• Doctor working with the next-generation technology

    NEXT-GENERATION SEQUENCING

    Unlocking information that saves lives.

Thanks to BMO Ride for Cancer and our We Are campaign, the QEII is now home to best-in-class genetic sequencing technology.

UNLOCKING THE MYSTERIES OF CANCER
A NEW, STATE-OF-THE-ART GENETIC SEQUENCING MACHINE

In the fight against cancer, a patient’s tumour genetic make-up holds the key. What if we could equip QEII teams with a state-of-the-art machine that uncovers a patient’s best chance at beating cancer? The most advanced, next-generation technology available that helps target their disease and enables clinical trials that local patients otherwise would not have access to?

This bold vision is now a reality thanks to our BMO Ride community and QEII Foundation donors who, together, contributed $1.1 million to fully fund new, cancer-fighting genetic sequencing technology at the QEII Health Sciences Centre – unlocking more personalized treatment options than ever before.

female doctor working with genetic sequencing technology
The Illumina NextSeq 2000 system; the genetic sequencing machine that the QEII is now home to.
HOW IT WORKS

Cancer is a disease that’s deeply rooted in our genes and there are more than 200 different types of cancer. Even among people with the same cancer, no two tumors or diagnoses are exactly alike.

In 2022, the QEII became home to a new, state-of-the-art genetic sequencing machine – the Illumina NextSeq 2000 system – that analyzes the genes of thousands of tumour samples each year. This technology helps identify the most targeted and effective treatments for cancer patients based on their tumour genetic makeup and unique cancer type.

With over 25,000 genes in each cell of our bodies, each individual make-up is unique. The sequencing machine scans the genes – similar to reading an instruction manual – and identifies the cancer-causing mutations. This informs how an individual’s cancer might progress and the treatment it may best respond to. This information will save lives.

Better outcomes, fewer side effects, access to a new therapy or clinical trial are all benefits this technology brings to patients, here at home. It can even spare patients from unnecessary treatments, if care teams know their cancer won’t respond. This is particularly important for those facing late-stage cancers.

Learn more about genetic sequencing technology in our original BMO Ride fundraising video from 2021
Patti Davidson - QEII CANCER PATIENT AND TWO-TIME BMO RIDE PARTICIPANT
QEII CANCER PATIENT AND TWO-TIME BMO RIDE PARTICIPANT
Patti Davidson

Because of genetic sequencing technology, I received cancer therapy targeting the exact genetic markers of my cancer. It was much better than all of the other chemotherapies I had received…it just blew me away.

The technology and equipment that we are funding through the BMO Ride for Cancer, past, present and future, is keeping me and people like me alive.