NEW YORK (GenomeWeb) – Genome Canada announced today that it has launched a national initiative to promote the clinical implementation of precision medicine, with an initial focus on rare diseases.
Genome Canada is aiming to build a national rare disease cohort by collecting and sequencing 30,000 samples from patients with rare diseases as well as their families. The organization will also help create a platform to provide mechanisms and best practices for responsible data collection and sharing, and will work with provincial and regional collaborators to establish clinical sites, and to achieve regulatory approval and accreditation.
Genome Canada said it has established an advisory committee that includes rare disease researchers, clinicians, patient advocates, and policy and ethics experts to help guide the initiative.
"The launch of this strategy is a major step towards implementing precision health into Canada's healthcare system," Genome Canada President and CEO Marc LePage said in a statement. "We look forward to engaging patients, the provinces, healthcare providers, and researchers in this exciting and important initiative."