New PEI Research Centre to Play Critical Role in Advancing Health Care
A new research and service centre made possible by partnerships formed among governments and the private sector is now open for business on the University of Prince Edward Island (UPEI) campus.
"Canada's New Government, through the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA), is helping UPEI play a critical role in advancing health care," said the Honourable Peter MacKay, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of ACOA. "The research on diseases performed at UPEI is important to human health and we are helping scientists truly make a difference".
The Atlantic Veterinary College's Atlantic Centre for BioProducts Valuation (ACBV) will be a key component for the growing research area of biomedical sciences. Studies and clinical testing carried out at the facility will be critical in determining if a new medication or treatment is effective and able to move on to further development stages.
Through its Atlantic Innovation Fund, ACOA will contribute up to $3 million for this project. The provincial government will be investing $1.5 million over two years through Prince Edward Island Business Development Inc. to support the establishment of the ACBV in PEI. UPEI has contributed over $2 million towards the project.
The research and development at the facility will focus on three key themes: neurodegeneration, as it relates to damage caused by a stroke; neuroinflammation, with a focus on Alzheimer's and Multiple Sclerosis; and metabolic disorders, with emphasis on blood cholesterol/triglycerides.
"The opening of this new facility represents the development of a sound technology required to significantly enhance the value of our continually growing bioscience cluster in this province," said Minister Currie. "This Centre provides researchers and companies
the opportunity to invest their dollars into our local economy rather than having to outsource for such services off-Island."
Development of the centre is led by the Atlantic Veterinary College at UPEI and will help support research within the university and with cluster partners such as the National Research Council Institute for Nutrisciences and Health (NRC-INH), which is also located on the UPEI campus. The ACBV is the only centre of its kind in Eastern Canada and north of Boston.
More than 200 researchers are now working in PEI's bioscience cluster and approximately 34 entities focusing on bioscience are registered with the Province of PEI.
"Through interaction with regional medical and agricultural schools, as well as public and private institutions, opportunities exist to collaborate on research in clinical trials designed to benefit both human and animal health," explained Dr. Tim Ogilvie, Dean of Veterinary Medicine, Atlantic Veterinary College at UPEI. "This centre is revolutionary in its level of collaboration and intersection of veterinary medicine and human health to provide advantages to society."
