Main Menu
Main Menu
Menu

9 genomics companies you need to know

by

From the Ground UP

Help us celebrate the successes of genomics companies that ‘grew’ with our support

Over the last 20 years, Ontario Genomics, together with the Ontario Government, Genome Canada, and academic, clinical and industry partners, has built a world-leading genomics ecosystem in Ontario. As part of our 20th Anniversary celebration, we highlighted nine success stories from the past two decades to share the advantage that genomics technology brings to industries across different sectors.

The Ontario Genomics Advantage 

We have been ‘rooting’ for genomic advancement for decades. Ontario Genomics has been connecting and collaborating to support genomics research and technologies to help ‘grow’ the economy, create jobs, and improve lives through innovation.

Ontario Genomics Advantage

Learn more about our amazing start-up successes stories:

We “be-leaf” in creating an impactful footprint in genomics innovation. Great happens together and with collaborative research we can achieve the incredible. It is amazing to see our industry partners blossom into new and exciting chapters.

OG Advantage Ardra Bio OG Advantage Bright Angel Therapeutics
OG Advantage Deep Genomics OG Advantage Escarpment Labs
OG Advantage Fluidigm OG Advantage Nicoya
OG Advantage Northern Biologics OG Advantage Platform Genetics
OG Advantage Rapid Novor  

Genome Canada leads $40 million genomics initiative to address COVID-19 pandemic

by

New Canadian network will undertake viral and host genome sequencing to improve patient outcomes

April 23, 2020 – OTTAWA, Ontario – Following an announcement in Ottawa by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Genome Canada launched today the Canadian COVID Genomics Network (CanCOGeN), a newly formed initiative backed by $40 million in federal funding. Led by Genome Canada, in partnership with the six regional Genome Centres, national and provincial public health labs, genome sequencing centres through CGEn, hospitals, universities and the private sector, CanCOGeN will coordinate and scale up existing genomics-based COVID-19 research in Canada and internationally in order to accelerate public impact. This initiative is part of a $1 billion package of measures announced by the Prime Minister today to support new countermeasures to fight the virus.

CanCOGeN will undertake two related genomics projects to help us understand how the virus works, how it is evolving, and why people experience such different health outcomes. CanCOGeN will sequence the genomes of up to 10,000 patients and 150,000 viral samples and will build a bank of “virus to patient” data that will inform decision-making by public health authorities and support the development of therapies and vaccines. Of critical importance, CanCOGeN will establish and manage a framework for cross-Canada safe data sharing, coordination and analysis.

Data will be shared with national and international collaborators to enable additional research, including Canadian vaccine development efforts. This will ultimately help respond to the current COVID-19 emergency as well as build capacity to respond and manage future outbreaks of this virus, or other pandemics. The initiative will be supported by an Advisory Committee to ensure strategic coordination with other Canadian and international COVID-19 health and medical research efforts.

“Genome Canada and the six regional Genome Centres are on a mission to meet the COVID-19 challenge head-on. We will do that by generating accessible and readily usable genomics data to inform public health decisions that impact Canadians,” said Dr. Rob Annan, President and CEO of Genome Canada. “A multi-pronged coordinated national approach to harnessing robust genomic solutions and convening partners across sectors and borders will ultimately lead to better patient outcomes.”

Canada is a world leader in genomics-based research in the healthcare sector, contributing significantly to the responsible application of biosciences to advance human health. CanCOGeN is an open and collaborative initiative that will allow for the gathering of scientific data required in the short-term and for the development of tools needed in the long-term to better protect Canadians’ health in the face of similar outbreaks in the future.

Quotes

“Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have been working closely with Canada’s health experts and researchers, who are some of the most skilled and brightest in the world. We are making sure that Canada remains at the forefront of scientific research to help us make smart and effective decisions on the path to recovery.”
—The Right Honourable Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada

“The Government of Canada is committed to protecting the health and safety of Canadians. We are all in this together: Canada is benefiting from the impressive and innovative power of Canadian researchers in our coordinated national approach to fight COVID-19. Together, we are rapidly scaling-up our research capacity to harness genomic sequencing data to inform public health interventions and to advance a vaccine against COVID-19 to protect our population and end the crisis.”
– The Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science, and Industry

“Genome Canada and the six regional Genome Centres are on a mission to meet the COVID-19 challenge head-on. We will do that by generating accessible and readily usable genomics data to inform public health decisions that impact Canadians. A multi-pronged coordinated national approach to harnessing robust genomic solutions and convening partners across sectors and borders will ultimately lead to better patient outcomes.”
– Dr. Rob Annan, President and CEO of Genome Canada
[Genome Canada, in partnership with the six regional Genome Centres, will lead the newly formed Canadian COVID Genomics Network (CanCOGeN).]

“This investment by the Government of Canada will harness the power of world class genomics infrastructure in Canada to explore the genetic architecture of the human genome and to inform our understanding of the variable clinical response to COVID-19, bringing us closer to enabling personalized risk prediction and precision therapeutic strategies.”
– Dr. Naveed Aziz, Chief Administrative & Chief Scientific Officer, CGEn
[CGEn will lead the COVID-19 host genome sequencing initiative, with support from Genome Canada, Canada Foundation for Innovation’s Major Science Initiatives and others, through its nodes in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver.]

“The national Viral Genome Sequencing Initiative within the Canadian COVID Genomics Network (CanCOGeN) is tremendously important in that we are significantly building out our sequencing capacity in real time to rapidly respond to this Canadian and global health crisis. With expertise coming in from researchers, sequencing centers, clinicians, health care facilities and industry across the country, we will be streamlining guidelines, protocols and data quality control towards building a robust Canadian genomics network that strengthens the Canadian response now and for future outbreaks.”
– Dr. Terrance Snutch, Professor, Michael Smith Laboratories and Director, Translational Neuroscience, Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, University of British Columbia
[Dr. Snutch and his team at UBC’s Michael Smith Laboratories will lead the COVID-19 genome sequencing component of the viral genomics initiative and coordinate with leaders and sequencing sites in each province.]

“The National Microbiology Lab and the Public Health Agency of Canada welcome the opportunity CanCOGeN presents to coordinate and fund large-scale SARS-CoV-2 sequencing efforts, facilitate genomic capacity building more regionally, promote best practices for data management and analysis, and disseminate data, sequencing results, and research outcomes to partners and stakeholders. Studying the genome of the virus and collectively developing tools to analyze the traits of the virus across Canada will provide critical information for our public health response.”
– Dr. Matthew Gilmour, Scientific Director General, Public Health Agency of Canada
[The National Microbiology Lab will coordinate the public health laboratories’ response and host the data analytic core for the viral genomics initiative, which will ensure rapid sharing of the sequence data.]

Quick facts

Contact

Nicola Katz
Director, Communications
Genome Canada
Cell: 613-297-0267
nkatz@genomecanada.ca

Genome Canada is a not-for-profit organization that acts as a catalyst for developing and applying genomics and genomic-based technologies, to create economic and social benefits for Canadians. Genome Canada connects ideas and people across public and private sectors to find new uses for genomics, invests in large-scale science and technology to fuel innovation, and translates discoveries into applications and solutions across key sectors of national importance, including health, agriculture, forestry, fisheries & aquaculture, energy, mining, and the environment.

Canada SynBio 2020 Postponed

by

Given the global situation around COVID-19 and actions being taken by the Canadian, Quebec and Ontario governments, the Canada SynBio Organizing Committee had to make the difficult decision to postpone the upcoming Canada SynBio 2020 conference, originally scheduled for June 3 in Montreal. We are currently working to find a new date and will share the details as soon as they are confirmed.

As Canada SynBio 2020 was part of a larger “SynBio Week” series of events, please see below for their status:

  • June 1-2: The Global BioFoundries Alliance (GBA) has cancelled their AGM.
  • June 4: SynBio 5.0 has been cancelled.

We appreciate your understanding and sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused. During these difficult times, the health and wellbeing of the attendees, speakers, staff and general public remains our top priority.

You can follow us on Twitter for updates and check out www.candesyne.ca for upcoming news on our exciting engineering biology initiative.

Ontario Genomics: COVID-19 Update

by

Given the global response to the COVID-19 health emergency and specific actions being taken by the Canadian, Ontario and Toronto governments, Ontario Genomics is taking the following proactive measures to reduce the potential spread of the virus, prioritizing the health and safety of our staff and the broader community:

  • All Ontario Genomics staff are working from home until April 3*
  • All in-person workshops and meetings currently scheduled are moving online or have been postponed until further notice. If you have a meeting or event scheduled, we will coordinate with you to develop an alternative arrangement.
  • We are no longer taking face-to-face meetings at our office and will instead be setting up virtual meetings and teleconference calls, where appropriate.
  • All business travel has been suspended.
  • The Canada SynBio 2020 Organizing Committee has postponed the Canada SynBio 2020 conference originally planned for June 3, 2020, in Montreal. We are currently working to find a new date and will communicate the details with you as soon as we have this confirmed.

*All dates subject to change.

As the World Health Organization has declared COVID-19 a pandemic, and the Government of Ontario has declared a provincial emergency, we are closely monitoring the situation and adjusting our business operations based on the recommendations of Public Health Officials.

For further information on COVID-19, please refer to the following reliable sources:

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Genome Canada: Major investment in genomics research will improve the health and wellbeing of Canadians

by

Nearly $15 million in federal funding to support genomics research in health, agriculture and environment

March 2, 2020 – Montreal, Quebec – Canada is a world leader in genomics research, producing dramatic breakthroughs in science, and transforming our understanding of the world around us. The results of this research are being used to tackle important challenges and develop innovative solutions, not just in human health, but across diverse sectors of the economy.

Today, on behalf of Minister Navdeep Bains, William Amos, Parliamentary Secretary to Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry (Science), announced $14.7 million to support 11 genomics research projects awarded through Genome Canada. In addition, provincial governments, businesses and research partners are investing $29.7 million for a total of $44.4 million in support of these projects in the areas of health, agriculture and the environment.

This investment will support researchers at McGill University including Dr. Lucy Gilbert, who is working on DOvEEgene a new genomics tool for early detection of ovarian and endometrial cancers. Dr. Gilbert has partnered with Dr. Guy Rouleau and his team at the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) on a genomic uterine pap test to screen for these cancers while they are at the early stages and still curable. This could save thousands of women’s lives and reduce healthcare costs by up to $250 million from the more than $1 billion that is currently spent each year on treatment for the 10,000 Canadian women who are diagnosed with these cancers.

Genomics research collaborations have real, positive impacts on the health and well-being of Canadians.

These networks of partnerships between the research sector and post-secondary institutions support the responsible uptake of new technology, and targeted investments in initiatives with economic and many other benefits to Canada.

Driving genomics research for Ontario’s agriculture and agri-food sector

by

December 5, 2019, Toronto, Ontario –The Ontario Regional Priorities Partnership Program (ON-RP3) is supporting Ontario-focused, industry-academic partnership projects that will positively impact Ontario’s agriculture and agri-food sector.

Today, at the Genomics at the Tipping Point Symposium, Bettina Hamelin, President and CEO of Ontario Genomics, announced the eight successful ON-RP3 project teams. Two of the successful teams, Semex Alliance (University of Guelph) and NutriAg Ltd. (Trent University) were present at this one-day symposium showcasing Ontario’s growing genomics talent and technologies across key sectors, including the agriculture and agri-food sector.

The funding is supporting proof-of-concept stage projects that will deliver genomics/genomics-derived technologies, tools and processes to provide solutions to industry-identified challenges or opportunities within the sector. ON-RP3 will help industry take applied research to the implementation and commercialization stages. These solutions will be implemented by 2024.

In total, eight projects are being funded across Ontario through a $2M investment by the Agricultural Adaptation Council and Ontario Genomics (through Genome Canada). This investment is leveraging $975,000 in industry contributions, for a total of over $2.95 M to drive genomics-derived technologies, tools and processes to create more jobs and grow the Ontario economy.

This investment into agriculture and agri-food genomics research, coupled with industry’s ongoing commitment to technology development and commercialization, is playing an increasingly important part in a changing Ontario economy. This funding will capitalize on Ontario’s broad agricultural production, its cutting-edge innovation and manufacturing capacity, its globally recognized research expertise, and on its diverse and highly skilled workforce.

Quotes

“Agri-food companies and organizations from across Ontario have identified challenges and partnered with academic research teams to help advance genomics research and drive implementation for genomics-based solutions. The Ontario agri-food sector is well positioned for growth and these successful industry-academic partnerships will help create new opportunities that will benefit the entire sector.”
– Kelly Duffy, Chair, Agricultural Adaptation Council

“Genomics technology and innovation are absolutely crucial for the continued growth of Ontario’s agriculture and agri-food sector. By bringing industry and researchers together, these eight projects will create more jobs, keep Ontario competitive and provide amazing growth opportunities for Ontario’s farmers and our rural economy. Ontario Genomics is proud that this investment brings our total support of this sector to over $73 M and maintains our commitment to investing in promising research and industry solutions across the province.”
– Bettina Hamelin, President and CEO, Ontario Genomics  

“The Regional Priorities Partnership Program (RP3) is unique in that it directly supports the regional Genome Centres in developing initiatives that advance genomics research and translation in areas of strategic priority in different parts of Canada. This means that in addition to this funding being important to the genomics ecosystem as a whole, every dollar invested in these eight projects will work to grow Ontario’s economy and improve the lives of Ontarians.”  
– Marc LePage, President and CEO, Genome Canada

“As Canada’s food university, the University of Guelph is absolutely delighted by this phenomenal support from Ontario Genomics and the Agricultural Adaptation Council for seven University of Guelph collaborative projects. This support will reinforce University of Guelph\’s tremendous agri-food sector partnerships to generate discoveries and innovations that will improve life in this province and well beyond. Our world-class genomics researchers are turning ideas into solutions to feed people in healthy, safe, and sustainable ways.”
– Malcolm M. Campbell, Professor & Vice-President Research, University of Guelph

“Trent University is excited and honoured to be one of the eight successful projects selected for the ON-RP3 program for agriculture and agri-food innovations in Ontario. We are grateful to the AAC and Ontario Genomics for backing our partnership that will leverage our laboratory’s plant chemistry academic research with the cropping industry’s needs for greater yields.  The honing of our novel biofertilizer for Ontario agricultural conditions is a great example of advancing scientific discovery towards positive economic, social and environmental outcomes. At time when climate change threatens food production, food security and the livelihoods of those in the agricultural sector, cross-sector collaboration between academia, industry and government can make a significant difference in society.”
– Dr. Neil Emery, VP Research & Innovation, Trent University

“Semex has benefitted from ON-RP3 funding by providing the additional funding required to study and develop digital transformation tools in the dairy industry. The use of digital sensors will provide an array of 24×7 phenotypes that are closer to the underlying biology of animals. This will help us develop health and welfare traits with higher heritabilities and greater benefits for animals and dairy farms globally.”
– Michael Lohuis, PhD, Vice President, Research & Innovation, Semex Alliance

“With this project, we will be able to give our brewery partners access to genomic and metabolomic information they can use to know ahead of time how to work with every yeast strain, and the impact of different process variables like temperature on the flavour outcomes of their beer. This work may also lead to a better understanding of the complex genetics underlying yeast aroma production. This project will help Ontario businesses become leaders in the increasingly competitive craft brewing industry, driving enhanced creativity and improved consistency.”
– Richard Preiss, Co-founder/Co-Owner, Escarpment Laboratories

“Ferrero uses only the highest quality hazelnuts in our consumer products. We are pleased to collaborate with Ontario Genomics, Agricultural Adaptation Council, University of Guelph and the Gosling Institute for Plant Preservation as they work toward understanding and developing high quality hazelnut trees adapted to Ontario growing conditions. These activities are key and support Ferrero’s objective to source local hazelnuts wherever possible.”
– Barb Yates, Agronomist, Ferrero Canada

Quick facts

Agricultural Adaptation Council
Laura Feil
Programs Lead & Communications Manager
lfeil@adaptcouncil.org
Ph. 519-829-8626 ext. 629

Ontario Genomics
Polina Martins
Director, Communications
pmartins@ontariogenomics.ca
Ph. 416-673-6589

Twitter: @adaptcouncil; @OntarioGenomics; @GenomeCanada

Agricultural Adaptation Council is a not-for-profit organization with a membership of 67 Ontario agricultural, agri-food and rural organizations. Since 1995, AAC has established an outstanding level of customer service and program delivery that is efficient, flexible and accountable, focusing on the agriculture and agri-food industry.

Ontario Genomics is a not-for-profit organization leading the application of genomics-based solutions across key sectors of the economy to drive economic growth, improved quality of life and global leadership for Ontario. We connect scientists, ideas and partner organizations for collaborative investment opportunities for our vision of healthy lives, healthy economy and healthy planet through genomics innovations. Since inception in 2000, OG has leveraged $2.6B for genomics research and innovation for Ontario and directly supported more than 9,100 jobs.

Genome Canada is a not-for-profit organization that invests in genomic science and technology and its translation into applications across multiple sectors to produce social and economic benefits for all Canadians. Genome Canada acknowledges the continued support of the Government of Canada. For more information, please visit www.genomecanada.ca.

Ontario Genomics appoints a new Chair and Vice-Chair and welcomes two new board members

by

Ontario Genomics is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Deb Stark as the new Chair of the Board. Dr. Tom Corr has been appointed to be the Board’s Vice-Chair.

Dr. Deb Stark has served on the Board since 2017 and is the former Deputy Minister of the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA), holding a wealth of experience in the agriculture and agri-food policy space. Dr. Tom Corr has served on the Board since 2018 and is the former President and CEO of Ontario Centres of Excellence, with more than 40 years of experience in the technology transfer, ITC, entrepreneurship, academic and venture capital sectors.

Ontario Genomics is also pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Alison Paprica and Colin Kelleher to its Board.

Dr. Tom Corr, Dr. Bettina Hamelin, Colin Kelleher, Dr. Deb Stark and Dr. Alison Paprica

Dr. Alison Paprica is the Vice President of Health Strategy and Partnerships at the Vector Institute, where she leads the health strategy, overseeing research collaborations, data partnerships and AI application projects in the health sector. Colin Kelleher is a serial entrepreneur specializing in angel investing in early-stage tech companies. Colin also serves on the Board of Directors for the Ontario Centres of Excellence.

“At a time when genomics technologies in Ontario are truly at a tipping point, we welcome the impressive diversity and expertise of our Board of Directors. Together we can make sure that genomics-based solutions continue to grow Ontario’s economy and improve quality of life. I look forward to new opportunities to collaborate across sectors and industries to create jobs and generate more investment in Ontario,” said Dr. Bettina Hamelin, President and CEO of Ontario Genomics.

Ontario Genomics thanks Dr. Jack Gauldie for his leadership as interim Chair and looks forward to continuing to work with him in the capacity of Past Chair in the coming year. We also thank retiring Board members Jay Lefton and Dr. Shana Kelley for their invaluable service over the years and their many contributions to Ontario Genomics and the province’s genomics ecosystem.

For more information and detailed biographical notes, visit our Board of Directors page.

Dr. Bettina Hamelin, Dr. Shana Kelley and Dr. Deb Stark