Australia Opens First Immune Disease Center in Canberra

Arthur Hodge spent 20 years in debilitating pain before doctors finally figured out why his body was attacking itself.

His daughter Emma Gilmour remembers saying goodbye to her father at least five times over two decades. He'd suffered strokes in his early 40s, spent seven straight months hospitalized, and eventually needed a wheelchair. Doctors threw medications at him without understanding what was actually wrong.

Then in 2017, Associate Professor Simon Jiang took a different approach. Instead of just treating Arthur's symptoms, he analyzed his blood to find the genetic mutation causing his immune system to malfunction. Within months, Arthur traded his wheelchair for a ladder.

"He gave us 10 extra years of Dad," Gilmour said.

Today, that same breakthrough treatment became available to all Australians. The Centre for Personalised Medicine opened at Canberra Hospital, becoming the country's first facility dedicated to treating complex immune disorders by identifying their genetic causes.

The center will accept referrals from across Australia for patients whose conditions have stumped other doctors. It's funded through a partnership between the federal government, Australian National University, Canberra Health Services, and private donors.

Jiang explains his method using a simple metaphor. Traditional medicine sees cars crashing at an intersection and responds by adding traffic lights and crosswalks. His approach examines each individual car to find the specific mechanical fault causing the crash.

"We might find there's one specific fault in one particular car that's causing these accidents to happen. If you fix that, those accidents stop happening," he said.

Why This Inspires

Marilyn Hines was diagnosed with antisynthetase syndrome, a rare immune condition, in 2023. After just one year of personalized treatment, she's taking fewer medications and living a fuller life.

"Simon gets to the actual crux of what the condition is and why you've got it," Hines said. She can now do normal activities instead of spending long stretches in the hospital.

The center will also partner with the National Centre for Indigenous Genomics to develop new treatments for kidney disease affecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

For Gilmour, the news is deeply personal. She and her 18-year-old son both carry the same genetic mutation that nearly killed her father. But instead of feeling afraid, she feels grateful.

"I'm 25 years better off because Dad found Simon," she said.