Ontario Genomics Institute /
2012 Annual Report

DNA barcoding will identify our impact on the environment, such as how the oil sands have affected the Delta-Athabasca Wetland.

Dr. Hajibabaei’s Biomonitoring 2.0 project will use genomics to assess the biodiversity in Wood Buffalo National Park and improve sustainability.

State-of-the art genomics technologies are tools that provide life sciences solutions to real-world challenges in health, agriculture and the environment.

Disease models are used to discover more about genes, leading to more effective diagnosis and treatments.

This large-scale phenotyping facility used by Dr. McKerlie’s team will help understand the function of our genes to enable better diagnosis and new drug development.

Investigators at Dr. Yudin’s lab are using proteomic research to develop a technology which will aid in future drug discovery and delivery.

Basic research funded by OGI is developing innovative technologies to solve industry problems.

Summer Research Fellow Maria Tassone presents her findings to other researchers and members of the public.

OGI’s Summer Research Fellowship program provides students like Sean Cai an opportunity to conduct meaningful research with leading genomics investigators.

Overview

We cannot surf the Internet, watch television, or read a magazine without reminders of the challenges facing our society, such as pollution, famine and chronic illness. Genomics holds answers to many of these problems.

Bringing about real-world change is a balance between science, which leads to discovery, and knowledge translation to make these discoveries applicable beyond the lab. The Ontario Genomics Institute is driving discoveries through our world-class research funded in Ontario through Genome Canada. Our SPARK Technology Development catalyst program funds innovative out-of-the-box ideas and we are turning scientific discovery into real-world innovation by investing at a critical stage through our Pre-commercialization Business Development Fund.

OGI events such as AgBio 3D, an Ontario-Quebec personalized medicine partnering meeting, and an environmental metagenomics workshop, encourage discussion and foster collaboration between industry and academia, and result in partnerships and greater understanding of the needs of the industry.

In addition to supporting research and commercialization, we educate our stakeholders, including government decision-makers and the general public, about the value of genomics and the impact it has on daily lives. This year, we launched a new campaign and the WhyGenomics website, aimed at demonstrating daily applications of genomics research.