Through this partnership, the planned expansion of TOH’s Biotherapeutics Manufacturing Centre (BMC) will now be located at the University of Ottawa’s Advanced Medical Research Centre (AMRC), which is set to open later this year. The BMC will continue to be governed and operated by the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute (OHRI).
TOH’s BMC is one of the most experienced and successful biomanufacturing facilities in Canada, having manufactured more than 20 different therapies that incorporate biological materials such as cell, genes and viruses to treat and prevent disease. These therapies have been used in human clinical trials in Canada, the United States, Europe and Asia.
The BMC expansion and strengthened partnership between TOH and uOttawa comes at a critical time, as Canadian leaders continue to focus on bolstering Canada’s economy and capacity for innovation, manufacturing and defense, including biodefence and pandemic preparedness.
OHRI and uOttawa were recently awarded more than $78 M in grants for a major BMC expansion, funded through Canada’s Biosciences Research Infrastructure Fund and the Ontario Research Fund.
Located on the uOttawa Faculty of Medicine campus adjacent to TOH’s General Campus and CHEO, the AMRC will serve as a dynamic hub for collaboration between Faculty of Medicine researchers, clinicians and industry partners. The seven-storey, 350,000 square foot facility will also house the Ottawa Health Innovation Hub, a signature initiative designed to incubate startups, develop novel therapies and accelerate the translation of research into real-world health-care solutions.
“Strengthening the University of Ottawa’s research and innovation ecosystem, this new partnership with TOH will play a critical role in advancing Canada’s biomanufacturing capabilities,” said uOttawa Vice-President, Research and Innovation Julie St-Pierre. “By connecting world-class biomedical research with advanced manufacturing infrastructure, TOH’s Biotherapeutics Manufacturing Centre will support the AMRC’s goal of providing researchers and industry partners with a unique, end-to-end launchpad for Canadian health innovations, all under one roof.”
“Strengthening the University of Ottawa’s research and innovation ecosystem, this new partnership with TOH will play a critical role in advancing Canada’s biomanufacturing capabilities.”
Julie St-Pierre
— uOttawa Vice-President, Research and Innovation
“The Ottawa Hospital is reshaping the future of health care, and our Biotherapeutics Manufacturing Centre will continue to play a critical role in this goal,” said Dr. Rebecca Auer, Executive Vice-President of Research and Innovation at TOH, CEO and Scientific Director of OHRI and professor at uOttawa. “Our expanded Biotherapeutics Manufacturing Centre will bring life-changing clinical trials and therapies to Canadians while also promoting the development of made-in-Canada products and solutions for global health challenges.”
The Ottawa Hospital’s BMC and uOttawa’s AMRC will continue to play leading roles in the Canadian Pandemic Preparedness Hub and Canadian Biomanufacturing Cooperative, both funded through Canada's Biomanufacturing Life Sciences Strategy.
uOttawa and TOH are proud members of the Ottawa Academic Health Network (OAHN).