By working together, Alliance members are bringing the global knowledge of genomics to benefit the individual care of Victorians. We are integrating genomics into healthcare for the benefit of patients now and into the future.
Genomics has enormous potential to improve healthcare in:
diagnosing diseases – knowing exactly what is wrong helps people understand what their future is likely to hold, and may help them connect with other people with the same condition for support
matching patients to treatments based on gene variants - ensuring that patients receive the most appropriate treatment, and/or that complex or painful procedures are only carried out when they are most likely to be helpful
From 2014 to 2015, Melbourne Genomics ran a Demonstration Project to investigate the usefulness of genomics for a specific number of diseases.
An Australian-first, the Demonstration Project:
- determined the benefits to patients of genomic sequencing in comparison to tests usually provided for their condition, and
- developed a pathway for doctors to provide sequencing to patients within Victoria’s healthcare system.
Results from the Demonstration Project have informed Melbourne Genomics' current phase of work (2016-2019), in which genomic sequencing is being made available to more patients with different medical conditions, in tandem with their usual care.
By the end of 2019, the Alliance will have built a strong foundation for Victoria to embrace genomic medicine, by:
- assessing the impact of genomic sequencing for patients in 16 different disease areas
- building genomic knowledge and experience among healthcare professionals
- establishing Alliance-wide systems to support genomic sequencing in practice for the benefit of patients, doctors, laboratory scientists and medical researchers
Melbourne Genomics' comprehensive, patient-centred model for bringing genomics into healthcare is now being implemented nationally through the Australian Genomics Health Alliance and in Queensland through the Queensland Genomics Health Alliance.