MEDICAL BRIEFS

Molecular Templates receives $1.5M in seed funding

Milestone Medica Corp, Sunnybrook Working Ventures Medical Breakthrough Fund and a private UK-based investor have banded together to finance and launch Molecular Templates Inc (MTI), an applied proteomics spin-off based on the work of Dr Jean Gariépy. The three investors will inject $1.5 million into MTI, which is licensing its technology platform from Toronto's University Health Network. Gariépy, a professor at the Univ of Toronto, senior scientist at the Ontario Cancer Institute and principal investigator with PENCE Inc, is MTI's chief scientific officer. He is working on the development of protein-based agents that selectively attack cancer tissue in localized tumours or cancer cells. The funding will assist MTI in demonstrating the flexibility of the technology in producing cancer-fighting molecules, with the intent of moving toward pre-clinical and clinical development of compounds for breast, prostate and other cancers. PENCE - a Networks of Centres of Excellence - is also a partner in the firm and will collaborate on product development....

CBDN, ARC and Bioniche partner on E. coli vaccine

The Canadian Bacterial Diseases Network (CBDN) has entered into an agreement with the Alberta Research Council (ARC) to commercialize vaccine technology intended to prevent contamination from the strain of E. coli associated with intestinal infections in humans. ARC in turn has signed an agreement with Bioniche Life Sciences Inc to develop and bring to market a cattle vaccine that will prevent the colonization of the cattle by the specific E. coli strain. The virulent strain does not typically cause disease in animals, but by powering its presence in cattle manure, it's hoped that the risk of contaminating food and water will be significantly reduced. This is the same strain that caused the Walkerton ON water contamination tragedy and is the causative agent of so-called hamburger disease. The underlying vaccine technology was developed by CBDN-funded researchers at the Univ of British Columbia and the Univ of Saskatchewan's Veterinary Infectious Diseases Organization....

Paradigm to acquire Israeli navigation technology

Toronto's Paradigm Advanced Technologies has acquired the navigation technology and intellectual property of all of NaftEL Technologies Ltd, Israel. The technology consists of rendering algorithms and map data compression enabling street maps and other graphic materials to be viewed on devices with limited on-board memory. The all-stock and stock warrant transaction will enable Paradigm to enhance its own technology to offer display, best route navigation and voice navigation in hand-held devices, cellular phones, personal digital assistants, pocket PCs and watches. Paradigm is focused on developing and marketing wireless, location-based electronic commerce solutions....

Cdn Light Source licenses beamline motor drivers

A new motor control device developed by scientists at the Canadian Light Source (CLS) at the Univ of Saskatchewan has been licensed to Scientific Instrumentation Ltd in a deal with the university's tech transfer arm, UST Inc. The device is aimed at helping to run synchotron beamline equipment and will be marketed to synchrotron facilities globally. The agreement marks the first time a Canadian firm has manufactured parts for a synchrotron. The stepper motor control can drive eight motors used to steer and precisely focus x-ray beams for scientific experiments. The CLS has already sold several of the motor drivers prior to the licensing agreement to the Advanced Photon Source at Chicago's Argonne National Laboratories....

Quebec government releases science policy

Quebec's Ministry of Research, Science and Technology (MRST) has unveiled its long awaited science policy in the midst of the contest over who will lead the Parti Quebecois. Released January 25, the report was completed after consultation with key provincial stakeholders, resulting in the publication of For a Quebec Science Policy: An Overview. RE$EARCH MONEY will carry a full report on the new science policy in the next issue....