1
|
Lewis DA, Mitchell T, Kowal E. Precision medicine in Australia: indigenous health professionals are needed to improve equity for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders. Int J Equity Health 2024; 23:134. [PMID: 38965527 PMCID: PMC11223270 DOI: 10.1186/s12939-024-02202-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2022] [Accepted: 05/22/2024] [Indexed: 07/06/2024] Open
Abstract
Precision medicine, also known as "personalised medicine", seeks to identify strategies in the prevention and treatment of disease informed by a patient's genomic information. This allows a targeted approach to disease identification with the intention of reducing the burden of illness. Currently, both the emerging field of precision medicine and the established field of clinical genetics are highly reliant on genomic databases which are fraught with inbuilt biases, particularly from sample populations. The inequities of most concern here are those affecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (or Zenadth Kes) peoples of Australia (hereafter, respectfully, Indigenous Australians). It is with this perspective that the Summer internship forINdigenous peoples inGenomics Australia endeavours to support the development of culturally appropriate genomic research with Indigenous Australians. We argue here that Indigenous researchers are best placed to create the informed, culturally safe environment necessary for Indigenous Australians to participate in genomic research.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Dawn Alison Lewis
- University of Adelaide, Adelaide, 5005, Australia
- Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation, Deakin University, Burwood Campus, 3125, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Tala Mitchell
- Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation, Deakin University, Burwood Campus, 3125, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Emma Kowal
- Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation, Deakin University, Burwood Campus, 3125, Melbourne, Australia.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
D'Angelo CS, Hermes A, McMaster CR, Prichep E, Richer É, van der Westhuizen FH, Repetto GM, Mengchun G, Malherbe H, Reichardt JKV, Arbour L, Hudson M, du Plessis K, Haendel M, Wilcox P, Lynch SA, Rind S, Easteal S, Estivill X, Thomas Y, Baynam G. Barriers and Considerations for Diagnosing Rare Diseases in Indigenous Populations. Front Pediatr 2020; 8:579924. [PMID: 33381478 PMCID: PMC7767925 DOI: 10.3389/fped.2020.579924] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2020] [Accepted: 11/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Advances in omics and specifically genomic technologies are increasingly transforming rare disease diagnosis. However, the benefits of these advances are disproportionately experienced within and between populations, with Indigenous populations frequently experiencing diagnostic and therapeutic inequities. The International Rare Disease Research Consortium (IRDiRC) multi-stakeholder partnership has been advancing toward the vision of all people living with a rare disease receiving an accurate diagnosis, care, and available therapy within 1 year of coming to medical attention. In order to further progress toward this vision, IRDiRC has created a taskforce to explore the access barriers to diagnosis of rare genetic diseases faced by Indigenous peoples, with a view of developing recommendations to overcome them. Herein, we provide an overview of the state of play of current barriers and considerations identified by the taskforce, to further stimulate awareness of these issues and the passage toward solutions. We focus on analyzing barriers to accessing genetic services, participating in genomic research, and other aspects such as concerns about data sharing, the handling of biospecimens, and the importance of capacity building.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Carla S. D'Angelo
- IRDiRC Scientific Secretariat, National Institute for Health and Medical Research, Paris, France
| | - Azure Hermes
- National Centre for Indigenous Genomics, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
| | | | - Elissa Prichep
- Precision Medicine, Platform on Shaping the Future of Health and Healthcare, World Economic Forum, San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Étienne Richer
- Institute of Genetics, Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Government of Canada, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | | | - Gabriela M. Repetto
- Facultad de Medicina, Center for Genetics and Genomics, Clinica Alemana Universidad del Desarrollo, Santiago, Chile
| | - Gong Mengchun
- Institute of Health Management, Southern Medical University, Guangdong, China
| | - Helen Malherbe
- KwaZulu-Natal Research Innovation and Sequencing Platform, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa
- Rare Diseases South Africa, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Juergen K. V. Reichardt
- Australian Institute of Tropical Health and Medicine, James Cook University, Smithfield, QLD, Australia
| | - Laura Arbour
- Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, Victoria, BC, Canada
| | - Maui Hudson
- Faculty of Maori and Indigenous Studies, University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand
| | | | - Melissa Haendel
- Oregon Clinical and Translational Research Institute, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR, United States
| | - Phillip Wilcox
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Sally Ann Lynch
- National Rare Disease Office, Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, Dublin, Ireland
- Academic Centre on Rare Diseases, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Shamir Rind
- Western Australian Register of Developmental Anomalies, Perth, WA, Australia
| | - Simon Easteal
- National Centre for Indigenous Genomics, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
| | - Xavier Estivill
- Quantitative Genomics Laboratories (qgenomics), Esplugues de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Yarlalu Thomas
- Western Australian Register of Developmental Anomalies, Perth, WA, Australia
| | - Gareth Baynam
- Western Australian Register of Developmental Anomalies, Perth, WA, Australia
- Genetic Services of Western Australia, Department of Health, Government of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia
- Faculty of Health and Medicine, Division of Pediatrics, University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia
- Telethon Kids Institute, University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Notre Dame, Fremantle, WA, Australia
- Faculty of Science and Engineering, Spatial Sciences, Curtin University, Perth, WA, Australia
- Faculty of Medicine, Notre Dame University, Perth, WA, Australia
- School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Hansen M, Armstrong PK, Bower C, Baynam GS. Prevalence of microcephaly in an Australian population‐based birth defects register, 1980–2015. Med J Aust 2017; 206:351-356. [DOI: 10.5694/mja16.00966] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2016] [Accepted: 01/16/2017] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Paul K Armstrong
- Communicable Disease Control Directorate, WA Department of Health, Perth, WA
| | | | - Gareth S Baynam
- Genetic Services of Western Australia, King Edward Memorial Hospital, Perth, WA
- Western Australian Register of Developmental Anomalies, King Edward Memorial Hospital, Perth, WA
| |
Collapse
|