Honoring BC Innovation
Life Sciences BC Recognizes 2026 Award Winners for Advancing BC Health Innovation
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Life Sciences BC (LSBC) has named Kardium, NervGen, and Xenon among the winners of its 28th Annual Life Sciences BC Awards, announced June 18, 2026 Business Wire. The awards mark what industry leaders call a turning point for British Columbia's health innovation sector — now the fastest-growing life sciences ecosystem in Canada.
Kardium CEO Kevin Chaplin said the award recognizes an "exceptional year" for his company, which now employs over 700 people in B.C. Business Wire. Winners will be formally honored at the Life Sciences BC Awards Gala on September 9, 2026, at the Vancouver Convention Centre West.
Kardium and Xenon Lead a Banner Year for BC Biotech
Kardium took Company of the Year honors after the FDA approved its Globe System — a mapping and ablation device for atrial fibrillation — and successfully brought it to market Business Wire. The Burnaby-based company has grown to more than 700 local employees, a scale rare for a B.C. medical device firm.
Xenon won Deal and Financing of the Year after securing a landmark funding round on the back of successful Phase 3 clinical trial data Business Wire. On the emerging company side, NervGen took the Biotech honour and Sonic Incytes won MedTech, while CASTL was named Strategic Partner of the Year.
Individual Honorees Reflect a Generation of BC Science Leadership
Dr. Ali Tehrani received the Dr. Don Rix Lifetime Achievement Award, the program's highest individual honour. Dr. David Huntsman took the Scientific Entrepreneurship Award and Dr. Joerg Bohlmann won the Genome British Columbia Award for Scientific Excellence Business Wire.
Brenda Irwin was recognized with the Milton Wong Community Leadership Award for her contributions to the broader life sciences community Business Wire. LSBC President and CEO Wendy Hurlburt said B.C. is now building "generational talent," pointing to veterans from early successes who are now founding the current wave of companies Investment Reports.
Five Startups Named to 'Companies to Watch' List for Investors
LSBC also spotlighted five early-stage firms on its non-competitive Companies to Watch list: Evolved Therapeutics, Incisive Genetics, Integrated Nanotherapeutics, Sustained Therapeutics, and ViewsML Business Wire. The list is not a competition — it is a signal to investors about high-potential startups in the province.
The September 9 Gala is expected to serve as a major deal-making event, with sponsors including AbCellera, Acuitas Therapeutics, Aspect Biosystems, STEMCELL Technologies, and Genome British Columbia in attendance Business Wire. Early Bird ticket pricing closes July 31, 2026 Eventbrite.
BC Life Sciences Has Grown to 27,000 Jobs and $3.3 Billion in Capital
The awards come as B.C.'s life sciences sector posts record numbers. The industry supported roughly 27,000 jobs by 2024 and attracted $3.3 billion in capital during 2020–2021 alone, according to BC Stats and the Province of British Columbia. The number of life sciences businesses jumped 26.5% between 2018 and 2021.
B.C. now holds the top spot in Canada for life sciences startup growth, driven partly by the 2023 provincial biomanufacturing strategy Province of British Columbia. Analysts at BDO USA say 2026 is a year of momentum industry-wide, with recent interest rate cuts making early-stage venture capital more attractive again.
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