A $17.6M sequencing collaboration will help us better understand why chronic diseases, including hypertension, adult-onset diabetes and triple-negative breast cancer disproportionately affect Blach populations in Canada. The transformational project, “Genomic Evidence for Precision Medicine for Selected Chronic Diseases among Black Peoples in Canada”, was announced as part of a $200M Canadian Precision Health initiative – which will transform health outcomes for Canadians from coast to coast.
The project aims to sequence 10,000 genomes (short reads) from Black people, including African Nova Scotian communities in Canada, with a focus on the clinical phenotypes of hypertension, adult-onset diabetes, and triple- negative breast cancer. In addition to these 10,000 genomes, researchers will also study an additional 1,100 genomes using long read sequencing. By seeking a deeper understanding of the impacts of selected chronic disorders on health, morbidity, and mortality of Black peoples, researchers will contribute to more equitable health outcomes.
The project is co-led by the Hospital for Sick Children, McGill University/McGill University Health Centre, Dalhousie University and McMaster University and managed by Genome Atlantic with support from Génome Québec and Ontario Genomics.
Learn More about the Black Health initiative and about the Canadian Precision Health Initiative
