McGill genomics research projects to receive $10M in federal, provincial funding
Major federal and provincial investments in genomics research were announced this week following three
recent Genome Canada competitions. The announcement, made at University of Guelph, includes over $10 million
in funding to seven projects led by McGill researchers. Here's a quick look at one of those projects.
(A complete list follows.)
McGill-led EpiShare project named a 2019 GA4GH Driver Project
EpiShare will join the Global Alliance for Genomics and Health (GA4GH) as a 2019 Driver Project.
GA4GH, an international group of 22 leading genomic data initiatives, works collaboratively to
develop and pilot standards for sharing genomic and health-related data.
Why better health care depends on improving data sharing
The future of personalized medicine is dependent on data sharing, according to Yann Joly, Research Director
of the Centre of Genomics and Policies; and Guillaume Bourque, Director of the Canadian Centre for
Computational Genomics.
Using big data techniques to analyze the function of human genes is already helping develop treatments
tailored to individual patients. The more data researchers can access from across the world, the better
chances of treating even rare diseases. But privacy and consent regulations differ by country, making
sharing this information across borders slow and frustrating.
New GA4GH Driver Projects in 2019
The Global Alliance for Genomics and Health (GA4GH) has named seven of the world’s leading genomic data
initiatives as new Driver Projects for 2019.
GA4GH Driver Projects work collaboratively to develop and pilot GA4GH standards for sharing genomic and
health related data.
The newly added projects are: Human Heredity and Health in Africa (H3Africa), GEnome Medical alliance Japan
(GEM Japan), European Joint Programme on Rare Diseases (EJP RD), Swiss Personalised Health Network (SPHN),
EUCANCan, EpiShare, and Autism Sharing Initiative.
