A genomics centre in Grand Falls-Windsor will begin expanding its research and development to include hearing loss thanks in part to funding from the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA).
EXCITE Corporation Inc., in collaboration with otolaryngology centres across Canada, is receiving $785,282 through ACOA’s business development program to undertake various research activities to help improve the diagnosis, treatment and outcome of patients affected by otosclerosis, a disease of the bones of the middle ear.
EXCITE will also be partnering with the provincial government’s Central Health Authority to conduct studies related to hearing deficit and cognitive decline, and will develop educational materials for primary health care practitioners, including family physicians and audiologists, to help facilitate the use of genomics in clinical practice.
“Through our collaborative partnerships, we are very focused on creating new economic opportunities in genomics both in research and industry,” mayor and EXCITE chair Barry Manuel stated in a release. “Our objective in Grand Falls-Windsor is to become a rural healthcare innovation hub connected to national innovation hubs.”