Genomic medicine has the potential to improve quality of care by targeting treatment, maximising its benefits and reducing side effects. The science of genomics is opening up better diagnoses for patients, safer treatments, opportunities for screening and the possibilities for prevention.
Enormous progress has been made in the last two decades sequencing genomes quickly and cheaply. These advances open the door for more personalised medicine, bringing genomics into standard clinical practice, as well as discovering simple interventions that could help hundreds of thousands of people with a genetic disorder.
But this developing technology also raises ethical questions and practical issues as we increase the demand for genomic testing and treatments. Across the South West and West of England there is huge potential, but we must be prepared: there are significant training implications and the right policy framework and processes need to be in place.
In December 2019 we ran our first Future of Care event on ‘genomic science: now and future’ alongside the South West AHSN. In the resulting report and video we capture the cutting-edge thinking and discussions from the event and how genomics will influence the future of care.
Watch the video
Read the report
Personal stories of genomics
Emily was born in 2002, and was diagnosed with a hearing impairment in 2004. When she was a teenager, she signed up to the 100,000 genomes project to see if they could find the genetic reason for her deafness. As well as adding to the knowledge bank of genetic data, she now knows more about her own genes, and how her DNA impacted on her hearing loss. Watch Emily’s story >
When Libby was diagnosed with ovarian cancer, she wanted more information for her family. She was recruited to the 100,000 genomes project, and found out that there was no inherited reason for her developing this cancer. Now her mother, Diana, tells her story. Watch Libby’s legacy >