GenIMPACT: Centre for Economic Impacts of Genomic Medicine

GenIMPACT: Centre for Economic Impacts of Genomic Medicine focuses primarily on the potential of genomics and similarly path-breaking new innovations that improve human health, where these advances have significant impacts on the economy and society. The impacts not only have the potential to transform individual lives but also have marked impacts across multiple Federal and State government portfolios addressing health, economic, and social policy priorities as well as the economy. GenIMPACT aims to capture the impacts of these frontiers of science across the life course, and in many cases, for generations.

The use of genome sequencing will penetrate science and medicine over the next five to 20 years. The resulting rapid expansion of the capacity for whole genome sequencing is revolutionising research into human diversity and the causes of disease. Combined with other new technologies and personalised medicine it will fundamentally alter the course of modern medicine, with the potential to diagnose, effectively treat and prevent many costly and highly disabling conditions. This paradigm shift in medicine will also have far reaching social and economic consequences. This is the focus of research for GenIMPACT.

Currently there is little research on the significant potential for genomics to not only transform medicine and the health system, but also to improve the social and economic prospects of families, and thereby deliver on some of the most compelling and complex policy objectives (including fiscal sustainability) of government.