ICR Discovery's Centre Officially Opens
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ICR Discovery's Centre

ICR Discovery's Centre Officially Opens

by Scott A. Sumner

www.thunderbaybusiness.ca

  Thunder Bay’s former cancer treatment centre has undergone a complete remediation to become a state of the art medical research facility. It eventually will house 200 staff including 24 scientists and undertake important medical research for years to come. “ We look at it as our Intercity Shopping Centre for health science research translating into helping people in Thunder Bay and all over the world. The renovations to the old cancer centre cost $10 million but for us to build this facility brand new would easily have cost in excess of $35 million.  From a cost saving standpoint it was an effective use of tax dollars,” said Michael Powers, President of  ICR Discoveries.

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     The facility is 52,000 square feet in size and  is the remediated home to a characterization lab to help develop new medical imaging equipment. It is also home to three separate  wet bench areas where biologists will be working on new bio markers, new drugs, etc. It is also home to Thunder Bay’s first pre clinical facility which means the testing of animal models ( mice and rats) so professors can prove their inventions.  The air handling systems in the facility are all state of the art. The facility is a key piece of the puzzle according to Power whose team is also  building the transitional space at the hospital where they will test these new products.
    “ We are 15 months old and have hired our first 42 staff. We expect to be close to 80 at the end of 2009 and recruitment continues. We are so pleased with the launch. If we achieve our recruitment goals in the next 24 months we will be full,” said Michael Power. “ We would then
need to expand in the transitional setting  like  with our pet scanner to test these inventions on patients. We think that we have a good understanding what the science strategy is at the Federal government for their $2 billion for college and university research. They are looking for project readiness and we are ahead of the game.”

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   “ At 15 months old we don’t want to overhype or sell ourselves. We look out 4 or 5 years say to 2012 as to when we move  from our seed funding, the first $50 0r $ 60 million that we have generated and really try to generate commercialization opportunities. We have three commercial relationships with Phillips now and have added two other companies. We have 8 scientists working here now. In 2012 we will compete internationally.” noted Powers.
    “The research institute business plan calls for some 200 jobs  and indirect positions could number 500. There were 50 direct construction jobs  over  a three year period and the $10 million turned over how many times,” according to Powers. “The operating budget is $6 million a year so those dollars are being recycled. Our scientists are buying homes, cars  and sending their kids to school. The NOSM and LU is growing to meet the needs of the aging population. I see our community  seizing the opportunity on the research clinical action front.”
     “ The staff will be well paid and we have the funds to do that. The changes in industries like pulp and paper are real but at least the economy is being buffered to some degree by the growth in the health sciences. Community hospitals provide cancer care but the ideas have
been created elsewhere. Our organization is now an idea generator. We are helping to create ideas that will transform how health care is done in Singapore or New York City,” said Powers. “  We are about to go live this summer in a trial in medical imaging in ultrasound by Phillips. It
will be tested right here in Thunder Bay.”



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