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Decoding DNA
Posted 12 June 2009
Vivien Vasic, Manager of the Gandel Charitable Trust Sequencing Centre
The Gandel Charitable Trust Sequencing Centre is celebrating ten years. The expert technology services it provides are shared by PHI researchers and our partner organisations at the Monash Health Research Precinct (MHRP).
DNA sequencing plays a central role in an increasing number of medical research applications and in clinical diagnostics.
A routine but critical aspect of the Centre’s work is to check the integrity of DNA sequences that are used in laboratory experiments. Another commonly used research application of the technology is to analyse genetic differences in tumours and cancer cell lines.
In a recent PHI led study, DNA sequencing was used to “genetically dissect” some of the most serious types of ovarian cancer tumours.
The findings suggest that there are important DNA variations between different classes of ovarian cancer.
DNA technologies continue to advance and recent developments mean that it is now possible to decode thousands of DNA bases in hours which previously would have taken weeks or even months.
Such improvements to sequencing throughput and accuracy reflect consistent philanthropic support. In recent years Melbourne families have enabled several major technology upgrades.
In 2006 the Gandel Charitable Trust generously funded a major technology upgrade and in 2008 a grant from the Collier Charitable Trust broadened the capacity to deliver clinical DNA testing to Victorian patients and doctors.