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Blog: When life sciences meet innovation, the world can heal itself

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SiREM’s groundbreaking work in Ontario for the world

The marvels of biotechnology are what drive the ground-breaking bioremediation work being done at Guelph-based company SiREM.

You’re probably familiar with bacterial cultures in dairy products like yogurt that give them their trademark taste, smell and texture. SiREM, and their partners at the University of Toronto and the Federated Co-operatives Limited (FCL), have been developing and scaling up bacterial cultures of their own to help various industries clean up chemicals left over from their operations in a safer way that is better for the planet.

SiREM: When life sciences meet innovation, the world can heal itself

The idea is to do away with the destructive “dig-and-dump” method of dealing with contaminated soil and use SiREM’s bioaugmented bacterial cultures instead. Injecting their sustainably produced microbes into groundwater to quickly and naturally break down toxic substances is a far more environmentally friendly and efficient way to clean-up common contaminants in the oil and gas sectors.

Ontario Genomics started supporting this exciting work back in 2016 with a $1 million in funding through the Genomic Applications Partnership Program (GAPP), which according to SiREM’s principal scientist, Sandra Dworatzek, has boosted their success.

Sandra Dworatzek, Senior Scientist at SiREM

Their bioaugmentation cultures have received approval for use by Environment Canada and Health Canada and are currently being used at 15 sites across North America on a wide range of chemicals including chlorinated solvents, benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes.

Download the SiREM pdf

Blog: Cracking the Rare Disease Code

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EpiSign’s groundbreaking work in Ontario for the world

For years, Ontarians have been hearing about our crumbling health care system but there are many silver linings to the cloudy situation our hospitals are dealing with.

One of them is the groundbreaking work Dr. Bekim Sadikovic at Lawson Health Research Institute and London Health Sciences Centre has been doing with biotech company, Illumina. In their quest to better detect rare diseases, Dr. Sadikovic has created the clinically validated EpiSign test, which uses machine-learning algorithms and compiles them into the EpiSign™ Knowledge Database.

EpiSign: Cracking the Rare Disease Code

Thanks to funding from Ontario Genomics, Genome Canada and their Genomic Applications Partnership Program (GAPP), the EpiSign™ project is helping doctors cut down on long and agonizing diagnosis wait times by efficiently bringing answers and treatment options to more of the 1 in 15 Canadian children born with a rare disease.

Not only does this mean peace of mind and quicker access to the right support for those children, it’s critical relief to our health care system by speeding up the diagnosis process and easing the pressure on hospitals since 1 in 4 pediatric hospital beds are occupied by a child with a rare disease.

Dr. Bekim Sadikovic at Lawson Health Research Institute and London Health Sciences Centre

This incredible work has been an evolution. After all, projects like these don’t happen overnight! It takes many years of collaboration and many rounds of funding. When Dr. Sadikovic’s team applied for their first round of GAPP funding in 2019, they were able to detect 19 different disorders across 30 genes. Five years later, the most recent version of EpiSign™ has 116 different indicators covering 126 disorders. This number will only continue to grow in the years to come and while this much needed innovation was created here in Ontario, it’ll be a benefit to the rest of the world.

Download the EpiSign pdf

Ontario Biotech Start-ups Get Government Funding and Business Support

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Four local companies are putting Ontario on the global biomanufacturing map

Four new start-ups have been welcomed into BioCreate, Ontario Genomics’ $11.6-million accelerator program providing financial and business support to biotechnology companies that are creating game-changing solutions in the health, food and agriculture, and cleantech industries.

BioCreate is funded by Ontario Genomics and a Government of Canada investment of over $5.6 million, through the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario). The program connects highly vetted companies with $150,000 in funding, 18 months of business mentorship and access to critical infrastructure to scale up their products. They’ll also get the opportunity to pitch to investors for further funding.

Here are this round’s recipients:

  • AuX Labs (Toronto) is using precision fermentation to create a vegan version of casein (a natural protein in cow’s milk) to make vegan cheese that melts, stretches, and tastes just like the animal product-based version.
  • Genuine Taste (Toronto) is giving both cultivated meat and plant-based meat better flavour, aroma and texture with their ethical and sustainable cultivated beef fat.
  • mDETECT Inc. (Kingston) has developed highly sensitive blood tests that detect six of the most common cancers and also let doctors know how the cancer is responding to treatment.
  • Scispot.io Inc (Kitchener) is simplifying access to data to make it quicker and easier for drug researchers to organize and accurately interpret findings, getting medications to market faster.

These four companies beat out 33 other applicants to join the 12 health, food and agriculture, and cleantech start-ups that were accepted into the BioCreate program last year.

“Congratulations to the four companies that have joined the BioCreate program as they work to improve the lives of Canadians while creating economic opportunities,” says the Honourable Filomena Tassi, Minister responsible for FedDev Ontario. “It’s our government’s priority to support emerging companies in the health, food, agriculture and cleantech industries so they have access to the tools and resources they need grow and thrive.”

Ontario Genomics President and CEO, Dr. Bettina Hamelin, says, “This game-changing innovation is happening right here in Ontario, creating jobs and advances in the food and agriculture, clean tech and health sectors. We’re also excited these technologies are good for Canadians, as well as people and businesses around the world.”

About Ontario Genomics
Ontario Genomics is a non-profit organization funded by the Government of Ontario and other partners. Since 2000, we’ve been involved with cutting-edge science to find homegrown solutions to challenges the world faces like climate change, food insecurity and in healthcare. Find out more at OntarioGenomics.ca.

About FedDev Ontario
For 14 years, the Government of Canada, through FedDev Ontario, has worked to advance and diversify the southern Ontario economy through funding opportunities and business services that support innovation, growth and job creation in Canada’s most populous region. The Agency has delivered impressive results, which can be seen in southern Ontario businesses that are creating innovative technologies, improving productivity, growing revenues, creating jobs, and in the economic advancement of communities across the region. Learn more about the impacts the Agency is having in southern Ontario by exploring our pivotal projects, our Southern Ontario Spotlight, and FedDev Ontario’s Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.

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Media Contacts
Maggie Blood
Innovation Communications and Public Affairs Manager
mblood@ontariogenomics.ca

Edward Hutchinson
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario
edward.hutchinson@feddevontario.gc.ca

Ontario Genomics-CANSSI Ontario announce 2024 recipient of Postdoctoral Fellowship in Genome Data Science

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CANSSI Ontario and Ontario Genomics have awarded a fellowship to support the work of an early-career investigator pursuing research in the areas of genomics and data science with an emphasis on genomic medicine, including, but not limited to, methodology, application, and translation of genomic prediction tools such as polygenic risk scores; human-computer interactions; or novel genomic computational approaches to therapeutic identification.

We are delighted to congratulate the recipient of this Fellowship:

Dustin Sokolowski, Department of Molecular Genetics, University Toronto
Supervisors: Drs. Jared Simpson (University of Toronto and Ontario Institute of Cancer Research) and Melissa Holmes (University of Toronto)
Project: Genome assembly and analysis of the African Mole-Rat family reveals the underpinnings of extreme adaptations related to aging, cancer resistance, and hypoxia tolerance.

Ontario Genomics-CANSSI Ontario Postdoctoral Fellowship in Genome Data Science – Award Recipient: Dustin Jonathan Sokolowski

Dustin Sokolowski is profiled, along with information about his background, research, and proposed research projects here: Dustin Sokolowski

Ontario Genomics is proud to be a partner with CANSSI Ontario to help build research capacity in data science and genomics in Ontario.

About

The Ontario Genomics-CANSSI Ontario Postdoctoral Fellowship in Genome Data Science was created to support research projects and attract, retain, and nurture Highly Qualified Personnel (HQP) combining genomics and data science within Ontario. These HQPs possess a diverse skill set spanning statistics, computational biology, bioinformatics, computer science, epidemiology, engineering, genetics, or mathematics – all indispensable in tackling the complex challenges of our times.

Established in 2000, Ontario Genomics is a not-for-profit organization leading the application of genomics-based solutions to drive economic growth, improved quality of life, and global leadership for Ontario. As part of its strategic vision, Ontario Genomics is dedicated to supporting the development of educational resources that demonstrate how genomics plays a vital role to address key challenges in our society. Ontario Genomics also plays a role in advancing genomics projects and programs across the province by supporting the development of proposals, helping researchers access diverse funding sources, and finding the right industry partners to take this research out of the lab to apply it to the world’s most pressing challenges. Since its inception, Ontario Genomics has raised more than $1.4 billion for genomics applied research in Ontario and directly supported more than 11,00 trainees and jobs.

CANSSI Ontario is the Ontario Regional Centre of the Canadian Statistical Sciences Institute (CANSSI). Its goal is to strengthen and enhance research and training in data science by developing programs that promote interdisciplinary research and enable multidisciplinary collaboration.

High-Tech Innovation is Coming to Ontario’s Health Care System

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Two Ontario Genomics projects are getting patients quicker diagnosis and matched with life-saving clinical trials

Eight health and food security projects across the country are getting $41 million in funding from a group of organizations including, Ontario Genomics, Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada and Genome Canada. The goal? To use the power of DNA technology to fuel groundbreaking advancements for real-world use.

It’s estimated 1 in 15 children is born with a rare genetic disease. Researchers at London Health Sciences Centre have developed EpiSign, an algorithm that diagnoses certain neurodevelopmental disorders in children not identified by other testing. This tool ends the long and frustrating emotional and financial challenge for families by getting their kids the support they need. In partnership with biotech company Illumina Inc., this $7.4 million project aims to expand the technology to quickly detect rare genetic diseases and other health issues in children.

Researchers at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre in Toronto have developed an open-source software platform to match patients to clinical trials. This $1.8 million project in partnership with the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research and the Canadian Cancer Clinical Trials Network, will dramatically improve the matching of cancer patients with state-of-the-art precision therapies while giving researchers valuable information to help more patients in the future. This technology could expand to include clinical trial networks for other diseases.

Dr. Bettina Hamelin, President and CEO of Ontario Genomics, says, “Genomics is all about DNA, which shapes our lives and is fuelling exciting health care advances for patients of all ages. This is yet another step towards improved quality of life for so many Canadians made possible by investing in ground-breaking innovation.”

Genome Canada President and CEO Dr. Rob Annan, says, “Together, we will help save and improve the lives of Canadians and create solutions to complex health, environmental and food security challenges.”

Ontario Genomics is a non-profit organization funded by the Government of Ontario and other partners. Since 2000, we’ve been involved with cutting-edge science to find homegrown solutions to challenges the world faces like climate change, food insecurity and in healthcare. Find out more at OntarioGenomics.ca

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Media Contact
Maggie Blood
Innovation Communications and Public Affairs Manager
mblood@ontariogenomics.ca

Ontario Biotech Start-ups Get Government Funding Boost

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From Ottawa to Guelph, life saving and tasty innovation is happening

Four new start-ups have been welcomed into BioCreate, Ontario Genomics’ $11.6-million accelerator program providing financial and business support to biotechnology companies creating game-changing solutions in the health, food and agriculture, and cleantech industries.

BioCreate is funded by Ontario Genomics and a Government of Canada investment of over $5.6 million, through the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario). The program connects highly vetted companies with $150,000 in non-repayable funding, 18 months of business mentorship and access to critical infrastructure. They’ll also get the opportunity to pitch to investors for further funding. Here are this round’s recipients:

  • Escarpment Labs is a Guelph-based company that supplies cutting-edge yeast strains to craft brewers to enhance the flavour of their brews and ensure easier fermentation during the beer making process.
  • QurCan Therapeutics is a Toronto medical sciences company that has developed technology to boost the effectiveness of cancer-fighting medicines to improve the quality of life for patients.
  • Spectra Plasmonics is based in Kingston, where it is perfecting a helpful tool for the food and beverage industry. The company’s bacteria sensing tests give manufacturers quick and accurate results on the safety of their food.
  • Virica Biotech is an Ottawa-based medical sciences company focused on a ground-breaking approach to make cell and gene therapies cheaper and easier to produce so more patients can get access to potentially life-saving treatments.

These four companies join the eight health, food and agriculture, and cleantech start-ups that were accepted into the BioCreate program last spring.

Ontario Genomics President and CEO, Dr. Bettina Hamelin, says, “BioCreate’s financial investment comes at a critical time for these companies to scale up and create new jobs, while the mentorship gives them the business support they need to succeed and get their technologies and tools into real-world use.”

“It’s great to hear that these four incredible companies have joined the BioCreate program,” says the Honourable Filomena Tassi, Minister responsible for FedDev Ontario. “It’s our government’s priority to support emerging genomics companies with access to the tools and resources they need grow and make a positive impact on the lives of Canadians.”

About Ontario Genomics
Ontario Genomics is a not-for-profit organization funded by the Government of Ontario, the Government of Canada and other partners. Since 2000, we’ve been involved with cutting-edge science to find homegrown solutions to challenges the world faces like climate change, food insecurity and healthcare. Find out more at OntarioGenomics.ca.

About FedDev Ontario
For 14 years, the Government of Canada, through FedDev Ontario, has worked to advance and diversify the southern Ontario economy through funding opportunities and business services that support innovation, growth and job creation in Canada’s most populous region. The Agency has delivered impressive results, which can be seen in southern Ontario businesses that are creating innovative technologies, improving productivity, growing revenues, creating jobs, and in the economic advancement of communities across the region. Learn more about the impacts the Agency is having in southern Ontario by exploring our pivotal projects, our Southern Ontario Spotlight, and FedDev Ontario’s Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.

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Media Contacts
Maggie Blood
Innovation Communications and Public Affairs Manager
mblood@ontariogenomics.ca

Edward Hutchinson
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario
edward.hutchinson@feddevontario.gc.ca

$11-Million Program Supporting Ontario’s BioTech Start-ups

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The new BioCreate program is getting Ontario-made innovations ready for real-world use

Eight Ontario start-ups in the health, food and agriculture and clean-tech sectors are the first round of recipients for Ontario Genomics’ BioCreate program, an $11.6-million initiative providing financial and business support to help move the province’s biotechnology scene forward.

BioCreate is funded by Ontario Genomics and the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario) with the goal of connecting each highly-vetted company with $150,000 in non-repayable funding, 18 months of business mentorship and access to critical infrastructure. They’ll also get the opportunity to pitch to investors for further funding. The first round of recipients are:

  • AIMA Laboratories (Hamilton) is speeding up the diagnosis of endometriosis by creating a home test.
  • Index Biosystems (Burlington) is working on BioTag technology to make food products safer and cut down on food recalls by verifying sustainability, product quality and source-of-origin.
  • Kraken Sense (Oakville) is developing new technologies to speed up detection of new and existing variants of different viruses and bacteria to maintain public health and safety.
  • Ceragen (Kitchener) is helping farmers increase crop yields through microbiome engineering.
  • BioFect Innovations (Toronto) designed a microorganism to mass produce brazzein, a sugar substitute.
  • Genecis (Toronto) has engineered a bacteria that breaks down food waste to make cheaper bioplastics.
  • Liven Proteins (Toronto) is producing animal-free protein ingredients for the food industry.
  • Performance Plants (Kingston) is using genetic engineering to produce climate change-resistant crops.

BioCreate Cohort One
Ontario Genomics President and CEO Dr. Bettina Hamelin, says, “Genomics gives us scientifically proven solutions to some of humanity’s biggest challenges. BioCreate is supporting cutting-edge companies to grow these game-changing technologies and to create jobs for the very near future.”

“Canada’s entrepreneurs are leaders in their field. Their innovative and creative solutions to our complex problems will drive our economy forward and make southern Ontario a destination for growing industries. The companies that were selected to participate in the BioCreate program are some of these incredible leaders.” says the Honourable Filomena Tassi, Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario. “By fostering the development and growth of these promising start-ups, our Government is helping them reach their potential and change the world.”

Ontario Genomics (OG) is a non-profit organization funded by the Government of Ontario and Genome Canada. Since 2000, OG has been nurturing innovation across the province by supporting genomic technologies in the health, agriculture and environment sectors. Find out more at ontariogenomics.ca.

For 13 years, the Government of Canada, through FedDev Ontario, has worked to advance and diversify the southern Ontario economy through funding opportunities and business services that support innovation, growth and job creation in Canada’s most populous region. The Agency has delivered impressive results, which can be seen in southern Ontario businesses that are creating innovative technologies, improving productivity, growing revenues, creating jobs, and in the economic advancement of communities across the region. Learn more about the impacts the Agency is having in southern Ontario by exploring our pivotal projects, our Southern Ontario Spotlight, and FedDev Ontario’s Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.

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Media Contacts

Maggie Blood
Innovation Communications and Public Affairs Manager
mblood@ontariogenomics.ca

Edward Hutchinson
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario
edward.hutchinson@feddevontario.gc.ca

“Antenna-in-a-cell”: Forest Insect Pest Research and Management

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Insects damage important crops and forests, and some insect species are responsible for the transmission of disease. If we better understand which compounds mediate the attraction of these insects, we could better control the damage. SPARK funding for this project will help Drs. Daniel Doucet and Jeremy Allison (Great Lakes Forestry Centre) develop the antenna-in-a-cell platform that aims to find physiologically active odorants and understand how they interact with the insects’ odorant receptors (OR). This research holds promise for the development of odorant molecules as operational insect lures.
The project focused the validation of the approach on two invasive insects of critical concern in forestry: the Emerald Ash Borer and the Brown Spruce Longhorned Beetle. The experiments have resulted in the identification of key ORs in both species which will, down the line, aid in the development of optimal odor blends to use against these two insect species.

All Awarded Projects

Drones for Breeding Better White Spruce

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The field of tree genomics has seen unprecedented advances over the past decade. A suite of next generation genomic resources for improved tree breeding and selection will soon become available to breeders and forest managers, thanks to a project led by Drs. Ingo Ensminger (University of Toronto) and Nathalie Isabel (Forest and Environmental Genomics at Natural Resources Canada, Canadian Forest Service (CFS) – Quebec region) in partnership with PrecisionHawk.

An investment by Ontario Genomics through its Pre-Commercialization Business Development Fund (PBDF) will support rapid deployment of a software application to market. The software will allow users to determine the performance of individual trees and forest stands and to assess their phenology and water deficit at various time points in the season.

A team of scientists will use already established white spruce progeny trials in Quebec and Ontario and survey entire populations using a drone carrying optical sensors for leaf spectral measurements. Aerial sampling will be paralleled by leaf level sampling on subsets of seedlings on the ground (30-40 genotypes multiple times per site and year) looking at phenology, hydration level and spectral properties. The team will then develop algorithms for correlating plant phenology, leaf responses to hydration level and genotype information with drone-collected leaf spectral properties.

This survey data will be available to our partner company, PrecisionHawk, to create a software application that will be available to end users via the Algorithm Marketplace― the proprietary “app store” for drone data analysis.

These tools are expected to accelerate breeding cycles, through an innovative approach for large-scale phenotyping of tree responses to drought, monitor phenology, and assess differences between genotypes in large-scale field experiments.


All Awarded Projects

Delivery Strategies and Monitoring Tools for Bioremediation

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BTEX compounds – benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylenes – are natural components of crude oil and petroleum and are used in the synthesis of a wide range of useful materials and chemicals. They are also toxic, and benzene in particular is a known human carcinogen. In some mining sites, as a result of extraction, transportation and refining processes, as well as accidental spills and leaks, BTEX compounds frequently pollute groundwater in all industrialized regions of the globe.

In Canada and elsewhere, remediation of contaminated sites is difficult and costly. When possible, affected soils are dug up and treated or disposed of offsite. Dr. Elizabeth Edwards of the University of Toronto is working with SiREM, a Canadian leader in bioremediation, to scale up and commercialize anaerobic bioaugmentation cultures for in situ BTEX remediation. They were awarded $1M for this project led by Ontario Genomics.


All Awarded Projects

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