Ontario Genomics brings together world-leading genomics experts to address the COVID-19 pandemic
In response to the global pandemic, Ontario Genomics has rapidly galvanized Ontario’s world-leading genomics and data expertise and capacity through a coordinated, province-wide approach. The ONCoV Genomics Coalition is leveraging the tools of sequencing, bioinformatics, genomics epidemiology, and artificial intelligence, to expedite Ontario’s response to COVID-19.
There are numerous experts and researchers in Ontario who are working on the frontlines towards a diagnostic or therapeutic response to the pandemic. To ensure collaboration and coordination, we need an all-of-government, all-of-industry, and all-of-research community response to the crisis. This will accelerate the genomic characterization and surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 in Ontario, and patient genome sequencing to enable timely and comprehensive genomic analysis. The ONCoV Genomics Coalition presents a comprehensive opportunity for an Ontario-made genomics approach to addressing COVID-19 and builds on existing investments into the research community and the Ontario COVID19 Data Platform.
The Coalition aligns with national and international initiatives and will serve as a nucleus that will facilitate immediate access to existing and new genomics and bioinformatics infrastructure within the province, establish a coordination and standardization framework for the viral sequencing workflow, enable data access and data sharing and provide an integration platform for viral and host sequencing data.
This coalition is a collaborative and open-science platform that brings together Ontario’s leading genomics experts to gather data to rapidly inform public health and public policy in the short-term, as well as drug and vaccine development in the medium to long-term to better protect the health of Ontarians and prepare us for outbreaks in the future.
For more information on the ONCoV Rapid Response Coalition, it’s members and resources, please visit the ONCoV website.
