UNSW academics receive $4.9m for genomics research

The projects will help more people get genetic diagnoses, improve data collection from diverse communities and use genetic information to make antidepressant treatments more effective.

Three research projects led by UNSW experts in genomics medicine have received $4.92 million in funding from the Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF).

The grants were announced under the MRFF’s Genomics Health Futures Mission scheme, which aims to support better testing, diagnosis and treatment of cancers and other rare diseases through genomics research.  

Genomic medicine uses a person’s own DNA to better identify disease risks, prevent illnesses, make earlier diagnoses and personalise treatment. About 80% of all rare diseases are genetic in origin.

Dean of UNSW Medicine & Health Professor Cheryl Jones congratulated the grant recipients.

“At UNSW, we are excited about unlocking the opportunities from world-class genomics research to reveal a deeper understanding of disease and work towards translation into precision health,” she said.

“We are committed to the creation of a new Precision Medicine Mission as part of our university strategy, Progress for All. These three projects will help put Australia at the forefront of genomic research and ultimately translate to enabling healthier lives for people with life-threatening or currently untreatable diseases.”

Using AI to predict patient reactions

Associate Professor Kathy Wu was awarded $2.95 million to lead a study that will use genomic data to develop more precise ways of prescribing antidepressants.  

Using machine learning, A/Prof. Wu’s team will combine genomic datasets from 3000 participants and correlate these with their clinical histories. This personalised approach will identify specific genomic signatures that can predict a patient’s response to treatment and symptom remission.

“We want to mitigate the current trial-and-error and one-size-fits-all approach in antidepressant therapy,” A/Prof. Wu said. “By tailoring the right antidepressant at the right dose, we hope to improve the therapeutic effect of treatments, reduce medication side effects and improve a patient’s quality of life during treatment.”

A/Prof. Wu said the team would develop a user-friendly app to create the predictions.

“We also hope to ensure all patients can access the end-product of this study by generating economic data to influence public funding decisions,” A/Prof. Wu said. 

Greater diversity in genomic data

Director of the Centre for Population Genomics – a collaborative initiative of the Garvan Institute of Medical Research and Murdoch Children’s Research Institute – and Conjoint Professor Daniel MacArthur was awarded $985,061 for a project that will make it easier for Australians from culturally diverse backgrounds to take part in genomics research.

Current global genomic databases are highly skewed towards people of European ancestry and don’t include representation from most of Australia’s multicultural communities.

Prof. MacArthur’s team leads the OurDNA program, which aims to include more than 10,000 people from multicultural communities across Australia in genetic and medical research resources.

The MRFF grant will help the team improve their translated information and consent forms for participants, explore new automated translation tools and work with researchers and bicultural workers to engage diverse communities in genomics research.

“Millions of Australians may miss out on advances in health care because they are underrepresented in the resources doctors and researchers rely on to identify and diagnose health conditions,” Prof. MacArthur said.

 “To ensure genomic medicine can help everyone, we need data that fully represents our population. This project will help us to involve multicultural communities in genomics research and ultimately lead to improved health outcomes for all Australians.”

An easier route to diagnosis

Dr Elizabeth Emma Palmer received $981,846 to lead a program that helps people in remote and regional areas – including those from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds and Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander communities – get better access to genetic diagnoses.

Dr Palmer said people in these priority populations faced the biggest barriers in accessing genomic diagnoses and risk missing out on the benefits of personalised health care.

The Diagnosis For All program will map out the system changes required to deliver effective, equitable and culturally safe genomics-based diagnostics for priority populations in NSW. 

“These are the communities for whom our intervention could make the most difference,” Dr Palmer said.

“The most exciting part about this program for me is that it will be co-led with researchers from these communities. As well as exploring how to overcome this inequity, we will also test out a health solution designed together with the communities, clinicians, health services and researchers. This means by the end of this program we will have shared learnings ready to launch more broadly in the healthcare system.”