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Undiagnosed Children’s Day 2021: Baroness Nicola Blackwood shares her own diagnostic odyssey

Apr30

I was an undiagnosed child once. I know what it feels like to spend years getting really ill but no one really knowing what was wrong. On average in the UK it takes 4-7 years to diagnose a rare disease – for many rare disease patients it is much longer.

I went through the ups and downs (mainly downs) of the diagnostic odyssey – referral to referral, specialist to specialist. I knew the frustration at not receiving a proper answer and knew the pain of not receiving proper treatment.

New algorithm flags genetic weaknesses in cancer tumours

Apr27

A study funded by Cancer Research UK and published today in the journal Nature Cancer, has found a new way to identify tumours which could be sensitive to particular cancer therapies and has been developed using data from NHS cancer patients in the 100,000 Genomes Project. The new algorithm, called MMRDetect, allows researchers to see which tumour cells have weaknesses in their ability to repair themselves and means cancer patients can receive personalised treatments.

Professor Sir Mark Caulfield: Placing participants at the heart of genomics in the UK

Apr21

I look back in awe over these past 5 years and the extraordinary journey the Participant Panel and Genomics England have taken together, through both the 100,000 Genomes Project, and the establishment of the NHS Genomics Medicine Service. Awe, because I hold the enduring memory of the inspiring contribution each of the Panel have selflessly made on behalf of your fellow participants, to ensure the success of the programme. The Participant Panel have tirelessly kept the interests of the wider participants in the forefront of our minds at Genomics England and NHS England.

New PHG Foundation report on Sano Genetics patient engagement platform

Apr20

Today the PHG Foundation has published its report, commissioned by Genomics England, examining the legal and ethical implications of an online platform for patient engagement in precision medicine research being developed by Sano Genetics.

In May 2020, Genomics England announced that it was collaborating with precision medicine research start-up Sano Genetics and data management firm Zetta Genomics to develop a platform that would allow rare disease patients and their caregivers to add vital additional information about their health and wellbeing to research databases.

Vivienne Parry celebrates our Participant Panel’s achievements on their 5th anniversary

Apr19

When Genomics England began back in 2013, the very idea that we could sequence 100,000 genomes was an audacious one. No-one had ever done it before. And, if the technical challenge wasn’t enough, there was also an NHS transformation project to deliver, which would, if everything worked out, be the basis for a new NHS Genomic Medicine Service. Finally, for good measure, there was the development of a major research facility, which could turn genomic information into new knowledge,

A Shared Journey of Discovery – Jillian Hastings Ward reflects on the fifth anniversary of Genomics England’s Participant Panel

Apr14

We’d love you to join the Participant Panel! Can you come to the first meeting, on Monday?

So began a personal adventure, better than I ever imagined, with a group of people who continue to inspire me on a weekly basis. From a genetics appointment in London, to addressing conference audiences in San Diego and Melbourne; from parenting a severely disabled child with an undiagnosed condition, to helping establish a global community of families like us.

International Women’s Day 2021 blog: Baroness Nicola Blackwood celebrates women involved in the fight against COVID-19

Mar8

Exactly three months ago, 90-year-old grandmother Margaret Keenan became the first person in the world to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. This landmark event, a major turning point in the battle against the virus, came less than a year after the first recorded coronavirus case in the UK. A remarkable feat of endeavour by science and healthcare.

Margaret’s story is the culmination of an unparalleled journey by the global health and scientific community, who have so admirably fought back against a disease about which we knew so little this time last year.

International Women’s Day 2021 blog: Dr Christine Patch pays tribute to Dame Fiona Caldicott

Mar8

On International Women’s Day, Dr Christine Patch, Clinical Lead for Genetic Counselling at Genomic England, talks about stepping into the role of Genomics England’s Caldicott Guardian, and pays tribute to the first National Data Guardian, Dame Fiona Caldicott.

The sad news of Dame Fiona Caldicott’s passing last month caused an outpouring of gratitude from around the health and social care sector. Dame Fiona’s vision was that everyone should be able to trust that their personal confidential data is protected and being used appropriately.

New Non-Executive Directors join Genomics England Board

Mar3

Genomics England is excited to announce the appointment of Andrew Eland, Annalisa Jenkins and Vikram Bajaj to the Board as Non-Executive Directors.

Andrew Eland, CEO and Founder of Diagonal Work

Andrew, a software engineer by trade, has spent time working with Google, DeepMind and, more recently, Diagonal Work. He originally joined Google in 2005, working predominantly on Google Maps, and was appointed as Engineering Director in 2010. He left four years later to take up another Engineering Director position,

Rare Disease Day 2021 blog: West syndrome – a rare epilepsy as seen through the eyes of a father

Feb28

My daughter was born prematurely and at around 8 months old, she seemed to regress in her development and started making strange jack-knife movements at certain times of the day. She was diagnosed at Addenbrooke’s hospital in Cambridge with a rare and severe form of epilepsy called West syndrome. West syndrome diagnosis is based around the child having very specific and irregular brainwaves, developmental regression and seizures. Luckily, our clinician was actively involved in a clinical trial for treating West syndrome.

LifeArc provides £5 million funding to increase understanding of the role of genetic risk factors in patient response to COVID-19

Feb15

Medical research charity, LifeArc, announces today that it is providing £5 million funding to support the work of the GenOMICC COVID-19 Study, led by the GenOMICC consortium in partnership with Genomics England. The study, launched in May 2020, is using genomics to investigate why some people are affected more severely by COVID-19, and increase our understanding about the disease.

GenOMICC is a global collaboration of doctors and scientists working together to understand and treat serious illnesses,

International Day of Women and Girls in Science: Vivienne Parry celebrates geneticist Barbara McClintock

Feb11

Thinking about Women in STEM this week has made me want to introduce Barbara McClintock to you. She brings together two parts of my life, my undergraduate years taking genetics and my time at Genomics England. She may not be very familiar to many of you, yet what she discovered underpins everything we do here.

She was the first and so far, only woman to have won the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine unshared.

Blog: Let’s talk about the ‘G’ word

Jan22

In this blog, Chris Wigley, CEO of Genomics England, tells us in his own words why it is so important for us to talk to as many people as possible about genomics, and why we have launched our podcast, The G Word.

I’ve spent my career at the intersection of technology, ethics and human stories. Now, I lead the amazing team here at Genomics England. We’re trying to bring the benefits of genomic medicine to everyone,

The G Word: Genomics England launches new podcast

Jan18

This week, Genomics England has launched its first company podcast. ‘The G Word’ will be hosted by Chris Wigley, our CEO, who will talk to a wide variety of people about all things genomics, with the aim of making the topic more accessible and understandable to all.

He says:

Most people understand that our DNA is the blueprint that lies at the heart of our cells and bodies. Many people have done mail-order genetic tests to explore their heritage,

A vision for the future of genomic healthcare

Dec9

In September 2020, the UK Government published Genome UK, a vision for the next ten years of genomic healthcare. This National Genomic Healthcare Strategy sets out a plan to deliver the future of care in the NHS by enabling the provision of world-leading genomic healthcare to patients in the UK and across the world.

Over the next 10 years, the Government’s ambition is to create the most advanced genomic healthcare system in the world,

National Genomic Research Library grows to over 110,000 clinically linked genomes

Nov17

The National Genomic Research Library (NGRL) now contains one of the richest genomic datasets in the world for both rare disease and cancer research, following the curation and addition of all consented genomes from the 100,000 Genomes Project. The Library now holds the data of over 110,000 clinically linked genomes, from over 97,000 participants.

This latest data update to the Genomics England Research Environment, the platform to access the NGRL, is a major milestone for the 100,000 Genomes Project as well as future research.

Landmark strategy launched to cement UK’s position as global leader in genomics

Sep26

Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock has today heralded the launch of a landmark new strategy which will secure the UK’s future position as a global leader in genomics.

The new National Genomic Healthcare Strategy – Genome UK – will ensure the UK can offer patients the best possible predictive, preventative and personalised care by harnessing the potential of advanced genome sequencing.

The strategy sets out how the UK genomics community – from researchers through to the NHS – will come together to harness the latest advances in genetic and genomic science,

Baroness Dido Harding stepping down from Genomics England Board

Sep3

Baroness Dido Harding has decided to step down from the Board of Genomics England with immediate effect, to concentrate on her role as interim Chair of the newly formed National Institute for Health Protection, as well as her on-going role as Chair of NHS Improvement.

We’re hugely grateful to Dido for her contribution to Genomics England, for sharing her knowledge and experience during her time on the Board, and also for her direction and counsel during her time as our interim Chair.

100th birthday of pioneering British scientist Rosalind Franklin

Jul25

The Chair of Genomics England is calling on young women across the United Kingdom to follow in the footsteps of Rosalind Franklin, a British chemist and X-ray crystallographer who played a key role in the discovery of DNA, and whose centenary is being celebrated today.

Baroness Nicola Blackwood, a former Minister for Life Sciences at the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), paid tribute to Franklin, whose contribution to discoveries about DNA made possible the sequencing of the human genome,

Genomics England launches next-generation research platform central to UK COVID-19 response

Jun29

British tech company Lifebit and Amazon Web Services to support a dedicated environment for researchers working on COVID-19 vaccines and treatments

Genomics England (GEL) has today launched a next-generation genomic research platform that will play a key role in the research response to COVID-19. This ground-breaking research environment will transform how genomic data is made usable for global biopharma and academic researchers. It will provide world-class patient data security,