Dynacare 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.
News & Events
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.
Canada’s Genomics Enterprise launches “CanSeq150” to lay the foundation for Canada’s next 150 years of science
February 14, 2018To commemorate the 150th Birthday of Canada in 2017 and to lay the foundation of Canadian excellence in research for the next 150 years, Canada’s Genomics Enterprise (CGEn) and its partners are embarking upon the Canada 150 Sequencing Project (CanSeq150). The aim is to sequence 150 new genomes to support sequence-based genomics research in Canada by enabling future…
Fabry disease precision treatment one step closer to Canadian patients
February 7, 2018Fabry disease is a rare genetic disease caused by a deficiency in the enzyme alpha-galactosidase A (a-Gal A) that causes a buildup of a specific type of fat in the body. Galafold™ (migalastat), a new oral drug to treat some patients with Fabry disease, has just received a positive recommendation by the CADTH Common Drug Review for reimbursement and listing with provincial drug formularies.
U of T prof’s startup takes cancer therapy to clinical trials
February 6, 2018Pionyr Immunotherapeutics, a biotech startup, raises $62 million in series B investment round and is now planning to take its anti-cancer therapy to clinical trials.
Sequencing the world
February 5, 2018It has been 15 years since the publication of the complete human genome. During that time, many organisms have been sequenced from crops and animals to simple organisms like bacteria. The Earth BioGenome Project (EBP) has proposed an audacious goal: to sequence, within a decade, the genomes of all 1.5m known species of plants, animals and fungi. The $500M project could create an enormous data resource that could help answer fundamental question, discover new drugs and materials, and more.