About the Partnership

Genomics-driven personalised care presents an incredible opportunity to transform patient outcomes and create substantial efficiencies for the health system.

Illumina and the University of Melbourne are partnering affordable, scaleable next-generation sequencing with the research expertise, infrastructure, systems and analysis needed to implement genomics into routine clinical care.

The Advanced Genomics Collaboration (TAGC) is a biomedical and economic powerhouse using genomics to create world-leading projects that are improving health for everyone.

The work done at TAGC is making medicine faster, more targeted and more effective, plus the innovative projects we work on with our collaborators in industry, government and research are creating high growth commercial start-ups that are exporting this innovation to the world.

TAGC is providing our collaborators with access to faster, more affordable sequencing, global-scale bioinformatics, insightful health economics resources and biomedical industry commercialisation expertise.

Supporting Partners

TAGC was made possible through significant assistance from Invest Victoria and the Victorian Government’s Department of Education and Training.

Invest Victoria is the State Government of Victoria's investment agency, fostering long term economic prosperity by enabling business opportunities and job creation for Victoria.

The Department of Education and Training offers learning and development support and services for all Victorians.

We're working to increase genomics innovation and its translation and adoption into the health system to improve patient outcomes.

The Need

Fifteen years ago, the first ever genome sequencing project carried out on humans, called the Human Genome Project, was completed. It took more than 13 years to accomplish, cost more than $3 billion and drew on efforts from scientists and non-scientists around the world.

Since then, the entire landscape of genome sequencing has evolved rapidly, such that the genomics market is projected to double to USD $35.7 billion by 2024, subsequently revolutionising biomedical research and with it, medical practice.

Genomics technology is a relatively new and disruptive technology in healthcare, however its successful implementation relies on whole-of-system change. Through the possibilities of rapid diagnosis, early intervention, prevention and targeted therapy, genomic medicine has the potential to transform how we deliver healthcare, promising better patient outcomes and a more efficient health system.

In the next five years, genomic data from an estimated 60 million patients globally, is expected to be generated from health care. The volume and complexity of that data – and how it is accessed, shared and applied – are enormous. So too are the associated issues around genomic medicine such as data storage, ethics and privacy, nationally-consistent practices, patient access, economic impact and workforce capability.

The formation of TAGC establishes the Melbourne Biomedical Precinct's place on the international stage, to realise a future where genomics enables precision medicine through innovations in molecular diagnostics, the development of targeted breakthrough therapies and disease prevention.

The Core Enabling Platforms

At its heart, The Advanced Genomics Collaboration has three core platforms. These platforms have been established to enable fast and affordable research, analysis, trial, commercialisation and application of genomics based health innovation at both global quality and scale.

The Bioinformatics Platform

TAGC's Bioinformatics Platform is a cloud-based system that enables the creation, storage and interrogation of national and global-scale genomic datasets. Data on this scale enables improvements for both individuals and communities. For the individual, it enables faster, improved diagnosis and targeted, more effective treatment. For communities it helps create big picture government policy, investment and regulation that is more informed and therefore more effective.

The Health Economics Platform

TAGC's Health Economics Platform uses analysis of TAGC's national and global-scale genomic datasets to provide evidence-based guidance for public policy and investment. TAGC's Health Economics team works with governments to drive targeted, high quality healthcare outcomes for everyone. This has particular impact in the area of routine clinical care, where data-driven health economics shows government ways genomics can provide better patient outcomes and lower overall costs to the health system, thereby encouraging Medicare subsidy and greater accessibility to improved healthcare for everyone.

The Clinical Genomics Platform

TAGC's Clinical Genomics Platform delivers rapid, affordable sequencing of whole genomes on a scale that provides timely insight for every collaborating researcher and clinician. Thanks to the size and speed of this platform, precise genomics-based diagnostics will become a fast, affordable, integral part of everyday biomedical research and clinical care.

We use genomics to improve health for everyone.