It was recently announced that the Government of Canada and Province of British Columbia are partnering with local company AbCellera, in what B.C. Premier David Eby stated as “the largest single private investment in a life-sciences project in our history”.
AbCellera is expanding in a $701 million project which will feature a new “a state-of-the-art biotech campus equipped with a new preclinical antibody development facility and make significant upgrades to its existing facilities in Vancouver.” The Government of Canada has committed to a $225 contribution towards this effort, with the Province of B.C. has committed $75 million. This is in addition to the $175.6 million the government provided AbCellera in May 2020 as part of Canada’s Plan to Mobilize Science to fight COVID-19.
This partnership will allow AbCellera to continue to be a leader in clinical research as well as antibody drug development, while demonstrating the strength that British Columbia has in the life science sector. The alignment of innovative work with the priorities of the Government (for example, Canada’s Biomanufacturing and Life Sciences Strategy and B.C.’s Life Sciences and Biomanufacturing Strategy) underscores the importance and value of speeding up the process of drug development and innovation to reach patients quicker.
Government of B.C. Announcement