Project Milestones for our Genomic Medicine Centres
This month we’ve been celebrating four milestones for our brilliant recruitment teams across the country. The 100,000 Genomes Project could not exist without all the hard work of multi-disciplinary teams on the front line in the clinic, who speak to patients about the project and sign them up to be involved as participants.
NHS England established the Genomic Medicine Centres (GMCs) and clinicians based in those areas are working hard to find more people eligible to join the project.
Congratulations to the following GMCs that recently achieved these incredible numbers!
Christine Mather, aged 72, former Medical Director’s PA from Sale, was asked to take part in the project as she was suffering from polycystic kidney disease (also known as ADPKD). She was happy to give a blood sample as she understood that it may help others with the same condition especially as it is known to be inherited.
Christine is a patient at Dr Grahame Wood’s specialist ADPKD clinic at Salford Royal, and he said that recent trials have given great hope that new treatments for ADPKD can slow or even reverse this usually progressive disease. She said:
I don’t want my daughter to have to go through the problems that I have. As soon as they find a cure it will be very good for future generations of my family as well as everybody who has it.
Toby Williamson (pictured with mum Charlotte) was born after a normal pregnancy, but it soon became apparent that he was not feeding well, was sleepy and passive and had poor eye control. Tests established that he had abnormally low muscle tone with global developmental delay leading to a visual impairment and severe learning difficulties which means his communication skills are very limited and all non-verbal. His mum, Charlotte, said:
He has the learning age of about a nine-month-old and the physical ability of just over a one-year-old. He relies on us totally for all of his personal care and all of his needs have to be met you have to constantly listen out for him, be aware of things for him.
Toby’s subsequent medical history has included regular ear infections and burst ear drums (upsetting his hearing, balance and learning); reflux, leading to hospitalisation for dehydration and subsequent medication; a squint, corrected by surgery in 2004; a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder in 2010; and many genetic tests – none of which have yet found a cause for his condition.
For years Holly and her husband were told that Antony, now aged 8 was born with global development delay, and suffered from challenging behaviour that he would grow out of. Three years ago the family were told he suffers with autism, but although the findings were a “relief” there’s still more the family want to know. Holly, who now cares for him full time, said:
Any results could make a big difference to his future, and even if there’s some result, no matter how big or small, it would be great news for us.
The Wessex NHS GMC serves 3.5 million people from Dorset, Wiltshire, Hampshire, Isle of Wight and parts of Somerset, Surrey and Sussex. Every sample collected can ultimately contribute to a report that will go back to a participant and their family, and the wider research effort that will use the huge datasets generated from sequencing samples’ genomes.
Thank you for all your hard work, and to all our participants who’ve signed up so far!
