new pediatric lab technology in ontario aims to 'predict disease before children become seriously ill'
3 minute read
dr. victor han (right) and colleagues cristiana losef and jessica wilson have research underway at the new olink lab in london, ont.
supplied
stay up to date on this topic
instead of waiting until young kids get sick with chronic lung disease, epilepsy, asthma and congenital heart defects—and other pediatric conditions—new research technology will help clinicians make earlier diagnoses and offer more personalized precision treatments.
children’s health research institute (chri), part of london health sciences centre research institute (lhscri) and children’s hospital in london, ont., has launched canada’s first pediatric laboratory with olink technology that is used in very few facilities in canada and none dedicated to research for kids.
measuring proteins from a single drop of blood
the technology allows researchers to measure thousands of proteins from a single drop of blood, which is significant for infants and young kids where blood collection is often limited and difficult.
while conventional testing requires up to a few millilitres of blood, olink technology can generate detailed protein profiles from just a few microlitres. this means that subtle changes in proteins can be identified before symptoms appear, and opens the door to discovering how diseases develop and progress. and for patients and their families, the technology creates opportunities for earlier diagnosis and treatment.
“this technology changes the way we study childhood disease,” dr. victor han, chri scientific director, said in a news release. “instead of waiting until children become sick, we can identify and detect changes in proteins much earlier, thus helping us to diagnose the disease before it becomes clinically apparent. more importantly, by analyzing the changes in proteins in the blood using bioinformatics and artificial intelligence, we will be able to delineate the disease process and develop more personalized and targeted treatments.”
advertisement
life-long consequences for kids with chronic illness
kids are vulnerable when they have chronic illnesses because they’re still developing and have additional physiological and psychological needs. and many develop long-term health issues, cognitive challenges and higher susceptibility to infections.
on top of that, there’s the emotional impact when the condition affects social interactions and educational performance. there are lifelong consequences to manage, making early detection and possible treatment to change the course of their health so important.
“children living with chronic diseases represent a great challenge for the health care system, their families, and communities,” note italian researchers in a review of chronic disease in the pediatric population in the journal children in july 2025. “these young patients face continuous medical needs that affect not only their health but also their daily routines, emotional well-being and family dynamics.
the state-of-the-art lab is made possible by generous donor funding through the children’s health foundation.
“for premature babies weighing only one or two pounds, every drop of blood matters,” dr. han, a practicing newborn specialist, said in the release. “being able to perform this level of analysis from such a small sample opens entirely new possibilities for infant and pediatric research.”
research into preeclampsia, a serious pregnancy complication that can affect both mothers and babies, is already underway. the aim to understand protein biomarkers could lead to earlier diagnosis and intervention before the disease and its complications arise.
the long-term goal of the team is to take discoveries from the laboratory to bedside care.
supporting research collaboration in canada
advertisement
as well, the lab will promote scientific collaboration with researchers across the country, giving them better access to advanced protein analysis. prior to the lab launch, samples had to be shipped internationally for testing, so having this capability in london is a huge win for shorter turnaround times for canada’s research community.
“our goal is to predict diseases before children become seriously ill,” dr. han adds in the release. “the earlier we understand what’s happening inside the body, the sooner we can intervene and give children the best possible chance to recover quickly toward healthier lives.”
share story
