Canada’s Immuno-Engineering and Biomanufacturing Hub (CIEBH) is bringing together a coalition of partners to accelerate the development and manufacturing of lifesaving medicines for B.C. and Canada.
Together, we will establish a seamless drug development pipeline that will enable Canada to respond to future pandemics and other health challenges in fewer than 100 days.
The Stage 2 CBRF-BRIF competition results were announced on May 6, 2024. CIEBH was awarded $140-million in federal funding to accelerate drug development and biomanufacturing. This funding will support four multidisciplinary research projects. Congratulations to our researchers, partners, and our entire network!
Overview
Canadian scientists and biopharmaceutical companies played a leading role in developing COVID-19 vaccines and therapeutics that revolutionized how the world will now create, develop, and manufacture lifesaving medicines. UBC and its coalition of multisectoral partners established CIEBH to build on this history of excellence and position Canada for the future.
As one of five national research hubs established through the integrated Canada Biomedical Research Fund (CBRF) and Biosciences Research Infrastructure Fund (BRIF) competition, CIEBH is pursuing an integrated program of biomedical research and talent development, along with building associated infrastructure to support the development and manufacturing of medical treatments in B.C. and Canada.
Vision & Mission
CIEBH’s vision is to make Canada a global epicentre for developing next-generation immune-based therapeutics that can be rapidly produced domestically, using the latest innovations in biomanufacturing, in response to future pandemics and other health threats.
Our mission is to harness the collective research and training excellence of our multidisciplinary, multisectoral partners to greatly increase Canadian capacity to translate scientific discoveries into patient-ready treatments at rapid speed — saving more lives, sooner.
The hub’s activities are focused on three key areas:
- Increasing specialized infrastructure for applied biomedical research, including wet lab space, core technology platforms, early-stage biomanufacturing infrastructure, and clinical trials infrastructure;
- Supporting training and development of skilled talent for the biomanufacturing and life sciences ecosystem; and
- Accelerating translation of promising research into commercially viable products and processes.
Unlocking the power of the immune system
The immune system offers complex and powerful mechanisms to prevent and combat infectious diseases in humans, including both natural immunity and by augmenting the immune system through vaccines and other advanced therapeutics. Immuno-engineering offers a unique opportunity for re-programming this system to address and respond nimbly to health threats—including epidemics, pandemics and microbial resistance—for the benefit of Canadians.
Our vision for engineering effective immune responses and therapies encompasses creating new lipid nanoparticle (LNP)-based vaccines and new ways to deliver them, developing preventive and therapeutic antibodies using molecular engineering techniques, developing new cell-based therapeutics, and treatments targeting biological resilience including antimicrobial resistance (AMR).
Partners
More than 50 organizations representing the private, public, not-for-profit and academic sectors have come together to form CIEBH, creating a rich environment that will bolster biomedical innovation in Canada.
Among these partners are leading biotech companies that played a key role in Canada’s COVID-19 pandemic response and are developing cutting-edge treatments for a range of human diseases.
Together, CIEBH’s partners will develop talent to fuel Canada’s biotech industry and ensure the entire drug development process—from research and discovery through to biomanufacturing, clinical trials and commercialization—can happen seamlessly in Canada.
- British Columbia Institute of Technology
- Dalhousie University
- Genome British Columbia
- Michael Smith Health Research BC
- Northern Centre for Clinical Research
- Simon Fraser University
As part of Stage 2 of the integrated Canada Biomedical Research Fund and Biosciences Research Infrastructure Fund competition, CIEBH is coordinating research and infrastructure project submissions toward a share of $570M in federal funding.
Visit the Call for Expressions of Interest (EOI) page for more information.
Contact Us
Michelle Wong, PhD
Executive Director
Canada’s Immuno-Engineering and Biomanufacturing Hub
The University of British Columbia