To better understand the complexities of COVID-19 and the determinants of disease susceptibility at a population level, large collections of biological and clinical patient data are needed in the form of a biobank. The upcoming October technical seminar will be hosted by Dr. Guillaume Butler-Laporte, a clinical trainee in the Richards lab who is currently working on the Biobanque québécoise de la COVID-19 (BQC19).

Save the date for an interesting talk on the set-up, expectations and limitations of the BQC19 at the Jewish General Hospital to understand the implications biobanking may have on the course of the current pandemic and more broadly on the future of medicine. Note that the Biobanque québécoise de la COVID-19 (BQC19) is currently inviting the scientific community to submit their requests as part of the first phase of the data access process (deadline Oct. 12th). Available data include genome-wide genotyping associated with twelve baseline variables on more than 500 samples from the BQC19, divided between SARS-CoV-2 positive participants and case controls. See the following link for more details: https://www.bqc19.ca/en/access-data-samples.