Did you know the UK is a world leader in genomic medicine?
Professor Dame Sally Davies - England's Chief Medical Officer- called in her annual report last week for whole genome sequencing (WGS) to become standard in some areas of healthcare.
She recommends that in the future, all NHS patients should be able to access genome testing and patients should come to expect it like they expect an MRI scan today if it is required.
This would be a revolution.
By sequencing a person's genome (that is, all of the DNA contained within one of their cells), doctors are able to read their genetic code and get a better idea of what might be causing an illness and how it can best be treated. The potential impact is huge. Tens of thousands of people have already had their DNA mapped.
Genomics has recently become something of a passion of TINKER TAYLOR due to our close working relationship with Health Education England's, Genomics Education Programme (GEP).
Genomics is part of the future of patient care, so if you're still not sure exactly what it's all about or what means for the NHS, then we've got you covered. Check out our widely celebrated video animation below.
Dame Sally wants DNA testing to become standard across cancer care, as well as some other areas of medicine, including rare diseases and infections. People with rare diseases could benefit from having greater access to the technology, speeding up diagnosis. Doctors are already using genetic tests to identify and better treat different strains of the infectious disease tuberculosis.
