The UK Government has pledged over £175 million to fund cutting-edge genomics research for newborns, cancer patients, and ethnic minorities.
The funding is for a three-year study across the NHS in partnership with Genomics England, which specialises in diagnostic genome sequencing. This involves reading a person's DNA – sometimes the whole length – to identify disease-causing mutations.
Will Quince, Minister for Health and Secondary Care, said 'Genomic sequencing can speed up diagnosis of cancer, ensure children with treatable illnesses receive treatment faster and improve our understanding around how health outcomes differ by ethnicity.'
£105 million is intended for the diagnosis and treatment of rare genetic diseases in newborns. Currently, newborn babies are tested for just nine genetic health conditions, including sickle cell disease and cystic fibrosis. However, sequencing their whole genome could screen for hundreds of rare diseases, many of which are treatable with early intervention (see BioNews 1172).
Dr Richard Scott, chief medical officer for Genomics England, said, 'Our goal in the Newborn Genomes Programme is to do more for the thousands of children born every year in the UK with a treatable genetic condition. We want to be able to offer speedy diagnosis, quicker access to treatment, and better outcomes and quality of life.'
The pilot study, which will begin in 2023, will sequence the genomes of 100,000 babies and inform whether to introduce this testing nationwide.
An additional £26 million is reserved for a cancer programme. This will rely on artificial intelligence to study patient genomic data alongside images of their specific tumours, hopefully improving the speed and accuracy of diagnoses.
A further £22 million has been pledged to combat health inequalities in genomic medicine by sequencing the DNA of up to 25,000 individuals of non-European ancestry. As this population is currently under-represented in medical research, the Government hope that this will reduce health inequalities and improve patient outcomes.
The remaining £25 million is to be used for a new UK-wide initiative on functional genomics, a field that identifies the functions of specific genes or proteins. This will hopefully improve our understanding of certain diseases and aid drug discovery.
This boost in genomics funding is thought to bolster the worldwide status of the NHS and UK in genomic healthcare. Secretary of state for health and social care, Steve Barclay, said, 'The NHS is a world leader in genomics and by investing in this cutting-edge research we're cementing our status as a life sciences superpower.'
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