About the Project

Why are we conducting this project?

The following medical conditions tend to occur frequently among members of the Black community:

Hypertensive Disorders

high blood pressure

Diabetes

high blood sugar

Breast Cancer

triple negative form

In addition to obtaining genomic information on otherwise healthy individuals, the purpose of this project is to determine why some people develop these conditions while others do not. We will also determine why some people get severe forms of these illnesses.

Man in lab coat working on a computer in busy lab

Genomic Research

The project will contribute many gene sequences from Black populations in Canada. This will better position these populations to benefit from advances to personalized medical treatments that are developed based on a persons genomic information.

What is genomic research?

This project will involve genomic research, which involves isolating your genes from your blood sample. Every person has their own unique set of genes, or “genome”. Genes carry the information that helps to determine your characteristics. Genes are made up of DNA. Between people, the DNA sequence of a gene can vary slightly. These differences in DNA sequence are called variants. These variants may or may not be harmful. Genes are passed down from parents to children, but sometimes genes can change between generations or because of other factors.

Why is this important?

Genomic research is being done in this project in hopes of obtaining information that will help us in developing the best ways to prevent and treat persons with the selected disorders mentioned above. In addition to sequencing DNA, we are doing other tests, outlined below.

Our Goals

Through this study we are aiming to meet three goals:

Enhance genomic research diversity

To improve genomic research by making sure Black Canadians are better represented in genomic databases

Identify genomic variants

To find genomic factors that may increase the risk of the selected conditions

Facilitate knowledge translation and clinical collaboration

To work with healthcare providers to use our findings of new genomic variants in real-world care. This will help doctors create better screening programs and more personalized treatments for the selected conditions

Who can participate?

Participants must fulfill three criteria:

Age

18 years or older

Citizenship

Citizenship or permanent resident status

Ethnicity

Self-identify as Black

What will happen during this project?

As a participant you will:

Give a blood sample for genomic testing

Have your blood sugar checked using a small device (glucometer)

Have your blood pressure tested

Complete a questionnaire on your health and background

Ready to join the genCARE project?

Or contribute in another way