Capital BioVentures Launches ASCENT26: Accelerating Canada’s Next Therapeutic Breakthroughs

OTTAWA, Ontario--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Capital BioVentures (CBV), a Canadian biotech accelerator supporting the growth of early-stage life sciences companies, today announced the launch of ASCENT26, the second cohort of its ASCENT program. Nine Canadian therapeutics companies have been selected to participate in the six-month virtual program, which provides targeted support to navigate critical development, corporate, and financing milestones.

“Our inaugural ASCENT cohort provided an incredible opportunity to engage with therapeutics companies across the country, and dive into the challenges and opportunities they face at this early stage of development,” said Dr. Jeff Smirle, Executive Director at Capital BioVentures. “The progress we’ve seen from these companies, including their transition into RIDGE, reinforces the importance of providing focused, therapeutics-specific support at the right time. With ASCENT26, we’re excited to build on that success with another exceptional group of Canadian companies as they prepare for their next value inflection points.”

ASCENT26 combines expert-led sessions, workshops, office hours, one-on-one executive coaching, strategic investor engagement and tailored feedback. The curriculum is organized across three core areas — Corporate Development, Product Development, and Financing & Operations, and is designed specifically for pre-seed and seed-stage therapeutics companies. ASCENT26 will culminate with an in-person pitch event on February 1, 2027, giving participating companies an opportunity to present their businesses and connect with investors and industry leaders.

“The program provided a solid foundation for Atorvia to advance scientifically, obtain tailored expertise, prepare to fundraise, and ensure corporate readiness for future growth,” said Jane Lapon, CEO of Atorvia and member of the inaugural ASCENT cohort. “The attention to detail is outstanding and, being specifically tailored for therapeutics companies, it delivers in ways other programs simply cannot.”

ASCENT26 is supported, in part, by the Government of Canada through funding from the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario) and the National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC IRAP).

CBV is pleased to welcome the nine companies selected for ASCENT26:

• BLOCK Biosciences — Hamilton, ON
• CereCura Nanotherapeutics — Vancouver, BC
• Espoir Biosciences — Montreal, QC
• LongTermGevity — Toronto, ON
• NorthMiRs — Toronto, ON
• Oncolinc Therapeutics — Halifax, NS
• RNARevive — Edmonton, AB
• Stoked Bio — Hamilton, ON
• Telescope Therapeutics — Montreal, QC

Together, the ASCENT26 companies represent a diverse cross-section of Canada’s emerging therapeutic innovation ecosystem, spanning multiple provinces and scientific approaches.

About Capital BioVentures

Capital BioVentures is a not-for-profit wet-lab accelerator located in Ottawa that offers early-stage funding and resources to Canadian companies. The organization provides access to specialized drug and corporate development professionals, as well as high-quality laboratory space, equipment, and non-dilutive funding. CBV provides full-service supports, allowing small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to develop their products and expand their businesses.

About FedDev Ontario

Since 2009, the Government of Canada, through FedDev Ontario, has worked to advance and diversify the southern Ontario economy through funding opportunities and business services that support innovation, growth and job creation in Canada’s most populous region. The Agency has delivered impressive results, which can be seen in southern Ontario businesses that are creating innovative technologies, improving productivity, growing revenues, creating jobs, and in the economic advancement of communities across the region. Learn more about the impact the Agency is having in southern Ontario by exploring our impact stories, our Southern Ontario Spotlight, and FedDev Ontario’s X, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn accounts.

About NRC IRAP

The National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC IRAP) provides advice, connections, and funding to help Canadian small and medium-sized businesses grow, increase their innovation capacity and take ideas to market. The Program is delivered through a dedicated network of Industrial Technology Advisors located in communities across Canada, helping businesses succeed across all industry sectors.

About BLOCK Biosciences

BLOCK Biosciences is a Hamilton, ON-based biotechnology company developing first-in-class therapeutics designed to intercept the spread of cancer to the brain. Built on clinically validated models and a deep understanding of metastatic biology, the company is advancing brain-penetrant precision therapeutics that target vulnerabilities in cancer cells to reduce the risk of brain metastasis and improve outcomes for patients.

About CereCura Nanotherapeutics

CereCura Nanotherapeutics is a University of British Columbia spinout developing next-generation RNA therapies for neurological diseases. The company combines expertise in neuroscience and drug delivery with brain-optimized lipid nanoparticle (LNP) technology to enable targeted delivery of RNA therapeutics to the brain, with the goal of overcoming key challenges in treating neurological disorders and improving patient outcomes.

About Espoir Biosciences

Espoir Biosciences is a Montreal, QC-based biotechnology company developing RNA-based therapeutics for neurodegenerative diseases, initially focused on amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Founded by researchers from the Centre de recherche du CHUM and Université de Montréal, the company is developing antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) therapies designed to stimulate neuronal health and regeneration, with the goal of addressing the underlying mechanisms of neurodegenerative disease.

About LongTermGevity

LongTermGevity Inc. is a Toronto, ON-based biotechnology company developing innovative non-opioid therapies to treat pain. The company’s research focuses on novel approaches to pain management, supported by patent-pending technology and research conducted in collaboration with academic partners. LongTermGevity is advancing its pipeline toward clinical development with the goal of delivering safer, more effective and longer-lasting treatment options for patients.

About NorthMiRs

NorthMiRs Inc. is an early-stage biopharmaceutical company developing innovative microRNA therapies to prevent heart failure. NM-01A is a miRNA-based treatment delivered using lipid nanoparticles alongside standard-of-care treatment. NorthMiRs has generated strong efficacy data in relevant rat models and have begun testing in porcine models.

About Oncolinc Therapeutics

Oncolinc Therapeutics, founded in 2024 by researchers from Dalhousie University’s Marcato Lab, is developing a new class of cancer therapeutics to overcome immunotherapy resistance. The company targets long non-coding RNAs that enable tumors to evade detection by T cells. Its lead program is a patent-pending oligonucleotide therapeutic targeting this mechanism, with the goal of restoring immune recognition and expanding treatment options for patients who do not respond to existing immunotherapies.

About RNARevive

RNARevive is developing self-amplifying RNA (saRNA) medicines that turn the body into its own therapeutic factory. Our technology delivers temporary genetic instructions that enable a patient’s cells to produce therapeutic proteins directly in the body, with the potential for sustained expression from a single low dose. By shifting medicine production from expensive and complex factories to personalized medicine made by patients, RNARevive is building a new standard for therapeutics and improving patient outcomes.

About Stoked Bio

Stoked Bio, based in Hamilton, ON, is a McMaster University spinout with a biology-driven, machine-learning-assisted drug discovery and optimization platform. The company is advancing four patentable programs targeting drug-resistant infectious diseases and cancer, with a strategy of partnering with established pharmaceutical companies to bring its candidates to market.

About Telescope Therapeutics

Telescope Therapeutics is advancing a targeted pipeline to halt and reverse fibrotic diseases. Powered by its proprietary personalized disease modeling platform, the company combines patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) with advanced biosensors to capture human-relevant disease biology early in drug discovery. With this predictive platform, Telescope's goal is to bring effective therapeutic solutions to patients affected by fibrotic diseases.