ImmunoPrecise Antibodies (TSX:V – IPA) was a quiet, private Victoria-based company that had established itself as a successful, albeit small, contributor to the Canadian biotech scene. That is all changing with a vengeance under the leadership of it’s new President & CEO Dr. Jennifer Bath. And perhaps more tellingly, with the assistance of her Chief Scientific Officer Dr. Deanna Dryhurst and Director of Global Project Management Kari Graber, this team has helped make the now publicly traded ImmunoPrecise arguably the industry’s first full-service antibody discovery provider. And they are exciting shareholders with significant worldwide growth and revenue up over 400% this year alone.

A lot of conversation and ink has been used in the media decrying the lack of role models in science for girls and young women. And perhaps that is a function of where we are looking. There is no doubt our education system and academia is too often the focus, and found to be wanting. Dr. Bath and the team at ImmunoPrecise remind us that it is worth exploring the private sector for success stories. It is certainly a story that the shareholders at IPA are enjoying and has them looking for better things ahead.

Dr. Bath began her career as an academic, becoming the founder and executive director of the Concordia College Global Vaccine Institute. She then moved to the private sector where she spent 15 years with Aldevron LLC, serving as its Global Director. Dr. Dryhurst has a PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from UVic. Her work in developing ImmunoPrecise’s proprietary single B cell technology has been critical to the company’s growth and profit margins. Kari Grabner has more than 20 years experience in biotech manufacturing quality assurance, and has been critical to the success of IPA’s customer service model.

Most importantly, Dr. Bath and her team have given ImmunoPrecise a view of the future that is international is scope and scale. Her ambitious business plan is to be the partner-of-choice for the world’s biggest pharmaceutical companies seeking treatments for major diseases. And perhaps not surprisingly, IPA’s recent acquisition of ModiQuest Research in the Netherlands brought another female STEM leader into the fold. Dr. Debby Krusijsen is the head of research at the lab which recently announced the expansion of its human therapeutic discovery platform in Europe and the US, partnering with Ligand Pharmaceuticals.

The competitive world of bioscience – and the public markets – rewards skill, experience, commitment and boldness. Canada can take pride in a company whose female leadership team exhibits all of these characteristics.

Here is a great article that I felt MoneyTalks subscribers would like to read to prove the point that the federal government is on another tax grab of your hard earned money. They have increased the “collection plate” to add an additional $20 billion over their projected forecast and guess where it comes from… $10 billion surplus from income tax.

If your frustrated in paying more than your fair share of taxes, we have a couple strategies to significantly reduce your tax contributions for 2018. We will be conducting seminars in Vancouver, Victoria and Calgary November 12, 13, 14 & 15. – Craig Burrows CEO, TriView Capital Ltd.

The Economist this week warns policy makers to “start preparing for the next recession” while they still can. The release of the government of Canada’s annual financial report for the 2017-18 fiscal year, however suggests the Trudeau Liberals have no notion of foregoing that most enjoyable of all entitlements: spending other people’s money.

The annual budget is an aspirational document, revealing what the government would like to do. But the annual report is a look…Click here for full article

So far in this fiscal year, which just started on October 1, the US gross national debt – the total debt issued by the US government – has jumped by $138 billion in just 11 business days, fueled by a stupendous spending binge and big-fat tax cuts, to a breath-taking $21.654 trillion, after having jumped $1.27 trillion in fiscal 2018. And these are the good times! CLICK for complete article

If you have a newer car, you may already be using features like adaptive cruise control, park in/out assist, lane control assist, pilot assist etc.  These features typically use cameras, radar, and lasers to determine your situation, and then invoke artificial intelligence (AI) to “manage” your situation, such as applying the brakes, accelerating, and/or turning the steering wheel.  All of these features move us along the road to more and more autonomous operation of a vehicle.  So how far along that road are we going?

There are several major players in the autonomous vehicle field, and here is a sampling of what they are doing lately:

TESLA – they call it “Autopilot”, but the term is a little ambitious, as the driver should always be attentive and responsive in situations where the system gets into trouble. So much depends on there being reliable road and lane markings so the cameras can always “see” where you are and make appropriate decisions.  If road markings are faded or non-existent, the system cannot function effectively.  The latest version of TESLA “autopilot” includes the ability to link Navigation with Autopilot, giving it the ability to select and maneuver the correct highway entrances and exits.  For TESLA cars without “autopilot” built in there is an aftermarket product that owners can install themselves to provide similar capabilities – –  COMMA AI’s Open Pilot, paired with the EON Dashcam DevKit.

HONDA / GM – these two giants are teaming up to bring us the next generation of autonomous vehicles.  Honda plans to invest $12b over 12 years in the GM subsidiary, “CRUISE”.  Putting out a fleet of self driving versions of the Chevy Bolt EV is already in the GM/CRUISE plans.  Partnering with Honda, they plan to develop fully autonomous vehicles, not based on any existing car.  Initially targeting USA, the fully autonomous vehicles are planned with no steering wheel or pedals, prompting a re-think of laws and regulations.

GOOGLE / WAYMO – Started by GOOGLE in 2009 and spun off as WAYMO in 2016, these guys have the most autonomous miles under their belt, stating that their vehicles have gone over 9 million miles to date, and are adding about 25,000 more each day.  They have an “early rider” program underway in Phoenix, Arizona on public streets.  Based on WAYMO’s Safety Report, most of those miles have been quite safe.  See the Report here:  https://storage.googleapis.com/sdc-prod/v1/safety-report/Safety%20Report%202018.pdf

Also have a look at the WAYMO video here:  https://waymo.com/tech/

Other major carmakers have jumped aboard, offering many of the popular autonomous features.  Companies like Nissan, Hyundai, Volvo, and Toyota now highlight these features in their marketing, touting them as must-have “safety” features.  Also driving these developments are other transportation industry giants, such as UBER, who see a great opportunity to increase profits by eliminating their need for drivers.  Some analysts have predicted that if all vehicles began operating with advanced AI autonomous capabilities tomorrow, then traffic accidents, injuries, and deaths would be immediately reduced by over 90%.  Given that there have been at least 2 deaths involving autonomous vehicles, it may be a while before the masses will totally accept these vehicles on the streets of their cities, let alone in their garage, ready for their family’s daily use.

As stated previously, the Trend Disruptors team will be analyzing new technologies such as autonomous vehicles, and identifying the companies that stand out in terms of investment potential.  These companies may be large or small, but much like the internet boom of the 1990’s many of them will make the grade and succeed.  The best and most promising of them all will generate Trend Disruptors recommendations.  We will be watching a broad range of companies and technologies, expecting that there will be everything from small start-ups to large corporations, all striving to disrupt specific market segments and industries.

Let Trend Disruptors be your guide to the future, as we continue to identify technology investment opportunities that can lead to financial success. Click here to subscribe 

If you have a newer car, you may already be using features like adaptive cruise control, park in/out assist, lane control assist, pilot assist etc.  These features typically use cameras, radar, and lasers to determine your situation, and then invoke artificial intelligence (AI) to “manage” your situation, such as applying the brakes, accelerating, and/or turning the steering wheel.  All of these features move us along the road to more and more autonomous operation of a vehicle.  So how far along that road are we going?

There are several major players in the autonomous vehicle field, and here is a sampling of what they are doing lately:

TESLA – they call it “Autopilot”, but the term is a little ambitious, as the driver should always be attentive and responsive in situations where the system gets into trouble. So much depends on there being reliable road and lane markings so the cameras can always “see” where you are and make appropriate decisions.  If road markings are faded or non-existent, the system cannot function effectively.  The latest version of TESLA “autopilot” includes the ability to link Navigation with Autopilot, giving it the ability to select and maneuver the correct highway entrances and exits.  For TESLA cars without “autopilot” built in there is an aftermarket product that owners can install themselves to provide similar capabilities – –  COMMA AI’s Open Pilot, paired with the EON Dashcam DevKit.

HONDA / GM – these two giants are teaming up to bring us the next generation of autonomous vehicles.  Honda plans to invest $12b over 12 years in the GM subsidiary, “CRUISE”.  Putting out a fleet of self driving versions of the Chevy Bolt EV is already in the GM/CRUISE plans.  Partnering with Honda, they plan to develop fully autonomous vehicles, not based on any existing car.  Initially targeting USA, the fully autonomous vehicles are planned with no steering wheel or pedals, prompting a re-think of laws and regulations.

GOOGLE / WAYMO – Started by GOOGLE in 2009 and spun off as WAYMO in 2016, these guys have the most autonomous miles under their belt, stating that their vehicles have gone over 9 million miles to date, and are adding about 25,000 more each day.  They have an “early rider” program underway in Phoenix, Arizona on public streets.  Based on WAYMO’s Safety Report, most of those miles have been quite safe.  See the Report here:  https://storage.googleapis.com/sdc-prod/v1/safety-report/Safety%20Report%202018.pdf

Also have a look at the WAYMO video here:  https://waymo.com/tech/

Other major carmakers have jumped aboard, offering many of the popular autonomous features.  Companies like Nissan, Hyundai, Volvo, and Toyota now highlight these features in their marketing, touting them as must-have “safety” features.  Also driving these developments are other transportation industry giants, such as UBER, who see a great opportunity to increase profits by eliminating their need for drivers.  Some analysts have predicted that if all vehicles began operating with advanced AI autonomous capabilities tomorrow, then traffic accidents, injuries, and deaths would be immediately reduced by over 90%.  Given that there have been at least 2 deaths involving autonomous vehicles, it may be a while before the masses will totally accept these vehicles on the streets of their cities, let alone in their garage, ready for their family’s daily use.

As stated previously, the Trend Disruptors team will be analyzing new technologies such as autonomous vehicles, and identifying the companies that stand out in terms of investment potential.  These companies may be large or small, but much like the internet boom of the 1990’s many of them will make the grade and succeed.  The best and most promising of them all will generate Trend Disruptors recommendations.  We will be watching a broad range of companies and technologies, expecting that there will be everything from small start-ups to large corporations, all striving to disrupt specific market segments and industries.

Let Trend Disruptors be your guide to the future, as we continue to identify technology investment opportunities that can lead to financial success. Click here to subscribe