Blueprints for better health
What is genomics and how is it transforming healthcare?
Blueprints for better health
What is genomics and how is it transforming healthcare?
Tiny genetic variations can have a huge ripple effect on our health, from the side effects caused by daily medication to how we respond to cancer treatment. Genomics is transforming how we treat illness — but there is still so much we don't know about gene-environment interactions. Assistant Professor Paul Dunn is a geneticist dedicated to searching for answers that could redefine drug effectiveness, reduce adverse reactions, and improve our quality of life. We sat down with him to learn what genomics means for the future of healthcare.
What is genomics?
Genomics is the study of the genes in a person’s DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid), how they interact with the environment, and their influence on health and disease. Paul says the field has seen rapid change in the past two decades, and scientists are just scratching the surface.
“It’s a field that’s exploded since the Human Genome project, in which scientists sequenced the first human genome. It took 13 years, from 1990 to 2003, and cost billions of dollars,” he says.
“Now, for a few hundred dollars, we can sequence full human genomes in as little as a day.”
The human genome contains about three billion base pairs of DNA. These base pairs comprise of Adenine (A), Thymine (T), Cytosine (C), Guanine (G) and sequencing involves determining their exact order.
“We could see a single change from a base that's an A to a C, and then suddenly a person has curly versus straight hair, or it might be a change that causes somebody to grow up with achondroplasia, commonly known as dwarfism, versus being of average height,” Paul says.
“Genomic technologies aren’t applicable only to humans. These four simple letters encode all living organisms on Earth, so we see their application with plants, animals, and tracking viruses.
“For example, the PCR tests used to detect COVID-19 use a genomic technique.”
Are genes and genomes the same thing?
Genes and genomes are different. A gene is a segment of your DNA that determines a specific trait. A genome is an organism’s entire genetic makeup and contains all the instructions for an organism to function. It encompasses a lot more than just our genes.
How can genomics improve healthcare?
Genomics reveals how genes influence our health, enabling earlier diagnosis of conditions, more accurate treatment, and better risk management. Genomic information helps doctors diagnose conditions where symptoms are complex, and even identify medicines that may cause side effects in a particular person due to their genetic makeup.
“We can determine how genetic variations are influencing the body and how they interact with an environment,” Paul says.
“This information can be used to identify new diseases and enhance treatment.”
In 2025, the Australian Government established Genomics Australia to accelerate the integration of genomics into the Australian health system to improve health outcomes.
Paul says the new national body highlights the importance of genomics in healthcare and in treating diseases.
“The opportunities in genomics are growing year on year,” he says.
What type of illnesses might genomic medicine help treat?
Genomic medicine is transforming the treatment and prevention of a wide range of diseases and illnesses because it provides a comprehensive understanding of a person’s genetic makeup. Genomics has been used in cancer care, disease prevention for conditions like heart disease, and vaccinations for infectious diseases like COVID-19.
In his research, Paul has uncovered a genetic link between a condition called CADASIL (Cerebral Autosomal Dominant Arteriopathy with Subcortical Infarcts and Leukoencephalopathy) and Alzheimer’s disease, worked on research projects related to lasting side effects of chemotherapy, and explored the role of host genetics and the microbiome in endometriosis and fertility outcomes.
He uses epilepsy as an example of how genetic variations can impact treatment across patients. Some patients have variations that affect certain proteins in the brain.
“They might begin on a standard epilepsy treatment and, in these cases, it doesn’t work,” he says.
“We can use sequencing technology to decipher the genetic change causing the issue and place an individual on a better treatment plan to manage their seizures.”
He was able to use a genomic technique called whole exome sequencing to efficiently test epilepsy genes.
What is whole exome sequencing?
Whole exome sequencing is used to quickly identify the cause of a health condition by sequencing only the protein-coding regions of a person’s DNA. Proteins are the molecules that actually keep the body running.
Paul explains up to 80 per cent of all disease-causing mutations are within one to two per cent of the genome, the exome, that carries the instructions for making proteins.
“It's like taking a small bite out of the apple and getting really useful and important results from that,” he says.
How is Bond University contributing to research in genomics?
Bond University researchers and students contribute to several studies in genomics every year, working towards personalising medicine for improved health outcomes. The biggest focus in 2026 is using genomics to help preclinical testing of drugs, with models focusing on cardiotoxicity, peripheral neuropathy, and the brain.
“We’re hoping to look at gene editing to decipher how genetic variants might influence how a drug operates in certain people,” Paul says.
“If we can identify a variant that might be causing adverse reactions, then we allow for better screening and influence their treatment.
“Ultimately we want to improve safety in treating patients.”
Paul works with other Bond University researchers and is supported by enthusiastic students every semester. He says collaboration is crucial.
“None of us can be experts across every area and my expertise is limited to genetics and genomics so I’m heavily reliant on collaborators in nursing, stem cell biology, pharmacology, and medical chemistry,” he says.
“Collaboration drives projects forward.”
Meet the researcher
Assistant Professor Paul Dunn was fascinated to learn a diagnosis could come from looking at people’s chromosomes during his bachelor’s degree. He went on to do his PhD at the Queensland University of Technology, spending time in the Genomics Research Centre where he investigated genetic factors related to stroke and dementia. He also spent almost nine years working as a medical scientist with Sullivan Nicolaides Pathology.
Paul joined Bond University in 2021 to continue his research while inspiring students to consider a career in genomics as a Senior Teaching Fellow, and then Assistant Professor and Senior Lecturer. As an academic, he is inspired by the late Professor Kevin Ashton, a biomedical scientist he worked with in his first years at Bond.
“He’s had a big influence on how I approach conveying complex topics to different people in different ways,” he says.
“He was an excellent mentor to early career academics and knew how to get them excited about research.
“When I interact with students, I try to mimic that comfortable and curious feeling he gave.”
Paul teaches foundation sciences in Bond's medical program. He is dedicated to sharing his passion for the power of genomics and making findings that will improve health outcomes and benefit society.
“It's hard to explain how exciting it is when you when you see something of interest and start putting the dots together, while realising nobody else has thought about something that way,” he says.
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