Member Directory

Our members are the backbone of the Life Sciences sector.

Life Sciences Nova Scotia’s member community is comprised of a diverse group of life sciences innovators, research institutions, government agencies, investors, students and partners who offer a variety of support services.

Our members, along with our vital stakeholders, contribute significantly to the development of Nova Scotia’s Life Sciences sector.

Genome Atlantic

Support Services
902-421-5683
47-1344 Summer St., Halifax, NS B3H 0A8
Genome Atlantic is a not-for-profit organization with a mission to help Atlantic Canada reap the economic and social benefits of
DNA-based genomic technologies. Since 2000, we have delivered more than $150M in applied genomics R&D. We are part of a national network of genome centres committed to enabling innovative, genomics-driven solutions in our regions. We initiate, help to develop, procure funding for, and manage small and large-scale genomics projects, working in close collaboration with public and private sector partners. Our projects span ocean industries (aquaculture, energy and fisheries), agriculture and agri-foods, forestry, the environment, human health, and mining. All our projects are client-led, focused on solving a specific problem or opportunity our clients want to address.

XO Technology Inc.

Digital Health
Dalhousie Emera ideaHUB, 1345 Norma Eddy Ln, Halifax, NS B3J 1B6
Empowering the Next Generation of Athletes: Where Dreams, Dedication, and Technology Intersect

Gallagher Canada

Support Services
902.456.1700
6380 Lady Hammond Road, Halifax, Nova Scotia, B3K 2S3
Our Canadian roots run deep, dating back to 1890, with a steadily growing employee base spanning coast-to-coast, from Victoria,
British Columbia to Atlantic Canada. Through a holistic approach, we offer a full array of insurance & expertise across commercial, personal, employee benefits and human resources consulting services. Drawing on our global resources and foundation of teamwork, ethics and service excellence, we partner with you locally to help solve unique challenges with industry-specific knowledge, insights and actions. Our success is directly attributed to our local expertise and our enduring commitment to do what’s right for our clients, and for their communities. We believe in running our business with integrity and for years have been guided by The Gallagher Way – 25 tenets that define our shared values, corporate culture and passion for excellence. • Client service capabilities in more than 150 countries around the world through a global network of correspondent brokers and consultants • Revenues of $4.6 billion (total adjusted brokerage & risk management revenues as of 2017). • Divisions specializing in retail insurance brokerage operations, benefits and HR consulting, wholesale distribution, and third-party administration and claims processing. • 700 offices in 35 countries and close to 30,000 employees • Local experts in 35 offices across Canada

MNP

Support Services
MNP is a leading national accounting, tax and business consulting firm in Canada. We proudly serve and respond to the needs of
our clients in the public, private and not-for-profit sectors. Through partner-led engagements, we provide a collaborative, cost-effective approach to doing business and personalized strategies to help organizations succeed across the country and around the world.

Partner International Inc.

Support Services
+1-902-431-3171 Ext. 2
101-A Research Drive, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, B2Y 4T6
Partner International’s global life sciences team track record speaks for itself: Managing acquisitions and divestitures for
leading life sciences companies. Selling innovative, breakthrough science to big corporations – and connecting players large and small. Securing licenses for products and technologies at any development stage. Securing new customers for contract research and manufacturing organizations. With more than three billion dollars of completed agreements, Partner International has the track record to turn vision into successful agreements. Licensing, acquisitions, divestments: these are the kinds of mandates the Partner International team works on every day. From its presence in 26 countries, our life sciences corporate and business development experts have unequalled access to decision makers at more than 45,000 companies, and the strategic depth and experience to lead projects of any size and complexity. Whether you need to maximize the profitability of new innovations or unlock the value of existing assets, Partner International will bring years of industry knowledge and business expertise to your next corporate or business development initiative.  

Grant Thornton LLP

Support Services
+1 902 491 7747
Nova Centre, Suite 1000 – 1675 Grafton Street, Halifax, NS B3J 0E9
Grant Thornton LLP is a leading Canadian accounting and advisory firm providing audit, tax and advisory services to private and
public organizations. We help dynamic organizations unlock their potential for growth by providing meaningful, actionable advice through a broad range of services. Together with the Quebec firm Raymond Chabot Grant Thornton LLP, Grant Thornton in Canada has approximately 4,000 people in offices across Canada. Grant Thornton LLP is a Canadian member of Grant Thornton International Ltd, whose member firms operate in over 100 countries worldwide.

Roche

Pharmaceuticals & Vaccines
(902) 440-3293
Roche is a global pioneer in pharmaceuticals and diagnostics focused on advancing science to improve people’s lives. The
combined strengths of pharmaceuticals and diagnostics, as well as growing capabilities in the area of data-driven medical insights, help Roche deliver truly personalized healthcare. Roche is the world’s largest biotech company, with truly differentiated medicines in oncology, immunology, infectious diseases, ophthalmology and diseases of the central nervous system. Roche is also the world leader in in vitro diagnostics and tissue-based cancer diagnostics, and a frontrunner in diabetes management. Roche Canada was founded in 1931, and employs more than 1,800 people across the country through its Pharmaceuticals division in Mississauga, Ontario as well as its Diagnostics and Diabetes Care divisions in Laval, Quebec.

AstraZeneca

Pharmaceuticals & Vaccines
AstraZeneca is a science-led biopharmaceutical company pushing the boundaries of science to deliver life-changing
medicines. The company employs more than 700 people in Canada who work to research, develop and market innovative medicines. AstraZeneca Canada was recently designated a global Clinical Hub for oncology and immuno-oncology clinical studies. We are currently leading global oncology clinical studies in lung, head and neck cancer. We are focused on developing innovative medicines in three core areas: Cardiovascular and Metabolic diseases (CVMD); Oncology; and Respiratory, Inflammation and Autoimmunity (RIA). In 2015, AstraZeneca invested more than $54 million in Canadian health sciences research in our focus areas.

Encyt Technologies Inc.

Pharmaceuticals & Vaccines
Today’s cancer treatment methods often employ a “shotgun” approach because we lack the tools to determine the cancer’s
next move. Taking advantage of the fact that cancer cells can hijack the body’s normal wound healing processes provides us with insight into cancer cell behaviour. By studying how cancer cells utilize the inflammatory pathway triggered by our treatments, we can predict those patients who still harbour micrometastatic disease after treatment, and at the same time provide far more effective therapies for the treatment of cancer. Encyt was founded in 2014 and has been engaged in pioneering research that has uncovered evidence for a distinct and highly conserved inflammatory response triggered by surgical removal of a primary breast, colorectal, or prostate tumor and treatment with chemotherapy or radiation. This response occurs within a predictable time frame after cancer treatment and can trigger accelerated regrowth of a surviving cancer cell population and induce cancer stem cell enrichment. This inflammatory response will lead to the development of a metastatically competent, treatment-resistant cancer cell phenotype in the cancer cells that survive the treatment. Encyt’s main focus at present is to test our novel and proprietary therapeutic approach in a human clinical trial. However, based on our research discoveries, Encyt has also started to work in the area of liquid biopsy. We are developing a blood test that can predict the effectiveness of a given chemotherapeutic regimen on the basis of the level of expression of several distinct cytokines. We believe this work has enormous potential to serve as a valuable predictive tool to help guide treatment decisions made by medical oncologists.

AGADA BioSciences

Pharmaceuticals & Vaccines
(902) 442-4011
1344 Summer St., Suite 312, Halifax, Nova Scotia, B3H 0A8
Facilitating orphan drug development AGADA BioSciences is a clinical research organization (CRO) housed within the Innovacorp
Enterprise Center on Summer St on the Dalhousie University campus. AGADA provides pre-clinical and clinical research and services to an international clientele of pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, as well as stake holder foundations. AGADA was initiated through a spin-off of a highly successful pre-clinical efficacy core facility at Children’s National Medical Center in Washington DC, designed and managed by Kanneboyina Nagaraju DVM PhD and Eric Hoffman PhD. Founded in 2013, AGADA employs a dozen highly educated and motivated staff to carry out drug trials in mouse models of human disease. Positive results typically become an important aspect of a company’s orphan drug application to the FDA or EMA, and a proof of principle of drug mechanism of action and therapeutic benefit. In the 3rd year of operation, AGADA generated revenues of $2.3M, and shows a double digit annual growth rate. AGADA is expanding services to support pharmacodynamic biomarker discovery and integration into both pre-clinical and clinical programs. AGADA works closely with Dalhousie University, helping facilitate their growing rare disease and orphan drug development programs.

Solid State Pharma Inc.

CMDO/CRO Lab Services
1-(902) 442-4012
1489 Hollis St Suite 300, Halifax, NS B3J 3M5
Solid State Pharma is a privately held solid state and crystallization engineering company that was founded in 2014. We are a
recognized global leader in the delivery of crystallization engineering services, including screening and selection of polymorphs, co-crystals, salts, and crystallization process development and optimization. We partner with pharmaceutical and natural product companies to add value to every process by understanding the solid state of their drug candidates, and developing processes that optimize physical properties, morphology, and particle size distribution. Our full suite of services includes comprehensive understanding of the solid state of APIs, and the regulatory requirements that are integral to effective development, innovation, and manufacturing. Solid State Pharma’s expertise helps to enhance the development of drug candidates and commercial products by enabling better quality products and a faster route to market.

TREVENTIS

Pharmaceuticals & Vaccines
647.228.1276
416.603.6274
6191 Duncan Street, Halifax, NS B3L 1K1
TREVENTIS research will make a meaningful difference in the lives of patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) by discovering and
developing novel drugs that may halt the progression of AD, stabilize and potentially improve the patient’s cognition. Our proprietary discovery platform allows for rapid identification of promising new chemical entities as potential therapeutics in both AD and other protein misfolding disorders such as Parkinson’s and Huntington’s disease.

Genome Atlantic

Support Services
902-421-5683
47-1344 Summer St., Halifax, NS B3H 0A8
Genome Atlantic is a not-for-profit organization with a mission to help Atlantic Canada reap the economic and social benefits of
DNA-based genomic technologies. Since 2000, we have delivered more than $150M in applied genomics R&D. We are part of a national network of genome centres committed to enabling innovative, genomics-driven solutions in our regions. We initiate, help to develop, procure funding for, and manage small and large-scale genomics projects, working in close collaboration with public and private sector partners. Our projects span ocean industries (aquaculture, energy and fisheries), agriculture and agri-foods, forestry, the environment, human health, and mining. All our projects are client-led, focused on solving a specific problem or opportunity our clients want to address.

XO Technology Inc.

Digital Health
Dalhousie Emera ideaHUB, 1345 Norma Eddy Ln, Halifax, NS B3J 1B6
Empowering the Next Generation of Athletes: Where Dreams, Dedication, and Technology Intersect

Gallagher Canada

Support Services
902.456.1700
6380 Lady Hammond Road, Halifax, Nova Scotia, B3K 2S3
Our Canadian roots run deep, dating back to 1890, with a steadily growing employee base spanning coast-to-coast, from Victoria,
British Columbia to Atlantic Canada. Through a holistic approach, we offer a full array of insurance & expertise across commercial, personal, employee benefits and human resources consulting services. Drawing on our global resources and foundation of teamwork, ethics and service excellence, we partner with you locally to help solve unique challenges with industry-specific knowledge, insights and actions. Our success is directly attributed to our local expertise and our enduring commitment to do what’s right for our clients, and for their communities. We believe in running our business with integrity and for years have been guided by The Gallagher Way – 25 tenets that define our shared values, corporate culture and passion for excellence. • Client service capabilities in more than 150 countries around the world through a global network of correspondent brokers and consultants • Revenues of $4.6 billion (total adjusted brokerage & risk management revenues as of 2017). • Divisions specializing in retail insurance brokerage operations, benefits and HR consulting, wholesale distribution, and third-party administration and claims processing. • 700 offices in 35 countries and close to 30,000 employees • Local experts in 35 offices across Canada

MNP

Support Services
MNP is a leading national accounting, tax and business consulting firm in Canada. We proudly serve and respond to the needs of
our clients in the public, private and not-for-profit sectors. Through partner-led engagements, we provide a collaborative, cost-effective approach to doing business and personalized strategies to help organizations succeed across the country and around the world.

Partner International Inc.

Support Services
+1-902-431-3171 Ext. 2
101-A Research Drive, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, B2Y 4T6
Partner International’s global life sciences team track record speaks for itself: Managing acquisitions and divestitures for
leading life sciences companies. Selling innovative, breakthrough science to big corporations – and connecting players large and small. Securing licenses for products and technologies at any development stage. Securing new customers for contract research and manufacturing organizations. With more than three billion dollars of completed agreements, Partner International has the track record to turn vision into successful agreements. Licensing, acquisitions, divestments: these are the kinds of mandates the Partner International team works on every day. From its presence in 26 countries, our life sciences corporate and business development experts have unequalled access to decision makers at more than 45,000 companies, and the strategic depth and experience to lead projects of any size and complexity. Whether you need to maximize the profitability of new innovations or unlock the value of existing assets, Partner International will bring years of industry knowledge and business expertise to your next corporate or business development initiative.  

Grant Thornton LLP

Support Services
+1 902 491 7747
Nova Centre, Suite 1000 – 1675 Grafton Street, Halifax, NS B3J 0E9
Grant Thornton LLP is a leading Canadian accounting and advisory firm providing audit, tax and advisory services to private and
public organizations. We help dynamic organizations unlock their potential for growth by providing meaningful, actionable advice through a broad range of services. Together with the Quebec firm Raymond Chabot Grant Thornton LLP, Grant Thornton in Canada has approximately 4,000 people in offices across Canada. Grant Thornton LLP is a Canadian member of Grant Thornton International Ltd, whose member firms operate in over 100 countries worldwide.

Roche

Pharmaceuticals & Vaccines
(902) 440-3293
Roche is a global pioneer in pharmaceuticals and diagnostics focused on advancing science to improve people’s lives. The
combined strengths of pharmaceuticals and diagnostics, as well as growing capabilities in the area of data-driven medical insights, help Roche deliver truly personalized healthcare. Roche is the world’s largest biotech company, with truly differentiated medicines in oncology, immunology, infectious diseases, ophthalmology and diseases of the central nervous system. Roche is also the world leader in in vitro diagnostics and tissue-based cancer diagnostics, and a frontrunner in diabetes management. Roche Canada was founded in 1931, and employs more than 1,800 people across the country through its Pharmaceuticals division in Mississauga, Ontario as well as its Diagnostics and Diabetes Care divisions in Laval, Quebec.

AstraZeneca

Pharmaceuticals & Vaccines
AstraZeneca is a science-led biopharmaceutical company pushing the boundaries of science to deliver life-changing
medicines. The company employs more than 700 people in Canada who work to research, develop and market innovative medicines. AstraZeneca Canada was recently designated a global Clinical Hub for oncology and immuno-oncology clinical studies. We are currently leading global oncology clinical studies in lung, head and neck cancer. We are focused on developing innovative medicines in three core areas: Cardiovascular and Metabolic diseases (CVMD); Oncology; and Respiratory, Inflammation and Autoimmunity (RIA). In 2015, AstraZeneca invested more than $54 million in Canadian health sciences research in our focus areas.

Encyt Technologies Inc.

Pharmaceuticals & Vaccines
Today’s cancer treatment methods often employ a “shotgun” approach because we lack the tools to determine the cancer’s
next move. Taking advantage of the fact that cancer cells can hijack the body’s normal wound healing processes provides us with insight into cancer cell behaviour. By studying how cancer cells utilize the inflammatory pathway triggered by our treatments, we can predict those patients who still harbour micrometastatic disease after treatment, and at the same time provide far more effective therapies for the treatment of cancer. Encyt was founded in 2014 and has been engaged in pioneering research that has uncovered evidence for a distinct and highly conserved inflammatory response triggered by surgical removal of a primary breast, colorectal, or prostate tumor and treatment with chemotherapy or radiation. This response occurs within a predictable time frame after cancer treatment and can trigger accelerated regrowth of a surviving cancer cell population and induce cancer stem cell enrichment. This inflammatory response will lead to the development of a metastatically competent, treatment-resistant cancer cell phenotype in the cancer cells that survive the treatment. Encyt’s main focus at present is to test our novel and proprietary therapeutic approach in a human clinical trial. However, based on our research discoveries, Encyt has also started to work in the area of liquid biopsy. We are developing a blood test that can predict the effectiveness of a given chemotherapeutic regimen on the basis of the level of expression of several distinct cytokines. We believe this work has enormous potential to serve as a valuable predictive tool to help guide treatment decisions made by medical oncologists.

AGADA BioSciences

Pharmaceuticals & Vaccines
(902) 442-4011
1344 Summer St., Suite 312, Halifax, Nova Scotia, B3H 0A8
Facilitating orphan drug development AGADA BioSciences is a clinical research organization (CRO) housed within the Innovacorp
Enterprise Center on Summer St on the Dalhousie University campus. AGADA provides pre-clinical and clinical research and services to an international clientele of pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, as well as stake holder foundations. AGADA was initiated through a spin-off of a highly successful pre-clinical efficacy core facility at Children’s National Medical Center in Washington DC, designed and managed by Kanneboyina Nagaraju DVM PhD and Eric Hoffman PhD. Founded in 2013, AGADA employs a dozen highly educated and motivated staff to carry out drug trials in mouse models of human disease. Positive results typically become an important aspect of a company’s orphan drug application to the FDA or EMA, and a proof of principle of drug mechanism of action and therapeutic benefit. In the 3rd year of operation, AGADA generated revenues of $2.3M, and shows a double digit annual growth rate. AGADA is expanding services to support pharmacodynamic biomarker discovery and integration into both pre-clinical and clinical programs. AGADA works closely with Dalhousie University, helping facilitate their growing rare disease and orphan drug development programs.

Solid State Pharma Inc.

CMDO/CRO Lab Services
1-(902) 442-4012
1489 Hollis St Suite 300, Halifax, NS B3J 3M5
Solid State Pharma is a privately held solid state and crystallization engineering company that was founded in 2014. We are a
recognized global leader in the delivery of crystallization engineering services, including screening and selection of polymorphs, co-crystals, salts, and crystallization process development and optimization. We partner with pharmaceutical and natural product companies to add value to every process by understanding the solid state of their drug candidates, and developing processes that optimize physical properties, morphology, and particle size distribution. Our full suite of services includes comprehensive understanding of the solid state of APIs, and the regulatory requirements that are integral to effective development, innovation, and manufacturing. Solid State Pharma’s expertise helps to enhance the development of drug candidates and commercial products by enabling better quality products and a faster route to market.

TREVENTIS

Pharmaceuticals & Vaccines
647.228.1276
416.603.6274
6191 Duncan Street, Halifax, NS B3L 1K1
TREVENTIS research will make a meaningful difference in the lives of patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) by discovering and
developing novel drugs that may halt the progression of AD, stabilize and potentially improve the patient’s cognition. Our proprietary discovery platform allows for rapid identification of promising new chemical entities as potential therapeutics in both AD and other protein misfolding disorders such as Parkinson’s and Huntington’s disease.