Life sciences and biomanufacturing in Canada

What are life sciences and biomanufacturing?

Life sciences refers to any scientific discipline or study that deals with living organisms, how they function, and how they interact with each other. In our case, life sciences focuses on the medical uses and applications of living organisms.

Biomanufacturing is a type of manufacturing that uses living systems (like plants or animal cells) to produce important products. Vaccines and therapeutics are made in biomanufacturing facilities – think of an automotive manufacturing plant, but instead of using steel to make cars, biological materials are used to make vaccines.

Biomanufacturing and Life Sciences Strategy

Canada has a Biomanufacturing and Life Sciences Strategy that focusses on two main goals: building a strong, innovative life sciences sector that creates quality jobs for Canadians, and making sure Canada is ready for future pandemics and health emergencies. By investing in local production and partnerships, the strategy helps Canada make vital vaccines and treatments right here at home.

Read the 5-pillar strategy to learn more about how this plan strengthens our biomanufacturing and life sciences sector.

Life sciences industries

The Canadian life sciences industry includes small and medium-sized companies developing diagnostics, biopharmaceuticals, pharmaceuticals and medical devices. There are also global companies with research, development and manufacturing operations in Canada, serving both domestic and international markets.

Find information about Canada's biopharmaceutical, pharmaceutical, and medical devices sectors, including industry profiles and manufacturing capabilities.

Biomanufacturing infrastructure

The Government of Canada is investing in biomanufacturing infrastructure to enhance our capacity to manufacture domestic and international vaccine and therapeutic candidates as soon as they are available.

One of these strategic investments was $126 million for the National Research Council of Canada to design, construct, commission and qualify a new biomanufacturing facility on its Royalmount site in Montréal. 

Construction of the new Biologics Manufacturing Centre was completed in June 2021, only 10 months after breaking ground. The Biologics Manufacturing Centre's two-level building facility with a total area of approximately 54 900 square feet (ft2), is equipped with end-to-end production capability for vaccines and cell-based biopharmaceuticals from mammalian and insect cell cultures for human use. It has the production capacity for drug substance, fill-finishing, visual inspection, labelling, packaging, and warehousing, including testing.

History of life sciences and biomanufacturing in Canada

Canada has a proud history of achievement in the areas of science and technology, and the field of biomanufacturing and life sciences is no exception. Canada played an essential role in the development and global production of biopharmaceuticals for the better part of the 20th century. However, during the 1980s, the country began to focus on other areas of research and development in the life sciences sector. The country's competitive advantage in other areas also changed the economic landscape. In 1973, less than 20% of Canada's vaccines and therapeutic drugs were supplied through imports. The Government of Canada is partnering with industry to help rebuild our domestic biomanufacturing and life sciences sector, ensuring that Canada will remain at the cutting edge of this industry far into the future.

Key milestones in Canada's biomanufacturing and life sciences industry

2024: The Government of Canada launches Health Emergency Readiness Canada to drive innovation and boost Canada's industrial capacity to advance leading-edge technologies and support the growth of the life sciences sector in Canada.
2021: The Government of Canada launches the Biomanufacturing and Life Sciences Strategy, which presents a long-term vision to protect Canadians against future epidemics and pandemics.
2020: Dr. Michael Houghton, professor at the University of Alberta, is awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine along with Harvey J. Alter and Charles M. Rice for the discovery of the hepatitis C virus (HCV).
2011: Dr. Chil-Yong Kang and his team at the University of Western Ontario develops a preventive vaccine for HIV that is currently in Phase 2 and Phase 3 clinical trials.
2002: NRC immunologist Dr. Harry Jennings develops a highly effective synthetic vaccine, NeisVac-C, that protects against meningococcal meningitis.
1995: Dr. Pieter Cullis and his team use lipid nanoparticles for gene therapy drugs that use nucleic acids (like RNA). The lipid nanoparticles form a protective bubble around the medicine so that it can be delivered to cells safely and effectively.
1993: Dr. Michael Smith, from the University of British Columbia, wins the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his innovative DNA reprogramming method called site-directed mutagenesis. This method revolutionizes genetic engineering by creating an easier way to introduce site-specific mutations into genes.
1989: Dr. Bernard Belleau, working at McGill University, develops the antiviral drug 3TC (Lamivudine). This drug becomes a critical component of Hepatitis B and HIV therapies, and is an important tool in the fight against HIV and AIDS.
1983: Working at the Ontario Cancer Institute in Toronto, Dr. Tak Wah Mak discovers the structure of the T-Cell receptor, a key to the function of the human immune system. He has since led a team that has produced 20 patented molecules for use in drug development.
1981: Allelix is formed as Canada's first biotechnology company.
1967: Connaught Laboratories develops a freeze-dried smallpox vaccine which serves as the international standard for the global smallpox eradication program. In May 1980 the World Health Organization declares that smallpox has been globally eradicated.
1963: James Till & Earnest McCulloch discover stem cells (a single type of cell that has the ability to regenerate any kind of human body tissue) at the Ontario Cancer Institute in Toronto.
1955: Canadian R and D is critical to the development, evaluation and production of the Salk polio vaccine. This included the safe cultivation of the poliovirus, using Medium 199, and an incubation process called the "Toronto Method," that increased quantities of the poliovirus for the trial. The Salk vaccine is licensed in North America in 1955, followed by a massive immunization campaign.
1941: Connaught Laboratories develops the first combined vaccines to immunize for diphtheria, pertussis (aka whooping cough) and tetanus (DPT).
1922: Frederick Banting and Charles Best, under the leadership of John Macleod, perform animal studies at the University of Toronto that prove insulin is the hormone involved in glucose metabolism, a critical breakthrough in the treatment of diabetes. In 1923, Banting and colleagues receive Canada's first Nobel Prize in the category Physiology or Medicine. Learn more about Banting and Best on the Historica Canada YouTube channel.

Gallery: videos and stories

Browse videos and articles that highlight Canada's biomanufacturing sector.

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