Sudbury becomes biotech hub.

• Author: Kelly, Lindsay
• Position: SUDBURY

Translated science for economic development. It's the banner under which Dr. Francesco Diaz-Mito-ma is leading a team of researchers to transform Sudbury into a premier Canadian biotechnological research centre with spinoffs that will translate into job creation for Northerners.

Diaz-Mitoma, vice-president of research at Health Sciences North, is heading up the Advanced Medical Research Institute of Canada (AMRIC), which incorporated as a non-profit organization in June 2011 and has already attracted a cadre of world-class researchers from across the country.

The aim, the doctor explained during a recent talk before the Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce, is to bring together scientists, researchers and technicians, along with industry and funders, to build on the research that is currently being done in Sudbury. The goal is twofold: improve the health of residents in Northern Ontario while creating spinoff companies operating in Sudbury.

"We're building commercial opportunities, functioning almost like an incubator for new businesses and companies that exploit those research programs," he said.

Research being done in Sudbury and across the country is being translated into development and licensing opportunities. One company, Ramsey Lake Pharma, is licensing antimicrobial molecules from a public company that is not developing the technology itself.

"We're being very aggressive in terms of the creation of these spinoff companies because this is the opportunity that we're seeing," Diaz-Mitoma said. "Canada has invested billions of dollars in research, but we're very bad in terms of translating that basic science into clinical applications."

Research is focused on chronic conditions that affect Northern populations: heart failure, tobacco addictions--a vaccine for smoking cessation is currently under development--bacteria related to cancer, expertise in hospital infections, and cancer diagnostics and treatments, he said.

With AMRIC's creation, Health Sciences North becomes one of two dozen academic research medical centres in the country. In its first year of operation, AMRIC had $2 million in operation funds; this year, the facility hopes to double that.

"We developed a research development caucus on developing grants, developing proposals to be able to attract...