Search
Close this search box.
Main Menu
Main Menu
Menu

Ontario Genomics Welcomes New Board Member

by Leave a Comment

Ontario Genomics Welcomes New Board Member

We’re delighted to introduce you to Lyndal Walker, the newest member of Ontario Genomics’ Board of Directors. Lyndal will enhance the board with a wealth of insight, experience, and expertise in the health and therapeutics space, all of which will help us achieve our strategic vision.

Lyndal Walker

Lyndal Walker is currently the General Manager of Sun Pharma Canada’s Branded Business.

As General Manager, Walker oversees the company’s increasing market investment and expansion of its wide range of medicines, particularly in dermatology, ophthalmology and oncology. Walker is focused on optimizing the power of Sun Pharma’s people, innovative products, global network, and localized research, to accelerate Sun Pharma’s growth in Canada. With over 25 years of experience in global healthcare and the pharmaceutical industry, she continues to unlock value for Canadians and address the unmet needs and gaps in the healthcare system. Read more about Lyndal Walker

Ontario Genomics is also thankful to our retiring board members for their years of deep commitment to our board.

  • Deb (Deborah) Stark served on our board for seven years and played an invaluable role as Chair of the board for five years. Deb brought a wealth of government and agriculture sector experience, while supporting vibrant board development and governance. We are especially grateful to Deb for her steady leadership throughout the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • Mark Lundie served on our board for six years and brought fantastic expertise in rare disease and a global pharmaceutical sector perspective. Mark greatly supported our private sector and commercialization programs.
  • Jehoshua Sharma advanced our board with insights into the student perspective while supporting our training initiatives over the past four years. Thank you to our past board members for your contributions to OG!

To learn more about the new member and additional changes to our Board please see our governance page.

Showing Businesses How to Use Science to Their Advantage

by Leave a Comment

A new online course teaches companies to partner with colleges to test their technologies

Micro-Credential Program_Fundamentals of Applied Research copy

It’s a nagging problem countless companies have faced: they have a great idea to improve their products or processes but don’t know how to make it a reality. That’s where Ontario Genomics and Loyalist College come in with a four-course Fundamentals of Applied Research micro-credential program that can get businesses from the idea stage to the testing phase.

The first course is now available and the best part is, it’s online and open to companies across the province. This 10-week, 25-hour, go-at-your-own-pace course walks through the process of how businesses can connect with local college researchers, design, fund and deliver a project that tests the new product or technology they want to incorporate into their operations.

Whether it’s creating a natural food product or ingredient, figuring out more sustainable packaging or improving crop production, applied research projects are a win-win for the community since it’s a lower-risk option that allows local businesses to produce homegrown innovations more efficiently, while also giving college researchers projects to work on.

Fundamentals of Applied Research micro-credential program

Ontario Genomics Strategic Partnerships Manager Michael Dorrington, says, “Most companies don’t realize local colleges offer this kind of access to lab space and expertise to test their ideas. This micro-credential goes through all the steps businesses need to take advantage of this invaluable support available to them.”

Amy Harder, Loyalist College Senior Director of Business Development, says, “We’re proud to support businesses and entrepreneurs by offering targeted corporate training programs like this course. It’s through these initiatives that Loyalist strengthens the regional economy and fosters local growth.“

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

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

by Leave a Comment

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

Getting organized, the genomics way!

by Leave a Comment

Two new hubs will make research easier to manage and access for scientists and industry

Groundbreaking research has the power to move humanity forward in many ways, but it doesn’t do much good if it’s not organized and easy to access. A new $15.8 million program creating two supporting hubs will do away with that problem by getting researchers and industry partners on the same page to turn solid research into real-life use that we can all enjoy.

As part of the Climate-Smart Agriculture and Food Systems (CSAFS) program, nine Interdisciplinary Challenge Teams (ICTs) across Canada are doing critical work to find solutions to climate change and its ravaging impact on our food supply. Ontario Genomics is among a group of investors in these two new organizational hubs that help scientists compile their cutting-edge genomics research in the most efficient way possible.

Climate-Smart Data Collaboration Centre
Climate-Smart Data Collaboration Centre

This $11.1 million data hub will give the ICTs a common framework for data handling and management, so it’s easier to access and share, while also keeping track of their progress.

Researchers: Dr. William Hsiao at Simon Fraser University; Dr. Michelle Edwards at University of Guelph; Dr. Claude Robert at Université Laval

Partners: Ontario Genomics, Genome British Columbia and Génome Québec

Agricultural Genomics Action Centre
Agricultural Genomics Action Centre

This $4.6 million knowledge mobilization and implementation hub will take research from the ICTs and showcase and disseminate the information so that it’s accessible and usable in the real world by partners in the farming, food and beverage and agriculture sectors, as well as policymakers and government.

Researchers: Elizabeth Shantz and Jessica Bowes at University of Guelph; Dr. Nancy Tout at the Global Institute for Food Security, University of Saskatchewan; Dr. Lupin Battersby at Simon Fraser University

Partners: Ontario Genomics, Genome Prairie and Genome British Columbia

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

Unlocking the future of food: The FAO and Ontario Genomics uncover the challenges and opportunities

by Leave a Comment

SynBio2024: Bonus - New Food Innovation Opportunity on Oct 10

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, alongside Ontario Genomics, is giving you a global perspective on the future of innovation in food, cleantech, and health. Join us in Toronto, from October 7-9, for the sixth edition of Canada SynBio 2024 as we explore how to break through barriers and focus on “Unlocking the Future,” so the bioeconomy can thrive, for Canada and the rest of the world.

You’ll want to book an extra night’s stay in Toronto because on October 10, the FAO, in collaboration with the Department of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC), will hold a stakeholder roundtable meeting on cell-based food production and precision fermentation. This is the third meeting in the series that includes developers, producers, and researchers to apply and present their original products. The call for presenters is open until July 1, additional details here.

Join us and be part of the solution as we address challenges and highlight opportunities for Canada to strengthen its leadership in the ecosystem, and how innovations and engineering biology-based technologies can truly revolutionize society on a global scale. We look forward to seeing you there!

Tech and Science Meet to Create Medical Marvels

by Leave a Comment

New government funding for projects includes world-class cancer diagnosis tools and the medicinal magic of mushrooms

May 29, 2024, Toronto –

With the goal of unlocking the healing abilities of science and technology the Canadian government through Genome Canada and Ontario Genomics are giving over $13.5 million in funding to five projects in Ontario that will improve our healthcare system and ensure biodiversity in our ecosystem.

With more than 600 new cancer cases diagnosed every day in Canada, researchers at The Hospital for Sick Children and Mount Sinai Hospital have joined forces on a $6 million project to grow their tumour classification system. This platform allows doctors to identify difficult to diagnose cancers with near perfect accuracy to get patients the right care they need, faster. They also plan to expand the types of cancers it can identify and share this lifesaving technology with other countries.

Some families have a heightened risk of colon, brain and gynaecological cancer that is passed on in their DNA. Princess Margaret Cancer Centre researchers are getting nearly $800,000 to create an affordable, less invasive test to dramatically cut down on diagnosis wait times and life-long screening for people with this condition.

CGEn researchers at The Hospital for Sick Children, McGill University and the BC Cancer Research Centre are developing new technology to meet the needs of the scientific community. This $3.3 million project will develop advanced genomic services and analysis for nearly 3,000 research labs, companies and not-for-profits.

Mushrooms are more than just great on pizza, they can actually be the basis of new medicines! McMaster University researchers and B.C. biotech company, Kapoose Creek Bio, are using AI and synthetic biology to explore fungal compounds in a $2.2 million project to discover new drugs.

Most of the things we buy in the grocery store have a barcode, and Centre for Biodiversity Genomics, University of Guelph researchers are applying that concept to DNA of all species. Their $1 million analytics project allows scientists to identify all the animals and insects around us and track changes in their population and movements. This technology can be shared with other researchers around the world to ensure biodiversity and sustainability.

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.

-30-

Maggie Blood

Innovation Communications and Public Affairs Manager

mblood@ontariogenomics.ca

Ontario Genomics Part of Province’s Research & Innovation Investment

by Leave a Comment

Funding renewal means more support for game-changing solutions

May 29, 2024, Toronto –

Ontario Genomics is receiving $5 million over two years to continue our work in finding homegrown solutions to challenges the world faces like climate change, food insecurity and in healthcare.

Since our start in 2000, we’ve raised more than $3.7 billion for genomics applied research in the province which has created more than 20,000 jobs. We have over 330 projects and more than 500 partnerships. For the past 24 years, we’ve been providing the critical support researchers and entrepreneurs need to develop, protect and commercialize their IP, ensuring their innovations, and the associated wealth and jobs they create, stay here in Ontario.

Genomics is all about DNA, and it’s DNA that tells us about life in all forms. It’s the basis of biology which is fuelling biotech innovation and getting us focused on sustainability and away from petroleum-based production methods.

The time to act is now and because of this investment from the Ontario’s Ministry of Colleges and Universities, we can continue to support researchers and start-ups with their game-changing solutions so they can be scaled up and put into real world use as quickly as possible.

Ontario Genomics CEO Stephen Cummings, says, “With this provincial investment, Ontario Genomics leverages matching funds to drive game-changing innovations in Food, Agriculture, Cleantech, and Health. Our work generated a significant return on investment, created over 11,000 direct jobs and added more than $1.8 billion to Ontario’s GDP since 2013. By leading genomic applications across multiple industries, we are tapping into the Bio Revolution, a multi-trillion-dollar global market opportunity as projected by the McKinsey Global Institute. With ongoing support, we will establish Ontario as a leader in biotech and life sciences, benefiting everyone in Ontario today and into the future”.

“The Ontario government is proud to support homegrown research and innovation at Ontario Genomics,” said Jill Dunlop, Minister of Colleges and Universities. “This funding is helping researchers solve some of the biggest challenges of our time that are making a very real difference in the lives of Ontarians.”

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.

-30-

Maggie Blood

Innovation Communications and Public Affairs Manager

mblood@ontariogenomics.ca

Two Big Investments in Ontario’s Genomics and Biotech Community

by Leave a Comment

Governments of Ontario and Canada are helping innovative ideas become reality

Ontario Genomics is receiving $5 million over two years from the Ontario’s Ministry of Colleges and Universities to continue our work in finding homegrown solutions to challenges the world faces like climate change, food insecurity and in healthcare. Read more about it here.

With the goal of unlocking the healing abilities of science and technology, Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED), through Genome Canada, awarded over $13.5 million in funding to five Ontario Genomics GAPP and TechDev projects that will improve our healthcare system and biodiversity of our environment. Read all about them here.

GAPP commercializes or implements Ontario-made genomic solutions, while the TechDev program gives the innovators creating these kinds of solutions access to the cutting-edge technologies they need.

These are all exciting developments that are giving Ontario Genomics and our partner researchers the support needed to make game-changing solutions a reality so they can be put into real world use as quickly as possible.

Ontario Genomics has a 24-year history of leveraging funding to drive game-changing innovations in food, agriculture, cleantech, and health. Our work consistently generates a significant return on investment with over 11,000 direct jobs created and more than $1.8 billion added to Ontario’s GDP since 2013.

With ongoing support, we’ll establish Ontario as a leader in biotech and life sciences, benefiting everyone across the province, today and long into the future!

Turning Waste into Value: A Pathway to Upcycling

by Leave a Comment

When it comes to natural resources and the climate crisis, cutting back on waste and boosting sustainability are more important than ever before. Food waste alone is responsible for half of agriculture-related greenhouse gas emissions and is a major cause of environmental damage. Fortunately, innovative solutions are coming to the rescue, and one of them is waste upcycling through bioconversion, which uses naturally occurring and/or engineered microbes to convert food waste into valuable products like bioplastics.

What is Upcycling?

It’s the process of transforming waste into new products of higher value, like when someone finds an old piece of furniture on the roadside, gives it a new coat of paint, and makes it better than new. A new program called wasteCANcreate is doing exactly this, with a high-tech spin!

Ontario Genomics, Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada and industry partners have come together to convert food waste (what you put into your green bin) into various products that would normally be made from oil. Microbial upcycling of food waste into bioplastics puts microorganisms like bacteria and yeasts to work to convert the food waste into bioplastics, textiles like nylon, and other useful materials.

The three main goals for this project:

  1. Reduce greenhouse gas emissions from sources like decomposing food waste
  2. Eliminate our need for fossil fuels to create necessary materials
  3. Create lasting economic opportunities for Canadian industries

Novel ideas like this are being brought to life to revolutionize manufacturing processes and are a key part of the circular economy, which aims to cut waste and pollution, repair damaged ecosystems, and have a positive impact on the world economy.

Initiative members at a workshop in the Spring of 2023.

Initiative members at a workshop in the Spring of 2023. This initiative brings together world-class academic leaders, innovative industry partners, and others to accelerate the development and testing of bioplastics for various applications.

Microbes to the Rescue!

Microbes can be used as tiny factories and are at work all around us – think about your gut flora and the microbes that help make beer, yogurt, and bread. Putting them to use helps reduce our need for traditional plastics, which are most often non-biodegradable and a significant threat to the environment. Bioplastics, on the other hand, are made from biological raw materials and decompose more easily.

Plastics are everywhere you look. Plastic bags, cutlery, containers, and toys are obvious examples, but plastics are also found in most clothing, vehicles, furniture, and even in cosmetics and sunscreens! Plastics are cheap to make and last a long time, making them hard to get rid of. In Canada alone, we produce 4.8 million tons of plastic each year and 29,000 tons end up in the environment, including our waterways.

The upcycling process involves using microorganisms to break down the waste material and convert it into organic acids. These organic acids are then used to produce biodegradable plastics and additives for other products. Biodegradable plastics can replace oil-based plastics, meaning they will be much more easily disposed of and won’t stay in the environment for centuries to come.

The upcycling process
Curbing Greenhouse Gas Emissions

When food waste is sent to landfills, it decomposes and released methane gas into the atmosphere. Methane is a greenhouse gas and a major contributor to global warming that is over 25 times more potent than carbon dioxide! So, when we upcycle food waste into bioplastics, we reduce the waste sent to landfills and minimize the production of methane gas.

Economic Benefits

Since there’s no shortage of global waste, using it as a key ingredient for bioplastics is a brilliant idea! The food waste we have now costs us money to handle and store it while it decomposes. This means that any value extracted from this resource will help improve the economy as a whole. The process also creates a circular economy where waste becomes a valuable resource.

Upcycling food waste into bioplastics is an innovative, yet common sense solution for the very real problem of waste management facing Canada and the world. The best part is, the wasteCANcreate program is already at work perfecting this process so it can be used across the country and around the world.

Stay in the loop on exciting developments in our circular future!

This is the first in a series of blog posts detailing wasteCANcreate, Canada’s biomanufacturing opportunities, and the shift towards a circular economy. Stay tuned for more!

Receive Email Updates from Ontario Genomics

Are you curious about Ontario Genomics, our funding opportunities, or relevant news? Sign up for updates to stay in the know:

" " indicates required fields

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

What’s Happening in Real-Time
Twitter Linkedin-in Instagram Vimeo-v

Copyright © 2023 Ontario Genomics. All Rights Reserved.

Terms & Privacy Policy