Brain Canada funding supports development of the WONDER platform, led by researchers at Holland Bloorview
A new national data platform designed to advance research that improves outcomes for children with brain-based disabilities is being developed through a collaboration led by Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, with partners at the University of Calgary and CHU Sainte-Justine and with support from Brain Canada's Platform Support Grants program.
Known as Whole-Child Open Neuroscience Data for Empowering Research (WONDER), the platform is led by Dr. Azadeh Kushki, senior scientist and associate chief of data science at the Bloorview Research Institute, Holland Bloorview; professor, Institute of Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto; and Canada Research Chair in Neurodiversity and Personalized Health.
WONDER is designed to improve care for children with disabilities and neurodevelopmental differences, including autism, ADHD, mental health disorders, cerebral palsy and genetic conditions. The platform will securely connect genetic, brain imaging, and behavioural data from existing datasets across Canada and apply artificial intelligence to identify meaningful patterns that can help researchers better understand the factors that shape children's development, health and well-being and support more personalized, equitable and effective approaches to supporting children and their families.
The initiative will be centred at Holland Bloorview and co-led by Dr. Paul Arnold of the University of Calgary and Dr. Clara Moreau of CHU Sainte-Justine. The team hopes the platform will help researchers better understand the diversity of children's experiences and support needs.
“Children with brain conditions have diverse strengths, experiences and support needs, yet researchers often face barriers in accessing the large-scale data needed to better understand this diversity,” says Dr. Azadeh Kushki. “WONDER will bring together researchers, clinicians and families across Canada to create a secure, collaborative platform that helps unlock the potential of existing data and accelerate discovery in childhood disability research.”
The funding was announced by Brain Canada as part of a broader investment in four new research platforms across Ontario this year. Together, the platforms represent a $10.57-million investment in shared research infrastructure that will support scientists, clinicians and patients across Canada.
About WONDER
WONDER is a national platform that enables researchers to securely connect and analyze data from across Canada while protecting privacy and keeping data at its original institution. It uses a federated approach; instead of bringing all the data together in one place, WONDER combines learnings from each dataset. This approach empowers researchers to collaborate at a national scale without requiring data to be moved or centralized, ultimately allowing for secure, ethical, and scalable data sharing and analysis.
The platform is also being designed to support broad participation from the research community and help make advanced methods more accessible to researchers from a range of backgrounds and disciplines. It will build on existing research efforts across Canada and create new opportunities for collaboration and discovery.
“Across Canada, researchers have generated valuable datasets that offer important insights into children's development, health, and lived experiences. WONDER will create new opportunities to securely connect and learn from these data in a privacy-preserving way, helping researchers better understand the factors that contribute to the diversity of children's experiences and outcomes,” says Dr. Azadeh Kushki.
A national effort
The platform will bring together researchers, clinicians and families from across Canada and build on existing investments in childhood disability research.
Dr. Evdokia Anagnostou, vice president of research and director of the Bloorview Research Institute at Holland Bloorview, reflects on how the platform represents an extraordinary investment in the future of childhood disability research.
"Platforms like WONDER are essential to the future of childhood disability research. By creating the infrastructure needed to securely connect data, expertise and innovation across institutions, we will accelerate discovery and generate insights that will improve outcomes for children and families. This investment reflects the power of national collaboration and reinforces Holland Bloorview's commitment to advancing precision health through research," says Dr. Evdokia Anagnostou.
Since its launch, Brain Canada's Platform Support Grants program has invested more than $125 million in 46 research platforms, supporting shared infrastructure that serves researchers across the country. These platforms have engaged more than 800 researchers from over 89 institutions across 10 provinces and territories, helping to build a truly national brain research ecosystem. Brain Canada-supported platforms enabled access for more than 7,800 platform users, accelerating collaboration and discovery across disciplines and institutions. Collectively, Platform Support Grants have helped leverage more than $101 million in partner and sponsor funding, amplifying the impact of Brain Canada's investments in research infrastructure.
“WONDER exemplifies the transformative potential of shared research infrastructure. By leveraging a federated approach that enables researchers to securely connect and learn from data across institutions without moving or centralizing it, this platform will unlock new opportunities for collaboration, discovery and innovation in childhood brain health. Brain Canada is proud to support this national effort, which will help accelerate more personalized, equitable and evidence-based approaches to care for children and families across Canada.”
– Dr. Viviane Poupon, President and CEO, Brain Canada Foundation
WONDER is one of four new Brain Canada-supported platforms announced in Ontario, and 12 across Canada this year. Other funded initiatives include ultra-high field MRI, invasive neuroscience and data sharing, and mental health clinical trials.
Learn more
Read Brain Canada's announcement about the 2025 Platform Support Grants and Ontario-funded platforms: Brain Canada announcement
Funding acknowledgement
This project has been made possible with the financial support of the Canada Brain Research Fund (CBRF), an innovative arrangement between the Government of Canada (through Health Canada) and Brain Canada Foundation, and of Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, the University of Calgary and the CHU Sainte-Justine Foundation.
About Brain Canada's Platform Support Grants Program
Brain Canada's Platform Support Grants (PSG) program invests in shared research infrastructure that enables scientists to access cutting-edge resources, technologies, data platforms, biobanks and research services that would be difficult for any one institution to develop alone. Since 2014, the program has helped build a national ecosystem of research platforms that connect investigators across disciplines, institutions and regions, accelerating discovery and maximizing the impact of research investments. By supporting resources that serve entire research communities rather than individual projects, PSGs play a unique role in strengthening Canada's long-term capacity for collaborative, high-impact brain research.
By Priyanka Shah
