Gene project may help to fight disease
Scientists are building New Zealand’s first genomic database, hoping to tackle some of the biggest diseases hurting Kiwis. A collaboration with iwi, the Genomics Aotearoa Rakeiora programme is also taking aim at major health inequities that still leave Ma¯ori and Pacific people worse off.
The leading researchers behind the effort, which just received a Government injection of nearly $5m, say it’s a first step towards what could become a crucial resource for Kiwi patients in the future.
Genomics focuses on the complex jigsaw puzzle that is our genetic make-up, and scientists have used it to understand more about everything from cancer to obesity. Yet the bulk of those insights have come out of US and European datasets.
Genomics Aotearoa’s director Professor Peter Dearden said the new funding would help researchers develop technology to get our own information about own unique genomes. “Understanding our unique populations is going to be vital if we are to ensure that genomic medicine is not just for well-studied populations overseas.”
Otago University geneticist Professor Stephen Robertson likened not using this home-sourced data to renovating a house without knowing its designs and plans. In the new programme, Robertson will work alongside Nga¯ti Porou Hauroa in the East Coast’s Tairawhiti district to sequence the genomes of 500 locals.
By combining their genomic data with personal health records, they aim to show how genetic factors influence how different patients respond to different prescribed drugs. “We are seeking to find a solution that is acceptable to participants, safe and secure but powerful enough to enable real-time research into decision making by primary care practitioners,” Robertson said.
Nga¯ti Porou Hauora Charitable Trust Board chairman Teepa Wawatai said his hapu¯ had been collaborating with researchers from Otago and Auckland universities for a decade.
“It’s vitally important to have that genomic data available because it’s key to developing precision medicine,” Wawatai said.
Research, Science and Innovation Minister Megan Woods said the investment was a step towards allowing researchers to put genomic insights into practice.
“And, in particular, [to] address the country’s health inequities by developing genomic tools that put the needs of Ma¯ori at its centre.”