Personalized medicine research gets $600,000 boost

London, ON – 3M Canada has donated $600,000 to support research into precision medicine at London Health Sciences Centre and St. Joseph’s Health Care London.

At London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC), the $300,000 gift will support the purchase of key technology as well as laboratory positions for genomic diagnostics in Canada’s first hospital-wide implementation of personalized medicine. Under the leadership of clinical pharmacologist Dr. Richard Kim, the Personalized Medicine Program is focused on understanding the genetic differences between individuals and, in doing so, providing the right dose of the right medicine at the right time for every patient.

“This 3M gift will help us transform the model of care, using personalized gene testing for precise diagnostics to increase patient safety and quality of care,” said Murray Glendining, LHSC’s president and CEO.

St. Joseph’s Health Care London will use its gift to support the launch of a research chair in molecular imaging, which will advance research in accurate diagnosis in areas such as cancer, cardiovascular health, diabetes and neurodegenerative diseases.

“Molecular imaging is a key enabler of precision medicine – interventions targeted to an individual patient’s unique genetic makeup,” said Dr. Gillian Kernaghan, the hospital’s president and CEO. “Through 3M Canada’s leadership support, we will advance knowledge at the very earliest stages of disease, so that we can deal with it quickly and effectively.”

“We are proud to be able to contribute to the advancement of precision medicine here in Canada,” said Paul Madden, president, and general manager, 3M Canada. “At 3M we believe that science is just science until you use it to improve the world. Each of these programs do just that – they apply advanced diagnostics to a combination of expertise and technology for the delivery of exceptional care.”