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.
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.
UBC-led biomedical innovation hub to accelerate development and manufacturing of lifesaving medicines for Canadians
On March 15, the federal government announced that B.C. will be home to Canada’s Immuno-Engineering and Biomanufacturing Hub.
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
Call for Expressions of Interest
As part of Stage 2 of the integrated Canada Biomedical Research Fund and Biosciences Research Infrastructure Fund competition, CIEBH will coordinate research and infrastructure project submissions toward a share of $570M in federal funding.
More details on how to participate in our Call for Expressions of Interest (EOI) will be available shortly.
Research Leadership
CIEBH’s research leadership group is helping build Canada’s capacity to rapidly develop new technologies based on engineering immune responses from fundamental science through to biomanufacturing, regulatory science, and clinical trials.
Importantly, CIEBH is committed to breaking down the disciplinary, institutional, and sector silos that have long-characterized the translational pipeline through the active engagement of a diverse range of stakeholders in the earliest stages of the translational process, including: researchers, patients, care providers, social scientists, health authorities, policy makers, and public health, clinical trials, regulatory, manufacturing, and commercialization experts.
Anna Blakney, PhD
Assistant Professor, School of Biomedical Engineering
Michael Smith Laboratories
The University of British Columbia
Nadine Caron, O.B.C., MD, MPH, FRCSC
First Nations Health Authority Chair in Cancer and Wellness
Professor, Department of Surgery
Co-Director, Centre for Excellence in Indigenous Health
The University of British Columbia
Pieter Cullis, O.C., PhD, FRSC, FNAI
Professor of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
The University of British Columbia
Co-Founder and Chairman, Acuitas Therapeutics
Co-Founder and Chairman, NanoVation Therapeutics
Scott Halperin, MD
Professor of Pediatrics and Microbiology & Immunology
Director, Canadian Centre for Vaccinology
Dalhousie University
Megan Levings, PhD
Professor of Surgery and Biomedical Engineering
The University of British Columbia
Lead, Childhood Diseases Theme
BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute
James Piret, ScD
Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering
Michael Smith Laboratories
The University of British Columbia
Sachdev Sidhu, PhD
Professor and co-Director, The Anvil Institute, School of Pharmacy
University of Waterloo
Sriram Subramaniam, PhD
Gobind Khorana Canada Excellence Research Chair in Precision Cancer Drug Design
Professor of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
The University of British Columbia
Founder and CEO, Gandeeva Therapeutics
Carolina Tropini, PhD
Assistant Professor of Microbiology & Immunology and Biomedical Engineering
The University of British Columbia
Peter Zandstra, C.M., PhD, FCAHS, FRSC
Canada Research Chair in Stem Cell Bioengineering
Professor and Founding Director, School of Biomedical Engineering
Director, Michael Smith Laboratories
The University of British Columbia
Chief Scientific Officer, CCRM
Contact Us
Michelle Wong, PhD
Senior Director, Research
Faculty of Medicine
The University of British Columbia