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About the Canada's Top 10 Competition


First held in 1999, Canada’s Top 10 Competition was designed to promote the 10 most promising life science companies from across Canada (5 Early stage and 5 Emerging/Late stage) to Canadian and international investors and partners. The Competition has now expanded to showcase Canada's cleantech sector. This year the program expands once again to the technology sector.

Winners are chosen by an independent expert panel of Canadian and US venture capitalists. Winners receive greater exposure to international investors and industry insiders that are important to their continued growth and success. Since their selection, current Winners and Alumni have secured more than $522M in venture capital financing.

View the 2007/2008 Top Life Sciences Companies Competition Winners | View a complete list of Top 10 Alumni.


Meet with Canada's leading life science CEOs


On April 15-16, 2008, The Consulate General of Canada in San Francisco and Presience Internatioanl hosted a series of meetings and receptions for Canada's leading life science CEOs, including Canada’s Top 10 Life Science Companies:
Bioniche Life Sciences Inc. (Belleville, Ontario) www.bioniche.com
Bioniche Life Sciences Inc. is a research-based, technology-driven Canadian biopharmaceutical company that develops, manufactures, and markets proprietary products for human and animal health markets worldwide. The fully-integrated Company employs 195 people and has three operating business units: Human Health, Animal Health, and Food Safety. Corporate headquarters are located in Belleville, Ontario, Canada. The Company’s human health business unit has research and production facilities in Montréal, Québec, Canada. The Animal Health business unit has product development and manufacturing facilities in Belleville, marketing and production facilities in Athens, Georgia, USA; Pullman, Washington, USA; and Armidale, Australia; as well as a sales and marketing office in Ireland.
The Company has several areas of strategic focus, including the development of its proprietary technologies for bladder cancer and other cancers; a cattle vaccine to help reduce E. coli O157:H7 contamination of food, water and the environment; technologies to improve livestock reproduction; and technologies that could replace the use of antibiotics in livestock. The Company’s existing animal health business is global in scope.

DiaMedica (Winnipeg, Manitoba) www.diamedica.com
DiaMedica Inc. is a biotechnology company developing novel treatments for all stages of Type 2 diabetes based on a newly corroborated mechanism. Rather than treating the symptoms, we address the cause of Type 2 diabetes with multiple points of intervention. The novel mechanism is based on a nerve signal from the liver which we have shown may be responsible for 50 to 65% of total glucose uptake normally attributed to insulin action. The science is based on the work of our CSO, Dr. Wayne Lautt, who was nominated for the prestigious CIHR Michael Smith prize in Canadian health research. Our lead candidate, DM-71, has recently completed a successful phase II clinical trial while a second drug candidate, DM-83, has just completed a positive pre-clinical study. These results indicate that we have discovered a new drug class to treat type 2 diabetes.

Genesis Genomics Inc. (Thunder Bay, Ontario) www.genesisgenomics.com
Genesis Genomics Inc. (“GGI”), founded in 2001, is a world leader in the research of mitochondria DNA (“mtDNA”) biomarkers and the development of non-invasive, molecular diagnostic tests targeted at the early detection of cancers and other diseases. Our tests are designed to be life changing applications for both physicians and patients. Our research and development is focused on identifying disease at the time of its ‘genesis’ – the point in time when the mtDNA begins to mutate – which is a significant improvement from the present day, late stage diagnosis based on clinical symptoms.

ProDrive Systems (Montreal, Quebec) www.prodrivesystems.com
ProDrive Systems contains three distinct but related divisions, a product division - ProDrive Systems, a dealer division - High Speed Service in the United States and Canada and a distribution company - Handpiece Experts. ProDrive has completed the design and development of the ProDrive Upgrade Turbine and handpiece and is now manufacturing product. After obtaining Health Canada certification and FDA certification, ProDrive products are now being commercialized in North America. In February 2007, ProDrive announced the acquisition of High Speed Service, North America’s fastest growing and most dynamic handpiece service group. With over 90 dealers across North America and access to over 10,000 trusting customers, High Speed Service will help launch ProDrive as a major player in a world market valued at USD $3.2B. ProDrive is planning a series of other dealer acquisitions to support a larger scale reach into the North American market.

Rimon Therapeutics (Toronto, Ontario) www.rimontherapeutics.com
Rimon Therapeutics, through the application of its proprietary polymer chemistry platform, is developing therapeutics to address unmet needs in important disease indications with large markets. Rimon’s therapeutic polymers – trade marked Theramers - are unique in that they deliver therapeutic effect without incorporating or releasing drugs. These technologies are owned by Rimon and protected by North American and US patents and patents pending. In-house product development is focused on creating therapeutics for the treatment of periodontal disease and chronic wounds, where a first product is ready for market. Co–development projects are progressing with large partners for the therapeutic treatment of osteoarthritis, cardiovascular disease and various ophthalmic conditions. The company objective is that, within 30 months, it be able to proceed to an IPO at excellent value, or be of interest to a large pharma / device company for acquisition.

Stem Cell Therapeutics Corp. (Calgary, Alberta) www.stemcellthera.com
Stem Cell Therapeutics Corp. (SCT) is a Canadian public biotechnology company (TSXV: SSS) focused on the development and commercialization of drug-based therapies to treat CNS diseases. SCT develops therapies that utilize drugs to stimulate a patient's own resident stem cells with an aim to restore neurological function lost due to disease or injury. The lead SCT program, NTx™-265, works to increase the number of neural stem cells located in the brain of a patient suffering from a recent stroke, and promotes the differentiation of these newly formed cells into functional neurons. This is anticipated to provide benefit to the patient through the replacement of the brain cells that were lost or damaged by the stroke. SCT is enrolling patients in a Phase IIa clinical trial in the United States and Canada in order to investigate the safety of NTx™-265, and plans to initiate a Phase IIb study late in 2007.

Twinstrand Therapeutics (North Vancouver, British Columbia) www.twinstrand.com
Twinstrand Therapeutics Inc. (Twinstrand) is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the development and commercialization of ‘targeted prodrugs’ for the treatment of life threatening diseases. The company has ownership of a product platform with broad potential in the treatment of cancer, viral, parasitic and fungal diseases; targeting cells and tissues where certain proteases are upregulated. TST10088, the most advanced prodrug in the Twinstrand pipeline, has completed a dose-escalating Phase I trial in cancer patients. The molecule has shown very good safety and tolerability with signs of anti-tumor activity at the highest doses. Twinstrand plans to begin an all-comers Phase IIa trial of TST10088 in combination with docetaxel during Q3 2008. Phase IIb trials for hormone-refractory prostate cancer (HRPC) and ovarian cancer are scheduled to begin in 2009 (contingent on financing). In addition to its platform, Twinstrand receives funding from the US Department of Defense and National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease for spin-off technologies focused on the development of medical countermeasures to ricin intoxication. The company anticipates that these programs will yield a product available for procurement and emergency use in 2009.