CGEn will generate high-quality genomes to help accelerate precision health solutions for Canadians
March 5, 2025 – Today in Ottawa, Genome Canada announced the launch of the Canadian Precision Health Initiative (CPHI), an $81-million investment from the Government of Canada that will generate 100,000 genomes reflective of Canada’s diverse population, to help advance more personalized, preventative and cost-effective health care across the country.
As Canada’s national platform for genome sequencing and analysis, CGEn is supporting the CPHI through its three nodes (The Centre for Applied Genomics at The Hospital for Sick Children, the McGill Genome Centre at McGill University, and Canada’s Michael Smith Genome Sciences Centre at BC Cancer) by generating high-quality genomic data for 11 CPHI data generation projects.
“CGEn is proud to play a significant role in this important initiative for Canada. Our three nodes will support whole genome sequence data generation and analysis for more than 90,000 samples, as well as data transfer to the Pan-Canadian Genome Library. Thanks to investments in CGEn by the Canada Foundation for Innovation’s Major Science Initiatives and Innovation Funds, provincial governments and other partners, we are well-positioned to contribute high-quality data and expertise, foundational to Canada’s leadership in harnessing genomic data to improve health for all.”
– Dr. Meredith McLaren, CEO, CGEn.
CGEn has built a successful track record in the production of large-scale genomic data of the highest quality for many Canadian projects. With funding from the Government of Canada through Genome Canada’s Canadian COVID-19 Genomics Network (CanCOGeN), CGEn designed and delivered the HostSeq Initiative, which generated whole genome sequences for more than 10,000 participants and brought together clinical information from 16 diverse studies, producing a first-of-its-kind, accessible dataset to help analyze and identify genetic determinants of health from a Canadian perspective.
The CPHI will build Canada’s largest public genomic data resource, including 100,000 genomes reflecting the country’s diverse population. A total of $200 million investment is expected from Genome Canada and its partners, enabling Canada to unlock the potential for precision health through the use of genomic data and artificial intelligence. The CPHI includes a diverse collaboration from across the public sector, academia, health care, patient groups, Indigenous organizations and non-profits, led by Genome Canada. Learn more about the CPHI in Genome Canada’s news release.