26.01.12
Calls for genetic technology national strategy
The NHS is set to prioritise genetic medicine following a new report by the Government’s Human Genomics Strategy Group. Advances in technology mean that genetic testing can identify whether people will respond to particular drugs, thus improving treatment.
The report recommends a new national strategy to allow the NHS to develop and adopt a service delivery model for genomic technology, raise public awareness of available technology and the benefits this can deliver and continue to develop education and training in the field.
Chair of the Human Genomics Strategy Group, Professor Sir John Bell, said: “Genomics expands our knowledge beyond single gene analysis to the whole genome, increasing our ability to gauge an individual’s risk of disease and support better diagnosis and treatment. TheUKis a leader in genomic research.
“Adopting the recommendations in our report would lead to further revolutionary developments in our ability to diagnose, treat and prevent disease, and I urge the Government to consider these.”
Health Secretary Andrew Lansley said: “The promise of genomic technology, with its capacity to improve our understanding of the nature of disease and how our genes can inform our response to therapy, is immense but as yet developmental. The ability to use molecular testing of cancers to match individuals to the most appropriate treatment is revolutionary.
“The new developments can help patients to get the best treatments to improve their chances of survival and their quality of life. I am very pleased to announce that we are going to develop a new commissioning and funding structure for molecular tests for cancer. This means there will be a formal structure – led by the NHS Commissioning Board – which will mean that more cancer patients will get access to these tests.”
Sir Mark Walport, director of the Wellcome Trust, endorsed the recommendations of the report. He said that genomic data must be linked to patients’ anonymised medical records through a secure national centre, which would create “an unparalleled resource for research and diagnosis without compromising confidentiality or privacy”.
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