[ad_1]
Copyright of the image
Getty Images
Health Secretary Matt Hanbad said he wants healthy people to become "genomics volunteers" to help scientists better understand diseases and human genetics.
The English will be able to pay the NHS to sequence their genes as long as they share their data.
Participants in the proposed program will receive a health report to predict the risk of developing conditions such as cancer or Alzheimer's disease.
Health Secretary Matt Hanbad said he would contribute to the development of treatments "that will benefit everyone in the future".
But the president of the British Society for Genetic Medicine has expressed her concern about these projects.
It is possible that DNA tests may alert patients to problems requiring further investigation. All data would be shared with scientists anonymously.
& # 39; Unblocking treatments & # 39;
Mr Hanbad said: "Although healthy people should not benefit from this free service on the NHS, sequencing as many genomes as possible has tremendous benefits.
"Each sequenced genome brings us closer to unlocking lifesaving treatments."
The Ministry of Health said the project – which will be led by Genomic England, a company created and owned by the NHS – is still in the development phase.
No details were provided on the launch date or the cost of the service.
It follows the successful completion of the 100,000 genome project in December 2018.
What does the project genome 100,000?
- Launched in 2012, the project achieved its goal in December 2018
- About 85,000 people have all their genetic code (genome) sequenced. But since cancer patients had also mapped their tumor DNA, the number of genomes totaled 100,000
- One out of four participants with rare diseases received a diagnosis for the first time
Anneke Lucbaden, president of the British Society for Genetic Medicine, said: "The NHS has always been free at the time of delivery.
"It has the potential to create a two-tier system."
And she warned, "You can use the genetic code to confirm a clinical picture, but you can not use it to accurately predict what will happen in the future."
Dr. Lucbaden said the government also had a sound and wise plan for genetic medicine, praising its commitment to collecting research data.
Genomics needs large sets of data, ideally shared internationally.
The government has now announced plans to sequence at least one million complete genomes within five years.
In addition to DNA pay sequencing, the NHS routinely provides critically ill children and adults with genetic diseases and cancer DNA badysis.
Analysis
By Michelle Roberts, BBC Health Correspondent
It is not a question of looking for rare genetic diseases in people at very high risk. These types of checks are already available free of charge to NHS patients.
Matt Hanbad's latest announcement is to obtain data from the general population to help scientists better understand human diseases and genetics.
He wants healthy people to become "genomic volunteers" to help with research.
From a blood sample, experts can look for small changes or mistakes in our DNA – the genetic code of life.
Anonymised data will help them to get an idea of the country's health and to design new life-saving treatments.
Genomic volunteers would be able to pay to receive a personalized report in their own DNA profile.
But there are a few things that people should understand before giving their consent:
- DNA testing will not necessarily give a clear prediction or a definitive result
- It is unlikely that healthy people will benefit directly from the tests
- And tests can reveal results that may require investigation
- Volunteers may also be invited to participate in other research projects, depending on the results of their tests.
And there are still a lot of unknowns:
- How much will it cost?
- Where will the tests be done?
- How long will people have to wait for their results?
- Could this affect my health insurance policy?
Source link
