SuperbugAi platform receives MRFF 2024 Genomics Health Futures grant
Professor Anton Peleg
Professor Anton Peleg from the Department of Infectious Diseases in the School of Translational Medicine has received a $2.9 million Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) 2024 Genomics Health Futures grant for the ‘Superbug Ai’ project to transform patient care with pathogen genomics, digital health and machine learning.
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the most serious global threats to human health. Millions of deaths occur annually as a consequence of AMR infections, with many of these being potentially preventable. Urgent action is required, and this is supported by governments and major health organisations worldwide, including within Australia.
The SuperbugAi Platform research program will leverage the research team’s strong momentum in the area of pathogen genomics and integration with clinical electronic medical record data using advanced AI analytics to transform the way we track and respond to AMR infections and prevent their spread in healthcare. The team includes an expert cross-disciplinary group of investigators across Monash University, including 12 Centre Leaders from the Centre to Impact AMR, health service partners at Alfred Health and Monash Health and industry partners Illumina Australia and Oxford Nanopore Technologies .
The health service partner sites will integrate, apply, and implement cutting-edge technologies in genome sequencing and artificial intelligence, along with electronic healthcare data and infection prevention interventions. This work will form the foundations of a transformative health service delivery to tackle AMR infections that is underpinned by cutting-edge applications of AI and pathogen genomics. SuperbugAi will focus on the key enablers to implement such an initiative in healthcare, with the intention of using these findings to expand across Australia and beyond.
“We are at such an exciting cross-road of transformative technologies in healthcare, and this project hopes to realise the full potential of AI Medicine, Genomics and Digital Health to inform new diagnostics, optimised therapies and provide cutting-edge prevention of outbreaks of AMR pathogens,” said Professor Peleg. “New ways of analysing large amounts of data will be tested to help healthcare providers make the best decisions for patient care and hospital resource efficiencies. The success of this approach will prove central to protecting our healthcare system and our most vulnerable patient populations from the threat of AMR, with the longer-term goal of developing the systems and precision medicine models for the future of healthcare.”
Find out more about the Genomics Health Futures Mission.
About Monash University
Monash University is Australia’s largest university with more than 80,000 students. In the 60 years since its foundation, it has developed a reputation for world-leading high-impact research, quality teaching, and inspiring innovation.
With four campuses in Australia and a presence in Malaysia, China, India, Indonesia and Italy, it is one of the most internationalised Australian universities.
As a leading international medical research university with the largest medical faculty in Australia and integration with leading Australian teaching hospitals, we consistently rank in the top 50 universities worldwide for clinical, pre-clinical and health sciences.
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