The Azrieli Foundation has announced a C$50 million ($36.8 million) gift to CHU Sainte-Justine and the Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids).

The two Canadian healthcare giants, which are responsible for covering 61 percent of Canada’s pediatric population combined, are partnering to establish a discovery and research pipeline. The funding will be directed to SickKids’ Precision Child Health initiative, which uses information about a child’s genes, biology, environment, and social determinants to predict, prevent, diagnose, and treat disease in a more targeted and individualized way. Projects taken on by the partnership will focus on genomics, novel therapies, and research data.

“After three years of hard work and meticulous planning, we are now taking a powerful next step in our collective vision for Precision Child Health,” said SickKids president and CEO Ronald Cohn. “Precision Child Health is more than just a shift in the approach to children’s health care. In order to shift to this new paradigm and redefine the care trajectory, it will take tremendous financial and strategic investment—and thanks to the vision and generosity of the Azrieli Foundation, we are on our way.”

(Photo credit: Getty Images/HRAUN)