A new PI is jointing the CERC team

The CERC team is happy to announce the recruitment of a new Assistant Professor among its ranks: Raquel Cuella Martin.

Raquel Cuella Martin obtained her PhD at the University of Oxford and completed her postdoctoral training as an EMBO fellow at Columbia University in New York. Her research contributions span the fields of genome editing, tumor suppression, and the response to DNA damage. Her research program incorporates advances in precision genome editing technologies to study gene (and protein) function, understand human genetic variation, and explore target druggability.

For more information, please consult her LinkedIn profile.

Advancing Equity in Genetics and Genomics in Canada (AEG2C)

SAVE THE DATES: November 9th and 10th, 2022

We are pleased to announce an international two-day symposium on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) in Genomics entitled: "Advancing Equity in Genetics and Genomics in Canada (AEG2C)", to be held on November 9th and 10th, 2022. All talks and roundtables will be virtual.

This event is organized and supported by the McGill Canada Excellence Research Chair (CERC) in Genomic Medicine and the Canadian Institute for Health Research (CIHR) Institute of Genetics.

This symposium will highlight the importance and value of inclusion and diversity in genomics to advance our understanding of the mechanisms of diseases and to promote health equity. It will also present best practices for making the genomics research enterprise diverse, inclusive, and beneficial to all. Lessons learned from international research initiatives engaging with diverse populations will be showcased, as well as those arising from genomic studies in Quebec and Canada.

You will find all the information, including the preliminary program and the list of keynote speakers who have already accepted to give a presentation at the Symposium, on our webpage. Registration will be open on September 15th, 2022.

Claude Bhérer, on behalf of the AEG2C organizing committee

Claude Bhérer becomes the third Assistant Professor of the CERC team

The CERC team is happy to annouce that Claude Bhérer, postdoctoral fellow in the team from February 2020 to March 2022, is now moving on to a new stage in his career by taking a position of Assistant Professor in the team !

Claude Bhérer studies human evolution using statistical and computational tools applied to large-scale genomic data paired with other information, notably genealogical and phenotypic data. She is interested in understanding the genetic and evolutionary processes shaping genetic differences among us, and how these contribute to adaptation and disease. Her overreaching aim is to transform massive genomic data into improved knowledge of human biology and health.

To know more about her, you can visit her LinkedIn profile and her Personal website.

Second PI to join the CERC team

One year after the recruitment of the first PI of the CERC team, Daniel Taliun, we are joined with the second Tenure-Track recruit: Sirui Zhou.

Sirui Zhou was trained as a PhD in Neurogenetics from the University of Montreal and later worked as a CIHR postdoctoral fellow at the Lady Davis Institute. Her background includes population genetics, genetic epidemiology and complex trait genomics. Her research interest is to leverage large omics data, particularly genomics and proteomics, to identify drug targets for complex disorders in diverse populations. 

More information on Sirui Zhou here: LinkedIn profile → Personal website

Welcome to Daniel Taliun, first PI of the CERC

The McGill CERC in Genomic Medicine program was allocated 5 Tenure-Track positions and on Jan 1, 2021, the first PI of the CERC joined us! Daniel Taliun was recruited at McGill in the Department of Human Genetics as an Assistant Professor. He obtained his Ph.D. in Computer Science at the University of Bozen-Bolzano, Italy and did his post-doctoral research at the University of Michigan, USA. His work is focused on the development of computational algorithms and software tools for the analysis of genetic data combined with molecular, behavioural, imaging and environmental data. The scope of his research includes genetic and clinical data integration, web-based interactive visualizations, secure data sharing, and distributed computational algorithms for in-house and cloud computing computational platforms.

Do not hesitate to visit his personal website here!

Vincent Mooser appointed director of the Quebec Covid-19 biobank initiative (BQC19)

As part of the initiatives put forward to find solutions to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Fonds de recherche du Québec and Génome Québec have tasked Vincent Mooser and a group of researchers from different hospitals and research institutions in Quebec on March 19th, 2020 with establishing the Biobanque Québécoise de la Covid-19 (BQC19). In June 2020, the Public Health Agency of Canada joined the initiative by providing additional funding to the biobank.

The mission of the BQC19 is to ensure that scientists have access to the biological materials and data necessary for their research efforts on COVID-19, to respond effectively to the public health challenges posed by the pandemic on a solid scientific basis and within an appropriate ethical and legal framework.

The collection of data and samples began on April 1st, 2020 and as of September 30th, 2020, approximately 1,500 samples have been collected over the 11 participating sites.

To know more about BQC19, visit the BQC19 website.

CERC funding confirmed

Our CERC in genomic medicine has been funded for a period of 7 years. The announcement took place on April 17, 2019, in Toronto, in presence of the Honourable Kristy Duncan, Canada Minister of Science and Sport. To see the CERC announcements click below.

Link to CERC announcement by Canada federal government

Link to Canada.ca webpage

McGill University Announces V. Mooser as the new CERC for Genomic Medicine

The Honourable Kirsty Duncan, Minister of Science and Sport, this morning announced a new Canada Excellence Research Chair in Genomic Medicine: Genes to Drug Targets for Next-Generation Therapies.

Please click here to access the full news release.

The vision and the strategy that will be followed can be accessed through YouTube using this link.