The $4.2-million project will focus on developing a new and more efficient means of producing viral vectors, which use genetic material to treat late-stage cancers and rare or inherited genetic disorders in patients. The project aims to make Canada a leader in viral vector production and to help meet the rising global demand for such cell- and gene-therapy treatments by developing manufacturing solutions to increase doses, lower costs and shorten the production time needed.(The Logic)

Talking point: This is the first project approved by the Next Generation Manufacturing (NGen) Supercluster, which was created as part of the federal government’s Innovation Supercluster Initiative, and the last supercluster to announce a project. The five winners of the initiative were selected in February 2018. In September 2018, The Logic reported that none of the $950 million in government funds had been issued. By the end of 2018, the federal government had signed agreements with each supercluster, allocating its funding: $230 million each to the Ontario-based NGen and Quebec-based SCALE.AI and $153 million each to the B.C.-based Digital Technology, Saskatchewan-based Protein Industries and Nova Scotia-based Ocean Superclusters. In March, the Digital Technology Supercluster announced its first cohort of seven projects, including a health and genomics data platform and predictive analytics for manufacturing processes. The Protein Industries Supercluster announced its first project, aimed at boosting crop values, in June, as did the Ocean Supercluster, with a project focused on seafloor mapping. And, in July, the AI Supercluster announced its first projects, applying AI models to solve issues in the retail, manufacturing, agriculture and transportation sectors.