Organization: McGill University

New COVID-19 portal aims to nationalize genomic data sharing

Canada is poised to launch a national portal that will provide a near real-time snapshot of the evolving COVID-19 pandemic across Canada, including the detection and spread of variants of concern. It will also establish the national data infrastructure Canada needs to track future pandemics.

The Short Report – March 24, 2021: Genome Canada creates data portal to address COVID-19 variants, Suncor invests US$25M in carbon capture tech, a national agriculture network, and more.

Genome Canada launches a SARS-CoV-2 data portal to consolidate variants of concern data in one place, Calgary’s Suncor Energy invests in carbon capture technology to offset GHG emissions, Government of Canada invests $185 million in an agricultural program to share best practices for storing carbon, and more.

The Short Report – Feb 17, 2021: NSERC supports Huawei research collaboration, ALS research gets a boost, Ottawa invests in SMEs transitioning to clean tech, and more.

Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council collaborates with the Canadian arm of Huawei Technologies, Canadian and international teams receive funding to accelerate ALS research, SDTC supports SMEs across Canada in their adoption of clean technology, an unexpected donation spurs Northern Ontario School of Medicine to address health inequities in marginalized populations, and more.

The Short Report – Jan 6, 2021: National Research Council has a new president, drones deliver PPE to remote communities, a hydrogen strategy for Canada, and more

NAIT researchers are collecting and analyzing microplastics in a first-of-its-kind study, Tim Hockey has been recruited to lead digital transformation in Ontario for the next three years, Dr. Ted Hewitt is reappointed president of SSHRC, and the IRPP calls for a roadmap to link training opportunities to skills and jobs.

Human genome editing is not safe for clinical use, but nations must prepare: Report

A highly anticipated report says heritable genome editing, using tools like CRISPR to create edits that can be passed down to future generations, is not yet safe enough for clinical use. But it also provides specific guidance on how nations should prepare for the eventual use of CRISPR or other gene editing tools, defining a translational pathway from research to the clinic.