OurDNA is a flagship project of the Centre for Population Genomics. The Centre is set up to:

• Include under-represented communities in genomic research;
• Explore the function and health relevance of human genes; and
• Improve the diagnosis and treatment of genetic diseases. 

The Centre is a not-for-profit joint initiative from two of Australia’s leading research institutes: the Garvan Institute of Medical Research in Sydney and the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute in Melbourne.

E cakacaka vata tiko kei na veitikotiko na OurDNA me rawa nira okati eso na yatukawa e sega ni laurai ena buturara ni vakadidike na veika me baleti ira. Keimami cakacaka vata kei ira na vei tabana ni soqosoqo, ira na veiliutaki kei ira na itikotiko era matataka.

Na veika e vauca na vakadidike ni genetic ni OurDNA ena yaga vei ira e Ositerelia era na muri mai vakauasivi ena vakadidike vakavuniwai. Mo wilika eke e levu tale na ka keitou cakava tiko.

Na OurDNA e vakailavotaka:

• O koya sara ga na rua na vanua e cicivaka na Centre for Population Genomics’: Garvan Institute of Medical Research kei Murdoch Children’s Research Institute
• Ira era cau mai ena sasaga qo
• E vakarautaka tale ga na Australian Government’s Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) na veivuke vakailavo se grant 2015969 (CIA Daniel MacArthur; 2022-2027) mai na Genomics Health Futures Mission kei na National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) investigator grant 2009982 (CIA Daniel MacArthur; 2022-2026). Na lewe ni veika e tabaki qo e nona sara ga o koya e vola qai sega ni vakamacalataka tiko ga na rai ni Matanitu o Ositerelia se Commonwealth se na NHMRC.
• Na porokaramu ni OurDNA e tokona tale ga na sasaga ni Google’s Digital Future Initiative. Mo wilika e levu tale na ka e vauca na tikina qo eke.

OurDNA is currently funded until the end of 2027. It is our intention to continue our work until all Australian communities are represented and for the OurDNA database and sample bank to be available for as long as possible for researchers. 

At the moment, Australians from the following ancestry groups are under represented or entirely missing in genetic resources:

• East African (e.g., Ethiopian, Ghanaian, Kenyan, Mauritian, Somali, South Sudanese, and Sudanese)
• North African and Middle Eastern (e.g., Assyrian, Chaldean, Egyptian, Iranian, Iraqi, Jordanian, Lebanese, Palestinian, Syrian, and Turkish)
• Oceanian (e.g., Fijian, Papua New Guinean, Samoan, and Tongan)
• South-East Asian (e.g., Cambodian, Filipino, Indonesian, Malay, Thai, and Vietnamese)

Australian doctors have also told us that it is hard to find information about these ancestry groups in the resources and databases they use to diagnose genetic and health conditions. 

OurDNA is working to engage with the communities underrepresented in genetic resources. Visit this page to check which communities we are actively working with.

While we are not working directly in Indigenous communities, we are an active member of the ALIGN and CONNECT consortia, national Indigenous-led efforts that are working to empower Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in genomic medicine and research.

We provide technical advice for the development of genomic data infrastructure for nationally consistent, culturally appropriate, ethical storage, management, and sharing of genomic data to benefit Indigenous Australians.