What is in a company name? The name Kane Biotech is a tribute to the fond memories of the company’s founder who lived for many years in a small, rural town in Manitoba, called Kane. In 1906, John H. Kane, a grain buyer from the United States, acquired farmland in the Manitoba area that had been recently drained. Interestingly, this same land has been severely impacted by the inability to remove excess water. Kane hedged his bet that demand for Manitoba wheat would increase when WWI ended, and Kane wanted to advertise the farmland for sale to immigrant farmers in the US at the time.

​In 1918, Kane constructed a home and modern barn (that was three stories in height and boasted its own electrical plant) in southern Manitoba. The structure was considered the largest barn in the province, and it is estimated that Kane owned between 2,000 and 3,000 acres. The wheat price and real estate crash created insurmountable obstacles for Kane, and in 1923 he and his family left Manitoba and returned to the US. However, much of the land that Kane developed for farming has continued today in southern Manitoba.

​Kane Biotech was formed in 2001 in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The founder of the company grew up on the Kane Farm, located just north of St. Jean, Winnipeg, and wanted to name the company as a testament to Kane’s resilience, persistence, and determination for growth. Kane Biotech was created as a discovery and development company focused on novel technologies that prevent and disperse bacterial biofilms.  It was one of the start-up companies of Genesys Venture Inc., a life science accelerator.  The formation of Kane Biotech was based on Dr. Tony Romeo’s research on biofilms. Since then, Kane Biotech has used these discoveries to create innovative and commercialized solutions for human and animal health in Manitoba and throughout the world.

​Interestingly, Kane Biotech’s roots run even deeper with the name of their first brand name of pet products, bluestem. Named Manitoba’s official grass, bluestem grass is well-known for its height and low maintenance, providing shelter to the abundant wildlife in the province. Additionally, its colour is popular for adding this ornamental perennial grass to gardens as leaves transform from a bright green colour in the spring, to a blueish and green hue in the summer to a blazing red colour in the fall.

​Kane Biotech’s team selected the name “bluestem™” to pay homage to the company’s location in Winnipeg, Manitoba, where the company is located. Just as the bluestem grass provides important protection for wildlife, bluestempet™ products “shield” or help pets live long and healthy lives – which is why Kane Biotech created oral care products designed to do just that. Kane’s first product that used the coactiv+™ technology was bluestem™ oral care water additive. With significant success in clinical efficacy and safety studies, Kane launched a full line up of pet oral care products. Kane’s coactiv™ technology is now used in veterinarian clinics across the globe today.

​From its very roots in Manitoba history, Kane Biotech is a biotechnology company engaged in the research, development and commercialization of technologies and products that prevent and remove microbial biofilms. Today, Kane has a portfolio of biotechnologies, intellectual property (80 patents and patents pending, trade secrets and trademarks) and products developed by the Company’s own biofilm research expertise and acquired from leading research institutions. StrixNB™, DispersinB®, Aledex™, bluestem™, bluestem®, silkstem™, goldstem™, coactiv+™, coactiv+®, DermaKB™ and DermaKB Biofilm™ are trademarks of Kane Biotech Inc. Kane Biotech is listed on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol “KNE” and on the OTCQB Venture Market under the symbol “KNBIF”.  More info: kanebiotech.com.