The Vancouver-based biotech company said in an amended SEC filing that it is looking to raise up to $449,650,000 with an offer of 23 million common shares, at between US$14 and US$17 a share, on the Nasdaq. The IPO could break the record for the largest initial public offering by a Canadian biotech, set in June by Montreal-based cancer-drug developer Repare Therapeutics, at US$253 million. (The Logic, The Globe and Mail)

Talking point: The company initially filed a prospectus in late November, seeking to raise US$200 million, with the number and price of shares not yet disclosed. AbCellera said in its Monday filing that “one or more funds affiliated with Capital World Investors have indicated an interest in purchasing up to 20 per cent of the common shares” in the IPO, but it is not a binding agreement. AbCellera’s co-founder and CEO Carl Hansen, who owns 26 per cent of the company, could become a billionaire after the offering. The company also recently added controversial tech mogul Peter Thiel to its board. He owns 3.6 per cent of the company between his investments and those of his venture funds.