GenomeBC

We’re very excited to share that Sally Greenwood has been appointed to the role of Chief Operating Officer at Genome BC, while continuing to lead the communications and societal engagement portfolio in her role as VP, Public Affairs.

This appointment recognizes the tremendous work Sally has done behind the scenes to support teams across the organization, strengthen operations and help move key priorities forward. Her leadership, strategic thinking, collaboration and ability to bring people together have made a lasting impact across Genome BC.

Sally is deeply deserving of this recognition and we’re thrilled to see her contributions reflected in this new role.

Please join us in congratulating Sally on this exciting and well-earned achievement.

⚽🌎 The FIFA World Cup 2026™ is creating a unique opportunity for British Columbia to showcase its innovation ecosystem, attract investment and strengthen global partnerships.

🤝 As part of BC Business House at the Vancouver Convention Centre, business leaders, investors and industry partners will come together to connect, collaborate and explore new opportunities.

🧬 Join us on June 19 from 5:00–8:00 p.m. as BC’s life sciences sector takes centre stage during a dedicated Industry Sector Showcase: https://www.britishcolumbia.ca/bcbusinesshouse/

🔗 Building interoperability in the Canadian Genomics Data Ecosystem and Beyond

Join our Data Literacy Webinar series with Dr. Emma Griffiths, University Research Associate at Simon Fraser University, as she shares practical examples of how data standards and cross-sector collaboration enable interoperable genomics data.

📅 June 29, 2026
🕤 9:30–10:30 AM PT
💻 Online

Drawing on real-world experience with platforms such as NCBI/ENA, Pathoplexus, and iMicroSeq and global initiatives such as PHA4GE, GA4GH, and HL7, this session highlights how strong standards support better data sharing, integration, and reuse.

In this session, you’ll learn:
✔️ How data standards enable interoperability across genomics systems
✔️ Why cross-sector and cross-jurisdiction collaboration is essential
✔️ Examples of effective data sharing between Canadian and international partners
✔️ How interoperability increases the value and usability of genomics data

🔗 Register now: https://events.genomebc.ca/dls-016-interoperability/11906986?ref=FB

What if a vaccine could stop bladder cancer from coming back? 💫

Thirty-seven Canadians are diagnosed with bladder cancer every day and with a recurrence rate of 60–70% it's one of the most relentless and costly cancers to treat. A Genome BC-funded research team is analyzing the bladder cancer genome to identify molecular patterns that help the immune system recognize and attack cancer cells, then combining those findings with AI and Eyam Health's Gemini platform to design prototype vaccines.

Led by Dr. Peter Black (Faculty of Medicine at the University of British Columbia) and Dr. Wilfred Jefferies (Eyam Health), this genomics informed research holds the potential to:
🧬Reduce bladder cancer recurrence rates
🧬Improve long-term patient outcomes
🧬Ease pressure on Canada's healthcare system
🧬Advance BC’s leadership in precision oncology

This project harnesses Eyam Health’s two proprietary platforms: Jennerator, which uses AI to identify the molecular signatures most likely to trigger a powerful immune response, and Gemini, which delivers those targets with sustained immune activation lasting weeks to months, without requiring cold-chain storage.

Learn More: https://www.genomebc.ca/?p=36442

🧬For our Genomic Repeat of the season, we’re diving back into an ocean mystery. Originally released in 2022, this episode explores the giants of the deep and the unique songs they share across hundreds of miles.

Dr. Kaylee Byers chats with whale biologists, filmmakers and paleobiologists to uncover how whale songs carry culture, evolve over millions of years and how human activity affects these underwater conversations. It’s a whale-sized journey you won’t want to miss!

🎧 Listen now:
👉 https://link.cohostpodcasting.com/b87cc2cc-6ed3-4c20-8a02-c626378af1bb?d=sZH2CQc6C

Genomics and biotechnology are essential to a clean energy future.

Copper is crucial to the transition from fossil fuels to an electrified economy. Global demand for this element is increasing. Extracting this resource is a complex, energy-intensive process with high environmental and carbon costs.

In a new Genome BC-funded project, Dr. Rachel Simister, Dr. Sean Crowe and their team at Brokkr Mineral Resources are advancing an innovation that “lets bacteria do the mineral processing” through genomics-driven identification of the best microbes to extract copper from ores common in British Columbia.

Their technology will enable:
💫 Scalable, nature-based copper extraction from sulfide deposits that cannot be processed 💫 Efficiently using conventional mineral processing methods
💫 A more efficient, economically and environmentally responsible way to extract metals

British Columbia is Canada’s largest producer of copper, and even small improvements in extraction efficiency at medium-sized copper mines can be worth millions of dollars each year. Innovations like this not only strengthen Canada’s critical minerals supply chain, but also reinforce British Columbia’s leadership in genomics innovation and critical minerals technology development.

Earlier this week, our Senior Advisor, Interdisciplinary Research and Programs, Anita Charters, moderated a panel at the Annual Health Summit titled “Genetic Privacy & Security: Intersecting Public and Private Information Ecosystems.”

The panel explored the "social life" of genomic data as it travels between public health authorities, private labs and direct-to-consumer apps.

Thank you to our panelists Dr. Samantha Pollard, Nilou Noursadeghi and Dr. Peter Chow-White for exploring how we can balance data sharing for public benefit with responsible governance and highlighting the vital role of patient-oriented research in advancing data practices.

On International Day of Action for Women’s Health, we’re reflecting on the importance of advancing women’s health research through science, innovation and collaboration.
Earlier this year, members of the Genome BC team attended the Women’s Health Research Symposium and the National Women's Health Summit, where researchers, clinicians and innovators came together to explore how discovery science can help improve health outcomes for women.

The conversations reinforced an important reality: women’s health research remains under-studied, under-diagnosed and poorly understood — but genomics has the potential to help close these gaps.

In her article, Advancing Women’s Health Through Genomics: Why Now Is the Time to Act, Dr. Chen Wan, Genome BC’s Director, Research and Innovation, Health, explores why greater investment and attention in this area is urgently needed and how genomics can help drive progress.

Read Dr. Wan’s perspective and learn more about Genome BC’s upcoming women’s health-focused Sector Innovation Program ⬇️

https://lnkd.in/gJi2Yy2k

Illustrator: ILYA ROSLAN

In this article, "'Stored in Canada’ Isn’t Enough: The need for Canadian-controlled digital infrastructure,” published today in Research Money, our Senior Advisor, Policy and Societal Engagement, George Poulakidas, argues that data residency is no longer the key issue for Canada’s health data systems. Instead, the focus is shifting to deeper questions of control, access and who benefits from the value created by health data.

As Canada modernizes its health-data infrastructure, George argues for a sovereignty-aware approach that strengthens domestic capacity, supports innovation and ensures public value remains in Canada.

But how does this look exactly? Read the article to find out: https://statics.teams.cdn.office.net/evergreen-assets/safelinks/2/atp-safelinks.html

Last week, our Chief Operating Officer and VP, Public Affairs, Sally Greenwood, and Manager of Professional Education and Implementation, Erin DeBruin, attended the Global Genomics Education and Training Summit in Bogotá, Colombia.

The summit brought together leaders in genomics education and training from more than 35 countries to share ideas, foster collaboration and explore the future of genomics learning and implementation.

The conversations highlighted the important role genomics education plays in supporting the adoption of genomics into clinical practice, as well as the opportunity for continued global collaboration and knowledge sharing. We’re especially grateful to the hosts and partners across Latin America for sharing their leadership and innovation in this space.
We look forward to continuing these conversations as part of the Global Genomics Network (GGNET).