TORONTO, Ontario – Health and genomic data are strategic national assets. AI models are only as powerful as the data they learn from, yet centralizing sensitive patient data risks surrendering the sovereignty that health systems are built to protect. DNAstack, founded in Toronto, has resolved this tension through a federated architecture in which raw data never moves, institutions retain governance, and AI learns from the entire network, delivering sovereign control of patient data combined with the analytical power of a global network.
The model is already operating at scale, and now being supercharged by a recently announced global partnership between DNAstack and PacBio (NASDAQ: PACB). Across seven production networks on four continents, processing more than 100,000 samples annually, DNAstack’s platform is delivering faster disease diagnosis through AI-powered tertiary analysis that draws on a global network of clinically characterized genomes, earlier identification of inherited risk factors, more precisely matched treatment pathways, and seamless interoperability built on open standards including HL7 FHIR and GA4GH specifications. All resulting intellectual property is 100% Canadian-owned.
“Ontario has a once-in-a-generation opportunity to lead in precision medicine — on our Ontario-built, Canadian-owned platform, already proven at scale around the world. We can protect Ontario by making our citizens healthier and reducing the burden on our healthcare system.” – Peter AP Zakarow, Chair, DNAstack Advisory Board
Why Sovereign AI. Why Now. Why Canada
The need is urgent.
An aging population, rising chronic disease burden, and escalating costs demand a shift from reactive care to prevention and precision treatment. Genomics and AI make this shift possible, but only with data infrastructure that operates at scale within the privacy and sovereignty frameworks Canadians expect.
The policy is aligning.
The Government of Canada’s $2-billion Sovereign AI Compute Strategy, the Canadian Genomics Strategy, and Bill S-5 (the Connected Care for Canadians Act) all signal the same direction: Canadian health data must remain under Canadian control, processed on Canadian-resident infrastructure, governed by Canadian institutions.
The technology is here.
Long-read sequencing, federated learning, and autonomous AI workflows have matured to production readiness. Decision-makers investing in genomic data platforms have an opportunity to procure from Canadian-headquartered companies that guarantee domestic data residency and Canadian-owned intellectual property. The technology to do this at production scale exists today. It was built in Ontario.
Proven at Scale
DNAstack’s core competency is the governance, analysis, and federated sharing of human genomic data. The company operates production networks serving over 100 institutions globally, improving discovery and diagnostics across rare disease, neurodegenerative conditions, and other complex disorders. These include the HiFi Solves Global Consortium (nearly 30 institutions across 15 countries, in partnership with PacBio), Autism Speaks MSSNG (built with SickKids), and Target ALS. During the COVID 19 pandemic, DNAstack applied this infrastructure to viral genomics, delivering Viral AI in partnership with the Ontario Ministry of Health and processing over 550,000 SARS CoV-2 genomes across nine provinces with 99.97% uptime. Through the DIGITAL Global Innovation Cluster, DNAstack has led multiple federally funded initiatives representing over $50 million in combined investment, generating 100% Canadian-owned intellectual property.
DNAstack has been recognized as a World Economic Forum Technology Pioneer (2022), Canada’s Life Sciences Company of the Year (2023), and the PICCASO Canada Health Privacy Leader (2024), and is a founding contributor to GA4GH and ISO global genomics data standards.
About PacBio
PacBio (NASDAQ: PACB) is a premier life science technology company that designs, develops, and manufactures advanced sequencing solutions to help scientists and clinical researchers resolve genetically complex problems. Our products and technologies, which include our HiFi long-read sequencing, address solutions across a broad set of research applications including human germline sequencing, plant and animal sciences, infectious disease and microbiology, oncology, and other emerging applications.
For more information, please visit www.pacb.com and follow @PacBio. PacBio products are provided for Research Use Only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures.
About DNAstack
DNAstack is a Canadian company whose mission is to improve lives by unlocking the collective power of the world’s genomics and health data. Omics AI is a software suite by DNAstack that enables privacy-preserving federated insights across distributed data. DNAstack is a global leader in the development of open, interoperable standards as part of the Global Alliance for Genomics & Health (GA4GH).
Disclaimer: This press release may contain forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements describe future expectations, plans, results, or strategies (including product offerings, regulatory plans and business plans) and may change without notice. You are cautioned that such statements are subject to a multitude of risks and uncertainties that could cause future circumstances, events, or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements, including the risks that actual results may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statemennts.
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Company Name: DNAStack
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Address:120 Adelaide St W Suite 2500
City: Toronto
State: Ontario
Country: Canada
Website: https://dnastack.com/