Lumenix announces new partnership to address future pandemic threats in Canada and around the world

By Globe Newswire Published on May 7, 2024, 09:17 IST

OTTAWA, May 06, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Lumenix is proud to announce a new partnership with the PRAIRIE Hub for Pandemic Preparedness, which received nearly $100 million in new federal research grants today to conduct world-leading vaccine and biomanufacturing research and prepare Canada for future health threats by increasing domestic capacity to produce life-saving vaccines.

The funding was announced by the Hon. Soraya Martinez Ferrada, Minister of Tourism and Minister responsible for the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec, as part of a series of investments totalling nearly $574 million by the Canada Foundation for Innovation’s Canadian Biomedical Research Fund and the Biosciences Research Infrastructure Fund in pandemic preparedness projects at five research hubs across the country.

“The projects that we’re supporting today will strengthen our ability to supply medicines, vaccines and therapeutics for the benefit of Canadians,” Martinez Ferrada says. “These collaborations between research hubs, post-secondary institutions and research hospitals will foster innovation across the country. Thanks to the work of experienced scientists in institutions at the cutting edge of innovation, Canada will be ready to respond to future health priorities.”

Lumenix is proud to be working on the “Viral Vector Vaccine Platforms for Rapid Response to Future Pandemics (3VP)” Project administered through the PRAIRIE Hub, a multi-disciplinary team representing the universities of Manitoba, Alberta and Calgary and the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization at the University of Saskatchewan. The project received $57 million in federal funding to accelerate the development of next-generation vaccines and testing of vaccine efficacy and safety while supporting the training of highly skilled talent in vaccine manufacturing and testing in Canada.

Lumenix is a leader in building technologies and artificial intelligence, and its Artificially Intelligent Monitoring System (AIMS) embodies the most advanced agile perceptual system available in the world today. Developed by leading clinicians and engineers at Boston Children’s Hospital, AIMS can anonymously monitor tasks and activities in three dimensions within the clinical and operational environment. Leveraging the AIMS platform technology, Lumenix will play a crucial role in ensuring process and product consistency while developing optimal standard operating procedures as the Hub strengthens Canada’s vaccine bio-manufacturing capacity.

“AIMS was designed to apply the best of robotics engineering, artificial intelligence and 3D perceptual systems to address some of the world’s most persistent clinical care and operational challenges,” said Scott Delaney, Lumenix Chairman and CEO. “Our partnership with the PRAIRIE Hub underscores our commitment and vision for the future: to use the potential within AIMS to help solve global population health challenges, helping our partners within the public and private sectors in Canada and around the world elevate standards of health practices, care and research.”

The funding announced today marks a significant step toward rebuilding Canada’s biomanufacturing sector, improving Canada’s pandemic readiness and supporting the innovative and world-leading scientists who are finding made-in-Canada solutions to global challenges.

“The future will bring a collection of alternative vaccines that are best suited for diverse individuals, and this will require the scale-up of high-quality standardized vaccine production across many manufacturing centres worldwide,” says Dr. Maya Shmulevitz, 3VP Co-Director, Canada Research Chair in Molecular Virology and Oncotherapy, and professor at the University of Alberta, Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology. “We are leveraging the leading-edge Lumenix AIMS platform technology to rapidly standardize vaccine manufacturing, unite best practices and inspire vaccine quality and safety globally.”