About the Centre

Canberra Hospital is now home to Australia's first personalised medicine clinic for immune diseases.

The Centre for Personalised Medicine uses advanced technologies to diagnose and treat complex immune conditions, such as inflammatory bowel disease, rheumatological disorders and kidney disease. These conditions can be hard to diagnose and treat because the causes vary in each person - different genetic, immunological and environmental factors are at play.

Thanks to a partnership between the Australian National University and Canberra Health Services, the Centre will now have a dedicated clinical space at Canberra Hospital to treat patients.

The Centre seeks to pinpoint the underlying cause of a patient's illness through genetic and molecular testing, and a collaborative approach between researchers and clinicians. This means faster diagnoses, better health outcomes, and fewer unnecessary side effects for patients.

Patient stories

For local Canberra resident Marilyn Hines, who lives with the rare condition antisynthetase syndrome, working with the Centre's team of specialists has made a huge difference to her wellbeing and quality of life.

“The Centre for Personalised Medicine has been extremely beneficial in supporting my health. Together, the team works out the best treatment and management plan for my rare condition. Rather than just treat the symptoms, my treating team has been able to identify the most appropriate medicines targeted to my condition. This has helped to improve my standard of living and reduce the number of my medical appointments and hospitalisations. It has been wonderful to be able to be treated by such exceptional specialists, who care about you as a person and support your holistic health.”

Marilyn Hines - patient, Centre for Personalised Medicine

Director of the Centre, Associate Professor Simon Jiang, said the Centre's strong focus on research and discovery would have significant implications for how autoimmune conditions are diagnosed and treated in the future.

“The launch of the Centre for Personalised Medicine is a defining moment for Canberra and a significant step forward for healthcare in Australia. It reflects a shift towards a new model of care that seeks to understand the root causes of disease in each patient and use that knowledge to guide the most effective treatment options.”

Associate Professor Simon Jiang - Director, Centre for Personalised Medicine

Emma Gilmour is also being treated by the Centre for Personalised Medicine for health issues, including elevated C-reactive protein (CRP) levels, arthritis, chronic pain and persistent migraines.

Emma learned about the Centre through her late father, Arthur Hodge, who was also a patient of Associate Professor Jiang. Associate Professor Jiang made a groundbreaking discovery: that the root cause of Arthur's health issues - which included multiple strokes, chronic pain and severe arthritis that forced him to use a wheelchair - were caused by the ITK gene.

Emma said the Centre for Personalised Medicine's treatment plan gave her father a new lease on life.

“He went from being in a wheelchair…to running around, getting in trouble from Simon for climbing up ladders. The cost of medicines went down. He and Mum had a life together.”

Emma Gilmour - patient, Centre for Personalised Medicine

Associate Professor Jiang ordered genetic testing for Emma and her three brothers and discovered that while the ITK gene was dormant in her brothers, it was active in Emma. Emma says that discovering that her health issues are connected to the ITK gene has been significant.

“I'm 25 years better off because Dad found Simon, so I'm very thankful.”

Emma Gilmour - patient, Centre for Personalised Medicine

Looking ahead

“For many patients, this means moving away from trial and error towards care that is more targeted, more precise and ultimately more effective. Our vision is to connect patients, clinicians and researchers across Australia so more people can benefit from this approach, no matter where they live, and to help ensure research is translated into real improvements in patient outcomes.”

Associate Professor Simon Jiang - Director, Centre for Personalised Medicine

In addition to treating patients from the ACT and across Australia, the Centre also works with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities to identify new treatments to combat kidney disease.

The work of the Centre has been made possible by donations from the Hindmarsh Family, the Ferguson Family, the Anderson Pender Foundation, Nobel Laureate Professor Rolf Zinkernagel and the McCusker Charitable Foundation.

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