====== Acuitas Therapeutics =====

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**Acuitas Therapeutics**, originally called **AlCana Therapeutics**, is a Canadian biotechnology company based in Vancouver, British Columbia.((//About Us.// Acuitas Therapeutics. Retrieved March 6, 2022, from https://archive.ph/4VQg4)) Acuitas is relevant in the [[:COVID-19 pandemic]] due to their role in developing and licensing the [[:covid-19_vaccines:lipid nanoparticle]] technology used in the [[:COVID-19 vaccines]] marketed by [[:pharmaceutical_companies:Pfizer]]/[[:pharmaceutical_companies:BioNTech]] and [[:pharmaceutical_companies:Moderna]].

The company was co-founded by [[:Pieter Cullis]], [[:Thomas Madden]] and [[:Michael Hope]].

===== History =====

Acuitas was founded in February 2009 under the name Alcana Therapeutics to specialize in the development of delivery systems for nucleic acid therapeutics based on lipid nanoparticles.((//Our History.// Acuitas Therapeutics. Retrieved March 7, 2022, from https://archive.ph/WeM24))

===== Lipid Nanoparticles =====

Acuitas is one of several [[pharmaceutical companies]] involved in the development, production and marketing of [[:covid-19_vaccines:lipid nanoparticle]] technology, "tiny 'delivery vehicles'" used to encapsulate fragile materials such as [[:mRNA]] to allow them to transport into cells.((//Vancouver-based Acuitas Therapeutics Makes History with First COVID-19 Vaccine Approved for Use in Canada (p. 1).// (2020). Acuitas Therapeutics. https://acuitastx.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Emergency-Use-Authorization-Release.pdf))

===== COVID-19 =====

According to President and CEO [[:Thomas Madden]], Acuitas began working towards a [[:COVID-19 vaccines|COVID-19 vaccine]] in February 2020. The company partnered with German company [[CureVac]] and [[:Imperial College London]] for their own vaccine trials.((Schüller, T., & Fakih, S. (2020, November 2). //CureVac Reports Positive Interim Phase 1 Data for its COVID-19 Vaccine Candidate, CVnCoV.// CureVac. https://archive.ph/u5rpY)) ((//Backgrounder.// Acuitas Therapeutics. Retrieved March 7, 2022, from https://archive.ph/vPLeh))

On December 9, 2020, Acuitas released a statement celebrating [[:Health Canada]]'s approval of [[Pfizer]]/[[BioNTech]]'s [[:BNT162b2]] [[:COVID-19_vaccines|COVID-19 vaccine]],((Health Canada. (2022, February 22). //Comirnaty (tozinameran).// COVID-19 Vaccines and Treatments Portal; Government of Canada. https://archive.ph/Nbkuh)) stating they had "made history" due to their collaboration through the LNP delivery system, "a key element... in the development of this vaccine."((//Vancouver-based Acuitas Therapeutics Makes History with First COVID-19 Vaccine Approved for Use in Canada (p. 1).// (2020). Acuitas Therapeutics. https://acuitastx.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Emergency-Use-Authorization-Release.pdf))

===== Relationship with the Canadian Government =====

==== Federal Funding ====

The [[:National Research Council of Canada]] has awarded two federal grants to Acuitas:

  - GC-2013-Q3-23969((//Grants and Contributions - GC-2013-Q3-23969.// (2013, September 13). Government of Canada. https://archive.ph/ikPIz))
    - $173,020.00
    - September 13, 2013
  - GC-2014-Q4-26252((//Grants and Contributions - GC-2014-Q4-26252.// (2015, February 6). Government of Canada. https://archive.ph/CTkR5))
    - $498,640.00
    - February 6, 2015

The purpose of both grants was “To support a firm in the Research and development in the physical, engineering and life sciences (NAICS: 541710) with a research and development project”. Both awards span more than one fiscal year.

==== House of Commons ====

Acuitas has been mentioned multiple times in the [[:House of Commons of Canada]]. Deputy Prime Minister [[:Chrystia Freeland]] named Acuitas while discussing the need to increase biomanufacturing capacity in Canada, describing them as "an amazing B.C. company" receiving government investment.((43rd PARLIAMENT, 2nd SESSION. (2021). //Standing Committee on Finance - EVIDENCE NUMBER 026 (p. 5).// House of Commons. https://www.ourcommons.ca/Content/Committee/432/FINA/Evidence/EV11171567/FINAEV26-E.PDF)) [[Providence Therapeutics]] CEO [[:Brad Sorenson]] stated on April 19, 2021 that rival company [[Genevant Sciences]] had "successfully defended itself against" Acuitas and [[Moderna]] in the past.((Standing Committee on International Trade. (2021, April 19). //Evidence - CIIT (43-2) - No. 24.// House of Commons. https://archive.ph/ZIay3))

Other statements:

  * [[:Kashif Pirzada]] ([[:College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario]] Council member), February 22, 2021: //"Canada needs local production of drugs and vaccines. [[:mRNA]] is a new technology that has incredible potency in fighting [[:COVID-19]], cancers and possibly other viruses. When I was a lab student 20 years ago, this stuff was science fiction, and the advances made are just incredible. With virus variants, we all need periodic boosters, possibly for years, as we do with the flu. We have the expertise, from the testimony we heard earlier, from companies such as **Acuitas** and [[Providence Therapeutics]] that can make it here. It is also the promise of second-generation genetic vaccines that can induce longer immunity, and these companies are working on it, the ones that we spoke to."//((Standing Committee on Heath. (2021, February 22). //Evidence - HESA (43-2) - No. 20.// House of Commons of Canada. https://archive.ph/uyUsI))

  * [[:Mark Warner]] (MAAW Law), April 23, 2021: //"The truth of the matter is that we have contributed in Canada to this very important struggle through two great Canadian companies. One is [[AbCellera]], of Vancouver, which is working with [[Eli Lilly]] on the antibody treatment. We also have **Acuitas**, I think also in Vancouver, which has provided much of the important lipid nanoparticle technology that forms the basis of the breakout [[:mRNA]] drugs. We shouldn't be shy about our tremendous contribution, but that, I would suggest, is the contribution for an economy of our size, structured as we are."//((Standing Committee on International Trade. (2021, April 23). //Evidence - CIIT (43-2) - No. 25.// House of Commons. https://archive.ph/92Akf))

  * [[:Andrew Casey]] (President and CEO of [[:BIOTECanada]], May 21, 2021: //"The vaccine that [[Pfizer]] has is a combination from a number of different companies. One is [[BioNTech]] out of Germany. The other part of the Pfizer vaccine that very few people know about is a company called **Acuitas**, which is a small Canadian biotech company in Vancouver. They develop the lipid envelope the [[:mRNA]] code goes into and then goes into the body. Without the Acuitas technology, the Pfizer vaccine doesn't really work."//((Standing Committee on Finance. (2021, May 21). //Evidence - FINA (43-2) - No. 49.// House of Commons of Canada. https://archive.ph/IYkPZ))

===== Other affiliations =====

Acuitas is a sponsor of the [[:Student Biotechnology Network]].((//2020/21 Sponsors.// Student Biotechnology Network. Retrieved October 2, 2022, from https://archive.ph/5bFuS))

===== External links =====

  * [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acuitas_Therapeutics|Wikipedia]]