Ireland Launches Human Genomics Program

A Program for Human Genomics, aimed at learning more about the genetic causes of disease and how to improve treatments, has been launched in Ireland. The initiative is led by the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI, Dublin), in collaboration with Trinity College and University College (also in Dublin).

The new program will join two existing centers of research in Ireland, the Dublin Molecular Medicine Center and the Biopharmaceutical Science Network. Both link basic laboratory research with actual patient care in a clinical context. The new program has three key operational elements that reflect the research to be pursued. The first is to search for candidate genes thought to play a role in disease. The second is to confirm their involvement in the disease process. The third is to understand the proteins produced by these genes so they can be targeted with new therapies.

A key resource will be the creation of a "biobank,” a genetic database of information that will assist the research. The goal is to assemble a biobank of 50,000 individuals within five years. The RCSI already has a bank of 5,000 samples, and future donations will be accepted on an anonymous basis. Donations will be taken from patients with a well-defined clinical condition for which a detailed medical history is available, such as asthma, diabetes, or high blood pressure.

Research teams will study these genomic collections for disease-related genes. The program will also have genetic resource units at three hospitals and links with biobanks at University College and Sligo Hospital.