Cosciens Biopharma is a Toronto-headquartered company with operations mostly in Edmonton through its Ceapro subsidiary. Former Ceapro shareholders had their shares consolidated and converted to Cosciens shares when Ceapro went through a merger of equals with American company Aeterna Zentaris, Inc. in 2024. This turned out be a disaster as Aeterna Zentaris has turned out to be approximately worthless after it allowed its German subsidiary to go bankrupt.
Coscien’s remaining main operation, Ceapro Inc., is a small Edmonton-based biotechnology company. For many years it has produced beta glucan and avenanthramides, which it extracts from oats. These products are used as ingredients in the cosmetics industry, including in some popular brand-name anti-aging and skin conditioner creams.