Patients in Greater Manchester are set to spearhead a genetic revolution to help fight cancer and rare diseases. The citys St Marys Hospital has been named as one of 11 Genomic Medicine Centres, which together will map the complete genetic codes of 100,000 patients. The three-year project, unveiled by the Prime Minister earlier this year, is a bold bid to transform diagnosis and treatment. It will allow doctors to learn more about cancer and rare conditions by decoding and exploring human genomes - complete sets of peoples genes. University of Manchester scientists and doctors at St Marys will work closely with colleagues at Salford Royal, The Christie, Wythenshawe Hospital and the Pennine Acute Hospitals Trust on the project. Bill Newman, professor of translational Genomic medicine at the Manchester Centre for Genomic Medicine at the University of Manchester and honorary consultant at Central Manchester University Hospitals Trust, said doctors, nurses and scientists at the Manchester Centre for Genomic Medicine, based at St Marys, were delighted to have been selected for the pioneering project. He said: They plan to work with colleagues to use the new type of genetic testing called whole genome sequencing to find out why some people have certain … Continue reading →

A team of Liverpool scientists have been selected to take part in a genetic revolution. The group will participate in a world-leading project to tackle the genetic causes of cancer and rare diseases. The North West Coast NHS Genomic Medicine Centre is a partnership led by Liverpool Womens Hospital which will be helping deliver the 100,000 Genomes Project, a three year scheme launched by David Cameron. Angela Douglas, scientific director for genetics at Liverpool Womens NHS Foundation Trust and chair of the British Society for Genetic Medicine (BSGM), said: The 100,000 Genome Project is welcomed by the BSGM as an exciting and unprecedented development that offers the UK the opportunity of being a leader in the field of genomic medicine. The project has the potential to transform the future of healthcare. It could improve the prediction and prevention of disease, enable new and more precise diagnostic tests, and allow personalisation of drugs and other treatments to specific genetic variants. The initiative involves collecting and decoding 100,000 human genomes complete sets of peoples genes that will enable scientists and doctors to understand more about specific conditions. Life Sciences Minister George Freeman said: We want to make the UK the best place … Continue reading →

Eleven genomic medicine centres (GMC) are the heart of the project, a plan to map 100,000 complete genetic codes of patients. The human genome consists of more than three billion chemical units or "base pairs" that make up the letters of the genetic code - abbreviated to A, T, C, and G. The way the letters pair up on both sides of the double-helix DNA molecule shapes the genome sequence. Mistakes in the pairing can lead to disease. The project is needed to treat illnesses such as cancer, which can take a variety of forms - breast cancer, for example, has at least 10 - each requiring a different treatment. In the case of breast cancers, more than 70 per cent respond to hormone therapies, but their reaction to the treatment is very varied. The new research centres will create personalised treatment that can be targeted more effectively at each variation of cancer. The participants in the project will agree to share their genetic code and medical records with drugs companies and researchers. Their DNA will then be examined in order to compare the genetic code of their healthy tissue to the genetic code of their tumour. It should then … Continue reading →