A €44.8 million government funded research programme into human genomics was officially opened in Dublin today.
The grant aided Programme for Human Genomics is being established to provide the infrastructure to enable the study of how genes influence disease. It will involve over 100 researchers from the Royal College of Surgeons, (RCSI), Trinity College and UCD.
The programme will apply the latest technologies in human genomics and proteomics to the study of human disease, to identify new ways of diagnosing, preventing and treating disease conditions.
The research will focus on Vascular Biology, Cancer and human body defence systems. The research will combine the expertise of clinicians, researchers and scientists and is expected to accelerate the development of diagnostics and new treatments for human diseases.
An Irish bioresource consisting of genes, proteins and tissues will also be established under the programme.
The initiative will place Irish researchers at the centre of international collaborative research in genomics and proteomics.
The grant for the programme is being funded by the Programme for Research in Third Level Institutions (PRTLI) with assistance from the European Regional Development Fund.