With luck, ingenuity and some scientific know-how, Sudbury’s tailings ponds could become a new source nickel, copper and zinc. Researchers met to discuss developing technologies that aim to remediate waste and effluent waters from mining operations in Sudbury and British Columbia.
News
Western University hosts second annual synthetic biology symposium
August 23, 2017On July 28, 2017, Western University held their second annual synthetic biology symposium entitled ‘Inventing the Future’. Over 225 participants from across Ontario attended to learn about cutting edge research being done at universities and startup companies like Ardra and Designer Microbes, as well as hear from technology providers including BioNano Genomics, who made the…
Too many drug trials, too few patients
August 23, 2017With the arrival of two revolutionary treatment strategies, immunotherapy and personalized medicine, cancer researchers have found new hope — and a problem that is perhaps unprecedented in medical research. There are too many experimental cancer drugs in too many clinical trials, and not enough patients to test them on.
North Bay pharmacy using DNA to tailor prescriptions
August 23, 2017First in North Bay, but eventually all of Canada, ProZed Pharmacy Solutions is introducing access to a DNA test that aims to provide physicians with more accurate information about what medication might work, and in what doses. Samples are collected at the pharmacy and tested by Minnesota-based OneOme to help guide prescribing for a variety of drugs including those for anxiety and heart attack recovery.
Bettina Hamelin joins Ontario Genomics as new President and CEO
August 3, 2017On August 1st Ontario Genomics welcomed Bettina Hamelin as its new President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Dr. Hamelin joins Ontario Genomics with over 25 years of leadership experience in academia, the biotech and international pharmaceutical industry and the public sector bringing extensive expertise as a biotechnology strategist and a champion of science and innovation….
Illumina Accelerator explores genomic innovation in Ontario
August 3, 2017On July 11, 2017, Ontario Genomics hosted San Francisco-based Illumina Accelerator in Toronto, in partnership with MaRS Discovery District. Due to the overwhelming response from the community, the breakfast kick-off event was sold out, with over 150 participants. This inaugural visit of Illumina Accelerator to Toronto featured Amanda Cashin, Head of Illumina Accelerator, and Alex…
A moonshot project to surmount mental health issues
August 3, 2017Mental health is the greatest challenge in health in the 21st century. Steven Scherer at Sick Kids Hospital calls for a moonshot project including genetics, imaging and artificial intelligence to help the one in five Canadians with mental health challenges such as ADHD, anxiety or depression.
Scientists Just Made Food From Electricity
August 3, 2017Finnish researchers have created a batch of single-cell protein that is nutritious enough to serve for dinner using a system powered by renewable energy. The entire process requires only electricity, water, carbon dioxide, and microbes. The synthetic food was created as part of the Food From Electricity project, which is a collaboration between Lappeenranta University of Technology (LUT) and the VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland.
New genomics tool CITE-Seq enables large-scale multidimensional analysis of single cells
August 3, 2017A new technique developed by scientists at the New York Genome Center (NYGC) represents an important step forward for single-cell RNA sequencing, an advancing field of genomics that provides detailed insights into individual cells and makes it possible to distinguish between different cell types and to study disease mechanisms at the level of individual cells.
Canadian database of genetic variants proves its worth
August 3, 2017Clinical diagnostic laboratories may classify DNA variants differently from each other based on information difficult to share with the broader community. Toronto research Dr. Jordan Lerner-Ellis led a pan-Canadian collaboration of clinical diagnostic labs to evaluate the use of a communal database (opengenetics.ca) to harmonize test results.