Shaping
Our Future
Applying Innovative
Solutions
Enabling Cutting-Edge
Technologies
Strengthening
Our Economy
Shaping
Our Future
Applying Innovative
Solutions
Enabling Cutting-Edge
Technologies
Strengthening
Our Economy
We lead the application of genomics-based solutions across key sectors to drive economic growth, improve quality of life and foster global leadership in Ontario. Ontario Genomics connects scientists, ideas and partner organizations for collaborative investment opportunities in genomics technologies. Learn more about how we collaborate with multiple stakeholders to achieve our goals.
We bring the right researchers together with the right partners at the right time.
Watch a brief Q+A with our President and CEO, Bettina Hamelin, and our Board Chair, Jack Gauldie, on the evolution of genomics in Ontario over the years and where we are headed next.
“Over the past fiscal year, we have captured 50% of all funding that is available federally for genomics-focused translational research for Ontario, and we have brought the Province to the table every time. This is definitely punching above our weight!”
Watch the President and CEO Message
“I am proud of the work that Ontario Genomics has done since I joined the Board in 2011, and I certainly have been privileged to serve as Interim Chair of the Board of Directors this past year. I personally would like to extend my sincere thanks to the hard-working staff, the management, our research community, our many stakeholders and partners, as well as my fellow board members for their unwavering efforts and achievements in bringing the benefits of genomics innovations to life. I know that the best is yet to come, and I can certainly feel the energy and the excitement in this team that is bringing all of this effort to bear.”
The primary mandate of Ontario Genomics’ Board of Directors is to provide strategic insight and operational governance. The Board comprises leaders from Ontario’s life science sector, including not for profit research and education institutions, agriculture, food, bioeconomy, pharmaceutical and biotechnology enterprises, financial entities, public policy centres, and government. Through quarterly meetings, the Board aims to fulfill Ontario Genomics’ guiding principle promoting world-class research, creating strategic genomics resources and advocating the development of a globally competitive life sciences sector. The Board members’ time and expertise are essential to our ongoing success and future direction, and we are grateful for their contributions.
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We extend our continued gratitude to all of our partners across Ontario, Canada and abroad. Your great work and collaborative support are sincerely appreciated.
Ontario Genomics
MaRS Centre, West Tower
661 University Avenue, Suite 490
Toronto, ON M5G 1M1
CANADA
Phone: 416-977-9582
Fax: 416-977-8342
E-mail: info@ontariogenomics.ca
Diagnose & treat diseases
Provide safer foods
Increase agricultural yields
Protect our environment
Improve manufacturing processes
234 Milestone Driven Contracts
110 Companies Advanced
$1.27B Funds Raised
9109 Direct Jobs Created or Maintained
111 Patents Files
$1.39B Follow-on Investments
Precision medicine is a rapidly evolving field that is changing the landscape for health care. It is improving patient care and making our health care system more cost-efficient.
Ontario Genomics has been an active agent in advancing precision medicine in Ontario through our investments into novel ‘omics approaches to diagnosing and treating mental disorders, childhood cancers, inflammatory bowel disease, rare neurodevelopmental diseases in children, cystic fibrosis and rheumatoid arthritis. We are also directly involved in national strategic initiatives to implement precision medicine in the clinic, such as the Rare Disease Pilot initiative launched by the Genome Canada Enterprise in 2018. Learn more about the initiative here.
Our diverse agriculture and agri-food sector is critically important to Ontario’s economy. While the sector is strong and growing, it increasingly faces challenges due to climate change and global market pressure.
In October 2018, Ontario Genomics, together with our partners, the Agricultural Adaptation Council and Genome Canada, launched a new proof of concept funding program informed by industry needs to support Ontario’s agriculture and agri-food sector. The Ontario Regional Priorities Partnership Program (ON-RP3) provides nearly $3 million to a portfolio of eight projects that will deliver genomics-derived tools, products or processes and bring economic benefits to communities across Ontario. Specifically, they will improve the way we grow soybean, wheat, hazelnut and beer yeast; help crops adapt to our changing climate and tackle disease challenges and animal welfare for pigs, poultry, and dairy cattle.
To maximize impact, the winning projects focus on strategic priority areas identified in our sector strategy report, Genomics for Agriculture & Agri-Food: Ontario’s Strategic Opportunity, and include an industry implementation plan that can be executed within two years of project completion.
The winners of the ON-RP3 Competition were announced in the Fall of 2019 at out annual Genomics at the Tipping Point Symposium.
Engineering biology has become the new frontier of biotechnology, promising to radically improve the way we diagnose and treat disease, grow food, and make everything from clothes to fragrances, biofuels and plastics.
As part of an ongoing effort to build the engineering biology community in Canada, Ontario Genomics hosted the 2019 Canada SynBio Conference at MaRS Discovery District in Toronto. This was Canada’s second national conference focused on Engineering Biology, organized together with the Genome Canada Enterprise and 18 partners and sponsors.
Over 300 people packed the MaRS Discovery District auditorium, including researchers, government, industry, entrepreneurs, start-ups, associations, students, funders, VCs and other investors from across Canada and beyond, to cultivate and promote the Canadian Engineering Biology community of practice, as well as to establish common objectives and parameters for this emerging field. Highlights included keynotes from renowned leaders, a start-up pitch competition for $35,000 in prizes, an iGEM poster competition, and panel discussions on topics ranging from Human Health, Industrial Biotechnology, Cannabis and Agri-Food to tool development and ethical implications for the sector.
The conference was followed by a half-day Workshop with approximately 80 participants to create the foundation for leadership in Canadian Engineering Biology and map out a path forward.
Outcomes included the creation of a National SynBio Steering Committee comprised of key stakeholder groups, including funders, academia and industry. The mandate of this committee is to coordinate efforts across the country for a sustained push that establishes Engineering Biology as a critical component of Canada’s economy and to develop a public engagement strategy through the articulation of a Canadian Engineering Biology road map and identification of funding opportunities.
For upcoming news about this national engineering biology initiative, visit the Can-DESyNe (the Canadian DNA Engineering Systems Network) website.
The ability to imagine and develop new ideas and apply them rapidly through collaboration between researchers and end-users is not only essential, but it is Ontario’s most crucial competitive advantage.
A packed auditorium heard from innovators using genomics to advance the mining, agriculture and agri-food, bioengineering, natural resources and health sectors. Presenters and panelists provided insights into critical elements for success and effectively dealing with red tape, regulatory burdens and other hurdles. They also emphasized the power of partnership between researchers and end-users to drive success in the uptake and application of genomics-based solutions across all sectors of the economy.
The symposium brought many sectors together – linked by the power of genomics and a common learning that success comes from strong partnerships fueled by relationships between people with the right expertise and the best skill sets to leverage each other’s strengths.
Ontario Genomics prioritizes its role in facilitating these important partnerships. By connecting people, ideas and organizations we can strengthen our collective networks and continue to realize the ground-breaking potential of genomics technologies in Ontario and around the world.
Canada’s forestry sector contributes significantly to jobs and GDP, but the industry is being challenged by the digitization of print and global market pressures. A key opportunity identified by the sector and the Ontario Government’s recently published forestry sector strategy is to develop new and innovative wood-based products. By diversifying production away from low-value commodity products like paper, there is an opportunity to transform pulp and paper mills into biomanufacturing plants that produce high-value materials. To help accomplish this, Ontario Genomics is supporting Fortress Advanced Bioproducts, a company valorizing pulp and paper mill side streams into xylitol, a low-calorie sweetener. Fortress is partnering with the University of Toronto to optimize a key step in the xylitol production process that reduces operational costs and improves competitiveness in the market.
Congratulations to all of our other successful project leaders. Learn more about all of our awarded projects here.
As a result of crude oil extraction, transportation and refining processes, there are thousands of sites in Canada contaminated with benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes (collectively known as BTEX). This negatively impacts soil and groundwater resources. In Canada and around the world, remediation of contaminated sites is difficult and costly. When possible, affected soils can be dug up and treated or disposed of offsite. A collaborative project between SiREM, a Guelph-based national leader in environmental remediation, Imperial Oil and the University of Toronto aims to use genomically characterized strains of bacteria that break down BTEX compounds underground without the need to dig up contaminated soil. If successful, solutions developed through this project will significantly accelerate the rate of biodegradation and lead to more efficient and widespread cleanup of contaminated sites at a lower cost.
Congratulations to all of our other successful project leaders. Learn more about all of our awarded projects here.
There is currently no successful treatment for patients with recurrent/treatment-resistant brain cancers, specifically glioblastoma (GBM). Partnering with the University of Toronto and collaborators at McMaster University, Empirica has used genomic screening technology to identify CD133 as a promising target for effective treatment using Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR)-T cell therapy. The overall goal of the project is to design, genetically engineer and validate next-generation CD133 CAR-T cells that can be manufactured “off-the-shelf,” and thus are less costly and less susceptible to immune suppression. As one of the most aggressive cancer types, with inevitable recurrence, the global GBM market was US $416.8 million in 2015 and is forecasted to reach US $1.15 billion by 2024 as the global population increases. In Canada, costs of cancer care have been steadily on the rise, and this project aims to provide more effective and universal treatments for recurrent GBM that can alleviate this economic burden and provide patients with improved treatment options.
Congratulations to all of our other successful project leaders. Learn more about all of our awarded projects here.
Prenatal diagnosis by amniocentesis or chorionic villi sampling carries a risk of miscarriage, is costly and can only be done by specialists in a small number of centers. Therefore, these diagnostic tests are usually only offered after an earlier prenatal screening test result or fetal ultrasound shows an increased risk for chromosomal abnormality, and results are often not known until 17 weeks of gestation. Experts at Mount Sinai Hospital have developed a safe, non-invasive and less expensive test, easily done by a variety of health care professionals, to detect fetal chromosome abnormalities and single-gene disorders. Available to all pregnant people, this technique is similar to a PAP smear and can be performed as early as in the sixth week of pregnancy. With no other test like this available, it will help deliver better prenatal care and compete in the multi-million dollar global market. The technique will be commercialized through a start-up company that will attract investment and create jobs in Ontario’s growing healthcare and biotech sectors.
Congratulations to all of our other successful project leaders. Learn more about all of our awarded projects here.
The beer sector contributes $13.6 billion to the Canadian GDP and has an economic impact of more than three times that of wine and spirits combined. The contribution of craft beer to the beer sector is growing and is predicted to triple by 2027. Nonetheless, local craft beer competes with many imported beers. This, along with the ever-increasing consumer demand for product diversity, drives the industry to more innovative, increase quality and efficiency while decreasing costs. In this industry-academic partnership, Escarpment Laboratories and the University of Guelph will determine the genetic composition of 40 commonly used and novel beer yeast strains to gain insight into its capacity to complete fermentations efficiently and to produce certain flavour components. It will also determine the optimal fermentation temperature and yeast nutrient needs and correlate the production procedures with specific flavour compounds. This will allow brewers to be more consistent and predictable and drive both innovation and profitability in Ontario’s craft brewing sector.
Congratulations to all of our other successful project leaders. Learn more about all of our awarded projects here.
The hazelnut, currently considered a minor crop in Ontario, has gained tremendous interest due to the presence of guaranteed market demand and a predetermined buyer. Ontario-based Ferrero Canada, the manufacturer of the hazelnut-containing products Nutella and Ferrero Rocher, is the third-largest confectionary group in the world, requiring approximately 40% of the current global hazelnut supply. These hazelnuts must meet specific quality standards to retain aroma, taste and consistency during processing. For many years, Ferrero Canada has attempted to source hazelnuts in North America. Unfortunately, the Ontario climate has hindered the ability of Ferrero to expand domestic cultivation. In partnership with the University of Guelph, this industry-academic partnership project will apply genomics to improve cold tolerance of hazelnuts to enhance the productivity, sustainability and profitability of this important crop for Ontario’s agri-food sector.
Congratulations to all of our other successful project leaders. Learn more about all of our awarded projects here.
FREDsense is a synthetic biology company developing novel tools for real-time water quality analysis. Their lead product - the Field Ready Electrochemical Detector (FRED) - consists of a genetically engineered bacterium tuned to sense heavy metals and other contaminants for the mining sector. Real-time water chemistry analysis is vital to managing utility and mine processes, but traditional laboratory analysis can take days, delaying decisions being made on-site and increasing costs. The FredSense system is portable, autonomous, and connected, providing users with continuous water quality measurements. FredSense was awarded first prize in Ontario Genomics’ inaugural Canada SynBio Pitch Competition to expand capabilities to additional heavy metals like lead. The tunability and specificity of the sensor technology has significant potential to help Ontario companies in the mining sector reduce costs to meet their regulatory requirements.
Congratulations to all of our other successful project leaders. Learn more about all of our awarded projects here.
Corn is one of the top three most important crops in Ontario, both in terms of land use and revenue. It is used to produce animal feed as well as ethanol and other bioproducts. IGPC Ethanol, one of the largest agricultural co-operatives in Ontario, supports farmers and promotes a clean environment by using locally grown corn to produce renewable fuel. Located in Aylmer, Ontario, IGPC has grown to become one of the largest producers of renewable fuel in Canada. The company has partnered with a research team led University of Toronto to create enzyme systems that transform the recovered corn fibre by-product into high-value, sustainable products for use in food and a wide range of bio-based materials. By combining expertise in functional genomics, industrial biotechnology and bioprocess deployment, this project will create new economic opportunities for Ontario’s rural communities.
Congratulations to all of our other successful project leaders. Learn more about all of our awarded projects here.
(for fiscal year ended March 31, 2019)
(for fiscal year ended March 31, 2018)
Ontario Genomics connects scientists, ideas and partner organizations for collaborative investment opportunities in genomics-based applied research, translation and application. We do this by:
Since 2000, Ontario Genomics has led genomics innovation in Ontario across key sectors of the province’s economy. Managing a cumulative portfolio of over $1.27 billion in more than 230 genomics projects, we have helped to create over 9,300 jobs in Ontario while addressing challenges in key sectors across the province.