As a result of crude oil extraction, transportation and refining processes, there are thousands of sites in Canada contaminated with benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes (collectively known as BTEX). This negatively impacts soil and groundwater resources. In Canada and around the world, remediation of contaminated sites is difficult and costly. When possible, affected soil can be dug up and treated or disposed of offsite.

A collaborative project between SiREM, a Guelph-based national leader in environmental remediation, Imperial Oil and the University of Toronto aims to use genomically characterized strains of bacteria that break down BTEX compounds underground without the need to dig up contaminated soil. If successful, solutions developed through this project will significantly accelerate the rate of biodegradation and lead to more efficient and widespread cleanup of contaminated sites at a lower cost.

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Canada’s forestry sector contributes significantly to jobs and GDP, but the industry is being challenged by the digitization of print and global market pressures.

A key opportunity identified by the sector and the Ontario Government’s recently published forestry sector strategy is to develop new and innovative wood-based products. By diversifying production away from low-value commodity products like paper, there is an opportunity to transform pulp and paper mills into biomanufacturing plants that produce high-value materials.

To help accomplish this, Ontario Genomics is supporting Fortress Advanced Bioproducts, a company valorizing pulp and paper mill side streams into xylitol, a low-calorie sweetener. Fortress is partnering with the University of Toronto to optimize a key step in the xylitol production process that reduces operational costs and improves competitiveness in the market.

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Freshwater fish contribute to Canada’s economy both directly and indirectly and are critical for the preservation of freshwater resources and food security. Thriving freshwater fish resources are the lifeblood of many rural, northern, and Indigenous communities and are central to the social and cultural lives of millions of Canadians. Yet over 25% of Canadian freshwater fish stocks are under threat.

The logistical difficulties of monitoring fish in Canada’s 2+ million lakes and countless rivers are compounded by the limitations of conventional sampling methods, which provide only a snapshot. This project will use genomic approaches to develop a Fish Survey Toolkit based on environmental DNA from water samples and a Fish Health Toolkit that will provide quantitative assessments of the health of fish and the stressors they face.

Collectively, these toolkits will enable a complete and accurate assessment of the status of Canada’s freshwater fish resources, save millions of dollars in fish survey costs, and result in additional indirect savings through more effective and directed management actions. Furthermore, and most importantly, the project will ensure the sustainability of Canada’s freshwater fish resources for future generations.

“The GEN-FISH network consists of 24 committed and dedicated scientists who care passionately about the freshwater fishes of Canada and around the world. The GEN-FISH funding will ensure the development of novel, ground-breaking genomic technology to help conserve freshwater fish for generations to come.”

— Dr. Daniel Heath, Professor, University of Windsor

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Products made from natural ingredients are the fastest-growing segment in the cosmetics and food industry. However, these industries are dominated by petrochemical-derived ingredients as opposed to natural ingredients. This is because the supply chain of natural ingredients is highly unreliable. Natural ingredients are extracted from botanical raw materials, making their supply unpredictable, high-priced, and with undesirable attributes such as seasonal variation.

Ardra is an engineering biology company producing natural ingredients using fermentation. Ardra’s platform uses designer biochemical pathways to produce a portfolio of high-value natural ingredients using renewable raw materials such as sugars. Ardra’s ingredients have lower production cost, consistent quality, and are free of harmful residues that may be found in petroleum-derived synthetic ingredients.

The investment from Ontario Genomics has helped Ardra advance its lead product – Natural Leaf Aldehyde: apple flavour ingredient used in the beverage industry. The investment enabled Ardra to scale up its process from bench to pilot, thereby producing samples sold to and validated by potential customers. Ardra is currently engaged in the scale-up of the process to demonstration trial and is in discussion for co-development partnerships to commercialize the process.

“At Ardra, we are harnessing the power of engineering biology to solve pressing problems in sustainable supply of natural ingredients.”

— Pratish Gawand, CEO & Co-founder, Ardra Bio, Inc.

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Over 29,000 tons of plastic leak into the Canadian environment and oceans annually, creating severe environmental problems, including killing 100,000 marine mammals annually. Another 2.8 million tons of plastic are sent to Canadian landfills, which creates a latent problem for future generations, with only 9% of plastic being recycled.

With growing awareness of the detrimental impacts of plastic, governments and manufacturers are working towards a zero-plastic waste future. Under this paradigm, plastics will be made with recycled or biodegradable components. In this project, a Canadian-led team consisting of multiple universities, governments, and industries will drive a shift to a zero-plastic waste future by harnessing genomics technologies to create a circular economy for plastics.

This team will identify and engineer bacteria and enzymes that can break down plastics into recyclable components or valuable fine chemicals more effectively than chemical conversion-based technologies. Additionally, they will conduct a holistic investigation into the impact of these new plastic biotechnologies on society, the economy, and the environment.

Preliminary estimates indicate recycling could save Canada $500 million annually in costs and create 42,000 jobs in new industries. The market for recovered waste plastic in the textiles sector alone is over $600 million per year. We could also save 1.8 million tons of CO2 equivalents per year in greenhouse gas emissions, ensuring that plastics continue to contribute to the economy without adversely impacting the environment.

“To reach zero plastic waste in Canada by 2030, the Open Plastic consortium will develop novel microbiological technology to support the breakdown of plastic waste into marketable recycled products. Our open science framework will empower trainees of the program and existing companies to build ventures for Canada and export.”

– Dr. Laurence Yang, Assistant Professor, Queen’s National Scholar in Systems Biology, Queen’s University.

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