Leading Health and Life Sciences in Nova Scotia

Novagevity to Develop Canada’s First Plant-Based Meal Replacement Beverage, Receives $300k from ACOA

Tuesday, July 21, 2020 – Halifax, Nova Scotia — Novagevity Incorporated will receive $300,000 from the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA) to accelerate their launch of plant nutrition products to optimize human health, nutrition, and recovery. The funding was announced today by Andy Fillmore, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Infrastructure and Communities and Member of Parliament for Halifax, on behalf of the Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Economic Development and Official Languages and Minister responsible for ACOA.

Novagevity co-founders Dr. Mary Lynch and Gregg Curwin are developing plant-based meal replacement beverages for people with various medical conditions and for those looking to optimize their nutrition.

Novagevity’s proprietary formulation is based on the principles of Medical Nutrition Therapy, an evidence-based approach to treating chronic conditions using tailored nutrition plans. The novel product will offer the universal benefits of using scientifically backed ingredients that are plant-based, organic, and allergen-free.

“Novagevity is a great example of the world-leading research and product development that is happening right here in Nova Scotia,” said MP Fillmore. “The Government of Canada is pleased to partner with the Novagevity team on its innovative nutritional products.”

“There is a significant unmet need for an organic, plant-based, meal replacement that can be tolerated by patients with medical conditions,” said Dr. Lynch. “We look forward to providing our patients a vegetarian option that actually tastes good.”

Novagevity’s focus is on delivering quality nutrition to persons who need it the most. Research shows that malnourished patients stay in hospital 2-3 days longer and have a higher probability of readmission within 30 days.

“The immediate opportunity to disrupt the food, nutraceutical, and pharmaceutical industries with one product is extremely exciting,” said Mr. Curwin. “The involvement of numerous local agencies, including ACOA, has been critical in our ability to succeed.”

In addition to its project with ACOA, Novagevity is working in partnership with the National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC IRAP), Natural Products Canada, Nova Scotia Business Inc, Saint Mary’s University Entrepreneurship Centre, Mount Saint Vincent Nutrition Lab, The Labs at Innovacorp, and BioNova.

Both Dr. Lynch and Mr. Curwin have founded and exited previous ventures, including Panag Pharma and Truleaf, respectively. Together, they plan to launch Novagevity’s commercial brand, Sperri, later in 2020. Their first product will be available in multiple flavours and appropriate for most conditions. The Company plans to develop follow-up meal replacement beverages for specific medical groups. For more information visit Novagevity.ca

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Media Contact

Ciaro Moxey

Business Development

902-442-4022

[email protected]

www.novagevity.ca/

www.sperri.ca/

 

IMV featured on CTV: NS lab gets green light to test COVID-19 vaccine on humans

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A Nova Scotia laboratory working on a vaccine for COVID-19 has been given the green light from Health Canada to proceed with its plan for human trials.

“The clinical team is putting together the final documents for Health Canada final approval, to move that into the clinic,” says Marianne Stanford, the vice-president of research and development of IMV Inc. “We’re putting all the pieces together to get this done.”

IMV is a biopharmaceutical company with labs in Dartmouth, N.S. The company started working on a vaccine for the novel coronavirus as soon as the World Health Organization declared the pandemic.

Health Canada has now approved IMV’s design for its Phase 1 clinical study, which will test the vaccine in 84 healthy adults.

Phase 1 will test the safety of the vaccine itself. The study is unique in that it will test the vaccine on two age groups — adults between 18 and 55 years old and adults 56 years of age and older. Two doses of the vaccine will be tested on both groups.

“We’re one of the first to focus in that [older] age group for initial clinical trial,” says Stanford, “and I think that’s really based on the fact that we have previous data with that age group.”

 

Sona Stock Up 123% on Test Results

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Shares of Halifax-based Sona Nanotech more than doubled Friday after the nanoparticle technology company said clinical trials showed its COVID-19 rapid testing kit has a 96 percent sensitivity to the virus.

The company’s shares on the Canadian Stock Exchange surged $3.84 or 123 percent, closing at $6.97 on Friday. The shares opened 2020 at 11 cents, and have produced a 6200 percent return so far this year. The company now has a market value of $374 million.

Sona Nanotech’s improved outlook has come as it adapted its technology, which manufactures rod-shaped gold nanoparticles for use in diagnostic testing, to a rapid test for COVID-19. The company has been conducting clinical trials for these test kits, and late Thursday it announced the lab trials suggest that Sona’s technology can detect SARS-CoV-2 in patients with “low viral loads” in about 15 minutes. Sona also ran an experiment using nasal swabs from 30 human test subjects and irradiated virus samples, with comparable results.

“These excellent performance results . . . [complete] a further milestone achieved for Sona along our path to bring a quality rapid test to market at scale,” said CEO Darren Rowles in the statement. “This will allow expansion of testing by governments, help ease the burden on healthcare systems, keep healthcare workers safe by allowing them to know their status on a daily basis and assist in softening restrictions by providing a quick and simple means to screen individuals.”

Adaptiiv Wins $100K Health Challenge

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Halifax-based Adaptiiv Medical Technologies has won the Nova Scotia Health Authority’s first Health Challenge pitch competition, bagging a $100,000 prize.

Announced in February and hosted by innovation hub Volta, the Health Challenges are a series of five events aimed at identifying technologies to help modernize Nova Scotia’s aging and understaffed healthcare system. Friday’s competition was focused exclusively on cancer-related innovations.

In addition to the cash prize, the NSHA has promised to consider adopting Adaptiiv’s technology for use in the provincial medical system.

“Through this challenge, we know that we have created this space that’s supportive or collaborative in nature,” said Dr. Gail Tomblin Murphy, who is the NSHA’s vice president of research, innovation and discovery, and chief nurse executive. She added that the display of innovation shows “that the support and strength to draw from our private partners is making a difference.”

Adaptiiv sells equipment and software for 3D printing specialized bolus devices – pieces of polymer placed on patients’ bodies to target radiation therapy during cancer treatment.