In 2024, Frédéric founded BioThera Solutions Inc. to produce and market skincare products designed for deep skin penetration, targeting skin aging where it matters, using plant-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs).
“I used the expertise I gained during my PhD to advance the biomanufacturing of EVs into clinical-grade products that can be used for cosmetics,” Frédéric says. “Producing this technology is far more complex than it appears. Every step matters to achieve a final product that’s of commercial value. As we often say, the process is the product.”
Frédéric says the company’s first product is an anti-aging skincare serum that harnesses EVs – nanosized, membrane-bound particles that help bioactive molecules such as proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids to communicate and move between cells.
“The skincare market is intensely competitive, yet the application of EVs in cosmetics represents an emerging frontier,” he says. “At BioThera Solutions, we apply our technical know-how to produce scalable, high-quality EV products, driven by a science-first approach and defined by transparency.”
“The eHub has been instrumental in building my entrepreneurial skill set, broadening my network and providing funding that supported our early operations.”
Frédéric St-Denis-Bissonnette
— Biochemistry PhD candidate and CEO of BioThera Solutions Inc.
In February 2025, Karan Mediratta (BSc Biomedical Science ’20), a fellow uOttawa PhD candidate studying microbiology and immunology, joined Frédéric as chief science officer. The company’s mission is to revolutionize healthspan (a person’s years of good health) using cutting-edge biotechnology.
BioThera Solutions won the 2025 Startup Garage Rally Day, organized by uOttawa’s Entrepreneurship Hub (eHub) and Desjardins. The $15,000 prize will go towards developing and enacting their go-to-market plans, Frédéric says.
Both Frédéric and Karan got their undergraduate degrees at uOttawa, and both are completing their PhDs under Professor Lisheng Wang at uOttawa’s Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology. Professor Wang’s research focuses on the use of immunotherapeutics to treat breast cancer, among other areas. Frédéric is also working with another member of the department, Professor Jessie Lavoie, who is a research scientist at Health Canada’s Centre for Biologics Evaluation as well.
Words of advice for students interested in entrepreneurship
“Starting is half the adventure. Once you build momentum, don’t stop,” Frédéric says. “Focus on solving the biggest problem your market faces, not retrofitting a solution to fit. Fail fast. Learn faster. Repeat always. And above all, have faith in yourself.”