NEW YORK — The Australian government on Wednesday said it has awarded over A$33 million ($21.6 million) in grant funding to support genomics research in cancer and pediatric disease, as well as studies exploring the ethical, legal, and social issues of genomics in healthcare.
Among the projects receiving funding are efforts by the University of Melbourne to use genomics in the treatment of cancers of unknown primary origin and infantile epilepsy, as well as to examine genomic health equity for indigenous Australians; studies at the University of Queensland into whole-genome sequencing in high-risk breast cancer patients, host gene expression signatures in the diagnosis of sepsis, and genomics in disability; and an investigation into the use of antenatal genomics in the care of newborns being conducted by the University of New South Wales.
Other grant recipients include the Queensland University of Technology, the University of South Australia, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Monash University, the University of Tasmania, Swinburn University of Technology, and Macquarie University.
The grants were awarded as part of Australia's A$500 million Genomics Health Futures Mission, which was launched in 2018 as part of a broader program aimed at improving the health outcomes of more than 200,000 Australians.