Legal Research

This Week?s Biotech Highlights

By Jeremy Grushcow

For those who think “tiff” is a file format for quantitative gel scans, I hardly need to point out that we are in the midst of National Biotechnology Week here in Canada (it runs from the 17th to 24th). For the rest of you, here is some notable news that is devoid of red carpets and couture:

In the lead-up to National Biotechnology Week, Saskatchewan hosted the Agricultural Biotechnology International Conference. ABIC provided an opportunity for Canada to showcase its strengths in agricultural biotechnology, for me to showcase my strengths in agricultural puns, and for Premier Brad Wall to showcase a new $5 million funding program.

One of this year?s big policy initiatives for National Biotechnology Week is to expand Canada?s Flow-Through Shares program from mining and wind power to include biotech and other cleantech companies. Flow-Through Shares have the potential to seriously boost capital influx into Canada?s biotech industry.

As the week kicked off, new Ontario Minister of Research and Innovation Glen Murray spoke at the Ontario launch (video); and the FDA opened public hearings on AquaBounty salmon (developed in Prince Edward Island). Click on through — neither should be hard to swallow.

To see how things turn out for sterile salmon and flow-through advocates, stay tuned to The Cross-Border Biotech Blog and @crossborderbio on Twitter.

Full post as published by Slaw.ca on September 20, 2010 (boomark / email).