HALIFAX – The Government of Canada is investing over $600,000 in the IWK Health Centre to support the growth of the Biomedical Translational Imaging Centre (BIOTIC). The contribution is made through the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA)’s Business Development Program.

BIOTIC, embedded in the IWK and QEII Health Sciences Centre, works to create new imaging techniques and methods for diagnosing and monitoring treatment. Since its establishment in 2013, BIOTIC has become a vital resource in the life sciences community, working with local and international companies who continue to benefit from the Centre’s world-class imaging capabilities.

Drug development companies, for example, use BIOTIC’s imaging to visibly track their product in the body. BIOTIC is now ready to expand its offerings and forge new partnerships.

“The IWK is focused on transforming care through innovative research, and BIOTIC’s work on new imaging techniques and methods for diagnosing and monitoring treatment is a stellar example of this,” said Tracy Kitch (pictured), president & CEO, IWK. “We and our partners, NSHA and Dalhousie have worked with the BIOTIC team and our industry partner, Cubresa, to not only impact patient care, but also develop new opportunities for science and commercialization for Nova Scotia.”

ACOA is investing $350,124 to equip BIOTIC with new technology to study the behavior of molecules and cells in the body and a new imaging system that will take aligned MRI and PET scans simultaneously, saving time and expanding possibilities for research.

An additional $250,000 supports business development and marketing for BIOTIC to grow its partner base. The projects are designed to ensure the sustainability and growth of a critical life sciences sector resource.

“ACOA’s strategic investments in the IWK Health Centre have been critical in supporting BIOTIC’s ability to take new scientific discoveries in medical imaging, and turn them into the next generation of technologies that can place our region at the forefront of healthcare innovation,” said Dr. Steven Beyea, BIOTIC.