Mobilizing Canadian science during a global crisis.

When McGill biomedical scientists realized that test shortages could hamper Canada’s efforts to get COVID-19 under control, our founders mobilized to help. They felt that decisions about who and when to test in Canada should be driven by strong science and public health policy, not by limitations in the number of tests available.

The gold-standard laboratory test for the SARS-CoV-2 is a reverse transcriptase quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) test. Before Canadienzyme, supplies for all RT-PCR tests were imported, and so could be diverted away from Canada in the uncertain circumstances during the pandemic. In short order, the McGill team created a made-in-Canada RT-PCR test which worked as well as international versions on patient samples. The McGill team supplied these tests to the McGill clinical testing facility to be put to good use.

Our founders from the McGill team launched Canadienzyme to bring production of these made-in-Canada tests to the national level, to help fight COVID-19 across Canada. Our agility will allow Canadienzyme to bring innovative solutions to Canadians during this pandemic and in future public health challenges..