ECOGENE-21 Team

A non-profit clinical research organization (NPO) dedicated to advancing access to innovation for unmet health needs, coordinated from the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean (SLSJ) region.

ECOGENE-21 is a collaborative ecosystem bringing together various partners committed to advancing the mission of improving access to health innovations.

  • Founded in 2000, ECOGENE-21 began as a research alliance in community genetics, supported by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). Since then, we have evolved into an independent and autonomous organization, investing our resources in initiatives that concretely improve access to innovation and healthcare for communities.

  • ECOGENE-21’s mission is to promote access to therapeutic, technological, and biological innovations in health for individuals with unmet medical needs, particularly those affected by rare diseases or severe forms of common conditions. We support research and innovation through the implementation of strategic directions that foster the acquisition, transfer, and application of relevant, validated, and accessible knowledge and technologies.

  • Since its creation, ECOGENE-21 has aspired to become an internationally recognized leader in the support, acquisition, sharing, and valorization of knowledge, innovations, and technologies addressing unmet health needs.

  • Over the years, ECOGENE-21 has:

    • Designed and coordinated more than 300 clinical and academic health studies.
    • Contributed to the development of new medications, diagnostics, therapeutic approaches, educational tools, and innovative technologies.
    • Helped identify new disease markers and supported cutting-edge therapies, including clinical trials for the first gene therapy authorized in the West.

Our Strategic Directions

  • Facilitate

    • Facilitate access to innovations and novel treatments.
    • Support the next generation and young researchers.
    • Promote the growth of health-related enterprises.

  • Incubate

    • Foster the emergence and development of innovative ideas and projects.
    • Support the creation of health ventures.

  • Collaborate

    • Build partnerships between communities, researchers, clinicians, and businesses.

  • Knowledge transfer

    • Promote the sharing and transmission of knowledge.

Our values

  • We aim for excellence at every stage through high standards of quality and rigor.

  • We remain true to our mission and partners, with unwavering commitment to community needs.

  • We encourage new ideas with boldness, dynamism, and a spirit of innovation.

  • We act with transparency, justice, and sensitivity to community-specific needs.

  • We adapt rapidly, support accessible innovation, and generate social and economic impact.

Meet the faces behind our work

Meet the ECOGENE-21 team