Loyalist College and GreenCentre Canada help develop the bio economy 

Belleville, Ontario, October 26, 2021 – Loyalist College’s Centre for Natural Products and Medical Cannabis is using its expertise to help five companies grow and develop their technologies and products through GreenCentre Canada’s CONNECT program.

“As Loyalist College looks to augment our industry aligned programming and applied research offerings in the Bio Economy, this CONNECT funding enables us to strategically support these companies in bringing sustainable products and processes to market. I would like to thank GreenCentre Canada for their continued support which empowers the College to enhance applied research opportunities for industry partners within our Centre for Natural Products and Medical Cannabis while providing our students with remarkable work-integrated learning experiences,” said Dr. Ann Marie Vaughan, President and CEO of Loyalist College.

Companies developing new sustainable technologies in the bio-products sector can benefit greatly from external commercial and technical services. However, identifying and funding these services can be a challenge. GreenCentre’s CONNECT program provides the opportunity and the funding for SMEs to work with Canadian service providers, such as Loyalist’s Centre for Natural Products and Medical Cannabis, to accelerate the development of their bio-based products or services.

“The CONNECT program is an all-around success story for the Canadian bio-economy. An immediate benefit is to provide SMEs with expert resources such as those found at Loyalist’s Centre for Natural Products and Medical Cannabis. Long-term, the program keeps the value of these development services as well as the SME’s intellectual property in Canada” said Dr. Andrew Pasternak, Executive Director, GreenCentre Canada.

About the companies and projects

Canna Stream Solutions Ltd. is developing technologies for storing, transportation and processing of cannabis and other plant waste. Their patent-pending technology allows for the efficient processing of cannabis flowers and organic waste into extracts containing cannabinoids. It also can be used for extraction of high value chemicals from other plants and fungi. This project will demonstrate proof of concept of the novel green extraction technology on various plants and fungi.

Cold Plasma Group Inc. has developed and is bringing to market a patent-pending, sterilization technology for the cannabis industry. This technology consists of cold plasma processing cycles, tailored to be effective at reducing the microbial contamination on cannabis products, yet gentle towards product quality and chemical composition. This project will perform prototype “field” testing that will facilitate the implementation of the technology under typical customer operational conditions.

MycoDynamix Company Limited is a bioscience company developing nutraceutical and biopharmaceutical products based on functional mushrooms. This project involves the investigation of extraction technologies, techniques, and processes useful in the isolation of beneficial bioactive compounds found in certain functional mushrooms.

Terra Plant Molecular Pharming Inc. is a Toronto-based biotech startup in synthetic biology which has developed a patent-pending plant-based production system that can be used to produce small molecules and proteins faster, cheaper and with greater scalability. The technology is highly adaptable and can produce multiple products including vaccines, insulin, vitamins, biofuels, opioids and protein supplements. This project is to build and validate the prototype and minimum viable product for a cannabinoid production system.

Vive Crop Protection creates Precision Chemistry to expand the horizons of Precision Ag. Using the Allosperse® Delivery System, Vive greatly improves the targeting and performance of chemical and biological active ingredients, helping growers achieve real results. This project expands on initial proof-of-concept work currently being undertaken to investigate the ability of Vive’s AlloReach polymer to disperse non-polar chemicals in water.

About GreenCentre Canada 

Based in Kingston, ON,  GreenCentre Canada is a not-for-profit organization with a mission to support the growth of chemical and material start-ups, SMEs, and multinationals by transforming their innovations into valued products, processes, and services. GreenCentre Canada provides a full suite of technical services including product validation, process development, application testing, and scale-up support. 

About Loyalist College

Loyalist College is located on the territory of the Huron-Wendat, the Anishnaabeg, and the Haudenosaunee people. We acknowledge our shared obligation to respect, honour, and sustain these lands and the natural resources contained within. Ranked one of Canada’s top 50 research colleges and #1 in the country for industry research income as a percentage of total research income, Loyalist College empowers students, faculty, staff, and partners through experiential, industry cluster-based education, training and applied research programs. As Ontario’s Destination College, the College provides job-ready graduates for, and knowledge transfer to, industry and the community. Of 2018-19 graduates, 88.8 percent were employed within six months after graduation. Located on more than 200 acres in the beautiful Bay of Quinte region, the College is perfectly positioned between Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal. Loyalist College offers more than 70 full-time diploma, certificate and apprenticeship programs in biosciences, building sciences, business, community service, health and wellness, media studies, public safety, and skilled trades. Continuing education options are available through LoyalistFocus.com, including hundreds of online, distance and in-class courses, and through the College’s 100+ university transfer agreements. Loyalist College is a key driver of social and economic health in eastern Ontario. It contributes 3.7 percent of the Gross Regional Product, representing $382 million annually to the regional economy – based on a March 2020 report by Emsi. For more information on Loyalist College’s Belleville, Bancroft and Toronto campuses and Port Hope satellite location, visit loyalistcollege.com.

– 30 –

Contact: Marketing and Communications
Loyalist College, marcom@loyalistcollege.com