Genome Canada has partnered with the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) to launch a funding opportunity to support a national network that will help maintain Canada’s leadership in enabling clinical geneticists who are identifying rare disease gene mutations to collaborate with model organism researchers with expertise in the cognate gene’s function, and to develop…
News
Gene clues help save pancreatic cancer survivor’s life
March 21, 2018Richard Beauchamp is cancer free despite his pancreatic cancer diagnosis in 2014. Beauchamp learned that, in his case, his French Canadian genes held a clue to an effective treatment when he enrolled in the pan-Canadian clinial trial EPPIC. EPPIC aims to sequence the tumours of pancreatic cancer patients across the country and provide personalized treatment based on their particular subtype of the disease. Beauchamp and others are seeing the benefits of this approach.
Genetic study of Quebec residents finds air pollution trumps ancestry
March 20, 2018Air pollution leaves its mark on the human body, a newly published Canadian study, led by Philip Awadalla of the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research in Toronto, has found. For example, the results show that someone who was born in Saguenay but who grew up in Montreal will develop a genetic expression signature along with associated risk factors that more closely resemble those of a native Montrealer. These results may help develop better predictors of disease risk.
Lawson researchers receive $4.4 million to study personalized medicine at LHSC
March 19, 2018With $4.4M in new funding, Dr. Richard Kim and team at Lawson Health Research Institue (LHSC) will follow patient outcomes and assess the cost-effectiveness of LHSC’s personalized medicine program, providing evidence on the relationship between the cost of the program and how patient care is improved. This program focuses on pharmacogenomics, the study of genetic changes that alter the way a person responds to individual drugs.
New Canadian-developed, innovative genetic test for epilepsy
March 19, 2018Dynacare has launched a new and unique genetic test for epilepsy patients. Developed at the London Health Sciences Centre and commercialized through Dynacare, this Canadian innovation success story is paving the way for academic-commercial partnerships.
Canada SynBio 2018
March 15, 2018On March 6 Ontario Genomics, in partnership with ISED Canada and the Genome Canada Enterprise, hosted Canada’s first national conference focused on Engineering Biology. Over 275 people attended the packed MaRS Discovery District auditorium for the event with speakers and attendees from academia, industry and government across Canada, the US and globally. The day was about learning, mobilizing the community, creating opportunities for collaboration and partnership, and ultimately to start charting a course for Canada to capitalize on this emerging area.
Genomics enters its teen years
February 22, 2018Andre Picard, commenting on the recent report on Canada’s Personal Genome Project, suggests that genomics has entered its frustrating adolescent phase. This study found that our genome “is a lot more messy and unpredictable than anyone could have imagined. Like a typical teenager.”
Why mapping your DNA may be less reliable than you think
February 21, 2018Scientists leading Canada’s Personal Genome Project say they have taken the deepest dive possible into human DNA, conducting the most thorough analysis that current computing allows on the whole genome sequences of 56 Canadians. Their investigation shows how much we still have to learn.
Nicoya Lifesciences raises $2 million to change how the next generation of drugs will be discovered
February 20, 2018Ontario Genomics is delighted with the recent news that Nicoya Lifesciences (Nicoya) has raised $2 million in financing from a syndicate of investors in the Toronto-Waterloo corridor, led by Ripple Ventures. Ontario Genomics, through its Pre-commercialization Business Development Fund, previously invested in Nicoya to help advance Nicoya’s flagship product, OpenSPR – a label-free, real time molecule sensor. It has many applications, including enabling drug discovery. Congratulations to the team at Nicoya!
Canadian Genomics Cloud launched
February 16, 2018A national consortium of industry and academic collaborators have launched the Canadian Genomics Cloud, an integrated software platform to manage, analyze and share genome sequence and clinical data. As detailed in an accompanying white paper, this public cloud computing platform will give every scientist in the country unfettered access to award-winning technology empowering precision medicine and other applications in genomics research.