Canada, one of the most innovative sectors of the economy.

NSERC

The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council is the federal granting agency responsible for promoting and supporting discovery in all the natural sciences and engineering. The Council invests in university-based research and training, providing support for more than 9,000 students in advanced studies, funding over 8,700 researchers every year and encouraging in excess of 1,000 Canadian companies to invest in university research. NSERC promotes excellence in the creation and productive use of new knowledge, funding high-quality research with societal or industrial relevance. The transfer of the results to Canadian-based organizations helps to build a strong economy and improve the quality of life of all Canadians.

Publicly funded research in biotechnology is helping to guide Canada to the forefront of global innovation. New levels of biotechnology innovation are not only enhancing Canada's competitiveness - they will fundamentally improve the lives of Canadians.

Investing in innovation

Government-sponsored research is crucial to advancing scientific knowledge. The critical role of publicly funded research in biotechnology is underscored by a recent analysis of U.S. patents, which found that more than 70 percent of biotechnology citations were for research papers originating solely at public-science institutions.

Between 1997-1998 and 2001-2002, Canada's federal research agencies invested $870 million in biotechnology research and development (R&D) and the training of research scientists, clinicians and engineers. CIHR is the single largest supporter of biotechnology R&D in the federal government, investing $173 million in 2001-2002. This expenditure represents 34 percent of CIHR's annual budget. NSERC ranked second with $44 million in funding going to university-based biotechnology R&D.

Early successes

Canada's federal research funding agencies contribute to the development of biotechnology in numerous ways, from directly funding research at the start of the pipeline of innovation to providing support for the next generation of researchers who will take today's knowledge and advance it. They also help to take research discoveries the next step by working in partnership with researchers and biotechnology companies to help them enter the marketplace. Equally important, they work in concert with industry and government to ensure that the rules governing biotechnology meet the needs of industry while protecting and promoting the public interest.

Discoveries protecting the Canadian beef industry

The hero of Canada's cattle industry is Dr. Lorne Babiuk, the director of the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization (VIDO) at the University of Saskatchewan. Under his direction, VIDO has become an important training ground for veterinary and medical researchers. The Organization has signed agreements with dozens of companies that fund its research, pay royalties or sell VIDO's products around the world.

The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) funds university-based research and training in the social sciences and humanities that helps Canadians understand the world around them - what we value, what we question, our past, present and future. SSHRC-funded research helps Canada create effective public policy, compete in a global knowledge-based economy, educate our children, improve health care, build vibrant communities and secure our future in an increasingly complex world. SSHRC-funded research on the social, cultural, economic and ethical implications of biotechnological discoveries provides necessary information about this relatively new field of study and the opportunities and challenges it presents to help Canadians make informed decisions.

NSERC and CIHR funding for Dr. Babiuk's work have led to major breakthroughs for both humans and animals. He was the first to culture a rotavirus, the major cause of infant diarrhea. This research led to a vaccine that reduced the worldwide infant mortality from the disease. He also pioneered DNA-enhanced vaccines for animals and helped develop a vaccine that kills the E. coli bug in cattle. Dr. Babiuk held one of the first Industrial Research Chairs, a hallmark of NSERC's research partnership programs. Today there are more than 130 active chairs involving close to 350 companies.

In addition to leading the fight against illnesses such as mad cow disease and E. coli, Dr. Babiuk is organizing a $50 million international effort to map cow DNA. The Bovine Genome Project is on the lookout for genes that make beef more tender, make dairy cows produce more milk or make cattle more resistant to disease - important discoveries for an industry worth $7.6 billion a year to Canadians.

Dr. Babiuk believes a genetic mutation may have been responsible for the mad cow case that recently crippled Canada's beef industry. Mapping the bovine genome will make it easier for scientists to identify the source of such outbreaks, which could save health authorities from slaughtering herds and might prevent other countries from banning Canadian beef.

Protecting people and animals from microorganisms

Recent events throughout Canada have highlighted the dangers of E. coli 157-H7, a bacterium that causes illness in some 50,000 North Americans each year and kills 500 people annually. Tragedy struck Walkerton, Ontario, after E. coli from cow fecal matter contaminated the town's drinking water. As a result, government inspectors adopted a policy of zero tolerance toward beef cattle that carry a particular E. coli strain. The slightest contamination can lead to the destruction on an entire shipment. The cost to meat producers has been staggering - as much as $5 billion annually.

All of this may change if Brett Finlay's research proves successful. With the help of NSERC and CIHR, Dr. Finlay has developed a vaccine to protect cows against E. coli 157-H7. It has been effective in small numbers of cows and is now being tested in more than 70,000 animals. If successful, Finlay's vaccine will help reduce the dramatic economic and health costs associated with E. coli.

Regenerative medicine: the promise of movement

Dr. Molly Shoichet, a CIHR-and NSERC-funded researcher from the University of Toronto, has helped rats regain movement - and her work could mean new hope for Canadians who suffer spinal cord injuries. Dr. Shoichet developed a flexible tube from materials similar to those used in contact lenses. The tube imitated the flexibility of a spinal cord, allowing nutrients to pass through so that nerves could grow inside. When implanted into rats with severed spinal cords, myelinated neurons grew into the tubes in about eight weeks, improving the rats' ability to walk.

Dr. Shoichet's work fits into a CIHR cross-cutting initiative in regenerative medicine that is focusing on human diseases as varied as juvenile diabetes and liver and heart failure, as well as spinal cord injuries. The goal is to develop innovative, cost-effective and ethically validated approaches to diagnosis and treatment to improve Canadians' quality of life.

Responsible research

What kinds of responsibility do researchers and private enterprises working in the field of biotechnology have to society? SSHRC-funded researcher Dr. Lyne Létourneau, a professor of animal sciences at Université Laval, is collaborating with colleagues at Université Laval and the Institut national de la recherche scientifique, as well as Health Canada, to find the answer to this question. In addition to defining the responsibilities of those conducting biotechnological research, specifically in the area of genetic modification of animals, the team will examine how to put in place an action strategy for the benefit of the research community and society at large.

Creating a framework for biotechnology

Innovative technologies and advances in research can raise contentious socio-ethical issues that sometimes challenge Canadians' beliefs and values. Ethics guidance must be developed to advance promising research while at the same time respecting Canadian values. These tools must respond to shifts in public opinion and accommodate rapid, and frequently unpredictable, advances in research and technology.

CIHR, NSERC and SSHRC play a pivotal role in the development of ethics guidelines and policies. These frameworks support a culture of innovation while safeguarding societal values and ensuring that government policies and decisions are grounded in the best available scientific evidence.

CIHR, NSERC and SSHRC are committed to the implementation and further evolution of the Tri-Council Policy Statement on Ethical Research Involving Humans (TCPS). To supplement TCPS, CIHR has further taken the initiative in policy areas in need of coordination, such as the bringing together of an internationally renowned expert working group to provide recommendations on human stem cell research, which resulted in the March 2002 publication of "Human Pluripotent Stem Cell Research: Guidelines for CIHR-funded Research," as well as the establishment of a multisectoral Privacy Advisory Committee to assist in the development of Privacy Best Practice Guidelines for Health Research. In addition, CIHR contributes to the development of new knowledge through its investments in multidisciplinary integrative research on ethics. Recent examples are the Institute of Genetics' Request for Applications (RFA) on "Facing the Future: Human Genetics, Ethics, Law and Society" and the Institute for Health Services and Policy Research's coordination of an RFA on "Compelling Values: Privacy, Access to Data and Health Research."

Training the next generation of researchers

World-class research requires world-class researchers. Training the next generation of researchers will help to build a national culture of creativity, innovation and transdisciplinary research. It will address the growing demand for highly skilled and adaptable workers who can embrace a diversity of approaches in solving complex problems and applying solutions in research. That is why the three research funding agencies, CIHR, NSERC and SSHRC, are committed to capacity building by ensuring that talented researchers have the resources, tools and training they need.

The CIHR Strategic Training Initiative in Health Research brings together groups of accomplished health mentors and educators who work collaboratively to train and support research talent, much of which is centered in the field of biotechnology. For example, the CIHR Training Grant in Bioinformatics, led by Dr. Steven Jones at the BC Cancer Agency, will train emerging experts in bioinformatics (computational methods that manipulate information). His team will focus on everything from validating genes involved in disease to targeting areas for therapeutic development. Another initiative working to build human research capacity in Canada is the CIHR Interface Training Grant Program, led by Dr. Stephen Lye at the Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute in Toronto. Dr. Lye will work with new researchers to realize potential health breakthroughs derived from the completion of the human genome.

NSERC offers a range of scholarships and fellowships for students at the undergraduate, graduate and post-doctoral levels. Students are also trained on research projects such as NSERC's Collaborative Research and Development grants, which funds university-industry research partnerships. On average, each Collaborative Research and Development project provides seven students or post-doctoral fellows with training in the essential technical skills required by industry. The training is very relevant - a recent survey showed that 42 percent of the students found employment in industry.

Taking research to market

The CIHR/Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SME) Research Program is jointly funded by CIHR and Canadian biotechnology companies. The program strengthens Canada's technology transfer by supporting research commercialization in start-up companies, university spin-offs and SMEs. Since 2000, the CIHR/SME Program has supported $54 million in collaborative research grants and training awards, with CIHR's contribution totaling $15 million.

Turning lab discoveries into innovative treatments is both the goal of cancer research scientists and the hope of those who suffer from the disease. Thanks to a CIHR/SME grant, Dr. Michel Tremblay, Director of the McGill Cancer Centre, and his colleague, Dr. Morag Park, are partnering with Kinetek Pharmaceuticals Inc. in Vancouver to validate novel targets for the development of new cancer-gene inhibitors. This project has potential benefits for thousands of cancer patients in Canada alone and many more around the world. Through its work the team will develop screening processes to identify compounds that can eventually be used in clinical trials.

NSERC's new I2I (Idea to Innovation) program is designed to help accelerate the pre-competitive development of promising technology and promote its transfer to Canadian companies. NSERC's other research partnership programs have a proven track record of success. More than 1,500 companies have participated in collaborative projects with universities, achieving over 95 percent success rate as judged by the participants themselves.

The Intellectual Property Management (IPM) Program, which strengthens the ability of universities and hospitals to recognize, protect and manage intellectual research property, attract potential users and promote the professional development of personnel involved in IPM. The program is managed jointly by CIHR, NSERC and SSHRC. Recently, the University of Manitoba, Brandon University, the University of Winnipeg, the Winnipeg Health Sciences Centre, and CancerCare Manitoba received an IPM grant to develop and foster a consortium that will build on that province's evolving strengths in IP management.

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Building the foundation of biotechnology innovation

Nurturing innovation