$10 million funding for phenomics research

The Australian Government has announced a $10 million investment in the Translational Phenomics Initiative to help advance critical understanding of disease mechanisms and validate approaches to new therapies. 

The Translational Phenomics Initiative, hosted at the Australian National University (ANU), uses discoveries made from genome sequencing to drive development of new disease models, novel diagnostics and better treatment for patients with chronic illnesses.

The investment will significantly progress the translation of the massive amount of existing genomic data and support the broad application of precision and personalised medicine, said ANU Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research and Innovation) Professor Keith Nugent.

“Currently, we only know the significance of a tiny fraction of the human genome, and we know even less about how the genome connects to disease,” said Prof Nugent.

“Phenomics relates our genome to the development of potential therapies and so is central to the emerging area of precision medicine.

“The Australian Government’s investment in this critical work will go a long way to improving the lives of the millions of people who suffer from chronic and debilitating illnesses,” he said. 

The federal government funding injection complements investments from the ACT Government to support clinical research. ANU has invested more than $10 million to support research projects in precision medicine across the university.

Image credit: ©stock.adobe.com/au/Olivier Le Moal