Montréal, May 30, 2024 — Génome Québec is particularly proud of the performance of Québec teams in a pan-Canadian competition. Over $19 million will be invested in genomics in Québec, including $4.8 million through Génome Québec. In fact, 55 % of the available Canadian envelope was allocated to Québec projects. These investments will accelerate the commercialization 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 Genomics Applications Partnership Program.
Public-private partnerships for major benefits in key sectors
Once again, the results of this competition testify to the excellence and creativity of Québec teams in using genomic tools to solve major societal challenges. “Collaboration between multiple partners, from the public, private and academic sectors, will make it possible to counter the decline of bees, identify antibiotic resistance genes in the environment and develop new cellular therapies to treat refractory cancers. Genomics is a real ally in the search for concrete, sustainable solutions, but also a vector for innovation in research and technological applications”, says Stéphanie Lord-Fontaine, Vice-President, Scientific Affairs at Génome Québec.
Congratulations to the recipients
- Pierre Giovenazzo from Université Laval in partnership with the Centre de recherche en sciences animales de Deschambault (CRSAD) – ApiOmic, honeybee breeding and selection using genomics
- Michel L. Tremblay and David Langlais from McGill University in partnership with the Dr. Pierre Laneuville and Linda Peltier from the Cellular Therapy Laboratory at the McGill University Health Centre and Kanyr Pharma Inc. – Establishing therapeutic cord blood-derived NK cells for hard-to-treat cancers through omics based and pharmacological activators
- Sophie Petropoulos from the Centre de recherche du Centre hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal in partnership with Juniper Genomics – Whole-genome embryo sequencing for improved IVF outcomes
- Jérôme Waldisphül from McGill University in partnership Gearbox Studio Québec – Crowdsourcing the analysis of environmental metagenomic data for biodiversity and antimicrobial resistance genes through a AAA video game
What does the Genomic Applications Partnership Program (GAPP) consist of?
GAPP was created to promote partnerships between industry end users, public end users and university researchers. This program helps to harness the potential of economics to increase the competitiveness of key sectors of the Québec economy. The GAPP is a solutions-based program that demonstrates how mature the technology is and how eager users are to accelerate its adoption.
The program follows a cyclical process, launched two times per year. The scale of available funding ranges from $300,000 to $6 million per project.
For more information on the program, click here.
About Génome Québec
Génome Québec’s mission is to catalyze the development and excellence of genomics research and promote its integration and democratization. It is a pillar of the Québec bioeconomy and contributes to Québec’s influence and its social and sustainable development. The funds invested by Génome Québec are provided by the ministère de l’Économie, de l’Innovation et de l’Énergie du Québec (MEIE), the Government of Canada, through Genome Canada, and private partners.
To learn more, visit www.genomequebec.wp.vortexdev.com.
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Contact
Antoine Gascon
Specialist, Communications and Digital media
Génome Québec