MONTRÉAL, May 6, 2024
/CNW/ - The Honourable Soraya Martinez Ferrada, minister of
Tourism and minister responsible for the Economic Development
Agency of Canada for the Regions
of Quebec, visited Polytechnique
Montréal today to announce the cross-Canada results of Stage 2 of the Canada
Biomedical Research Fund and Biosciences Research Infrastructure
Fund competition, representing an investment of nearly $574 million. Of that amount, $20.5 million has been earmarked for the RAMP-UP
biomanufacturing initiative at Polytechnique Montréal, which is
intended to support local production of vaccines and biologic
drugs, as well as train the coming generations of specialists in
this field. That research group will also benefit from specialized
equipment procured thanks to $11.7
million in support from the Canada Foundation for Innovation
(CFI), the Government of Québec and the partners in a biomaterials
development project.
The COVID-19 crisis exposed flaws in Canada's capacity to rapidly counter a
pandemic outbreak, notably because of the scarcity of vaccine
production infrastructure and a shortage of scientists with the
skills to manage large-scale manufacturing of biopharmaceuticals.
To ensure Canada is prepared to
face future pandemics, last year the federal government invested in
the creation of five pandemic readiness hubs. The Eastern Canada
Pandemic Preparedness Hub has been granted funds to support four
projects, including RAMP-UP at Polytechnique Montréal.
Maud Cohen, President of
Polytechnique Montréal, underscored the key role of these
investments in structuring research and ensuring that universities
across the country drive direct benefits for the health and welfare
of Canadians.
"We are all here today because we are committed to making
tangible contributions to shaping a future in which innovation and
progress will serve the greater good," she said. "The vital support
of the government, through various programs and organizations, is
decisive in establishing infrastructure, recruiting skilled talent,
and implementing projects that hold great promise for the future. I
want to commend the Government of Canada for its vision in recognizing the role
of our institutions in achieving this ambitious goal of restoring
biomanufacturing capabilities that have been dormant for too long
in our country."
Producing vaccines and training
the next generation
Headed by Gregory De Crescenzo,
full professor in Polytechnique's Department of Chemical
Engineering, the RAMP-UP initiative comprises experts from
Université de Montréal, Université Laval and the National Research Council Canada
(NRCC) along with key players from the College Centres for
Technology Transfer (CERASP, TransBioTech) and the biomanufacturing
industry.
The group's objective is to set up a series of platforms to
ensure rapid production of vaccines for clinical trials, after
identification of a target protein. In addition to establishing
cell lines for manufacturing of bioproducts, the group will develop
scalable bioprocesses and analytical protocols for controlling
quality at every stage of production. It will also work closely
with its partners to optimize technology transfer to the market,
shortening the path from discovery to commercialization.
Ultimately, RAMP-UP's mass-production capacity and expertise will
enable it to reliably produce bioproducts formulated for
Canadians.
At the same time, RAMP-UP will help prepare the emerging
generation of biomanufacturing specialists at all stages of
biopharmaceutical research, from identification of targets to
generation of cell lines, paying particular attention to scale-up
of biopharmaceutical manufacturing processes. In doing so, it will
rely in part on the Process Engineering of Emerging
Nano-Medicines (PrEEmiuM) program at Polytechnique Montréal, also
led by Professor De Crescenzo. Through this program, yearly cohorts
of interns from the Montréal region develop interdisciplinary and
intersector collaboration skills, helping to counter the silo
effect that has historically prevailed in the biopharmaceutical
industry.
"Every link in the chain is important, and all the members' work
is interrelated," Professor De Crescenzo explains. "Biochemists and
cell biologists focus on the initial stages of identification, and
then engineers oversee subsequent steps like scale-up to production
and quality control."
Three projects in all for the
Université de Montréal campus
In addition to the RAMP-UP project at Polytechnique, three other
projects of the Eastern Canada Pandemic Preparedness Hub, led by
Université de Montréal, are being funded. Université de Montréal
has obtained funding for two projects: $21 million has been
allocated for creation of novel antibiotics, and $16 million
has been awarded to improve pandemic response capacity for
children. Université Laval,
meanwhile, will be receiving $42
million to support creation of a national primatology centre
for pandemic preparedness.
ABOUT POLYTECHNIQUE
MONTRÉAL
Founded in 1873, Polytechnique Montréal is one of Canada's largest engineering education and
research institutions. It is located on the Université de Montréal
campus, the largest French-language university campus in the
Americas. With some 60,000 graduates to date, Polytechnique has
educated over 22% of the Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec's current
membership. Polytechnique offers more than 120 programs taught by
over 300 professors, and welcomes in excess of 10,000 students
yearly. It has an annual operating budget of $300 million, including a research budget of
$100 million.
SOURCE Polytechnique Montréal