Genetics and genomics

It took nearly two decades to go from the release of the first semi-automated genome sequencer in the mid-1980s to the launch of Roche's flagship 454 FLX next generation sequencer in 2005. The 454 is now one of three major players in the next gen market whose impact on the world of genomics cannot be underestimated. Just five years later we are poised to embrace another new wave of sequencing technology.

Melbourne biotech Clinuvel announced today that it plans to conduct clinical trials of its UV protection drug Scenesse as a treatment for the skin pigmentation disorder vitiligo.

Professor Philip Hogg, Director of the new Lowy Cancer Research Centre at the University of NSW, has received the prestigious 2010 Industry & Investment NSW Eureka Prize for Medical Research Translation.

Who would have thought that a staid structural part of the cell could be so treacherous in cancer, determining life or death? Maria Kavallaris at Children’s Cancer Institute Australia is using a mixture of proteomics and good old-fashioned biology to fight such treachery head-on.

Processing large numbers of samples rapidly is going to be crucial if the vision of personalised medicine is ever going to become a reality.

It’s not normally something that would inspire scuba divers to do a double take, but a species of sponge commonly found on the Great Barrier Reef has researchers all in a lather at the prospect of learning about the genesis of cell behaviour.

The staggering amounts of data being generated in genomics, epigenomics, proteomics and other ‘omics studies - not to mention systems biology, which attempts to knit the various ‘omics together - is presenting a titanic challenge for life science researchers.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death in Australia, with the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) estimating it costs Australia $5.9 billion in 2004-2005.

Melbourne biotech Patrys announced today that it has secured funding of up to $15 million over the next three years to develop its lead natural human anti-body candidates into treatments for various cancers.

The cotton bollworm, the world's most economically destructive insect pest, is having its genome sequenced.

While Friedreich’s ataxia is a rare disorder, tracking down the role of the protein implicated in the disease has opened up new therapeutic potentials.

A pocket of middle Australia on the northern outskirts of Perth is the setting for a proposed biobanking project that even its instigator, Professor Lyle Palmer of the University of Western Australia, calls “ludicrously ambitious”.

Epigenetics is moving from the laboratory to the clinic and the pharmacy, with several histone deacetylase inhibitors on the market and epigenetic screening likely to become as widespread as genetic screening.

A new study has shown that environmental enrichment ameliorates a motor co-ordination deficit in a mouse model of Rett syndrome.

Dee Carter and her group have revitalised taxonomy in Australia as well as our understanding of the evolution of the Plasmodium species with the discovery of a long-lost cousin. And they came across it at the bottom of Sydney Harbour.

Australian and New Zealand researchers are part of an international project of mutual interest (and age-old bad jokes) - the sequencing of the sheep genome. The difference for the International Sheep Genomics Consortium is the availability of short-read sequencing technology.

Genome-wide association studies show the way forward for global genomic research.