McMaster’s world-class life sciences facilities are getting a boost as part of a $45 million provincial investment in biomanufacturing infrastructure through the Canadian Pandemic Preparedness Hub (CP2H).

Co-led by the University of Ottawa and McMaster University, in partnership with the Ottawa Hospital, CP2H is one of five federally funded research hubs designed to bolster Canada’s domestic biomanufacturing capacity and pandemic preparedness.

Announced this month at the Ottawa Hospital by Nolan Quinn, minister of Colleges, Universities, Research Excellence and Security, the funding is for the Canadian Biomanufacturing Cooperative, an Ontario-led initiative that will significantly enhance the province’s capacity to develop and manufacture lifesaving vaccines, gene therapies, cell therapies and other kinds of biotherapeutics. 

“This support from the province reflects Ontario’s commitment to growing a world-class life sciences sector,” said Matthew Miller, scientific co-lead of CP2H and executive director of McMaster’s Global Nexus.

“This new funding will allow us to produce a suite of made-in-Ontario therapeutics, vaccines, and technologies that will better protect those living in Canada, and abroad, from infectious disease threats.”

The provincial investment includes:

• $27 million for the Ottawa Hospital to expand its Biotherapeutics Manufacturing Centre (co-director Duncan Stewart at University of Ottawa/Ontario Hospital Research Institute)

• $18 million for McMaster University to expand its Fitzhenry Vector Laboratory (co-director Brian Lichty at McMaster) and to support the recently opened Sartorius Bioprocess Automation Lab (co-director David Latulippe of the Biointerfaces Institute at McMaster)

These facilities will collaborate on construction and equipment, enabling them to align their manufacturing processes.

“Ontario-made biomanufacturing research is producing critical life-saving solutions to health concerns that face not only our province, but also our nation,” said Quinn.

The funding will also support research at CP2H member sites at the University of Ottawa, the University of Alberta, Dalhousie University, and the University of Saskatchewan, as well as with several industry partners.

They will create a national network of harmonized biomanufacturing facilities that will work together to produce new and innovative therapies.

In 2024, the federal government awarded more than $115 million to CP2H for research and infrastructure to enhance Canada’s capacity to develop and manufacture biotherapeutics.

The new infrastructure will be supported by this additional funding from the province, which will strengthen ongoing biomanufacturing activities and catalyze new opportunities for the future.

“Biomanufacturing is not only critical for the development of vaccines, but also for the development of innovative new therapies for cancer and other devastating diseases,” says John Bell, scientific co-lead of CP2H, senior scientist at the Ottawa Hospital, professor at the University of Ottawa, and co-founder of Ontario biotech startup company Esphera SynBio.

“This funding will help us develop life-saving solutions to emerging and ongoing public health challenges while providing critical infrastructure for the growing biotherapeutics industry.”

The new equipment and facilities will boost Ontario’s biomanufacturing capacity, enhance commercialization and entrepreneurship in the province, forge new partnerships between academia and industry, and accelerate the speed at which health research moves into clinical trials and beyond.

Already, companies like AeroImmune Biotech, Virica, and Esphera SynBio are leveraging CP2H infrastructure, and the new funding is expected to attract more partners in both the short and long term.

The new infrastructure will also serve as a state-of-the-art training ground, where the next generation of Canadian scientists will learn from top biomanufacturing experts. In all, it is expected that nearly 350 researchers, students, and technicians will benefit from hands-on experience with the new equipment.

“This provincial investment in CP2H will allow McMaster and its partners in Ottawa to strengthen Ontario’s biomanufacturing capacity and better stock Canada’s health innovation pipeline,” says Andy Knights, McMaster’s acting vice-president, Research.

“Already, our researchers are working together to turn their bold ideas into impactful commercial ventures that catalyze both economic growth and better health outcomes for Canadians.”

CP2H was established in 2023 via the integrated Canada Biomedical Research Fund (CBRF) and the Biosciences Research Infrastructure Fund (BRIF). For more information, visit the CP2H website.