OurDNA is partnering with multicultural communities to ensure all Australians can benefit from advances in medical research and healthcare. By joining OurDNA, you can help improve diagnosis, treatment, and healthcare for future generations.
If you belong to one of the communities we’re working with and you join OurDNA, you will help researchers to:
Identify health conditions faster
Understand and predict illness in your community
Improve the future of healthcare for people who have the same ancestry as you
Develop future medicines and treatments for all Australians
By taking part in OurDNA, you can make sure your community is included in genetic research. This can help improve diagnosis, prediction, prevention, and treatment of illness.
By giving a small sample of blood, you’re directly contributing to the resources and databases that doctors and researchers use to understand the health issues that are important to your community.
For example, a change or variant in your DNA could be the cause of a health condition you have. The same change or variant in a person from a different community could be very common and not impact their health. Knowing more about DNA changes in your community can help to better diagnose health conditions and work towards treating or even preventing them in the future.
The OurDNA Browser is a searchable, public database of summary data on genetic variation. It will help doctors and researchers better understand and diagnose health conditions.
OurDNA Data will safely keep the biological and health information of people who take part in OurDNA for future research.
OurDNA Samples will help make it easier to do health and medical research that benefits Australian communities in the future.
Read the consent information and complete the consent forms.
Visit a partner pathology centre or attend an OurDNA event to give a small blood sample.
You can choose to receive updates on the research, outcomes and impact of your involvement.
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DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) can be found in every part of the body, including blood and saliva. DNA contains a person’s genetic instructions, mostly in sections called genes.
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.
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
To take part in OurDNA, you must:
Consent for taking part in the OurDNA program is done through a secure online portal. You can register on the website by clicking the “Join now” button or through the “OurDNA” app in the App Store or Google Play Store.
The online portal will give you information about taking part in OurDNA and explain what will happen with your blood and DNA samples. There are five forms for you to complete to give your consent:
The consent process will take about 20 minutes to complete. If you have any questions or need help, please contact us.
OurDNA is building genetic resources that include multicultural communities to help ensure everyone can benefit from advancements in medical research. This includes:
For more information on the resources being built, visit this page.
