The Genomic Medicine Alliance is a global academic research network which aims to build and strengthen collaborative ties between academics, researchers, regulators and also members from the general public interested in genomic and personalized medicine.
Since its establishment, the number of its members has expanded at a very rapid pace. Currently it consists of over 1.300 members (January 2018) from more than 70 countries worldwide. The Genomic Medicine Alliance members are coming from academia as well as from corporate and regulatory sectors, including developing countries and low-resources environments* in the Middle East, Asia and Latin America.
The primary goal of Genomic Medicine Alliance is the development of a network focusing on the translation of genomic knowledge into clinical practice. The key points that make Genomic Medicine Alliance different from existing consortia, research networks and initiatives in this field are:
- Membership is free of charge,
- Flat governance structure,
- Commitment to bring together genomics research institutions form developing countries with those from developed countries.
The Genomic Medicine Alliance fosters collaboration in genomics research between developed and developing countries providing benefits to both sides. Developing countries could benefit from training opportunities, knowledge exchange and expanding transnational networks. On the other hand, developed countries expect to benefit through comparative work by having access to ethnically diverse populations, families with rare diseases or unique clinical features.
In particular, the Genomic Medicine Alliance aims to:
- Encourage and catalyze multidisciplinary collaborative research between partner institutions and scientists, particularly from emerging countries.
- Liaise among research organizations, clinical entities and regulatory agencies in areas related to genomic medicine.
- Facilitate the introduction of pharmacogenomics and advanced omics technologies into the mainstream clinical practice.
- Produce and propose guidelines and recommendations in all areas pertaining to genomic medicine, always in close collaboration with other scientific academic entities, agencies and regulatory bodies.
- Develop, independently or in close collaboration with partner institutions, and coordinate educational activities in the area of genomic medicine.
Reference:
Cooper DN, et al. (2014). Bridging genomics research between developed and developing countries: The Genomic Medicine Alliance. Per Med 11(7): 615-623.
* The notion ‘low-resource environments’ is used to specify an environment where: (a) resources assigned for genomics research are scarce, (b) access to genomics knowledge and information is low, (c) implementation of Genomics is limited, (d) genomics education is relatively poor, and (e) collaborative opportunities in genomic research with other institutions are rare for geographical, societal, economic or political reasons.
