Partnering with Northern British Columbia First Nations in the spectrum of biobanking and genomic research: Moving beyond the disparities

Biobanking, genomic research, and their potential for clinical applications are playing a primary role in the evolution of cancer care in Canada and around the world. Although this is having an impact on everything from screening and diagnosis to treatment and the foundational understanding of disease, its success has become a potential driver of persisting health inequities in Canada. Although Canada plays a prominent role in oncogenomic research, it should be noted that this is primarily localized to metropolitan centers that have the associated academic institutions, genomic laboratories, human resources, and research budgets to permit this. Northern, rural, and Indigenous populations are at best minimally represented and at worst actively excluded from this research and its beneficial effects downstream. It is anticipated that addressing this broadening gap—often termed the “genomic health divide”¹—will be necessary to prevent an untenable growth in the inequities of cancer care and outcomes.