NEW YORK – Genome Canada said on Wednesday that it has launched the Canadian Precision Health Initiative (CPHI) with a C$81 million (US $56.5 million) investment from the Canadian government to "build Canada’s largest-ever collection of human genomic data."
Through the initiative — which expects a total investment of C$200 million from industry, academia, and public sector partners — 100,000 genomes representing Canada’s diverse population will be gathered, sequenced, analyzed, and made accessible.
By building a new Canadian alliance for genomics in health, the initiative also aims to "mobilize and advance the utility of genomic data with academia and industry" and "implement data governance and policies ensuring the ethical and responsible use of genomic data," Genome Canada said in a statement.
Sequencing projects within CPHI will be funded by six regional genome centers within the so-called Canadian Genomics Enterprise, including Genome BC, Genome Alberta, Genome Prairie, Ontario Genomics, Génome Québec, and Genome Atlantic, with co-investment from their respective government funders.
In addition, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research – Institute of Cancer Research will co-fund CPHI's sequencing efforts to support cancer research and prevention.
Approved sequencing centers for CPHI projects include Canada's National Platform for Genome Sequencing and Analysis, Centre d’expertise et de services Génome Québec, Ontario Institute for Cancer Research Genomics Program, and Centre québécois de génomique clinique (CQGC).
According to Genome Canada, Illumina will provide sequencing support to deliver the 100,000 human genomes. Additional long-read sequencing will be supported by Oxford Nanopore Technologies and Pacific Biosciences.
"The Canadian Precision Health Initiative is a true team Canada effort uniting visionary scientists and leaders from across sectors on a shared mission to redefine health care for our country," Rob Annan, president and CEO of Genome Canada, said in a statement. "The excellence and ambition of Canada’s genomics ecosystem are evident as we embark on this landmark collaboration together."