Victoria’s Brock Schuman has "so many chickens to count"

Plus, we'll be in your inbox next Wednesday.

Author

James Matthews
February 05, 2023

TOGETHER WITH

Switchboard PR

Welcome to this week’s Sunday Digest, brought to you by Switchboard. Here is where I usually tell you what to expect in this newsletter. But, instead, I’m going to tell you when to expect the next newsletter. Starting on Wednesday February 8, we're switching your Thursday email to a shiny new Midweek Memo. You'll now receive your essential news and a upcoming events every Wednesday.

By the way, if you're not already subscribed, you can sign up by clicking here.

While Brock Schuman may have "so many chickens to count" on his to-do list, his passion for biotech entrepreneurship has already hatched

Schuman's Azor is part of Victoria's “surprisingly diverse and robust” biotech space (photo supplied).

When he was a postdoc student at the University of Toronto, Brock Schuman designed an inhibitory RNA that worked really well in animal models. The design could never see clinical use, though, Schuman admits. “Excluding vaccines, RNA makes terrible drugs,” he tells Victoria Tech Journal. So, Schuman switched from designing RNA to targeting RNA. He saw a need for a modern way to make bespoke, small molecules that could do just that. The idea became the foundation of Victoria-based biotech company Azor Biotek. 

Azor develops therapeutics for the safe and curative treatment of neurodegenerative and pulmonary diseases. Schuman shares that his drive is strong despite less-than-unique origins. “My passion is probably similar to a lot of entrepreneurs or really ambitious scientists,” he says. “I see a big problem that too many others have been approaching all wrong for too long, and think I'm in a good position to solve it.”

He’s also in a good city to solve it. Thanks to burgeoning biotech businesses like Axolotl and VoxCell, Victoria’s space is currently thriving, and is “surprisingly diverse and robust”, according to Schuman. He adds that the industry is helped by the Biomedical Engineering program at UVic, which is filled with ambitious people. He also sees a natural fit with the Axolotl and VoxCells of the world er… city: “We can make therapeutics, they can evaluate them in human tissue to get closer to the clinic.”

But, for this year at least, Schuman has "so many chickens to count" on his to-do list. He tells Victoria Tech Journal that next up in 2023 is getting the pilot line of therapeutics into animal models. He also hopes to raise a seed funding round to grow the team and explore additional RNA targets.

SPONSORED

Switchboard Public Relations

Helping innovators and changemakers tell their stories

Switchboard works with some of the most progressive and innovative teams in the tech sector.

Tech leaders know their products and services are brilliant, but sometimes need help explaining why they matter and how they will create positive change. Switchboard communicates game-changing ideas to target audiences in a way that’s accessible and exciting.

Is your team on a mission to disrupt the status quo? See how the country’s top tech PR firm can help you.

📰 More Victoria innovation news

👨‍💻 Top one: Jeremy Giffon was the first employee hired by Tiny. Here’s what he learned. Get his insights. 

🎓 Top 50: Camosun College featured in this year’s ranking of Canada’s top-50 research colleges. Learn more.

⚡ Top tips: Go Power, a local solar energy company and a finalist for Innovative Excellence - Hardware in Victoria Tech Community Awards, has insights on how to winterize an RV. Dive in.

🕴️ Tech jobs of the week

Find your next career:

Hiring in Victoria? Reply to this email and let us know! 

📅 Upcoming events

Have an upcoming event? Reply to let us know.

Have something or someone we should know about? Reply or email [email protected] so we can work together to spotlight the lesser-known stories of Victoria's tech ecosystem.