Almost one year ago we hosted our first virtual conference, COVID & Healthcare, where we showcased several small cap Canadian healthcare companies that responded quickly to the newly emerging pandemic and were already developing COVID related products, treatments, and therapies. We have followed their progress over the past year and thought it was fitting to invite a few back for an update, a Q&A and maybe even a virtual cocktail or two.
We are hosting this event in support of Team Tina Byers’ fundraiser for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of Canada. One of the themes we have seen over the course of the pandemic is the lack of funding, research, diagnosis, and treatment for other life-threatening illnesses. Leukemia & Lymphoma is one close to our hearts, so we ask that anyone that is able to make a donation considering doing it in support of Team Tina Byers here: https://bit.ly/3r93cut.
Keynote: Eden Rahim, Portfolio Manager, Next Edge Capital
Eden Rahim is the Portfolio Manager for the Next Edge Biotech and Life Sciences Opportunities Fund. Eden’s broad experience includes over twenty-five years as a Portfolio and Hedge Fund Money Manager, Options Strategist, Derivatives & Biotech Analyst.
Eden possesses a top quartile 5-year 5-Star growth fund Portfolio Manager track record on over $1 billion in assets across 4 mandates at RBC Global Asset Management, in addition, Eden has delivered a +26% compounded annual return across a biotechnology mandate between 1995-2003. His experience also includes overseeing 14 Covered Call ETFs (over $0.7 Billion AUM) in Canada, the US & Australia while at Horizons Exchange Traded Funds.
Eden is a regular guest speaker on the biotech industry on Bloomberg TV, BNN, as well as an author and contributor to many industry sources and major press articles in the US, and Canada. He also contributes as a speaker at numerous healthcare conferences.
Presenting Companies
Appili Therapeutics (APLI)
Appili Therapeutics is an infectious disease biopharmaceutical company that is purposefully built, portfolio-driven, and people-focused to fulfill its mission of solving life-threatening infections. By systematically identifying urgent infections with unmet needs, Appili’s goal is to strategically develop a pipeline of novel therapies to prevent deaths and improve lives. As part of a global consortium, Appili is sponsoring late-stage clinical trials evaluating the antiviral Avigan® / REEQONUSTM (favipiravir) for the worldwide treatment and prevention of COVID-19. The Company is also advancing a diverse range of anti-infectives, including a broad-spectrum antifungal, a vaccine candidate to eliminate a serious biological weapon threat, and two novel antibiotic programs. Led by a proven management team, Appili is at the epicenter of the global fight against infection.
Cardiol Therapeutics (CRDL)
Cardiol Therapeutics Inc. is a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on the research and clinical development of innovative anti-inflammatory therapies for the treatment of cardiovascular disease (“CVD”). The Company’s lead product, CardiolRx™, is a pharmaceutically produced oral cannabidiol formulation that is currently entering a Phase II/III outcomes study in hospitalized patients testing positive for the COVID-19 virus. This potentially registrational trial is designed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of CardiolRx as a cardioprotective therapy to reduce mortality and major cardiovascular events in COVID-19 patients who have a prior history of, or risk factors for, CVD, and to investigate the influence CardiolRx has on key markers of inflammatory heart disease.
iFabric Corp (IFA)
Headquartered in Markham, Ontario, iFabric Corp offers a variety of products and services two strategic divisions. IFTNA is focused on performance apparel as well as proprietary chemical formulations that render fabrics, foams, plastics and numerous other surfaces intelligent, thereby improving the safety and well-being of the consumer. Its products are used in a wide range of market segments such as healthcare, military, sportswear, and hospitality applications. Coconut Grove, operating as Coconut Grove Intimates, is a designer, manufacturer, distributor, licensor and licensee of ladies intimate apparel products and accessories.
Lexagene Holdings (LXG)
LexaGene is a molecular diagnostics company that develops systems for pathogen detection and genetic testing for other molecular markers for on-site rapid testing in veterinary diagnostics, food safety and for use in open-access markets such as clinical research, agricultural testing and biodefense. End-users simply need to collect a sample, load it onto the instrument with a sample preparation cartridge, enter sample ID and press ‘go’. The MiQLab™ system delivers excellent sensitivity, specificity, and breadth of detection and can return results in approximately one hour. The unique open-access feature is designed for custom testing so that end-users can load their own real-time PCR assays onto the instrument to target any genetic target of interest.
Microbix Biosciences (MBX)
Microbix develops proprietary biological technology solutions for human health and well-being, with about 90 skilled employees and sales growing from a base of over $1 million per month. It makes a wide range of critical biological materials for the global diagnostics industry, notably antigens for immunoassays and its laboratory quality assessment products (QAPs™) that support clinical lab proficiency testing, enable assay development and validation, or help ensure the quality of clinical diagnostic workflows. Microbix antigens enable the antibody tests of over 100 international diagnostics companies, while its QAPs are sold to clinical laboratory accreditation organizations, diagnostics companies, and clinical laboratories. Microbix QAPs are now available in over 30 countries, distributed by 1WA (Oneworld Accuracy Inc.), Alpha-Tec Systems, Inc., D.I.D. Diagnostic Int’l Distribution SpA, Labquality Oy, The Medical Supply Company of Ireland Ltd, R-Biopharm AG, and Seegene Canada Inc. Microbix is ISO 9001 and 13485 accredited, U.S. FDA registered, Australian TGA registered, Health Canada establishment licensed, and provides CE marked products.
SQI Diagnostics (SQI)
SQI Diagnostics Inc. is a precision medicine company that discovers, develops, and commercializes innovative rapid diagnostic testing for healthcare providers, patients, and consumers worldwide. The Company’s proprietary advanced diagnostics target organ transplant, autoimmune disease and COVID-19 testing which include the developmental direct-to-consumer COVID-19 HOME Antibody Test, the RALI-Dx™ COVID-19 Severity Triage Test and the COVID-19 RALI-fast™ Severity Triage Point-of-Care (POC) Test. SQI’s rapid diagnostic tests are intended to be sold to healthcare professionals so that patients can get accurate results and fast effective treatment, and direct-to-consumers so that individuals can be empowered to improve their health outcomes from the comfort of home.