The biotech field applies disciplines like data science and artificial intelligence to make biological advancements. In Canada, businesses that operate in this space focus on using technology in the creation of pharmaceuticals, medical devices, diagnostics and other healthcare products. Here are the biotech companies in Toronto leading the way on clinical research and trials for the development of treatments and technologies to address conditions in areas such as neurology and oncology.
Top Biotech Companies in Toronto
- Avicanna
- Deep Genomics
- Centricity Research
- Geneseeq Technology
- BlueRock Therapeutics
Biotech Companies in Toronto to Know
BlueRock Therapeutics works to engineer cell therapies. Cell therapy replaces sick or damaged cells with new, healthy cells within specific locations of the human body, or uses immune cells to remove cells that cause disease. BlueRock has studies that focus on cellular treatments for Parkinson’s disease.
Takeda develops and makes prescription drugs, among them Adderall; vaccines for illnesses such as Covid-19; medicines derived from plasma such as immunoglobulins; and over-the-counter drugs, too. Takeda Canada is based in Toronto.
Avicanna is a biopharma company that researches and develops cannabis-based products for consumers and the pharmaceutical cannabis market. It handles clinical development and has brought over 30 products to market in the medical cannabis, cosmetics, wellness and pharmaceutical ingredients spaces.
Phenomic focuses its biotech efforts on finding ways to treat solid tumors that will result in higher survival rates for patients. The company says that its understanding of tumor biology, plus a machine-learning-powered platform, is helping it attain this goal. Phenomic has offices in Toronto and Waltham, Massachusetts.
Geneseeq Technology is a biotech company that applies genomic profiling to precision oncology treatment. It connects cancer patients with genomic testing, treatment matching and clinical development of new therapies. The company specializes in In Vitro Diagnostics, or IVD, which looks at specimens from a patient’s blood or tissues to gather data for screening, diagnosis and treatment.
Evoco Ltd is a biotech company that makes plant-based leathers, foams and other materials used in manufacturing, particularly shoe manufacturing. Products include FATES, a foam used to make shoe insoles, and Cleansport NXT, a probiotic used in odor-controlling footwear inserts. The company is based in Toronto.
Deep Genomics uses artificial intelligence to power drug research and development with a focus on RNA therapies, which can be programmed to treat specific genetic causes of diseases and medical conditions. The company’s AI system is trained on massive data sets that would be too large for humans to analyze. It mines that data for potential therapeutics.
Centricity Research is an Integrated Research Organization. Its studies and clinical trials cover pharmaceuticals, medical devices and biotechnology. Across more than 35 global sites and over 150 active investigators, Centricity’s research network has access to nearly 8 million patients throughout Canada and the United States.
ProteinQure’s research is all about the peptides — links of amino acids that perform many, many tasks in the human body. Its flagship platform, ProteinStudio, helps researchers get to the bottom of the many challenges present in designing drugs based on proteins and peptides. ProteinQure is based in Toronto.
New England Biolabs, a certified B corporation, specializes in recombinant and native enzymes that are used in genomic research, according to the company. Among its products are kits that customers, which are researchers and scientists, extract RNA from bodily fluids. NEB is based in Massachusetts and has a dedicated Canada operation that’s based in Toronto.
