Genetic databases given Lords' support

A report published by the House of Lords Science and Technology Committee strongly supports the Medical Research Council and Wellcome Trust proposal for a voluntary UK population database containing the genetic details of 500,000 men and women. To be known as the UK Population Biomedical Collection, the database will also hold other information such as height, weight, medical history and answers to a questionnaire about lifestyle.

The report, called Human Genetic Databases: Challenges and Opportunities, also recommends that to realise the full benefits of genetic databases, the government, education funding councils and research councils should implement training and research into bioinformatics and statistical genetics.

Although the 1998 Data Protection Act currently protects certain uses of individuals' personal data, the report says that 'there are always surprises around the corner'. It continues 'there may be future imperatives to use non-anonymised data in ways that could not be foreseen when samples are collected... it may often be impractical to consult individuals about this'.

For this reason, the all-party Committee has also proposed that an independent regulatory body, the Medical Data Panel, be set up to control the use of genetic databases for research and protect the interests of individuals whose personal information is held on such databases.

The Committee gathered information from medical institutions, pharmaceutical companies, charities and individuals. The chairman, Lord Oxburgh said 'genetic databases are the key that will unlock the health benefits of the human genome project. The UK is a world leader in genetics and we shall get the full benefits only if we get our regulations right.'