Our research and delivery partners

The Centre for Population Genomics is working with research and industry leaders to deliver the OurDNA program.

The Centre for Population Genomics is a joint national initiative of Garvan Institute of Medical Research and the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute. The Institutes are national leaders in genomic research, with complementary strengths spanning large-scale genomics, data science, population health, and clinical impact.

Our research collaborators

ALIGN and CONNECT

Through the Centre for Population Genomics, OurDNA is a proud and active member of the ALIGN and CONNECT consortia. CPG provides technical leadership for the development of genomic data infrastructure for nationally consistent, culturally appropriate, and ethical storage, management, and sharing of genomic data to benefit Indigenous Australians.

Google

The Centre for Population Genomics partners with Google to support genetic research and community outreach in Australia. CPG works with Google Research to build some of the tools we use to study genetic data. These tools will help doctors and researchers to study changes in community members’ DNA and make better genetic resources for underrepresented groups.

Through this partnership, Google supports some of OurDNA’s community engagement activities. OurDNA is also working with Google translation tools, accredited translators, and linguists to evaluate innovative approaches to translation of genetic research materials and make participating in research easier for multicultural community members.

Social and implementation research

The OurDNA program includes a dedicated research stream that is looking at how programs like OurDNA can better meet the needs of multicultural communities. Partnering with researchers with expertise in bioethics, health economics, genetic counselling, social research, and implementation science,  this stream examines the ethical, social, and practical aspects of the program.

The research projects are exploring  community perspectives and experiences of genomics research participation, including consent and receiving genomics results. It will also investigate how to make genomic healthcare better for multicultural communities.  

The findings from this stream of work will inform future improvements to the OurDNA program. It will also provide guidance for other genomics research projects working with multicultural communities.

We’re partnering with:

  • Associate Professor Danya Vears , Murdoch Children’s Research Institute (Bioethics)
  • Professor Ilias Goranitis, University of Melbourne (Health Economics)
  • Associate Professor Stephanie Best, Zoe Fehlberg, and Dr. Marlena Klaic, University of Melbourne (Implementation Science)
  • Mary-Anne Young and Dr. Amanda Willis, My Research Results, Garvan Institute of Medical Research (Genetic Counselling)
  • Professor Alison McEwen, University of Technology Sydney (Genetic Counselling)
  • Dr. Rachel Thorpe, Australian Red Cross Lifeblood (Social Research)

Other grant partners 

Our delivery partners 

 

Australian Genome Research Facility (AGRF)

OurDNA is partnering with the Australian Genome Research Facility (AGRF) to sequence or ‘read’ the DNA samples given by community members. As the program's sequencing partner, AGRF uses different technologies to analyse and generate new layers of genetic data to support medical research and health.

 

Australian Red Cross Lifeblood

OurDNA partners with Australian Red Cross Lifeblood to increase diversity in blood donation as well as genomics. They are also working on developing appropriate approaches to invite OurDNA participants with rare blood types to become blood donors to improve availability of rare blood for patients.

 

Federation of Ethnic Communities Councils of Australia (FECCA) and the Australian Multicultural Health Collaborative (an initiative of FECCA)

FECCA and the Australian Multicultural Health Collaborative are key partners, providing essential multicultural oversight and guidance within the OurDNA program. Represented on our steering committee, FECCA and the Collaborative also advise on community outreach and facilitate connections on the ground. The Collaborative co-convenes the OurDNA Multicultural Advisory Group, which provides expert advice on program-wide policies and practices. The group advises on topics that include how OurDNA makes data available for research and how benefit is shared with communities.

 

Monash University

OurDNA is working with Monash University’s Precision Medicine team to process and store the blood samples community members give. Monash Precision Medicine processes the blood into different sample types, such as plasma, cells and buffycoat, while also saving whole blood. Additionally, they isolate DNA from the whole blood cells, including samples initially processed at Westmead. Samples given to OurDNA are kept at Monash for long-term storage.

 

Sonic Pathology (Douglass Hanly Moir Pathology and Melbourne Pathology)

OurDNA works with Sonic Pathology and their team of trained blood collectors to deliver the program. Sonic has many pathology centres across Sydney (operating as Douglass Hanly Moir Pathology) and Melbourne (operating as Melbourne Pathology). Community members who wish to take part in OurDNA can walk in to any Melbourne Pathology or Douglass Hanly Moir Pathology centre at any time during opening hours from Monday to Thursday.

 

WeGuide

OurDNA has partnered with WeGuide to deliver a secure, trusted, and multilingual digital consent process to support community engagement and research participation. WeGuide is a regulatory-approved patient engagement platform with certified security standards and extensive experience supporting healthcare and medical research organisations.

 

Westmead Institute for Medical Research

OurDNA partners with Westmead Institute for Medical Research to process and store the blood samples community members give. Westmead Biobank processes the blood into different sample types, such as plasma, cells and buffycoat, while also saving whole blood. Samples processed by Westmead are only kept on a temporary basis, as samples are transferred to Monash University for long-term storage.
 

Do you have questions?

If you can’t find the answer you’re looking for, contact us.

OurDNA is funded by: 

  • The Centre for Population Genomics’ founding institutions: Garvan Institute of Medical Research and Murdoch Children’s Research Institute
  • People who donate funds to our research
  • Funding for this research has also been provided by the Australian Government’s Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) grant 2015969 (CIA Daniel MacArthur; 2022-2027) from the Genomics Health Futures Mission and by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) investigator grant 2009982 (CIA Daniel MacArthur; 2022-2026). The contents of this published material are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not reflect the views of the Commonwealth of Australia or the NHMRC.
  • The OurDNA program also receives support from Google’s Digital Future Initiative. Read more about this collaboration here.

Yes, the OurDNA project has been approved by the certified Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC) of the Royal Children’s Hospital. The reference for our ethics approval is: HREC/91986/RCHM-2023

If you have any questions about the OurDNA ethics approval process, or wish to speak to someone independent of the research team, you may contact the Director of Research Operations at The Royal Children’s Hospital. You can phone the Director on (03) 9345 5044 or email them at rch.ethics@rch.org.au

When you give your blood sample, your name, date of birth, and a code to identify you will be used to track your sample during shipping. Your donated blood sample will be stored and processed at a processing laboratory.

Your blood sample, blood cells or DNA sample will be kept at Biobanking Victoria. Biobanks are laboratories that house collections of biological samples in controlled storage.

Data generated from your blood sample, cells or DNA will only be shared with approved researchers, and only for reasons you agree to.  Your personal details will only be seen or accessed by a small number of people in the OurDNA team, to get in touch with if you have given consent to be recontacted.

You can find out more information on what happens to the blood samples you give in look at this diagram.

When we receive a blood sample, we use a range of scientific processes to look at different ‘layers’ of information within the cells. The most well-known layer is your DNA, but there are other layers of information that help scientists understand how health conditions develop. By looking at these different layers, we can build a more accurate picture of health that actually reflects your community’s unique background.

 

Because these processes are highly specialised, we work with established laboratories and research partners in Australia and overseas. We do this to ensure the resources we develop are as accurate and useful as possible for the doctors who will eventually use it. Any partner we work with is bound by strict legal and ethical agreements that meet Australian standards for privacy and data security.

 

The researchers and laboratories analysing the blood never see your name or personal details. We keep your identity stored in a separate, secure system, so that the scientific work can happen without anyone knowing who the information belongs to.

OurDNA has set up secure systems to store your personal details, health and genetic information, and donated blood samples. Blood, cell and DNA samples will be stored separately in a biobanking facility for as long as possible.

All electronic information will be securely stored on Australian based servers in the long term in databases run by certified health providers, health information providers, or medical research institutes. These secure databases follow strict rules and best practice on the handling and storage of information.

Participant privacy and data security is very important to us. If you decide to take part in OurDNA, your personal details and your genetic information will be stored separately. Only essential and authorised OurDNA team members can access your personal details, and only for things you agree to.

For example:

  • If you choose to have health results returned to you, your personal details will be used to recontact you. Your details will also be shared with an OurDNA health professional who will be relaying this information to you.
  • If you agree to be recontacted about future research, your personal details will be used to do so. In this case, your details will only be shared with other researchers if you agree for us to do so.

If you take part in OurDNA, your genetic information will be combined with many other people’s genetic information, summarised, and put into public databases to help doctors and researchers see trends and patterns in the data. People who use the public databases will not be able to see who the information came from.

Health and medical researchers outside OurDNA from around the world will be able to apply to look at and work with your samples and information that was collected through the OurDNA project. It is not possible to predict all the future uses of your data or samples. However, your samples and data will only be used for future ethically approved studies.

Depending on what you have consented to, your de-identified data (without your personal details) may be used in studies that involve government agencies, such as the Department of Health.

Data that could identify you (your personal details) will be kept confidential. We will not share this information unless we are formally required by law and have no choice. This would occur only in very rare circumstances such as information being subpoenaed in an investigation of a serious crime. The use of this data would occur in line with the relevant federal and state privacy acts. 

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