National network to significantly improve health outcomes for Indigenous Australians

A new national network will be established to advance the benefits from Genomic Medicine for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, after winning support under the Federal Government’s Medical Research Future Fund.

Professor Alex Brown, Head of Indigenous Genomics at Telethon Kids Institute, The Australian National University and South Australian Medical and Research Institute will lead the five-year project, worth almost $5 million, funded under the 2021 Genomics Health Futures Mission.

The five-year project represents a collaboration between researchers, genetic health services, Indigenous community-controlled health organisations and industry partners to rapidly progress the development of genomic research and resources that will lead to direct and tangible benefit for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people across the nation.

Researchers from WEHI, The Garvan Institute of Medical Research, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, Charles Perkins Centre at the University of Sydney, Victor Chang Cardiac Research institute, The University of New South Wales, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Queensland University of Technology, CSIRO Health and Biosecurity, Queensland Health, Griffith University, The University of Queensland, Deakin University, The University of Adelaide, University of South Australia and the WA Department of Health have formed the network to support and empower Indigenous leadership in Genomic Medicine for the future.  

Genomics can unlock the information in our DNA to enable personalised, more targeted approaches to the prevention and treatment of a range of health conditions including cancer, diabetes and heart disease, as well as rare diseases among Indigenous children.

Professor Brown said this national network will advance the benefits of Genomic Medicine for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients, who have to date been excluded from national genomics efforts.

Indigenous populations are not appropriately represented in genomic medicine, nor do they have equitable access to its benefits. Little attention has been paid to the steps required to ensure Indigenous Australians can and do benefit from all that genomics has to offer.

The national network will consist of six strategically located nodes in Queensland, New South Wales, the ACT, Western Australia, Victoria and South Australia.

The Indigenous Genomics Nodes will work in targeted areas to develop strong Indigenous governance, to create data systems that put sovereignty at the heart of their operations, to advance genomics policy and to build a workforce of Indigenous genomics researchers and clinicians.

Professor Brown said the national network aims to improve Indigenous engagement with genomics by building a culturally safe framework that respects the traditions and beliefs of Aboriginal people who seek to engage with genetic research and health care.

“Australia is on the cusp of a new era in personalised medicine that will bring deeper insights into the architecture of rare diseases among children and common diseases like heart disease, diabetes and cancer,” Professor Brown said.

This network will establish the foundations on which Indigenous Australians can equitably benefit from the health promoting, preventative, diagnostic and curative potential of genomics.

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About ANU

The Australian National University (ANU) is unlike any other university in Australia. Founded in 1946, in a spirit of post-war optimism, our role was to help realise Australia's potential as the world recovered from a global crisis. That vision, to support the development of national unity and identity, improve our understanding of ourselves and our neighbours, and provide our nation with research capacity amongst the best in the world, and education in areas vital for our future, has been our mission ever since.

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About SAHMRI

SAHMRI is South Australia’s independent, not-for-profit health and medical research institute. We believe in a healthier future for all Australians. We listen to the needs of our communities to deliver research that changes the way healthcare is delivered. Through research excellence, innovation and strategic partnerships, we turn discoveries in health and medical research into impact for the community to improve their lives and the health of all Australians. SAHMRI and our partners continue to invest in a healthier future for all, including construction of the Australian Bragg Centre for Proton Therapy and Research adjacent to our headquarters. This new building will house Australia’s first proton therapy unit, which is the first of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere.