Jeans for Genes Australia was the fruit of a brainstorming session that was convened in 1993 towards supporting medical research into birth defects, cancers and genetic diseases at the Children's Medical Research Institute (CMRI).
It is today a dearly loved and much recognized Australian national day clearly marked on the calendar. The Jeans for Genes Day is celebrated and held on the 1st August Friday every year and has continued to be a foremost CMRI fundraiser.
On this particular day, individuals are requested to put on their jeans and contribute towards supporting research at Children's Medical Research Institute (CMRI). All the funds that are raised by the Jeans for Genes initiative go straight to CMRI towards making sure that valuable research can continue into serious medical conditions such as cancer, epilepsy, and birth defects.
In Australia, 1 in 20 children get born having a genetic disease or birth defect. From when the campaign began, it has been able to raise in excess of $60 million towards supporting Children's Medical Research Institute CMRI. Te initiative is currently in its 22nd year.
History of CMRI
The Children's Medical Research Foundation idea was put together by Sir Lorimer Dods and Dr. John Fulton. The Children's Medical Research Foundation which was later renamed to Institute was set up with funds raised by a large public campaign and Australia's first telethon and in 1958.
Vision, future and total commitment all played their respective roles towards birth of CMRI. The unreserved commitment of Sir Lorimer Dods Australian researcher and paediatrician, in particular has contributed greatly in turning that vision to become reality on behalf of kids the world over. Sir Lorimer was ardently convinced that prevention at all times is better than a cure and that the key to prevention lies in research.
Jeans for Genes Day is an Australian national day when people from all walks of life put on their jeans towards raising much-needed money for research into child birth defects and severe diseases like epilepsy, cancer, and an array of genetic child disorders.
On each 1st Friday in August every year schools, workplaces and the streets turn into a sea of denim in a joint stance taken against major childhood disease.
What your donation Supports
Every dollar that is raised on the Jeans for Genes Day goes to help scientists working at the Children's Medical Research Institute discover cures and treatments, to provide every Australian child the chance to live a healthy and long life. See how each Dollar would support:
$2 - Fight cancer
A $2 gold coin would purchase sufficient and crucial enzyme required for testing the blood of one patient for several types of aggressive cancers.
$5 - Treat epilepsy
With a donation of $5, you are buying a badge and the CMRI scientists may purchase a plastic 96-in-1 'test tube' for simultaneously screening 96 prospective epilepsy drugs.
$10 - Cracking blindness causes
CMRI eye genetics group already has discovered twelve genes that lead to children blindness. 10 dollars grants the scientists 200 mini test tubes for helping discover more groups.
$500 - Help in curing liver disease
Assemble a volunteers team and help in selling merchandise along the streets throughout Australia and you would be raising sufficient money towards preparing a sample of cells required for the development of a liver disease treatment. Presently the only kind of hope that there is for infants born having this kind of disease is getting a liver transplant, although the scientists from CMRI have achieved a major breakthrough and currently are progressing towards clinical trials sizeable number of seriously ill liver disease patients.
$1,000 - Create a new discovery
Convene your own Jeans for Genes occasion and you'll be helping the CMRI scientists in testing a new drug which might treat epilepsy, cancer, or other several neurological child conditions. A drug that had been developed for treating epilepsy might also be a cure for kidney disease - a surprising finding that has got the potential of saving millions from the need of getting dialysis transplants.
What Children's Medical Research Institute has accomplished:
- Found out that one single genetic defect could be cleft lip and palate cause
- Early embryo fate map to help in understanding lots of child developmental problems
- Identification of the telomerase components, which become central for the treatment of 85 per cent of all known cancers
- Detection of the mechanism in Alternative Lengthening of Telomeres (ALT), which could lead to getting treatments for the other remaining 15 per cent of known cancers
- Development of a ALT cancers blood test that will permit physicians in diagnosing and planning treatments for several cancers like the aggressive glioblastoma tumours of the brain
- Partnership with the Children's Hospital Westmead to work on a genetic liver disease cure, with the clinical trials almost beginning
- The discovery and development of a new treating epilepsy class of drugs.
What CMRI Intends to accomplish next 20 years:
- Develop treatments for epilepsy which will assist children as well as adults globally
- Develop new diabetes and kidney disease treatments
- Get gene therapy cures for children with rare genetic diseases
- New infectious diseases treatments
- Telomere research for helping in the understanding of predisposition to disease
- Get new and even better cancer treatments.
Children's Medical Research Institute Vision
Children's Medical Research Institute sees a future that is without common childhood diseases. The bigger portions of new babies are born very healthy, but regrettably 1 in 20 children get born having a genetic disease or birth defect. On the average, that would amount to 1 child in each classroom. If you feel that figure is too high, then Children's Medical Research Institute and Jeans for Gene invites you to assist in doing something about it together.
Children's Medical Research Institute (CMRI) is fully into medical research. CMRI is an internationally respected and recognized research organisation for the noteworthy medical advances they have achieved in the course of the previous 57 years. It is possible that Children's Medical Research Institute (CMRI) has most probably assisted somebody you know. Come on board and help someone else!
