NHS first in world to offer genomic testing

PATIENTS’ LIVES will be transformed as the NHS becomes the first health service in the world to routinely offer genomic testing, the Government’s chief scientific officer has said.

People with rare diseases and some types of cancer will be the first to benefit when the Genomic Medicine Service is rolled out in England from next month.

Professor Dame Sue Hill, chief scientific officer for England, said the “holy grail of the health system” is early diagnosis and preventative care.

Genomic medicine will enable the NHS to pursue this dream, she told a press briefing in London.

Under the new service, which was announced in July, selected patients will have their tumour DNA screened to check for mutations, helping doctors identify a more “personalised” treatment. People suffering from 22 rare diseases and some cancers will be among the first to routinely be tested this financial year.

Those offered testing will be able to opt in to share their data with a central database, to help improve understanding of rare diseases.

Dame Sue said the move marks a shift away from “one size fits all medicine”.

“Genomic medicine has the potential to transform patients’ lives, enabling quicker, better diagnoses, matching people to the most effective treatments, and increasing the number of patients surviving cancer,” she said.

“In establishing the Genomic Medicine Service, we are putting the NHS in pole position to harness this technology as it develops. This is an important milestone as we develop the longterm plan for the NHS.”