Successes
Australia has excellent capability in genomics, both in terms of data generation and the value adding provided by bioinformatic analysis.
The Australian Genome Research Facility is currently sequencing the genome of the tammar wallaby in a joint venture with a team at the Baylor College of Medicine lead by an expatriate Australian, Professor Richard Gibbs. Major funding for this project has been provided by the Victorian State Government, the National Institute of Health (USA), AGRF and Applied Biosystems. Further funding is urgently required to complete this project.
The wallaby project along with cattle, sheep and microbe projects described here exemplify the impact of genomics - new products that will improve the quality of life in Australia, generate income and increase our international competitiveness in trade.
