Montréal, February 25, 2026 – Génome Québec is proud to announce funding for 12 new innovative research projects through its Genomics Integration Program in Human Health. Led by researchers from Québec universities, these initiatives will harness genomics to tackle health challenges. Over $4.3 million, including contributions from public and private partners, has been invested in this fifth round of the program.
With a focus on precision medicine, including RNA-based approaches, the selected projects bring together expertise from the research community and both the private and public sectors. Drawing on advances in genomics, they aim to drive innovation and support its integration into clinical and operational settings. This research will pave the way to real-world applications in prevention, diagnosis and treatment and will help improve the management of conditions associated with significant public health challenges, including cancer and rare diseases.
“These projects highlight the ability of Québec’s research community to address complex health challenges through innovative and rigorous approaches. By supporting proof-of-concept projects that are ready for integration or commercialization, Génome Québec maximizes the impact of public funding and strengthens scientific autonomy,”
explained Stéphanie Lord-Fontaine, Vice President of Scientific Affairs at Génome Québec.
Congratulations to the recipients
- Olivier Barbier from Université Laval in partnership with Trienix Pharma inc. – Targeting gut microbiota to treat metabolic and autoimmune liver diseases: a promising approach for treatment and commercialization
- Émilie Bédard from Polytechnique Montréal in partnership with the Ville de Québec – Service du traitement des eaux – Studying airborne bacteria in wastewater treatment plants to better protect workers’ health
- Sonia Cellot from Université de Montréal in partnership with CHU Sainte-Justine – Plasma protein profiling to improve non-invasive diagnosis and monitoring of children with leukemia
- Alexandre Pellan Cheng from École de technologie supérieure in partnership with OPTILAB CHUM – Search and rescue: detecting cancer with a blood test for all patients
- Bruno Gaillet from Université Laval in partnership with the National Research Council Canada – Development of new sequencing tools for accurate analysis of genetic material inside virus-based therapies
- Soren Gantt from McGill University in partnership with Merck – Evaluating the specificity of a method to detect antibody responses to a whole virus replication-defective CMV vaccine
- Éric Lécuyer from Université de Montréal in partnership with RNA Technologies & Therapeutics – Exploring the potential of circular RNAs as cancer therapeutics
- Peter Metrakos from McGill University in partnership with Roche Diagnostics – Using digital PCR to improve care for colorectal cancer patients with liver metastases
- John D. Rioux from Université de Montréal in partnership with Crohn’s and Colitis Canada – Response to therapy (R2T) in inflammatory bowel disease
- Rima Slim from McGill University in partnership with OPTILAB CUSM – Precision medicine in genomic diagnosis of female infertility: a proof of concept
- Paul J. Thomassin from McGill University in partnership with the Public Health Agency of Canada – Using genome sequencing to estimate the health and economic impact of foodborne drug-resistant pathogens
- Donald C. Vinh from McGill University in partnership with Illumina – Long read-based whole genome sequencing for rare disease diagnosis: A pilot study
What is the Genomics Integration Program – Human Health?
This program provides project funding ranging from $100,000 to $400,000, covering half of the cost of partnerships between academic researchers and user partners capable of implementing or commercializing research results. The funds invested will be used to establish a proof of concept with the potential for subsequent funding or to integrate the results of the proof of concept by the user partner at the end of the project. Finally, projects must be related to human health and include an aspect of omics technology, for example, the development of new omics technologies, the use of AI-driven omics data, genetic engineering, synthetic biology, the validation of therapeutic targets or biomarkers identified through genomics.
About Génome Québec
Génome Québec’s mission is to catalyze the development and excellence of genomics research and promote its integration and democratization. It is a pillar of the Québec bioeconomy and contributes to Québec’s influence and its social and sustainable development. The funds invested by Génome Québec are provided by the Ministère de l’Économie, de l’Innovation et de l’Énergie du Québec (MEIE), the government of Canada, through Genome Canada, and private partners. To learn more, visit genomequebec.com/en/.
Antoine Gascon
Specialist, Communications and Digital Media
514-377-5613
agascon@genomequebec.com
