Cohort: Disease cohorts throughout Prairies

This sequencing project will help unlock the genetic story of Manitoba’s and Saskatchewan’s populations to improve healthcare efficiency, reduce costs and enhance patient outcomes in the Prairies.

Abstract: PrairieGen will highlight the genetic diversity of Manitoba (MB) and Saskatchewan (SK), by identifying critical biomarkers, genetic variants and novel risk factors across these populations. PrairieGen builds on ongoing initiatives, such as the Multi-OMICS platforms of the Mainstreaming Genomics in Manitoba project (MGM), MB and SK Multiple Sclerosis (MS) cohorts, MB Schizophrenia Cohort, Manitoba Tomorrow Project (MTP), Manitoba Tumor Bank (MTB), Manitoba Taste and Oral Microbiome Project, Manitoba Imagine (IBD) Cohort, Manitoba CHILD Cohort, Manitoba iCARE Cohort, Saskatchewan Metabolic Patient Cohort and other mixed cohorts and will unify these existing omics data sources. By applying advanced integrative genomic analyses, this project will deliver clinically actionable insights to guide public investments and improved health policy decisions in MB, SK and Canada. This project draws on existing multi-omics sequencing and analysis pipelines at core facilities at CancerCare Manitoba (CCMB) and the Rady Faculty of Health Sciences (RFHS) and will integrate short-read whole genome sequencing (WGS) data generated at a national sequencing center with locally generated fully assembled Nanopore long read and telomere to telomere human genomes, DNA methylomes through direct DNA sequencing, transcriptomic/epitranscriptomic profiles through direct RNA sequencing and other MGM omic data. All generated omics data, (epi-)genomics, (epi-)transcriptomics, as well as proteomics and metabolomics, will be integrated with clinical data to generate a single-source database for a multi-level genomic picture of each consenting participant with aggregate data communicated to cohort leads and study sponsors on a regular basis. PrairieGen will refine the current MGM setup and implement a standardized framework for participant consent, data governance and protection. This framework ensures the secure handling of data for all participants and helps streamline ongoing genomic initiatives in MB and SK. By incorporating existing omic data from the above-mentioned cohorts with new multi-omic generated data, PrairieGen aims to create the largest and most comprehensive genomic, multi-omic and precision health database generated and managed within MB and SK, which is customized to MD and SK population special characteristics. Using these technologies, this project will help create a conducive environment and provide confidence both to local clinicians and policy makers to improve healthcare efficiency, reduce costs and enhance patient outcomes by enabling precision interventions customized for and implemented regionally. PrairieGen strengthens regional research capacity by continually refining the bioinformatics platforms and pipelines at CCMB and RFHS and reinforces inclusion of MB and SK in precision health innovation, with the potential to significantly improving population health in these two provinces.