Genomics industry making headlines at HealthData21

Australia’s new genomics industry alliance Industry Genomics Network Alliance (InGeNA) will bring together representatives from the key sectors of diagnostics, pathology, technology and pharma at its first national conference in Melbourne 27 – 28 May.

Genomics is the focus for the first day of the annual health data conference of the Australasian Institute of Digital Health (AIDH) HealthData21.

Victorian Minister for Innovation, Medical Research, and the Digital Economy the Hon Jaala Pulford will open the conference which also features Australian Genomics leader Prof Kathryn North AC.

InGeNA Chair David Bunker says the industry group wants to help bring the vision of precision health to fruition, where Australian citizens are the beneficiaries of a health system that has fully integrated genomics into its DNA.

“The genomics industry has a significant role to play in delivering on the promise of genomic medicine and its integration into healthcare,” Mr Bunker said.

The InGeNA was established by Australasian Institute of Digital Health (AIDH) with matched funding from MTPConnect’s Industry Growth Centre Project Fund.

The new Alliance was launched in November 2020 and includes founding member companies across pathology and diagnostics, technology and data, and biopharmaceuticals – Sanofi, Roche and Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS), AbbVie, Amgen, Novartis, Takeda, Janssen and Lilly.

“We need an agenda for developing the evidence base supporting the use of genomics, establishing the right policies and mature data infrastructure to integrate genomics into healthcare, and ensuring our workforce is ready to deliver care in the age of precision health,” stated Mt Bunker.

He said industry will be working through InGeNA alongside state and federal governments, consumer groups, academia and professional bodies to enable Australia to be a world leader in the adoption of genomics in healthcare and accelerate the potential benefits of genomics.

Leaders from Roche and BMS also welcomed the establishment of InGeNA.

Richard Woodfield, Medical Director, Roche told Health Industry Hub “The Alliance represents an important step in fostering and facilitating the collaboration required to integrate genomics into healthcare in Australia. Genomics is one of the key technologies that will drive the evolution of healthcare by enabling a more personalised approach to treatment. We look forward to participating in the work of the Alliance to accelerate the benefits of personalised healthcare and help ensure that every patient receives the right care, at the right time.”

Neil MacGregor, Managing Director Australia & New Zealand, Bristol-Myers Squibb said “Bristol Myers Squibb Australia welcomes the formation of InGeNA and the development of programs to embed genomics across the Australian healthcare sector so that patients may benefit from precision healthcare.”