COMPANY OF THE YEAR – WELL HEALTH TECHNOLOGIES CORP.

WELL is a healthcare provider-focused digital healthcare company. The company’s overarching mission is to positively impact health outcomes by leveraging technology to empower healthcare providers and their patients globally.

WELL exists to tech-enable healthcare practitioners with best-in-class technology and services. We have built the most comprehensive end-to-end healthcare system across Canada, including the nation’s largest network of clinics supporting primary care, specialized care, and diagnostics services. In the United States, WELL provides omni-channel healthcare services and solutions targeting specialized markets such as the gastrointestinal market, women’s health, primary care, and mental disorders. In addition to providing patient services, WELL develops, integrates, and sells its own suite of technology software and solutions to medical clinics and healthcare providers. Our Practitioner Enablement Platform includes electronic medical records (“EMR”), telehealth platforms, practice management, billing, revenue cycle management (“RCM”), digital health apps and data protection solutions.

STRATEGIC PARTNER OF THE YEAR – GOVERNMENT OF BRITISH COLUMBIA, MINISTRY OF JOBS, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND INNOVATION (JEDI)

Learn about JEDI.

SCIENTIFIC ENTREPRENEURSHIP AWARD – DR. PETER ZANDSTRA

Dr. Peter Zandstra focuses his work on the progression of regenerative medicine and immunotherapy. His education includes a BEng in Chemical Engineering from McGill University, a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology from the University of British Columbia, and a Post-Doctoral Fellowship in Bioengineering from MIT.

Dr. Zandstra’s research, which incorporates engineering design principles, computational modeling, and stem cell biology, is geared toward understanding cell fate control mechanisms and developing new therapeutic strategies for diseases such as cancer and autoimmunity. His lab has produced 172 publications, garnered nearly 22,000 citations, and developed commercially applicable technologies for cell and gene therapies.

Recognized with over 30 awards, including as a Member of the Order of Canada, Dr. Zandstra’s influence is seen in his students and post-doctoral fellows who have achieved success in various sectors. Beyond his academic contributions, he co-founded the Centre for Commercialization of Regenerative Medicine (CCRM), Medicine by Design (MbD), and helped establish UBC’s School of Biomedical Engineering, demonstrating his commitment to interdisciplinary research and promoting Canadian Science and Engineering globally.

DR. DON RIX LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD – NOEL HALL

Starting his biomedical career as a pharmaceutical sales representative in South London, Noel was lucky to be mentored by creative, intelligent senior executives who instilled the importance of implementing a commercial strategy early in the development process. When Noel moved with his family to BC in 1999, he recognized biotech start-ups could get greater value for their ideas by commercializing their own technologies and not partnering too early. He started consulting with companies in BC on their commercial and business development strategies. It was during his time on the board of the Canadian Genetic Diseases Network that he became intrigued by the lack of development of medicines for orphan diseases. Working with two other CGDN board members he conceptualized a new business model to accelerate drug development for rare diseases. Aspreva went on to become one the great success stories of the BC biotech scene. The Aspreva experience demonstrated that it is possible to retain and recruit great people in BC and left Noel passionate about growing a vibrant biotechnology sector with the confidence to commercialise its own technologies. He has founded 6 BC companies, been an early board member and investor to numerous others and a mentor for many more, including in the agricultural biotechnology sector through the Creative Destruction Lab.

MILTON WONG COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP AWARD – DR. HAIG FARRIS

Dr. Haig Farris, a pioneering entrepreneur with an LLM from the University of Pennsylvania and an honorary doctorate from UBC, co-founded the financial consulting firm Brown, Farris & Jefferson and Ventures West Management. Since 1990, as President of Fractal Capital Corporation, he has been a driving force behind early-stage financing for tech startups, including D-Wave Systems, Bycast, Zymeworks, Datum Telegraphic, and TECH-X Resources.

Dr. Farris shared his entrepreneurial expertise as an Adjunct Professor at UBC for over a decade. He has chaired numerous advisory committees and boards in science and technology, including Genome BC, TRIUMF Innovations and the BC Technology Industry Association. A celebrated speaker and author, he co-founded Science World BC.

Honoured as an Officer of the Order of Canada and inducted into the BC Business Hall of Fame, Dr. Farris’ illustrious career and dedication to innovation and community service have forever shaped Canada’s tech landscape.

GENOME BC SCIENTIFIC EXCELLENCE AWARD – DR. LAURA ARBOUR

Dr. Laura Arbour is a Professor in the Department of Medical Genetics at the University of British Columbia, and an Affiliate Professor in the Division of Medical Sciences at the University of Victoria. Trained as both pediatrician and clinical geneticist (McGill University) she has been addressing the genetic determinants of health with Indigenous populations for more than two decades. Through her UBC Community Genetics Research Program she has focused on rare, single gene disorders and complex conditions in partnership with First Nations of BC and Inuit of Nunavut. Her clinical practice in Victoria BC and various outreach sites across BC involves rare genetic disease diagnosis with a focus on cardiogenetics. Her partnership in research on Long QT syndrome with a First Nations community of Northern BC led to the concept and initiation of the BC Inherited Arrhythmia Program (BCIAP) for all British Columbians with inherited arrhythmias, ongoing since 2013. Currently she is the project lead (with co-leads Dr. Wyeth Wasserman and Dr. Nadine Caron) for the Genome BC/Genome Canada/CIHR funded Large-Scale Applied Research Project, Silent Genomes, addressing inequity in genomic diagnosis for Indigenous patients of Canada.

BOLD THERAPEUTICS

Bold Therapeutics is a Vancouver-based clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company that specializes in the development of novel metallotherapeutics. The company’s lead asset is BOLD-100, a groundbreaking therapeutic currently undergoing Phase 2 clinical trials for the treatment of advanced gastrointestinal cancers. Interim results, presented at AACR and ASCO, have demonstrated remarkably positive efficacy in colorectal, biliary tract, and gastric cancer. Bold Therapeutics remains committed to advancing clinical development in areas with significant unmet medical needs, where existing therapies have proven largely ineffective.

GANDEEVA THERAPEUTICS

Gandeeva Therapeutics is a precision biotechnology company integrating the power of cryogenic electron microscopy and machine learning to develop differentiated therapeutics by targeting and modulating key protein-protein interactions. Gandeeva’s structure-guided drug discovery platform encompasses target prediction and validation (SPOTLIGHT™), hit identification by screening virtual and fragment libraries (HYPERFOCUS™), and lead optimization (CRYO-CADD™). Gandeeva has a robust preclinical oncology pipeline targeting difficult-to-treat cancers with novel protein interaction modulators such as interfacial glues (iGlues™) and allosteric inhibitors. Gandeeva is headquartered in Metro Vancouver.

SCOPESYS

ScopeSys is a commercial-stage developer of disruptive technologies for single-molecule imaging with applications in genomic-medicine drug development. ScopeSys’ Convex Lens-induced Confinement (CLiC) technology enables high-throughput measurements with single-molecule resolution. CLiC provides novel analysis capabilities to genomic-medicine for the development of RNA, DNA, and nanoparticle delivered drugs. Unlike existing technologies that rely on ensemble measurements, CLiC allows developers to resolve single-molecule interactions, improving their ability to engineer their active pharmaceutical ingredients and formulations. Applications include optimizing sequences of therapeutics to improve their efficacy, and optimization of mRNA loading at single-particle resolution.

SONIC INCYTES MEDICAL CORP. 

Sonic Incytes, founded in 2017 by Dr. Tim Salcudean and Dr. Robert Rohling, is dedicated to revolutionizing patient care through accessible health-tech solutions. Led by entrepreneur Barry Allen, the team comprises skilled Medtech commercialization and development professionals. Sonic Incytes is emerging as a leader in liver health assessment, with their FDA-cleared flagship product VelacurTM, used to aid in the diagnosis and management of chronic liver disease, specifically non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), which affects nearly 30% of the global population.

Headquartered in Vancouver and with strategic operations in the US, Sonic Incytes’ commercialization efforts have doubled their customer base across 17 states. They’ve also formed a partnership with Madrigal Pharmaceuticals—a company poised to launch the first drug for the severe form of NAFLD in early 2024—an event that should significantly increase demand for Velacur.

Committed to innovation, Sonic Incytes is set to positively impact millions worldwide, while rising to the forefront of the health-tech revolution.