NSW Health Genomic Medical Research Grants
From 2014, over 4 years, the NSW government is providing funding for researchers to undertake whole-genome sequencing to improve understanding of the genetic causes for disease. The grants enable NSW researchers to access the whole genome sequencing technology at the Garvan Institute of Medical Research and to engage bioinformatics services.
The grants will help to establish NSW as a leader in genomics and generate significant benefits for the NSW health system and community. With rapid advances in genomics over recent years, it is expected that these advances will, over time, fundamentally transform health care, with a new focus on proactive prevention and provision of tailored therapies.
Information regarding applications for the 2017 round can be found here.
- Professor Graham Mann ($811,150) from the Westmead Millennium Institute for Medical Research/the University of Sydney will lead chief investigators from the Melanoma Institute Australia and Macquarie University to support research into new therapies for metastatic melanoma.
- Professor Carolyn Sue ($740,000) from the Kolling Institute of Medical Research will lead chief investigators from the Children’s Hospital at Westmead and Charles Perkins Centre (University of Sydney) in research aimed at transforming the diagnostic paradigm for mitochondrial disease using whole genome sequencing to unlock new knowledge about the genetic causes.
- Professor Sally Dunwoodie ($370,000) from the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute will lead chief investigators from her own institute and the Sydney Children’s Hospital Network in research into the genetic causes of congenital heart disease.
- Associate Professor Murray Cairns ($800,000) from the University of Newcastle will lead chief investigators from the University of New South Wales and St Vincent’s Hospital in research to identify genomic system motifs and associated markers that can inform the development of new interventions in relation to schizophrenia.
- Associate Professor Robyn Jamieson ($340,000) from the University of Sydney will lead chief investigators from the Children’s Medical Research Institute, Sydney Children’s Hospital Network, Save Sight Institute, University of Sydney Faculty of Pharmacy and Garvan Institute to translate genomics for genetic diagnosis and improved patient management in blinding retinal dystrophy.
- Dr Tony Roscioli ($200,000) from the Garvan Institute will lead chief investigators from SEALS Genetics Laboratory, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, St Vincent's Clinical School and the Sydney Children’s Hospital Network to support research into novel gene identification and elucidation of immune pathways in Mendelian Immunodeficiencies using whole genome sequencing.
- Dr Tony Roscioli ($200,000) from the Garvan Institute will lead chief investigators from SEALS Genetics Laboratory Randwick, Sydney Children's Hospital Randwick, University of Sydney Faculty of Pharmacy and St Vincent's Clinical School in a study of a group of 60 NSW families who have received extensive clinical investigation with no causative gene identified in 70% of these families.
- Dr Tony Roscioli ($180,000) from the Garvan Institute will lead chief investigators from the Sydney Children’s Hospital Randwick and The University of Sydney Faculty of Pharmacy to leverage genomic sequencing to help doctors with the diagnosis and improve the medical understanding of the cause of drug-resistant childhood onset epilepsy with intellectual disability.
- Professor Andreas Zankl ($300,000) from the Sydney Children’s Hospital Network will lead chief investigators from the Kinghorn Centre for Clinical Genomics, Kolling Institute, Garvan Institute for Medical Research, the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute and the Children’s Medical Research Institute to explore the genomic landscape to fully characterise patients with different genetic disorders of bone.
- Professor Christopher Semsarian ($320,000) from the University of Sydney and Centenary Institute will lead chief investigators from the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, Kinghorn Centre for Clinical Genomics, Garvan Institute of Medical Research, Sydney Children’s Hospital Network, Liverpool Hospital, Royal North Shore Hospital, Hunter Genetics Unit Newcastle to conduct a world-first comprehensive genomic and clinical analysis of patients and their families that aims to improve the care of families with inherited cardiomyopathies.
- Dr Jan Fullerton ($2.46 million) from Neuroscience Research Australia (NeuRA) will lead a team from the Black Dog Institute, UNSW Sydney and the Prince of Wales Hospital. The study aims to study the whole genome sequences of approximately 1200 individuals from across NSW with bipolar disorder, to identify the molecular pathways which increase risk of illness.
SYDNEY GENOMICS COLLABORATIVE