What CARTaGENE does

CARTaGENE is a public population-based biobank and research platform operated under CHU Sainte-Justine, a university hospital center in Montreal, Quebec. Founded in 2012 by Dr. Claude Laberge and Prof. Bartha Maria Knoppers, the platform comprises biological samples and health/lifestyle data from 43,000 Quebec men and women aged 40-69 at recruitment, organized into more than 7,000 variables spanning health, demographic, environmental, genetic, and clinical dimensions. It is currently under the scientific direction of Dr. Guillaume Lettre, Dr. Simon Gravel, and Dr. Vikki Ho.

The platform's core technical offering is a multi-tiered genetic and phenotypic data asset: genotyping via the Illumina Infinium Global Screening Array across approximately 30,000 participants with imputed datasets, whole genome sequencing for 2,184 participants, RNA sequencing for 911, and whole exome sequencing for 198. Researchers access the asset through a dedicated Researcher Access Portal, which supports data request workflows, catalog browsing, and project tracking, alongside modules for data catalogs, a Health Follow-up program (2025), and researcher documentation. CARTaGENE also serves as the Quebec node of the Canadian Partnership for Tomorrow's Health (CanPath), a pan-Canadian cohort exceeding 300,000 participants.

The business model is non-commercial and publicly funded: CARTaGENE does not generate commercial revenue, has no disclosed pricing model, and operates under institutional and governmental funding channels tied to its parent institution, CHU Sainte-Justine. Its go-to-market is academic and researcher-led rather than enterprise sales — outreach runs through the institutional website (cartagene.qc.ca), LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and scientific conferences. The primary customer segment is academic and medical researchers working on chronic disease prevention, genetic studies, environmental health, aging-related conditions, and cancer research, primarily in Quebec with selective international collaborations.

Name

CARTaGENE

Legal name

CARTaGENE

Website

https://cartagene.qc.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

CARTaGENE is a publicly funded Quebec population biobank and research platform operated by CHU Sainte-Justine, providing biological samples and multi-omic health data from 43,000 participants to academic and medical researchers for chronic disease and genetic research.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Population Biobank & Genomic Research Data

NAICS

General Warehousing and Storage (49311)

SIC

Services-Medical Laboratories (8071)

akta.pro primary industry

Data Linkage, Registries & Longitudinal Cohort Surveillance (HLAJANAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Public Health Genomics & Sequencing (WGS/Metagenomics) Networks (HLAJAIAK), Clinical Data Repositories (CDR) & Longitudinal Patient Records (HLACAIAH), Real-World Data (RWD) / Real-World Evidence (RWE) & Observational Research Platforms (HLACAOAM)

Keywords

• Population biobank
• Genomic research data
• Cohort study platform
• Biological sample repository
• Health research infrastructure

Headquarters

HQ city

Montréal

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

CARTaGENE operates a public population-based biobank comprising biological samples and health/lifestyle data from 43,000 Quebec men and women aged 40-69 at recruitment. The platform provides approved researchers with access to genotyping data (Illumina GSA for ~30,000 participants), imputed datasets, RNA sequencing (911 participants), whole exome sequencing (198 participants), and whole genome sequencing (2,184 participants), enabling chronic disease, genetic, environmental, and aging-related research.

Product overview

CARTaGENE is a unified public biobank and research platform operated by CHU Sainte-Justine, offering a single integrated system that combines biological samples with comprehensive health and lifestyle data from 43,000 Quebec participants. The platform consists of a core research infrastructure with modules for researcher access, genetic data services (genotyping, sequencing), health follow-up programs, and searchable data catalogs. Researchers access the platform through a dedicated access portal to request and utilize cohort data for health research studies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CARTaGENE Research Platform A public population-based biobank and research platform comprising biological samples and health/lifestyle data from 43,000 Quebec adults aged 40-69 at recruitment, designed to accelerate health research on chronic diseases, genetics, environmental health, and aging. Researchers request access through a structured access request process tied to the platform's data catalogs.
• Genetic Data Services Provides approved researchers with multi-modal genetic data from the CARTaGENE cohort: genotyping data on ~30,000 participants via Illumina Infinium Global Screening Array (GSA) with imputed datasets; whole genome sequencing for 2,184 participants; RNA sequencing for 911 participants; and whole exome sequencing for 198 participants.

Quantifiable outcome

• Long-term improvement in prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of chronic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, and cancer
• +1 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• CHU Sainte-JustinecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCARTaGENE is a public research platform of CHU Sainte-Justine. The hospital provides institutional backing, research infrastructure, and serves as the parent organization for the biobank. CARTaGENE is under the scientific direction of Dr. Guillaume Lettre, Dr. Simon Gravel, and Dr. Vikki Ho.
• Canadian Partnership for Tomorrow's Health (CanPath)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCARTaGENE is the Quebec component of the Canadian Partnership for Tomorrow's Health (CanPath), a pan-Canadian cohort study with over 300,000 participants. This partnership enables collaborative research across Canada on chronic disease prevention and population health.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• FinnGen: Finnish population genomics project combining genotype data from biobank samples with national health registries. Comparable in its integration of population-scale genotyping with longitudinal health records for disease association studies.
• UK Biobank: Large-scale prospective population biobank with ~500,000 participants aged 40-69 at recruitment, extensive genotyping and WGS, and a comparable data-access model. UK Biobank is the most directly comparable international peer in scale, participant demographics, and genomic data depth.
• BioBank Japan: Japanese population biobank with 200,000+ participants providing DNA, serum, and clinical data across 47 diseases. Comparable in scale of biosample-linked health data and use for population genomics and disease association studies.
• Million Veteran Program (VA): US Department of Veterans Affairs population cohort exceeding one million participants with genotyping and linked health records. Direct peer in operating a publicly funded, large-scale genomic cohort with researcher access infrastructure.
• All of Us Research Program (NIH): US population-based cohort program with multi-modal genomic, clinical, and lifestyle data on a diverse participant base. Operates a researcher data-access portal similar to CARTaGENE and serves as a model for publicly funded precision-medicine research platforms.
• Canadian Partnership for Tomorrow's Health (CanPath): Pan-Canadian population health research platform with 300,000+ participants that includes CARTaGENE as its Quebec component. Direct peer and parent network that pools regional cohorts for nationwide chronic disease and genomics research.
• Geisinger MyCode: US healthcare system-based biobank linking electronic health records, genomic data, and longitudinal outcomes for hundreds of thousands of patients. Comparable in combining biobank samples with deep clinical phenotype data for genomic medicine research.
• Estonian Biobank: University of Tartu-led population biobank covering ~20% of Estonia's adult population with genotyping, WGS, and linked health records. Comparable national-scale population cohort with multi-omic data and a researcher access model.
• deCODE Genetics: Icelandic population genomics company using whole-genome sequencing and genealogical records on a national-scale cohort. Direct peer in operating a country-representative population biobank for genetic disease research, now part of Amgen.
• LifeLines: Dutch multi-generational population cohort following ~167,000 participants from the north of the Netherlands with biosamples, genetics, and extensive phenotype data. Comparable in being a population-based prospective cohort designed for chronic disease and environmental health research.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/_CARTaGENE_
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cartagene

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about CARTaGENE