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Genomics plays a vital role in driving Québec's economic future. That is why Génome Québec aims at advancing knowledge in genomics by funding major research projects. In this section, you will discover all the latest achievements in the field of genomics.
Génome Québec receives more than $56 million to support its research and innovation activities
May 16, 2023
The Québec government is reaffirming its confidence in Génome Québec by granting it $50 million to support its operations, its activities in the funding and democratization of genomics research and the operation of its technology platforms.
Additional financial assistance of $6.62 million was granted to set up new facilities for the Centre d’expertise et de services Génome Québec (CES), the largest integrated provider of biochips and sequencing and genotyping services for research in Canada. The CHU Sainte-Justine has made an additional contribution by upgrading the facilities that house the CES.
Pierre Fitzgibbon, Minister of Economy, Innovation and Energy, Minister Responsible for Regional Economic Development, and Minister Responsible for the Metropolis and the Montréal Region, and Christian Dubé, Minister of Health, made the announcement today, along with Josette-Renée Landry, President and CEO of Génome Québec, Caroline Barbir, President and CEO of the CHU Sainte-Justine, and Jacques Michaud, Director of the CHU Sainte-Justine Research Centre.
Funding for innovative therapies for hereditary ataxias
Apr. 28, 2023
It is with great enthusiasm that Génome Québec, Ataxia Canada and Muscular Dystrophy Canada announce the launch of the Innovative Therapies for Hereditary Ataxias competition to encourage the discovery and development of new therapies and to mobilize the research ecosystem. The three organizations aim to jointly invest $1M to support three projects with a maximum of $330,000 per project for a period of two years.
The goal of this competition is to meet the needs of people affected by these rare neurological diseases, to enable them to benefit from genomic innovations and to encourage the development of innovative therapies. It supports the objectives and orientations of the provincial and federal governments, notably by accelerating therapeutic innovation (Politique québécoise pour les maladies rares) and by supporting research to improve access to affordable and effective drugs for the treatment of rare diseases.
Genomic Monitoring of Pathogens in Water (GeMPaW)
Apr. 26, 2023
We are proud to announce the launch of the new Genomic Monitoring of Pathogensin Water strategic initiative, led by Génome Canada.
This $10 million investment will help Canada defend its population, wildlife and environment from major threats posed by emerging pathogens and antimicrobial resistance (AMR), including antibiotic resistant bacteria and genes. Through cutting-edge genomic surveillance in water and pan-Canadian collaboration, this strategic initiative will prepare Canada for future pandemics and other emerging health challenges with a “One Health” approach.
Explore the initiative’s first funding opportunity for a Community coordination and collaboration hub.
An investment of nearly $16.5 million for health and environmental solutions
Apr. 18, 2023
Montréal, April 18, 2023 — Génome Québec is pleased to highlight the performance of Québec researchers in a pan-Canadian competition. More than $16.5 million will be invested in genomics in Québec, including $5.5 million through Génome Québec. As part of this announcement, 28% of the available Canadian funding envelope was allocated to projects in Québec. These investments will help accelerate the commercialization of genomics and increase its real-world applications. These funds were announced by the Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, the Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, under Genome Canada’s Genomic Applications Partnership Program.
International Day of Forests
Mar. 21, 2023
On this International Day of Forests, Génome Québec is extremely proud to present the promotional video for the FastTRAC II project in collaboration with Genome Atlantic, Génome Canada and numerous public, private, and university partners.
This initiative provides a glimpse of sustainable solutions adapted to climate change by planting today the trees adapted to the climate of tomorrow.
A partnership to fund research for hereditary ataxias
Feb. 27, 2023
Montréal, February 28, 2023 – It is with great pleasure that Génome Québec, Ataxia Canada, and Muscular Dystrophy Canada join forces to create a funding program for research on hereditary ataxias.
Feb. 16, 2023
Génome Québec is particularly excited to announce the broadcast of its brand new podcast series "ADN : ces trois lettres qui changent nos vies".
Each episode is 12 minutes long and presents a specific topic:
- The role of genomics in the screening and diagnosis of rare diseases (Dr Jacques Michaud)
- AI and crowdsourcing in the service of genomics (Jérôme Waldispühl)
- Microbiota and polycultural environmental resilience (Frédéric Pitre)
- Genomics and cancer prevention, diagnosis and treatment (Dr Denis-Claude Roy)
- Environmental DNA: biological monitoring, ecosystem protection and citizen science (Louis Bernatchez)
- Health data sharing: ethical perspectives (Vardit Ravitsky)
To listen to the recently released episodes, it's here : https://www.genomequebec.com/en/videos/
1,000 sequencing runs at the Centre d’expertise et de service Génome Québec
Feb. 9, 2023
Génome Québec is proud to highlight the work of its staff at the Centre d'expertise et de services, located at CHU Sainte-Justine, who have completed 1,000 sequencing runs on the Illumina NovaSeq 6000. This is a first in Québec...and in Canada!
This represents more than 150,000 sequenced samples, including 6,000 exomes, 40,000 transcriptomes and 40,000 genomes, all species combined. Among these, 2,200 human whole genomes were sequenced from the CARTaGENE cohort samples, as part of the GenoRef-Q initiative. All of which contributed to the work of 420 research teams!
"We are very pleased to have reached this important milestone and we continue to support the scientific community by ensuring the development and excellence of various genomics research projects. We are also very proud of the high level of expertise of our operational teams who continue to provide state-of-the-art service to all our clients. I would like to thank our partner Illumina for their support and their offer of cutting-edge genomics platforms," said Patrick Blondin, Vice President, Technology Centres, Génome Québec.
“The dedication of Genome Quebec, serving as a key funding agency and as the country’s largest genome service center, has fueled genomic discoveries across Canada. Congrats on your 1000th run, a milestone accomplishment with the NovaSeqTM 6000 system that offers deep and broad coverage through advanced applications for a comprehensive view of the genome. High-throughput sequencing will unlock a full spectrum of genetic variation and biological function in Canada and worldwide,” shares Michael Gallad, General Manager – Canada and Latin America, Illumina.
Genomics in the digital age: IVADO and Génome Québec foster interdisciplinary research
Jan. 24, 2023
A frontrunner of Québec biotechnology, Génome Québec is investing $500,000 in two major research projects overseen by IVADO and already supported to the tune of $2.4 million by the Institute as part of its strategic funding program.