Biotechnology cluster beginning to take shape. (Special Report: Thunder Bay).

Representatives from municipal councils, First Nations, businesses, and economic development sectors from throughout northwestern Ontario gathered on Nov. 19 in Thunder Bay for the Great Rendevous 2. The goal behind the conference, entitled "State of the Northwest Economy," was to help define where the region needs to go and to find out how best to get there.

As part of the conference, two concurrent sessions were held; one dealing with innovation and the other dealing with tourism.

Dr. Robert Thayer, the vice-president of business development and CEO for Thunder Bay-based Genesis Genomics, was the keynote speaker for the innovation session.

"At Genesis Genomics, we are developing a tool for the very early detection of cancer at the pre-tumor stage," Thayer indicated "Early detection of the disease can extend life, reduce suffering, greatly reduce health-care costs and improve the quality of life for all patients. Prevention is better than a cure."

Thayer explained that Genesis Genomics was created two and a half years ago when a group of scientists involved with work in various research fields combined their expertise and made a startling revelation about how cancer could be studied.

The company is continuing research on mitochondria DNA with the intention of developing a new generation of diagnostic tools using DNA sequencing for the detection of pre-tumor cancers.

Not only does Thayer see the company as greatly benefiting the health-care industry, but he also feels the company can contribute to northwestern Ontario in many other different ways.

"I see one of our roles as providing tremendous young talented people with the chance to remain in Thunder Bay," he said.

In fact, Thayer indicated that the company has already hired three people with masters degrees from Lakehead University.

"These people would have had to leave Thunder Bay if Genesis Genomics would not have been here, but as a consequence, they are here," he said. "We anticipate, if we grow as a company as we should do over the next three months, we are looking at employing a full-time staff of 14; many of those in the research field."

He also feels that the company can attract major business leaders, world-class directors and advisers, scientists and other companies to the area.

"Certainly one of the things we have been successful at doing is attracting many of the major business leaders across the community of Thunder Bay to participate in Genesis Genomics," he said.

In fact, Thayer indicated that he has already had meetings with representatives from the new medical school about the role his company can play.

Overall, Thayer believes Genesis Genomics is part of a biomedical cluster in Northwestern Ontario. He pointed out that the area already has the Northwestern Ontario Regional Cancer Centre, the Paleo DNA Lab and the molecular biology program at Lakehead University. He also talked about CorMac Technologies as being part of the cluster. CorMac Technologies provides many companies, including Thayer's, with advanced computing and bioinformatics.

"Bioinformatics is simply taking all of the strings of information, in terms of DNA, and translating those strings of information and DNA," Thayer explained. "They make sense of that data so we can make a relationship to cancer. That exists in Thunder Bay. The expertise is here. The good new is as our company expands, that bioinformatics company is also going to have to expand in order to maintain their services to Genesis Genomics."

His hope is that his company can serve as an example of the potential that exists in northwestern Ontario. However, he feels a lot of work has to be done in the area to create a better climate for risk-takers, entrepreneurs and innovators.

"We have got to create a climate for risk-taking so that we facilitate people who are willing to take a risk and I think that is something that is absent," he said. "If we do not, we are going to be owned by the U.S."

The only way to improve the climate for entrepreneurship and dispel the poor perception of the North, Thayer feels, is to improve government funding and make the process faster and easier.

"The process has to change somehow to allow risk-takers to certainly have access to government money, but let's facilitate the process too and streamline the process," he said. "There needs to be more flexibility in adjusting for things like equipment and personnel and so on...it is no good talking about it. Yes, you should take a risk, but where are the resources?", he asks.