Grants Available for Preparing Australia for the Genomics Revolution

One of the largest grants in the history of the National Health and Medical Research Council is now available for research in to Preparing Australia for the Genomics Revolution in Health Care.
The Targeted Call for Research (TCR) grant is for up to $25 across five years and will be provided to a multi-disciplined and nationally focused team which explores the role genomic medicine will play in improving prevention, diagnosis and treatment of disease.
The research is expected to result in findings that will help health professionals apply genomics to the management of diseases such as cancer or diabetes. Additionally, the research should improve our understanding of how genomic data will impact patient care, and identify the economic and policy impacts of incorporating genomic data into health system activities.
National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Chief Executive Officer Professor Warwick Anderson says “Genomic medicine is truly the next frontier in how we will approach the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of disease. “In health care today, we can already see how genomics is making a difference in the diagnosis of some diseases, including certain types of cancers. The research conducted through this Targeted Call for Research will yield new knowledge that will help us to understand how best to use the power of genomics to improve patient treatment.” he said.
“Genomic medicine has the potential to revolutionise health care, but to meet that aspiration, our understanding of the field needs to be built on the sort of rigorous research this TCR will fund.”
Preparing Australia for the ‘omics’ revolution in health care was identified as a major health issue for NHMRC in its 2012-15 Strategic Plan.
“Separate of this $25 million grant, NHMRC is working with practitioners, policy makers and the community to help Australia deal with the health and ethical implications of these new technologies and ensure that we can make the most of what genomics has to offer health and medicine,”
The Targeted Call for Research into Preparing Australia for the Genomics Revolution in Health Care closes on 13 May. Further information is available on the NHMRC website