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Press release

Minister for Health announces the establishment of a Genome of Ireland project to advance disease prediction and prevention

  • Genome of Ireland will establish a genomic dataset of at least 1,200 individuals living in Ireland - important collaboration to creating a bigger European genome repository for population genomic studies
  • Ireland will contribute to the Genome of Europe project through the Genome of Ireland to support public health policy measures and enable medical research to improve diagnosis and treatment
  • Genome of Europe involves over 100,000 European citizens
  • project encompasses 49 partner institutions across 27 European countries with a budget of almost €45 million - out of which €20 million being funded under Digital Europe Programme

The Minister for Health, Jennifer Carroll MacNeill, has announced the establishment of a Genome of Ireland research project and Ireland’s participation in the Genome of Europe to advance disease prediction and prevention. The Genome of Ireland will establish a genomic dataset of at least 1,200 individuals living in Ireland.

Ireland’s participation in the Genome of Europe is an important collaboration towards creating a bigger European genome repository for population genomic studies towards advancing medical research and improving public health. A genome is the complete set of genetic information in an organism, providing all of the information the organism requires to function. In living organisms, the genome is stored in long molecules of DNA called chromosomes.

The Genome of Europe project will enable groundbreaking medical research that improves diagnosis and treatment, and advances personalised medicine, disease prediction, and prevention. It will also support public health policy measures, for example, for rare diseases and cancer. The project encompasses 49 partner institutions across 27 European countries and has a total budget of almost €45 million, out of which €20 million is funded under the Digital Europe Programme.

Minister for Health, Jennifer Carroll MacNeill, said:

“I am pleased to announce the establishment of the Genome of Ireland and our participation in the Genome of Europe project. This initiative marks a significant milestone in advancing medical research and improving public health. By contributing to the establishment of the first European reference genome, we are paving the way for groundbreaking advancements in personalised medicine, disease prediction, and prevention.

“This will help bring in a new era of smarter, more targeted treatments that make full use of advances in genomics, leveraging the innovations that are arising from the biotechnology revolution.”

Ireland’s genomic data will be aggregated with that of other countries at European level, making it one of the world’s most comprehensive genomic endeavours to-date. The wider European project will offer a unique data resource that will redress the fragmentation in genetic information across Member States, including Ireland.

The Department of Health is fully committed to supporting this Europe-wide initiative and is providing funding via the Health Research Board (HRB) who are supporting the RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences for delivery of the Genome of Ireland project.

CEO of the HRB, Mairead O’Driscoll, said:

“This is one of the world’s most comprehensive projects of its kind. The mapping of 100,000 genomes will help diagnostic technologies to stratify patients, creating targeted therapies and individualised medicines to act on specific biological features of disease in each individual patient.”

The Genome of Europe project will establish the first European reference genome, a digital representation of all the DNA in the human body. It will reflect European genetic and ancestral diversity by country, including minorities. The project will involve the participation of over 100,000 European citizens, drawn from existing biobanks as well as new volunteers.

Notes

The Genome of Europe Project

The Genome of Europe project brings together the ambitions of the 1+MG initiative, the legal and technical framework developed by the Genomic Data Infrastructure (GDI) and genomic data providers to enable access to genomic data across Europe for research, healthcare and public health policy purposes and to deliver a resourceful database for research and future clinical applications.

The Genome of Ireland Project

The Genome of Ireland will establish a genomic dataset of at least 1,200 individuals living in Ireland. The Genome of Ireland project is important from the perspective of linking research with clinical services, specifically supporting the progression and development of Genetic and Genomic Medicine services in line with implementing the National Strategy for Accelerating Genetic and Genomic Medicine in Ireland (2022).

Health Research Board (HRB)

The HRB is the main funder of health and social care research in Ireland and a key sponsor in facilitating evidence for policy across a wide agenda including research on genomics and related areas.

Further information

A genome is the complete set of genetic information in an organism. It provides all of the information the organism requires to function. In living organisms, the genome is stored in long molecules of DNA called chromosomes.

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