Every breakthrough in children’s health begins with questions.
What if doctors could detect disease before a child ever became seriously ill? What if just a single drop of blood could reveal thousands of clues about a child’s health, leading to earlier diagnoses and more personalized treatments?
Thanks to the generosity of Children’s Health Foundation donors, those questions are becoming reality.
Children’s Health Research Institute (CHRI), part of London Health Sciences Research Institute (LHSC), is now home to Canada’s first paediatric laboratory certified to use Olink technology — a groundbreaking advancement that positions Children’s Hospital as a national leader in precision medicine for children.
Seeing disease before symptoms appear
Proteins are constantly changing inside the body, often long before symptoms develop. With Olink technology, researchers can measure thousands of those proteins using only a tiny blood sample, uncovering important biological changes that were previously impossible to detect.
For researchers, that means a better understanding of how childhood diseases begin, how they progress and, ultimately, how they can be treated sooner.
“This technology changes the way we study childhood disease,” says Dr. Victor Han, Director of Children’s Health Research Institute.
"Instead of waiting until children become sick, we can identify protein changes much earlier, helping us understand disease before it becomes clinically apparent and ultimately develop more personalized treatments."
For babies and young children, every drop of blood matters.
Traditional laboratory testing can require up to one millilitre of blood. Olink technology produces detailed protein profiles using only a fraction of that amount — an advantage that is especially meaningful for premature infants.
“For premature babies weighing only one or two pounds, every drop of blood matters,” says Dr. Han.
"Being able to perform this level of analysis from such a small sample opens entirely new possibilities for paediatric research."
This breakthrough gives researchers the ability to study vulnerable children in ways that simply weren’t possible before.
Accelerating discoveries for children
The new laboratory is already supporting research into preeclampsia, a serious pregnancy complication that can affect both mothers and babies. By studying protein biomarkers, researchers hope to one day identify the condition earlier and intervene before complications arise.
Future research will explore chronic lung disease in premature infants, rare diseases, and other paediatric conditions, helping move discoveries from the laboratory to the bedside faster.
Just as importantly, the lab will serve researchers across Canada. Until now, many Canadian scientists had to ship samples internationally for advanced protein analysis. Having this capability at Children’s Hospital will reduce costs, shorten turnaround times, and create new opportunities for collaboration.
Donor support is making discoveries possible
The launch of Canada’s first paediatric Olink laboratory was made possible through the generosity of Children’s Health Foundation donors.
Their support is helping equip researchers with cutting-edge technology that is accelerating discoveries, attracting collaboration, and bringing the future of precision medicine to children across Canada.
Every discovery moves us one step closer to a future where diseases are detected earlier, treatments are more personalized, and more children have the opportunity to grow up healthier.
“Our goal is to predict diseases before children become seriously ill,” says Dr. Han.
"The earlier we understand what's happening inside the body, the sooner we can intervene and give children the best possible chance at healthier lives."
Ainsley Krienselokker
akrienselokker@childhealth.ca
