The 2015/16 Genomics Collaborative Grants Program helps researchers understand the role genomics research can play in identifying individualised treatments based on a patient’s genetic makeup to treat conditions including hereditary heart disease, genetic bone disorders, immune deficiencies and childhood epilepsy.
A genome is the complete set of genetic information we inherit from our parents contained in a DNA molecule that is approximately two metres long and in every cell of our body.
NSW Premier Mike Baird said genomics research has the potential to change the way medical treatments are delivered.
“These cutting-edge researchers are helping answer the questions why only some people develop certain diseases, and the reasons may lie in their genetic makeup,” Mr Baird said.
The NSW Government is investing $24 million over four years in the Sydney Genomics Collaborative, which has resulted in researchers exploring better treatments for cancer, mitochondrial disease, inherited heart disease in babies and schizophrenia.