$7 million investment to unite genomics research in SA

Research institutes across South Australia are combining their expertise and resources to establish a state-of-the-art centre for genomics in SA.

The South Australian Genomics Centre (SAGC) will open its doors on July 1 this year thanks to an investment of more than $7 million, including $2 million from Bioplatforms Australia (BPA) through the Australian Government’s National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy.

The SAGC comprises six founding partners – SAHMRI, the University of Adelaide, the University of South Australia, Flinders University, the Australian Wine Research Institute (AWRI) and the Australian Genome Research Facility (AGRF) – who are collectively investing funding, equipment and staff totalling more than $5.6 million.

Professor David Lynn, a Program Director at SAHMRI and Flinders University Professor, will be the SAGC’s interim Scientific Director until a permanent Scientific Director and Centre Manager are appointed.

"The SAGC represents a major new collaborative initiative to support genomics and bioinformatics research in South Australia across all disciplines from environmental, plant and agricultural research to human health,” he said.

The Centre will be based at SAHMRI’s distinctive North Terrace building while also operating from AGRF’s site on the University of Adelaide’s Waite campus, UniSA’s Centre for Cancer Biology Cancer Genomics Facility and Flinders University’s Genomics Facility.

“The South Australian Genomics Centre will provide increased open-access service to the research community, maximising access to genomic technology through outreach, education and training."Professor Anton Middelberg, Deputy Vice Chancellor and Vice President of Research, The University of Adelaide

Establishment of the SAGC has been more than a year in the planning, championed by Professor Lynn alongside the General Manager of Adelaide BioMed City (ABMC), Yvette Van Eenennaam.

“Collaboration between partners is the very essence of why ABMC exists,” Mrs Van Eenennaam said.

“This is a classic demonstration of coming together to be stronger than the sum of our parts.”

“The benefits of this collaboration will be many and wide-ranging. Our genome plays a vital role in our health, our risk of disease and how we respond to treatment. The accumulation of genomic big data will enable greater understanding of all aspects of health and disease. Tremendous advances have been
made in the field of DNA sequencing, but this is really just the beginning.”

Genomics is the study of an organism’s genome – the complete set of genes that make up that animal, plant or microbe. It also investigates how genes are turned on and off and how they interact with each other and their environment.

Genomics generates a phenomenal amount of data. Bioinformatics is the science of storing, processing and analysing that data and also spans comparative, evolutionary and systems biology analyses. 

Professor Anton Middelberg, the Deputy Vice Chancellor and Vice President of Research at the University of Adelaide, says he’s excited by the individual and collaborative research opportunities the SAGC will create.

“All researchers, irrespective of the research area, will have equitable access to this facility,” he said.

“SAGC will provide increased open-access service to the research community, maximising access to genomic technology through outreach, education and training.

“The aim is to create new engagement opportunities between researchers and facilitate further integration between genomics user groups and bioinformatics experts.

"All researchers, irrespective of the research area, will have equitable access to this facility. I believe that the consolidation of bioinformatics support in SAGC is a strong, mutually-beneficial initiative with considerable value to the University of Adelaide and South Australia more widely."

Professor Lynn says the SAGC will see SA build on its solid foundations of genomics and bioinformatics science that have been made possible by generous philanthropic support and the ongoing backing of BPA.

“These fields are now critical tools in biology and medicine,” he said. “By consolidating our expertise and resources we are positioning South Australia as a leader in complex biology with a centre that will serve research teams locally, nationally and internationally.”

The SAGC will also generate more opportunities for SA researchers to collaborate with colleagues around Australia and the world.