Genomics Implementation Research Unit
The Genomics Implementation Research Unit is an integrated research group under the Western Sydney Genetics Program based at The Children’s Hospital at Westmead. Our research is in partnership with the University of Sydney, Specialty of Genomic Medicine and Sydney Health Partners, Genomics and Precision Medicine Clinical Academic Group.
Genomics and precision medicine faces an increasing gap between the latest research evidence and actual uptake into standard clinical practice, and our research addresses this gap, improving paediatric healthcare by implementing the latest advances into clinical care.
Objectives
Our research seeks to translate the latest genomic medicine advances into healthcare system uptake. We lead implementation research in the rapidly advancing area of genomics and precision medicine, targeting key areas of:
- Genomic ‘mainstreaming’; to increase uptake of genomics by non-genetics healthcare professionals through improved genomic education and multidisciplinary care.
- Genomics and precision medicine multidisciplinary care; to improve equity, access, and uptake of genomics by partnering genomics and subspecialty medical expertise, as a model for translating genomics into the healthcare system.
- Gene therapy; to establish an implementation framework for a Learning Healthcare System that can implement new therapies and clinical trials in an equitable and effective model of care.
Impact
- We have outlined the clear implementation research challenges facing genomics translation into healthcare. Read more in the Medical Journal of Australia.
- We successfully lead projects to support our aim to translate genomics into healthcare including our ‘PRECISE Genomics Research Project: Increasing Capacity for Precision Medicine in Primary Healthcare’ that leads translating genomic education into primary care for Australia.
- We supported the establishment of a Clinical Academic Group in Genomics and Precision Medicine with Sydney Health Partners to accelerate collaboration in our research aims.
- We are leading a project in partnership with Pfizer to further translational research into a Learning Healthcare System for gene therapies, to establish an implementation framework that supports new gene therapies and clinical trials.
