The Ottawa Hospital’s Biotherapeutics Manufacturing Centre (BMC) has been using cells, genes and viruses to manufacture living drugs called biotherapeutics for more than 15 years. With eight manufacturing suites and 40 highly trained staff, it is the most experienced and successful facility of its kind in Canada.
The BMC also founded the first hands-on training program in Canada in biotherapeutics manufacturing, in partnership with Algonquin College, the University of Ottawa and Mitacs.Biotherapeutics made at BMC have been used in human clinical trials in 11 countries spanning North America, Europe and Asia.One of BMC’s specialties are oncolytic, or cancer-killing, viruses. These modified viruses infect and kill cancer cells without harming healthy cells. They also stimulate the body’s own immune system to recognize and attack the cancer. The second video shows some of the steps our researchers take to make these cancer-killing viruses.
BMC has also produced novel COVID-19 vaccine candidates and cancer-fighting CAR-T cells for clinical trials.
BMC has been supported by the Canada Foundation for Innovation, the Ontario Research Fund, BioCanRx (a Canadian Network of Centres of Excellence) and generous donors to The Ottawa Hospital Foundation.
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Architecture
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