On
About
Today, an individual’s genetic profile can be used to select the type of clinical interventions required to maintain their health and well-being.
Building on the foundation of genomic medicine, precision medicine (also called personalised medicine) has the potential to profoundly improve clinical outcomes for patients and their families. Precision medicine is an expanding approach to disease treatment and prevention based on understanding an individual’s genetic makeup, and how it interacts with the environment. This understanding enables health professionals to develop models of care or prevention that extend beyond the “one size-fits-all” approach.
Precision medicine:
Delivering the right treatment to the right patient at the right time.
Our vision is to ensure that the benefits of precision medicine are rapidly and effectively implemented into the clinical care of patients and their families at Sydney Local Health District.
What we do
The Institute of Precision Medicine & Bioinformatics serves to enhance and strengthen the relationships between many disciplines and a wide range of health professionals across Sydney Local Health District and partner organisations.
The Institute promotes collaboration and cooperation to:
- develop strategies for genome DNA sequencing in patient care
- progress bioinformatics expertise and infrastructure
- consolidate research activities leading to greater competitiveness for research funding in genomics.
Our objectives
To deliver innovative health care and research:
- aligning more effectively the expertise found at RPA and Concord Hospitals
- maintaining the multidisciplinary mix that encourages novel research discoveries and their rapid translation into clinical care
- utilising precision medicine strategies to improve clinical outcomes
- developing more innovative models of care
- expanding options for genomics-based therapies
- educating health professionals, students and trainees in genomics
- facilitating more competitive research grant applications.
Our Executive Leadership Team
| Director | Professor Ron Trent |
| Deputy Director & Head of Research | Professor Marina Kennerson |
| Deputy Director | Professor Clement Loy |
| Chief Scientist | Dr Branka Powter |
| Operations Manager | Melissa Cole |
| Consumer Representative | Dr Alan McPhail |
Strategic Advisory Council
The Institute of Precision Medicine & Bioinformatics Strategic Advisory Council meets four times a year with a primary focus on the provision of strategic advice on directions and the identification of key initiatives. In addition to our Executive Leadership Team, the Council comprises representatives from:
| Bioinformatics, Institute of Precision Medicine & Bioinformatics | Providing bioinformatics support to the Departments of Medical Genomics, Microbiology and Haematology at RPA Hospital. |
| Clinical Genetics Service, Institute of Precision Medicine & Bioinformatics | Providing services in genetic assessment, counselling and genomic testing for prenatal, neonatal, paediatric and adult patients. |
| Collaborative Centre for Cardiometabolic Health in Psychosis | An integrated service for screening, detection, management, and follow up of metabolic disorders among patients with severe mental illness. |
| Department of Cell and Molecular Therapies, RPA Hospital | Providing services to academic and industry partners for the development, manufacture, clinical evaluation and implementation of cell and gene therapies. |
| Department of Chemical Pathology, RPA Hospital | At the forefront of innovations in personalised medicine including clinical trials and strategies to address common, potentially fatal genetic disorders, eg familial hypercholesterolaemia. |
| Department of Infectious Diseases and Microbiology, RPA Hospital | Providing integrated care for diagnosis and management of infections, contact tracing and the rapid response to outbreaks. |
| Department of Medical Genomics, RPA Hospital | Providing DNA testing for a range of genetic disorders (eg, thalassaemia, haemochromatosis, Huntington disease, familial hypercholesterolemia, porphyria) and DNA testing of tumour tissue mutations (in melanoma, lung and colon cancer) to guide personalised therapy options. |
| Department of Molecular Medicine, Concord Hospital | Providing a broad range of genetic testing for neurodegenerative disorders, including Charcot-Tooth-Marie neuropathy, motor neuron disease, spastic paraplegia, muscular dystrophy, Parkinson's disease and ataxia. |
| Department of Neurology, Concord Hospital | Providing comprehensive inpatient and outpatient care for people with neurological disorders, including a full range of neurophysiology tests. |
| Department of Respiratory and Sleep Medicine, RPA Hospital | Providing specialist medical care for the assessment and management of respiratory and sleep disorders. |
| Institute of Haematology, RPA Hospital | Providing testing for a range of haematologic malignancies, facilitating diagnoses and monitoring of minimal residual disease to provide prognostic information and guide therapeutic choices. |
| NSW Health Pathology | Australia’s largest public pathology, forensic and analytical science service. |
| NSW Health Statewide Biobank | A state-of-the-art storage facility for tissue samples, tumour cells, DNA and blood samples used for research into population health, human illness and disease. |
| RPA Institute for Academic Medicine | Supporting research, innovation in medicine, and the professional development of RPA physicians. |
| Sydney Local Health District Research | Supporting high quality research and its translation as a central component of health service provision at Sydney Local Health District. |
Partners and collaborators
To strengthen relationships and collaborations between disciplines in the field of genomics, the Institute of Precision Medicine & Bioinformatics has partnered with the following organisations.
| Anzac Research Institute | A biomedical research institute with a focus on ageing and improving future health and medical care outcomes for the Australasian community. |
| Brain and Mind Centre | Transforming brain and mind health with world-leading research. |
| Centenary Institute | The latest medical research into our most complex health challenges across cancer, cardiovascular disease and inflammation. |
| Central Sydney Cardiology | An academic private cardiology consulting practice involved in heart disease research and teaching. |
| Institute for Musculoskeletal Health | A research partnership in musculoskeletal health and physical activity. |
| NSW Health Statewide Biobank | A state-of-the-art storage facility for tissue samples, tumour cells, DNA and blood samples used for vital research into population health, as well as human illness and disease. |
| Huntington's Disease Research, Westmead Hospital | An outreach service for people with Huntington's Disease across NSW and contributor to national and international research. |
| Prevention and Early Intervention in Mental Illness and Substance Use Centre of Research Excellence | A world first synergy of the leading prevention and early intervention research and translation programs in mental health and addiction across five Australian universities. |
| The University of Sydney School of Pharmacy | A leading centre for pharmacy education in Australia with an outstanding national and international reputation for research and innovation. |