Tap above to reveal
From discovery to adoption, the Toronto Region is home to a life sciences ecosystem that can help your business develop exciting new products, run them through clinical trials, and bring them to market – all in one place and at a lower cost than other major life sciences hubs. Toronto’s life sciences sector is one of the largest in North America, rivalling Boston and San Francisco in employment.
Toronto’s Discovery District, a 2.5km2 downtown research park and health innovation hub, comprises 7 million square feet of facilities representing Canada’s largest concentration of hospitals, research institutes, business incubators, and venture capital organizations, along with the University of Toronto. Within a 15-minute walk, 10 different clinical trial sites can be reached. The Discovery District invests over $1 billion annually into public and private medical research.
Canada's Life Sciences scene is growing rapidly, and Toronto is a central location for this exciting industry, surpassing American counterparts like Boston and San Francisco for employment and concentration. Join like-minded individuals, businesses, and startups in the Toronto region as they change the face of life science and research in Canada.
The Life Sciences Industry refers to organizations and companies centered around research, development, and manufacturing products focused on living things, such as animals, plants, and humans. These can include pharmaceuticals, biotechnology-based food and medicines, medical devices, biomedical technology, nutraceuticals, cosmeceuticals, food processing, and other products that help improve living organisms' lives.
Our universal healthcare system is a boon to researchers using deep learning and biological data sets to solve problems in health. The Toronto Region is a leader in advanced imaging diagnostics and stem therapies.
Home to 53 of the world's top 100 life sciences companies and 16 of the top 25 global medical device companies, the Toronto Region has a critical and growing mass of top research talent, backed by our 37 research institutes, nine teaching hospitals, and the world-renowned University of Toronto. That's just one reason why we're excelling in growing fields like regenerative medicine and artificial intelligence for healthcare
Resilience (2021): Resilience received a $164 million investment from the Government of Canada to modernize and expand its 136,000 sq. ft. biomanufacturing facility in the Toronto Region, which strengthens Canada’s biopharmaceutical ecosystem.
Hover / Tap to Reveal
Sanofi (2021): Sanofi announced an investment of more than $600 million in a new vaccine manufacturing facility at its existing site in the Toronto Region. At their current facility, it produces millions of life-saving vaccines to more than 60 countries worldwide.
Bora Pharmaceuticals (2020): Bora Pharmaceuticals is a premier international contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) specializing in OSD & liquids manufacturing. They choose to launch their flagship North American facility in the Toronto Region due to our world-class life sciences sector.
Roche (2020): Hoffmann-La Roche Limited (Roche Canada) has announced a major jobs investment into Ontario’s life sciences industry that will bring up to 500 highly skilled and specialized full-time positions to the Toronto Region.
Quanticate (2019): Quanticate, a leading global data-focused clinical research organization (CRO) announced plans to expand its presence in North America with the opening of a new office in the Toronto Region. By expanding its team, the company can meet the forecasted growth in demand across its clinical data services in the region for years to come.
Quality – Canada is a world leader in developing and implementing quality standards. Clinical trial sites are regularly monitored by Health Canada, the US FDA and industry sponsors to ensure compliance.
Speed – Fewer regulatory roadblocks and streamlined processes, reducing clinical trial applications to an average of 30 days.
Diversity – The Toronto Region is home to over 250 ethnicities and nearly half of its population is foreign born, providing an exceptionally diverse patient pool allowing you to conduct global trials from one central location.
Value – More cost-effective location than most major countries, including the U.S. and the U.K. Canada has the second-lowest cost among G7 nations in the management, design and coordination of clinical trials.
Toronto is at the forefront of research in regenerative medicine. In 1961, stem cells were discovered right here in Toronto by Drs. Till & McCulloch. Over 160 researchers in the Toronto Region are working in the field of regenerative medicine, aided by our highly collaborative research culture and scientific leadership.
Toronto’s Princess Margaret Cancer Centre is the largest integrated cancer research, teaching and treatment centre in Canada, and is a world leader in stem cell research. The University of Toronto ranks 2nd in the world in terms of stem cell publications, while Mount Sinai Hospital ranks 4th. The Centre for Commercialization of Regenerative Medicine recently opened the Centre for Cell and Vector Production, a GMP facility to manufacture clinical-grade cells for Phase 1 and 2 trials.