Australia invests $5.3m in advancing AI-driven genomics

The funding was granted to the Centre for Population Genomics to support the AASGARD platform.

Australia has invested approximately $5.3m (A$8m) in advancing genomics research by leveraging the use of artificial intelligence (AI).

“Genomics is an exciting field that we can use to improve early detection and treatment of cancer,” Minister for Health and Aged Care, Mark Butler, said.

The funding was granted to the Centre for Population Genomics, a joint initiative of the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute and the Garvan Institute of Medical Research.

The grant will support the Australian Alliance for Secure Genomics and AI in Rare Disease (AASGARD), a new platform that will develop and test new AI-driven analysis tools against ethical and clinical criteria before they are used in health care.

“Protecting Australians from the misuse of AI in healthcare is essential. The potential of AI is enormous in improving healthcare across the board. But it comes with risks that must be understood and mitigated,” Butler added.

A$1 = $0.66