AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY

The NSW Government is investing $1.4 million in an Aboriginal-led precision medicine project, led by Professor Alex Brown, to improve health outcomes for Aboriginal people in NSW. The project aims to engage and empower Aboriginal communities in designing and implementing a precision medicine platform, focusing on cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer.

COVID-19 cases and hospitalisations in Victoria have risen by 44% and 59% respectively over the past month. The Omicron sub-variant JN.1 remains dominant, with a new Pfizer vaccine targeting JN.1 becoming available from December 9. Health experts urge caution, recommending boosters for high-risk groups and personal precautions such as mask-wearing and socialising outdoors to mitigate the spread during the festive season.

Australian research team wins 2024 Gordon Bell Prize for developing quantum-accurate simulation software for drug performance modeling, using the Frontier supercomputer to predict molecular behavior with unprecedented precision.

The Undiagnosed Hackathon was conceptualized and designed by H.C., M. Cederroth, A.N., and A.M.D.V. Biological samples and phenotype data were collected by various authors, processed and analyzed under the coordination of A.M.D.V. et al. All authors participated in data analysis and interpretation, with A.M.D.V. et al. drafting the manuscript. A.N., H.C., and M. Cederroth secured funding.

Dr. Yang Liu discusses preclinical studies on the CD24/Siglec-10 pathway, highlighting the development of ONC-781 and ONC-841 antibodies, and their potential in cancer and inflammatory disease treatment.

Africa's high chronic kidney disease prevalence lacks sufficient genetic data, highlighting the need for diverse genome datasets to improve disease understanding and treatment efficacy. The underrepresentation of African genomes in studies has worsened, affecting the accuracy of polygenic risk scores and drug development. Initiatives like NIH's All of Us and the Nigerian 100K Genome Project aim to bridge this gap, emphasizing the importance of equitable and inclusive genomic medicine.