The Global Alliance for Genomics and Health invited Sarah Norcross, director of the Progress Educational Trust (PET) to write an article for their website as part of their 'Public Attitudes for Genomic Policy' blog series.
Last year, PET commissioned a survey of the UK public to measure people's understanding of, and attitudes towards, areas of science and medicine, including genetics and genomics.
The subsequent report 'Fertility, Genomics and Embryo Research: Public Attitudes and Understanding' revealed discrepancies between public opinion and real-world access to fertility services in the UK (see BioNews 1148).
The report highlighted that people are broadly receptive to the idea of their genetic data being stored, particularly for use in their own healthcare.
52 percent supported the storage of an individual's genetic data for the direct care of that individual’s family.
53 percent supported the storage of an individual's genetic data for research purposes.
53 percent supported editing the genomes of embryos in a treatment context when the aim was to eliminate severe or life-threatening conditions (eg cystic fibrosis).
To read the full article, written by Norcross, please visit the Global Alliance for Genomics and Health website here.
