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Feilman Fellow; Head, Precision Health Research and Head, Translational Intelligence
We have started a project utilising whole genome sequencing of undiagnosed children living in WA to provide a definitive diagnosis. A major challenge here is that the role and functions of the inter-genic regions of our genome (the remaining 98%) are relatively poorly understood.
We are made up of hundreds of different cell types carrying out a diverse range of functions essential for organism survival. All the information required to specify the morphology, function and response to stimuli of these cells is encoded in identical copies of the genome. The process of gene regu
Current technologies to understand which genes are turned on or off only work on large amounts of biological samples. As a consequence all measurements we receive represent averages across multiple cell types present in the sample. The situation is comparable to studying the contents of a bowl of fr
The Kids Research Institute Australia congratulates Prof Gareth Baynam and Dr Timo Lassmann on their grant over three years from the McCusker Charitable Foundation.
Timo Lassmann BSc (Hons) MSc PhD Feilman Fellow; Head, Precision Health Research and Head, Translational Intelligence timo.lassmann@thekids.org.au
The Global Alliance for Genomics and Health (GA4GH) Phenopacket Schema was released in 2022 and approved by ISO as a standard for sharing clinical and genomic information about an individual, including phenotypic descriptions, numerical measurements, genetic information, diagnoses, and treatments. A phenopacket can be used as an input file for software that supports phenotype-driven genomic diagnostics and for algorithms that facilitate patient classification and stratification for identifying new diseases and treatments.
Patients with congenital heart disease (CHD) are identified in 1% of live births. Improved surgical intervention means many patients now survive to adulthood, the corollary of which is increased mortality in the over-65-year-old congenital heart disease population. In the clinic, genetic sequencing increasingly identifies novel genetic variants in genes related to CHD.
Whole genome sequencing offers significant potential to improve the diagnosis and treatment of rare diseases by enabling the identification of thousands of rare, potentially pathogenic variants. Existing variant prioritisation tools can be complemented by approaches that incorporate phenotype specificity and provide contextual biological information, such as tissue or cell-type specificity.
Seven female individuals with multiple congenital anomalies, developmental delay and/or intellectual disability have been found to have a genetic variant of uncertain significance in the mediator complex subunit 12 gene. The functional consequence of this genetic variant in disease is undetermined, and insight into disease mechanism is required.