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Ontario Agriculture & Agri-food Sector to benefit from Regional Priorities Partnership Program

October 4, 2018 by ontarioadmin

October 3, 2018, Ontario, Canada – Putting genomics innovations in the hands of those who use them leads to increased competitiveness, economic growth and job creation.

Today, Ontario Genomics (OG), The Agricultural Adaptation Council (AAC) and Genome Canada (GC) announced the launch of the Ontario Regional Priorities Partnership program (ON-RP3) – a new, industry-pull funding program to support the application of genomics innovations aimed at advancing Ontario’s agriculture and agri-food sector.

Ontario’s diverse agriculture and agri-food sector is critically important. One in every eight jobs in Ontario currently comes from the agriculture and agri-food sector. At over $37B, it accounts for approximately one third of the total GDP generated by the sector in Ontario. While Ontario’s agriculture and agri-food sector is strong and growing, the demands and challenges the sector is faced with are also growing. In the context of enhancing a socially and environmentally responsible industry, genomics-based innovations and technologies provide significant opportunities to advance Ontario’s agriculture and agri-food sector.

ON-RP3 will provide a total of $2 million to support co-led industry-academic, proof-of-concept stage projects that will deliver genomics/genomics-derived tools, products or processes for industry-identified challenges and opportunities within Ontario’s Agriculture and Agri-food Sector.

Through ON-RP3, projects will apply genomic innovations to advance Ontario’s agriculture and agri-food sector and prepare them for industry implementation within two years or less of project completion. To ensure maximum impact, eligible research topics will be focused on the strategic priority areas identified in the sector strategy report, Genomics for Agriculture & Agri-Food: Ontario’s Strategic Opportunity

The ON-RP3 Request for Applications and Program guide and application forms can be found on the OG website and AAC website. Registrations are due to Ontario Genomics by 9 a.m. EST on November 12, 2018.

QUOTES

“Our agriculture and agri-food sector is critically important to Ontario’s economy and genomics technologies, tools and processes hold great promise to accelerate its success. By investing in industry-pull partnership programs, we are enabling the application of innovative genomics-based solutions that will strengthen this sector, create new jobs and drive economic growth for our province.”
– Dr. Bettina Hamelin, President & CEO, Ontario Genomics

“This priority partnership program will help provide Ontario’s agriculture and agri-food sector with the innovative tools, products and processes it needs to seize new opportunities and efficiently respond and adapt to challenges in our ever-changing and increasingly competitive marketplace.”
– Terry Thompson, Executive Director, Agricultural Adaptation Council

“We are thrilled to support Ontario’s focus on agriculture and agri-food as a key driver of the economy. This novel partnership program deepens the use of and benefits from genomics innovations by building a pathway from proof-of-concept through to application by Ontario’s agriculture industry.”
– Marc LePage, President and CEO, Genome Canada

Media
For further information, please contact us at info@ontariogenomics.ca and info@adaptcouncil.org

New applied genomics projects to spur innovative technologies and job creation in agri-food, health and the environment

August 16, 2018 by ontarioadmin

August 16, 2018, Lincoln, Ontario – The application of genomics-based research and development is strengthening Ontario’s economy. It is leading to much needed advancements in farming practices, health care, and environmental stewardship. Bringing together academic researchers with companies to accelerate technology development lays the foundation for increased competitiveness, economic growth and job creation.

Today, the Minister of Science and Minister of Sport and Persons with Disabilities, the Honourable Kirsty Duncan, announced federal funding for seven new projects under Genome Canada’s Genomic Applications Partnership Program (GAPP). Three of these projects are based in Ontario – driving $2.9 million of federal funding into the province, and an additional $5.9 million in investments by industry, the Ontario government and other funding partners, for a total of $8.8 million to support the application of genomics innovations in Ontario. These projects are designed for significant economic and social impacts in the near-term, spurring innovation and commercialization and creating jobs in Ontario.

The Minister made the announcement at Vineland Research and Innovation Centre. Vineland is partnering with a team of University of Toronto researchers to develop genomics-based technologies that will induce broad-spectrum disease resistance in greenhouse vegetables, allowing new varieties of vegetables to thrive and reducing waste. This will give growers across Ontario and Canada a competitive advantage in a national industry that already generates more than $1 billion annually from retail sales and exports.

In another GAPP project, researchers at McMaster University are partnered with Hamilton-based start-up Adapsyn Bioscience Inc. to use its proprietary technology platform that combines genomic and metabolomic data with artificial intelligence and machine learning to redefine and accelerate drug discovery for novel treatments of a wide spectrum of diseases. This partnership secured significant foreign and domestic investment and is creating new high-tech jobs in Ontario.

The third Ontario-based GAPP project announced today brings together researchers at the Sunnybrook Research Institute and University of Toronto with Canadian start-up Fusion Genomics to further develop novel infectious disease surveillance tools. Their technology is unique in its ability to detect and genetically characterize infectious viral pathogens through bioaerosols to serve as early warning for disease outbreaks in both humans and agricultural animals. The development of this pre-emergence environmental detection technology will drive a paradigm shift in public health and animal welfare by offering complete genomic data to anticipate outbreaks, inform disease transmission dynamics and enable vaccine design and production.

Quick facts

GAPP is a program that partners researchers with companies and other end-users who will apply their innovations with the goal of increasing and accelerating the positive social and economic impact of Ontario’s and Canada’s genomics R&D capacity.
Genome Canada launched GAPP in 2013. To date, approximately $86.1 million, including co-funding has been invested in 23 Ontario-based GAPP projects, fuelling innovations, spurring job creation and attracting foreign investment in Ontario’s health, agriculture & agri-food, fisheries, environment and natural resource sectors.
A Genome Canada partnership with Mitacs provides placements and funding for graduate students and post-doctoral fellows to work on GAPP projects within industry partners’ operations. Three post-doctoral fellows will be working with the Ontario-based McMaster/Adapsyn team. The partnership prepares Canada’s next generation of innovators to advance the field of genomics by allowing candidates to apply their knowledge and skills in a real-world setting. Companies, meanwhile, benefit from the high-quality research expertise.

Quote

“Through these collaborative investments, we are enabling the development of real-world genomics-based solutions that will positively impact the health and well-being of Ontarians, the strength of our province, and the growth of our economy.”
– Dr. Bettina Hamelin, President and CEO, Ontario Genomics

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Cracking the code

August 7, 2018 by ontarioadmin

As published on the July/August 2018 Water Canada Magazine
By Britney Hess

Ontario unlocks genomic information to propel the circular economy.

Understanding the genomics of our biological planet is key to addressing the grand challenges facing our world today, from climate change and global population growth to increasing food and energy demands, health issues, and protection of our natural resources.
Every living organism has DNA—a code that directs its biological functions and influences how it grows and interacts with the environment. Genomics is the science of understanding, interpreting, and harnessing this genetic code. In addition to innovations in healthcare, agriculture, and advanced manufacturing, the insights gleaned from genomics are resulting in the creation of environmentally-friendly solutions that are allowing us to improve the water we drink, the air we breathe, and the way we extract minerals and energy from the earth.
Ontario Genomics is a not-for-profit organization focused entirely on stimulating, enabling, and nurturing genomics innovations across all sectors of the bio-economy. Connecting scientists, ideas, and partner organizations from across the province and around the world, Ontario Genomics works with project teams to develop plans and secure funding to enable the development and application of solutions for our circular economy. Several of these projects are developing innovative genomics-based techniques for water monitoring, treatment, and re-use—three of which are highlighted here.

Real-time water toxin detection

Harmful algal blooms (HABs) are a major environmental problem and a growing concern in Canadian waters. Harmful bloom events are caused by cyanobacteria, which has negative impacts on other organisms through production of toxins and oxygen deprivation and severe impacts on human health, aquatic ecosystems, and the economy. Climate change, nutrient imbalances from phosphorus, and warming water temperatures provide optimal conditions for growth of harmful bacteria.
Environmental Bio-Detection Products Inc. (EBPI) is an Ontariobased biotechnology company working with researchers at the University of Guelph and the University of Waterloo to develop a rapid on-site detection platform for water contaminants produced by bacteria found in HABs. The most prevalent of these toxins is Microcystin-LR (MC-LR). The team developed a portable hand-held detector that employs DNA aptamers, which are short DNA strands, to detect and signal the presence of MC-LR contaminants in real-time with sufficient sensitivity to meet World Health Organization drinking water guidelines. The platform has also shown promise for detection of other small molecule contaminants in water samples.

Responsible solutions for wastewater treatment

With recurring droughts and increasing water shortages, wastewater is becoming an ever-more valuable resource. The main objectives of wastewater treatment are to protect the planet from harmful toxins and to restore our water supply.
Based in Renfrew, Ontario, Bishop Water Technologies (BWT) has partnered with Dr. Chris Weisener at the University of Windsor to understand and improve their environmentally-friendly treatment solution for wastewater. By characterizing the microbial ecosystem through genomic sampling, the team is working together to identify and quantify the microbes and to determine their activities in relation to nutrient removal from wastewater. BWT manufactures a novel microbe-based solution called BioCord which is a man-made, inert, polymer scaffold. It provides more surface area for nutrient cycling biofilm to develop, enabling the removal of nitrates and phosphates from wastewater, and reducing point source nutrient loads to the Great Lakes at a fraction of the cost and without any chemicals.

Reducing sulphur contamination in mining wastewaters

Sulfur-contaminated wastewater is a large global mining-related environmental liability. Bacteria drive the key sulfur compound transformations responsible for water contamination, however little is known about how these bacteria affect the sulfur geochemistry in mining wastewater impoundments.
Consequently, these impoundments are viewed as a “black box.” With mines in every province and territory, and as pressures on Canada’s freshwater water supplies grow, there is an urgent need to gain greater understanding and develop sustainable approaches to the treatment of mining wastewaters.
An international team led by Dr. Lesley Warren at the University of Toronto and Dr. Jillian Banfield at the University of California, Berkeley is working to apply genomics, geochemistry, and modelling to mining wastewaters with the objective of developing innovative biological monitoring, management, and treatment tools for sulphur compounds in their wastewaters, as well as support science-informed, cost-benefit decision-making for the mining sector. This project, the first of its kind in Canada and possibly the world, involves three mining and two environmental consulting companies, as well as provincial and national sector industry associations and government.

Genomics is the most transformative technology of the 21st century. Recent advancements are accelerating our knowledge and the opportunity to develop sustainable solutions to protect and treat our waters, as well as innovative applications across all sectors of our bioeconomy to help move Canada towards a circular economy.

Gene editing tool CRISPR back in the bad books?

July 25, 2018 by ontarioadmin

The UK’s NHS to offer routine DNA tests

July 24, 2018 by ontarioadmin

How to show consumers the benefits of genetically modified foods

July 24, 2018 by ontarioadmin

Science Meets Parliament – New CSPC pilot program

July 23, 2018 by ontarioadmin

Recruiting companies for two Canadian Technology Accelerator (CTA) programs

July 19, 2018 by ontarioadmin

Recruiting companies for two Canadian Technology Accelerator (CTA) programs:

If you are a health science or digital health company looking for mentoring and to expand your business in the US, you may be interested in one of the following programs run by the Canadian Trade Commissioner Service (TCS):

Life Sciences Program in San Francisco – for early and growth-stage life science companies in biopharmaceuticals, digital health, medical devices, imaging, precision medicine/genetics, research tools, and diagnostics. Details on the program and a link to the application, the application deadline is August 31st 2018.
Digital Health Program in Philadelphia and NYC – A three-month mentoring and orientation program for small and medium-sized digital health enterprises. It is a virtual program with a mandatory five-day bootcamp in Philadelphia and monthly programs in Philadelphia, New York and Washington DC. Details on the program and a link to the application, the deadline has been extended to August 5, 2018.

Connect here for more info

The Centre for Phenogenomics (TCP) – accelerating discoveries from nose to tail

July 19, 2018 by ontarioadmin

TCP is a world-class facility owned and operated by The Hospital for Sick Children and Mount Sinai Hospital. It opened in 2007 and has transformed strategic investments by the Hospitals, the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI), and Genome Canada into a unique national resource to provide critical tools (mouse and more recently rat models) and services that enables biomedical research of the highest caliber across the country. State-of-the-art infrastructure and technologies are combined at TCP to support excellent research and help companies succeed. TCP was designated a national research facility by the CFI in November 2014, and a Genomics Innovation Network Node by Genome Canada in April 2015. TCP is also a founding member of the International Mouse Phenotyping Consortium which was recognized as a distributed global infrastructure by the G7’s Ministers of Science in 2017.

TCP’s facility is uniquely programmed to design, produce, manage, analyze, and distribute mouse models to enable hypothesis-driven discovery, purpose-drive translational studies, and preclinical bioavailability, safety, and effect evaluation for therapeutic discovery. Quality assurance of processes and quality control of data and products is a priority at TCP. The Model Production Core provides services for embryonic stem (ES) cell- and Cas9 RNA-guided nuclease (Cas9 RGN) genome editing-derived mouse and rat production, genetic quality control, and colony management to deliver experimental cohorts. TCP is licensed to provide Cas9 RGN to academic and industry researchers so the customer is able to use the model. The Clinical Phenotyping Core provides services for comprehensive or customized user-focused analysis of gene function, mutant gene dysfunction, or validation of drug target and evaluation of treatment effect across diverse areas of biology, disease, or therapeutics in mice. This Core uses non- or minimally invasive phenotyping tests to identify abnormalities. The Pathology Core provides services for necropsy, gross pathology, histology, immunohistochemistry, semi- and quantitative image analysis, and histopathology to correlate genetic or compound-associated changes with tissue structure and disease. The Cryopreservation & Recovery Core provides state-of-the-art embryo, ES cell, and sperm services, and global acquisition and distribution so customers can get the models they need and access secure and convenient storage and distribution of their rodent models. All data generated from each of the Cores belongs to the customer.

Recently, TCP expanded to establish the Infection & Inflammation Core directed by Dr. Silvia Vidal at McGill University. Dr. Vidal is globally recognized as an expert in the genetics of susceptibility and resistance to infection. A purpose-built Biosafety Level 2 and Biosafety Level 3 facility, this Core extends TC P’s services to enable genome-wide assessment of genes and variants associated with resistance or susceptibility to infectious disease. Colonization with bacterial, viral, fungal, or parasitic agents is available to model host response to infection and explore preventative or therapeutic proof-of-principle. Antigen-induced inflammatory disease models are also available to users to assess host response to in vivo immunological challenges such as neuro- or intestinal inflammation.

TCP is supported by its multidisciplinary Informatics Team that provides web-enabled access for users (on-line requests, service descriptions, service fees, guidelines, reports) and the informatics software, databases, infrastructure, and interfaces necessary to support TCP’s operation. A Senior Biostatistician was recently recruited to provide study design and statistical analysis services using available software tools and approaches or developing bespoke methods if needed by the customer.

TCP’s mission is to help you with your research whenever we can add value. The facility’s Services Coordinator provides pre-sales support, information flow, project coordination, timely and complete access to data, and post-delivery follow-up to users. To find out more, go to TCP, or email services@phenogenomic.ca.

Precision Health Initiative – Rare Diseases: Clinical Implementation Projects

July 12, 2018 by ontarioadmin

Genome Canada has launched a national initiative for the clinical implementation of precision health, focusing on a rare disease pilot program as a foundational step. This initiative features three main components:

A national rare disease cohort is envisioned to be established through the collection and sequencing of 30,000 samples from rare disease patients and their families.
A national platform is being set up to provide mechanisms and best practices for the collection and sharing of data, including privacy policies, informed consent and other ethical and legal frameworks.
Clinical implementation will advance through working with provincial and regional centres and partners to establish clinical sites and achieve regulatory approval and accreditation.

In order to initiate this ambitious program, Genome Canada is encouraging the submission of projects to the Genomic Applications Partnership Program (GAPP) that will translate research into clinical implementation with the goal of having genome sequencing offered as a clinical genetic test within an established diagnostic and clinical care pathway for rare diseases. The other activities in the Precision Health Initiative – Rare Diseases will be advanced through other funding mechanisms.

Eligibility Criteria

Applications will be required to meet the eligibility criteria for GAPP funding in general. That is, projects must:

develop and apply a genomics-derived tool, product or process to an opportunity or need defined by the Receptor(s);
focus on late stage R&D that will position the innovation for near term implementation / commercialization;
be co-led by an Academic and a Receptor organization in partnership, with active and necessary roles for both; and,
have the potential to generate significant social and/or economic benefits for Canada.

The GAPP Guidelines provide full information on eligibility.

Furthermore, in order to be considered eligible as a Rare Diseases Clinical Implementation Project, projects must also:

focus on using precision health approaches in rare diseases that are ready to be implemented in partnership with an existing publicly funded health care delivery organization (at the provincial or regional level that has the technological and organizational infrastructure needed to support the project). The organization should have the capabilities to implement clinical and laboratory workflows; install or upgrade local informatics systems linked to a central data repository; and, validate/benchmark technology platforms.
analyze province specific health technology assessment data to determine the clinical utility, cost utility and cost effectiveness of genomic sequencing.
commit to working with other rare disease clinical implementation projects funded through this mechanism to share best practices and harmonize data capture.
commit to data sharing, data standards, consents and other policies that comply with the guidelines for the overall initiative and are consistent with the principles and policies of the Global Alliance for Genomics and Health, the International Rare Diseases International Research Consortium and the FAIR Guiding Principles for scientific data management and stewardship.

For more information, please contact Helen Petropoulos, Director, Commercialization & Programs.

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