Jay and Kendal Patry are investing $1 million to establish Kingston Health Sciences Centre’s (KHSC) first “Clinical Chair” role, in an area many refer to as the future of medicine – genomics.
“We can either be on the cutting edge of medicine or fall behind. I want our community to be on the cutting edge and have access to it as soon as possible,” says Jay, the owner of the real estate company, Patry Inc. Developments.
Genomics focuses on using knowledge about our genes (DNA) to improve medical care. The traditional method of disease treatment was a one-size-fits-all approach developed for an average person. In genomics, scientists identify a person’s genetic variations that might affect their risk of getting sick or how they respond to treatment. Then, scientists turn this knowledge into personalized treatments tailored to an individual's genetic makeup. It’s part of the emerging field of personalized medicine.
The Jay and Kendal Patry Clinical Chair in Genomics position will be held by Dr. Prameet Sheth. His expertise in genomic sequencing and microbiology has been pivotal in the response to the COVID-19 pandemic, when provincial leaders and other hospitals came to rely on KHSC specialists. During the early waves of the COVID-19 pandemic, KHSC teams developed their own tests that were more accurate in detecting the COVID-19 virus. Later in the pandemic, KHSC was selected as one of only four hospitals in Ontario to become a provincial site for ‘whole genomic sequencing,’ which allowed experts like Dr. Sheth to track the virus’s evolution through its various mutations.
While genomics may be the next step in health-care innovation, it brings some unique challenges. The human genome, home to roughly 20,000 genes, is an immensely complex structure that requires significant resources to analyze and develop testing and diagnostic tools.
“(Genomics) is like being handed a 20,000-page book and being told ‘The answers are in there’ and you think ‘How am I going to find it?’” explains Dr. Sheth. “So to dissect that information and to actually find what is important takes a significant amount of computational understanding and prowess.”
Dr. Sheth feels honoured to be named as the inaugural Clinical Chair, as a result of the Patry’s major contribution, and says the community will benefit having better access to the leading-edge of healthcare. “The Patrys are ahead of their time. They are investing in something that is so clearly going to make a massive difference in our future,” says Dr. Sheth. “It is very forward thinking of them. So thank you to the Patrys for investing in the future, and thank you for investing in KHSC, in me and in the community.”
The $1 million investment will bolster’s KHSC’s already stellar reputation in genomics and as a leading research hospital, which also helps recruit and retain top talent in Kingston. KHSC and its research institute, the Kingston General Health Research Institute (KGHRI), has been named by Research InfoSource as one of the Top 40 research hospitals in Canada for 13 consecutive years, landing in 23rd in the most recent rankings.
“This gift from the Patrys will reinforce our reputation in genomics and help us continue to be one of the leading organizations in this field,” says KHSC Chief Operating Officer, Dr. Renate Ilse. “Precision diagnostics and therapeutics, including personalized medicine, are the future of cancer treatment and infectious disease surveillance, with genomics playing a huge role in them. Understanding the genetics of cancer cells is leading to new discoveries and treatments while understanding changes in infectious disease can also help us with managing outbreaks and monitoring drug resistance.”
The Patrys share KHSC’s vision to push the frontiers of medicine. They’ve experienced the loss of friends who were young and healthy due to cancer. They’re in a position to give back and believe that investing in the future is important. The Patrys hope that genomics will be able to come up with new early detection tests and treatments for cancer and other diseases and viruses.
“I’ve always believed in giving back to the community,”Jay says. “If someone is blessed with success in business, they have a responsibility to share back with the community where they earn their living.”
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