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Ontario’s cutting-edge genomics projects attract over $40 million in investment

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October 26, 2020 – Today the Government of Canada and Genome Canada announced two (2) Ontario-led and two (2) Ontario co-led projects that are bringing a total of $40.1 million in investment into Ontario.  

Today’s announcement includes funding to support a two-year pilot project by the international Structural Genomics Consortium (SGC) that in this Phase V project will help transform drug discovery and biomedicine by the year 2035. In collaboration with industry, SGC will harness open science and employ innovative strategies including artificial intelligence to develop tools to better understand proteins involved in many cancers and other debilitating and rare diseases.

Ontario Genomics is so proud to be working with these talented teams. These programs fund translational research and development projects that address real-world challenges and opportunities as identified by industry, government, not-for-profits, and other “receptors” of genomics knowledge and technology. This funding will help Ontario’s leading researchers produce dramatic breakthroughs in agriculture, health, environment, and across the bioeconomy.

Learn more about the projects announced today:

Learn more about this announcement: Genome Canada News Release

Ontario Genomics announces changes to the Board of Directors

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Ontario Genomics is pleased to announce the appointment of new members to our Board of Directors.

Dr. Ann Marie Vaughan, President and CEO of Loyalist College in Belleville, Ontario, is a distinguished and nationally recognized senior executive with nearly 30 years of success in the post-secondary sector. She was the President and Chief Executive Officer of the College of the North Atlantic, located in Newfoundland and Labrador, from 2011-2016. Dr. Vaughan also held positions at Memorial University; the Marine Institute of Memorial University; the National Research Council; the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency; and the Human Resources Development Canada (now Service Canada). Ann Marie has been honoured internationally for her contributions to distance education and educational technology and was chosen as a participant in the 2004 Governor General Canadian Leadership Conference. She was recognized as a Top 50 CEO in Atlantic Canada in 2015. 

Dr. Charmaine Dean is Vice-President, Research and International at the University of Waterloo. In this role, she is focused on building upon foundational strengths to heighten the emphasis on collaborations, and link related external portfolios in a systematic approach to industrial partners and entrepreneurship. From 2011 to 2017, Dr. Dean served as Dean of Science at Western University. Prior to her service at Western, she played a major role in establishing the Faculty of Health Sciences at Simon Fraser University in her capacity of Associate Dean of that Faculty. Previously, she was the founding Chair of the Department of Statistics and Actuarial Science at Simon Fraser University.

Ontario Genomics congratulates our two new Board of Directors on their appointments and welcomes the expertise and valuable perspective they bring to Ontario Genomics.

Ontario Genomics is also pleased to announce the appointment of Jehoshua Sharma as an observer and student representative. Jehoshua Sharma is a PhD student at the University of Guelph, that established iGEM Guelph, an undergraduate-led synthetic biology research group, and has co-founded cGEM, a nationwide initiative that brings together Canadian research groups using synthetic biology to solve real-world problems. Jehoshua brings important perspectives to our organization as he is also committed to developing the next generation of life sciences leaders.

Ontario Genomics thanks retiring board member, Dr. Jack Gauldie, for his sage leadership, his invaluable service over the years and his many contributions to Ontario Genomics and the province’s genomics ecosystem. We also thank Dr. John Kelly for his indispensable service and congratulate him on his appointment as the Deputy Minister at the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA).

Learn more about our Board of Directors.

Canada\’s Bio-Revolution 2020 Webinar Series – Editing our Economic Future: The Power of CRISPR

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Editing our Economic Future: The Power of CRISPR

On September 28, 2020 we were thrilled to partner with the Gairdner Foundation to bring you one of their Global Perspectives Panels as our first first Canada\’s Bio-Revolution 2020 Webinar Series. “Editing our Economic Future: The Power of CRISPR” showcased a conversation between Gairdner Foundation laureates and leading Canadian researchers on using the opportunities and applications of gene editing, specifically by using CRISPR/Cas9, to transform multiple sectors, from therapeutics to diagnostics, agriculture, and low carbon manufacturing, all of which have a profound impact on our economy.

This discussion centred on the development of these molecular tools and their applications, and potential challenges to adoption. In addition, Canadian researchers spoke about how they are applying gene editing to address problems like cancer treatment and fungal resistance for crops.

This webinar was moderated by Dr. Janet Rossant, President and Scientific Director, Gairdner Foundation and featured expert speakers such as:

Additionally, Dr. Bettina Hamelin, Ontario Genomics, President and CEO, shared her remarks about the importance of CRISPR in shaping our economic future. In case you missed this virtual event, you can watch it here on demand.

Ontario Genomics – Team Updates

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We are excited to welcome new colleagues and announce some role changes at Ontario Genomics.

We would like to provide a warm welcome to Dr. Yoo Jin Park and Dr. Michael Dorrington, both joining us in the role of Advisor, Sector Innovation & Programs.

During Yoo Jin’s 10+ years in the biomedical research sector, she successfully led several projects across multiple therapeutic areas, including metabolism (obesity/diabetes), immuno-oncology, and cardiovascular diseases, resulting in high impact publications peer-reviewed journals. Before joining Ontario Genomics, Yoo Jin worked as a Scientist at Sanofi Pasteur, where she was responsible for validating and improving the vaccine manufacturing and quality testing processes.

Before joining Ontario Genomics, Mike was a post-doctoral fellow in the Laboratory of Immune System Biology at the National Institute of Allergy & Infectious Diseases outside of Washington, DC. In this position, he studied the many roles of antiviral cytokines in inflammation and antibacterial immune responses using cutting-edge genomic and transcriptomic technologies. He was also a post-doctoral representative to the NIH’s Immunology Interest Group.

Yoo Jin and Michael will support the Ontario Genomics community by implementing projects and programs to bring new genomic-derived solutions to Ontario’s key sectors.

We are pleased that Dr. Helen Petropoulos has taken on the role of Associate Vice-President, Sector Innovation and Programs. In this capacity, Helen will be responsible for our core translational research and commercialization programs and strategic initiatives to advance genomics in key sectors. Helen will also lead the Sector Innovation and Programs team.

Dr. Dennis McCormac, Associate Vice-President, Science and Innovation, has also grown his responsibilities as our Science-lead and will directly manage the Research Operations & Program Management team. In this capacity, Dennis will support our community to ensure that our investments in research and innovation lead to the desired outcomes.

Over the past several months, our communications team has also seen some exciting growth. Joining us in October 2019 as Director of Communications, Polina Martins is responsible for leading and implementing the Ontario Genomics communications strategy, supporting government and stakeholder engagement priorities, and executing events and other public relations initiatives.

Previously, Polina served as Senior Communications and Operations Advisor to several Ontario Government Ministers in Economic Development and Growth, Health and Long-Term Care, and Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation portfolios. She brings a unique blend of communications, government relations, stakeholder engagement, and events planning experience to this role.

Having successfully completed her Ontario Genomics practicum placement in the UofT M.H.Sc. Medical Genomics program, Zoya Retiwalla joins Ontario Genomics full-time in the role of Communications Coordinator, Programs and Outreach. Before joining Ontario Genomics, Zoya worked as a communication, marketing, and recruitment coordinator at the University of Toronto. She brings a diverse mix of scientific and genomic knowledge, communications, stakeholder engagement, and business experience to her role at Ontario Genomics. Zoya works with the communications team to provide ongoing communications support for Ontario Genomics programs and special initiatives.

As always, the whole Ontario Genomics team is here to support Ontario’s thriving genomics ecosystem. Should your organization or research team need any support or have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at info@ontariogenomics.ca.

Can one lab do 10,000 COVID-19 tests a day?

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Listen to Podcast

During the pandemic, different branches of science and researchers from across disciplines have come together to further our knowledge about COVID-19. Jeff Wrana, a senior investigator at Sinai Health’s Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, is a good example of how the scientific research community is pulling in expertise from all directions.

When the pandemic hit, he was studying cancer and learning how to apply robotic technology into the lab work. Seeing the need to boost testing capacity his research group was able to turn from their work analyzing the different cells that make up a tumour, to analyzing samples from COVID-19 patients.

Using sequencing tools which can sequence a single genome overnight and robotics that can process high volumes of samples, he believes his lab can analyze 10,000 COVID-19 samples a day. Or more.

Freelance broadcaster Don Hill talked with project leader Jeff Wrana about the technology and the logistical challenges associated with handling that many samples as he moves from the proof-of-concept stage into real world testing.

Instagram Live Podcast: Talking Genomics

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Would you control how fast your hair grows?

Would you stop ageing if you could?

Would you participate in a COVID Vaccine early trial?

In this IG Live Bettina Hamelin, OG’s President & CEO and Dennis McCormac, our Associate VP, Science and Technology went live with Science Everywhere to answer some thought-provoking scientific questions.

Genomics, the mapping of genes, is a rapidly advancing field that holds the key to our future. Using genomics technologies, we could solve intricate problems related to health, agriculture, and the environment. Our experts decided to answer some quirky yet relevant genomic questions. Watch these videos to learn more about COVID vaccine trials, hair growth, dental hygiene and aging!

Talking Genomics

with Dr. Bettina Hamelin

Talking Genomics

with Dr. Dennis McCormac