Lumira Ventures

Today's approval of Ziihera? is the 4th new breakthrough therapy approved by the FDA this year from the Lumira Ventures portfolio. Congratulations to the team at Vancouver-based Zymeworks Inc. and their partners at Jazz Pharmaceuticals.

We are excited to officially welcome Dr. Marc McCoy, MD/MSc to our team as Venture Clinician! Since joining our Venture Innovation Program in April 2022, Marc has leveraged his multidisciplinary expertise in business, data science, and medicine to analyze clinical innovations and uncover commercial opportunities with a unique and impactful perspective. Marc is currently a clinician data scientist at The Hospital for Sick Children and the University of Toronto, completing his PhD in Computational Biology and medical residency in Clinical and Metabolic Genetics. He holds a BCom/BSc from the Alberta School of Business, University of Alberta, an MSc in Data Science, and an MD from the University of Calgary.

This a great milestone! Looking forward to the next ones!

Tomorrow, Lumira Ventures Managing General Partner, Peter van der Velden, will be speaking at the Ontario Economic Summit on the panel "Catalyzing the Bio-Economy – Seizing Ontario’s Life Sciences Advantage." Peter will be joining fellow industry leaders to explore how Ontario can leverage its strengths, seize new opportunities, and solidify its position as a global leader in life sciences. Looking forward to an insightful discussion! #OntarioEconomicSummit2024

We are excited to announce the first patient has been dosed in the ASPIRE Study. Read the full press release here:?https://lnkd.in/ehk8FE4T

HistoSonics, Inc. is proud to announce the first patients were enrolled in our novel prospective master protocol study, called BOOMBOX, designed to evaluate the real-world use of histotripsy for treatment of liver tumors. BOOMBOX will provide important data for up to 5,000 patients treated across a growing global base of multi-disciplinary histotripsy providers, capturing treatment data across diverse tumor types and disease stages in patients with varying interventional needs, and amongst multiple clinical specialties.? Dr. Randy Zuckerman at Renown Health and Dr. Terence Jackson at Northeast Georgia Health System led all histotripsy programs as the first to enroll subjects into BOOMBOX'S novel master study program. HistoSonics, Inc. appreciates their partnership in advancing the science and clinical use of histotripsy alongside many other leading centers working to enroll patients in BOOMBOX. HistoSonics, Inc. is dedicated to developing the clinical evidence that supports the use of histotripsy where patients and their families may benefit the most. #InnovationPartners #Histotripsy #MinimallyInvasiveIsntMinimalEnough

Thank you to Capitalize for Kids for hosting another fantastic Investor Conference, bringing together the alternative investment community for the 11th consecutive year in support of kids' mental health. Kenneth Custer and I were thrilled to contribute to this year's event with a #biotech industry fireside chat, alongside a rockstar lineup of speakers and panelists. Thank you to the conference organizers for capturing these moments from our discussion, and we're already looking forward to next year's event!

We need more homegrown investment if we want Canada to reap the benefits of its innovation economy. Peter van der Velden of Lumira Ventures stopped by to talk about his recent criticism of the CVCA that Canadian Pension Funds need to invest more in Canadian Venture Funds and Companies, and he goes into why he's investing in GLP-1 Drugs and AI. And John Ruffolo and Matt Cohen discuss the week's news.

An inspiring morning at Life Sciences Ontario’s Ideas to Action Forum! A powerhouse panel— Peter van der Velden (Lumira Ventures), Maura Campbell (OBIO), Ivy Parks (BDC), and Rachel Simeon (ONeconomy | économieON)—explored Ontario’s growth potential in expanding capital access, wet lab infrastructure, and technology adoption. ?? Managing General Partner, Peter van der Velden emphasized the critical role of capital formation in fueling Canada’s life sciences growth, creating jobs, boosting GDP, and ultimately enhancing patient access to innovation. It was exciting to see a shift in the audience’s understanding of how essential domestic capital is to this ecosystem. Huge thanks to the Life Sciences Ontario team for the opportunity to discuss Ontario's promising future in life sciences!

Lumira portfolio company announced today that their lead clinical candidate, DPX-101, has received FDA IND clearance to initiate a Phase 1 clinical trial. DPX-101 targets the α5-GABA-A receptor selectively and has broad potential to treat cognitive deficits across brain disorders and is planning to initiate its Phase 1 clinical trial later this year.? https://lnkd.in/gXN-v96u