University of Melbourne Bachelor of Commerce student Christos Samaras believes genomics has the potential to revolutionise the future of healthcare. A passion for medicine and public health drew him to an internship with The Advanced Genomics Collaboration, where he applied his finance skills and knowledge of economics to the flagship Liquid Biopsy Project.
“Outside of gaining practical experience in the genomics industry, I wanted to gain an insight into the application of medical research, bioinformatics, and health economics, working alongside industry experts in a space I could envision myself being a part of in the near future,” Christos said.
Christos worked on the commercial aspects of the Liquid Biopsy Project, analysing patient outcomes, assessing local and international competitors, providing insight into potential marketing strategies, and suggesting methods to achieve financial sustainability.
“My work was at the intersection of science and business, I had to learn to make the research information more accessible for non-technical stakeholders,” he explains.
“While I was learning how to structure and present a business plan, I was also learning how to read and understand scientific research and using it as the basis for my analysis of liquid biopsy as a commercial service.”
The internship saw Christos develop and strengthen many new skills, including collaboration and communication.
“Working with the project lead, managers and multiple teams required clear and concise communication to ensure I consistently aligned my work with the project's evolving needs,” he said, adding that he received valuable feedback and built good relationships with members of the project.
“This experience taught me the significance of inter-departmental communication in achieving project success and maintaining project flexibility through ongoing feedback and adaptation.”
Christos says the internship gave him an opportunity to engage in cutting-edge work with the potential to positively impact people’s lives. It fuelled his desire to pursue further studies in public health, where he hopes to utilise his background to specialise in biostatistics or health economics.
“Because liquid biopsy is a very novel idea and hasn’t seen much clinical use in Australia, learning about the impact this project could have on improving cancer patient outcomes while simultaneously reducing healthcare access in equality for remote and low socio economic communities was truly fascinating,” Christos said.
“The internship gave me an insight into how health economics and biostatistics fit into the genomics industry and has shown me the many ways I can combine my studies with my love of science.”