Why is this research important to Alberta?

Alberta faces growing health and environmental challenges from chemical exposures caused by wildfire smoke, industrial emissions, pesticides, and pollutants. These exposures contribute to chronic diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes, increasing healthcare costs and reducing quality of life. Current monitoring methods are expensive and limited, restricting large-scale prevention and policy action. This project addresses key challenges by:

• Developing an affordable, high-throughput tool to measure hundreds of exposure-related chemicals.
• Enabling earlier detection and better public-health surveillance.
• Supporting Alberta’s priorities in preventive healthcare, environmental monitoring, and biotechnology innovation.
• Helping diversify the province’s economy toward knowledge-based industries and strengthening Canada’s leadership in precision health.

What is the goal of this work? How will genomics be used?

This project aims to develop QUANTEX-600, a ready-to-use laboratory kit that can quickly measure more than 600 chemicals in a small blood sample. These chemicals come from everyday sources such as food, medications, pesticides, pollution, and wildfire smoke.

The project will:

• Make exposure monitoring faster, more affordable, and easier for researchers and public-health organizations so they can better understand how environmental factors affect human health and disease risk.
• Combine metabolomics with genomics-informed insights to study how chemical exposures influence biological pathways related to genes, metabolism, and chronic disease.
• Use artificial intelligence and advanced analytics to automate data analysis and laboratory workflows, allowing large datasets to be processed quickly and consistently.
• Bring together partners from MetabolomiX Inc., the University of Alberta, The Metabolomics Innovation Centre, Metabolomics Innovations Inc., and Tricca Technologies.

What are the expected benefits, and how will the research findings be shared?

Economically, commercialization of the QUANTEX-600 kit is projected to:

• Generate $1.4 million in annual revenue by 2027 and up to $10 million by 2030.
• Create at least six high-skilled biotechnology jobs and strengthening Alberta’s growing life-sciences sector.

Other expected benefits include:

• QUANTEX-600 will enable screening of ~29,500 people annually, greatly expanding exposure monitoring capacity.
• Earlier detection of harmful chemical exposures linked to chronic diseases.
• Environmentally, the tool will support improved monitoring of pollutants such as wildfire smoke and industrial emissions.

Findings and tools will be shared through open-access publications, conferences, and collaborations with public-health agencies and research networks.

Related Resources

Related information can be accessed through:

• Industry partner website: https://www.metabolomix.ca
• Presentation at the National Academy of Sciences Conference in Washington DC: Use of Metabolomics to Characterize Exposure
• Research publication: Metabolome informs about the chemical exposome and links to brain health
• NSERC Newsletter: https://nserc-crsng.canada.ca/en/profile/david-wishart