James Edwards

A game-changing new research centre, led by Murdoch University, promises to transform the treatment of disease and improve the health of millions of people in Western Australia and beyond.

World-leading phenomics research at the Australian National Phenome Centre (ANPC) is set to revolutionise the diagnosis, prevention and precision treatment of a multitude of medical conditions including cancers, obesity, autism, dementia and type 2 diabetes in individuals and, on a larger scale, across communities. Its benefits are not limited to human health, but can also be used to unlock new discoveries in areas such as animal health and agriculture.

A person’s phenome is a snapshot of their unique biology resulting from the complex interactions between environmental factors such as their diet, lifestyle and exposure to pollutants, and their genes. Analysing these biological “fingerprints” helps researchers better understand the underlying causes of disease and to develop personalised treatments to prevent and treat it. 

The ANPC is to be based at the Harry Perkins Institute (South) and will have the largest collection of mass spectrometers in the Southern Hemisphere.  

It is designed to match technologies with other phenome centres in Singapore, Hong Kong, Birmingham and London. The data collaboratively produced will help researchers understand population health trends, and identify subtle environmental or cultural variations that influence disease susceptibility and recovery.

Supported by the State Government and the Australian Research Council, the centre is a core platform of the Western Australian Health Translation Network (WAHTN), which brings together expertise from all Western Australian universities, major hospitals, medical research institutes and partners. These include the Telethon Kids Institute, the Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research, the Pawsey Supercomputing Centre in Perth and the EPICentre at the University of New South Wales.

This large collection of mass spectrometers presents a number of challenges including noise, heat, weight, and access. The design team is working closely with instrument manufacturers such as Bruker and Waters to introduce innovative measures to address these challenges.

“Plan for the future”. “Design for the Users”. “Invest in Sustainability”. – The mindset of today’s facilities and laboratory development have been established over decades of lessons learned frombuildings lacking the flexibility to adapt to rapid technological and research advances. With the convergence of research disciplines and playing a key role in transforming lab environments, it is affecting workflow, interaction, research approaches, support spaces, equipment demands and more. In this panel discussion will takea look at: