July 27, 2020 – Big day for Pharma in silica: their own laboratory is inaugurated.
The preclinical-stage company develops a safe treatment for solid tumors, associating silica-based nanoparticles with potent cancer drugs such as paclitaxel. The endeavor calls for three demanding sets of attributes: a) compatibility with a unusual manufacturing technology, b) robust personal and environmental safety and c) strict quality control for the product itself. This set of attributes is not part of the service offering of your typical CRO or university lab (we checked).
The 45 m2 laboratory and its dedicated equipment satisfy the company’s needs in product development and small-lot production up to the conclusion of phase III clinical trials. « We have reached a significant milestone », said François Arcand, the president of Pharma in silica. « Its great to be home and see the major productivity gains ahead of us ».
SiliCycle, Pharma in silica’s sister company, designed and built the state-of-the-art facility within its most recent extension, with convenient access to the regular chemistry laboratories and the numerous analytical tools it maintains. « With this lab, Pharma in silica enhances consolidates its translational capacity toward animal and human assays », declared professor Nicolas Bertrand, a nanomedicine specialist.
About Pharma in silica inc.
Pharma in silica inc. is a pharmaceutical development company at preclinical stage. Since March 2019, the company develops the drug carrier OpKemo™ under the direction of François Arcand, a seasoned life science entrepreneur (Medicago, Conferences on Plant-made Pharmaceuticals, ERA Biotech). The minuscule spherical particle of porous and functionalized silica aims at increases in efficacy and reduction in toxicity of certain anti-cancer drugs. Pharma in silica has established strategic collaborations with SiliCycle (materials chemistry), the Université Laval (murine assays and imaging, thanks to the support of MÉI) and Université de Montréal (carriers for RNA, enzymes and others, with the financial help of PRIMA Québec and NSERC). The technology and the company arose from the incubation program of Groupe SiliCycle, located in the Parc Technologique de Québec.