Genetic codes to be mapped in bid to investigate cancer

David Cameron has outlined plans to map the DNA of thousands of NHS cancer patients in a bid to boost treatment of the disease.

It will mean the UK is the first country in the world to launch technology within its health service to enable 100,000 cancer sufferers and patients of other diseases to have their whole genome sequenced.

Ministers hope the project will provide doctors with better knowledge of patients' DNA and treatment needs, resulting in people receiving quicker access to the care and drugs they require.

As a result of the plans, new treatments and scientific breakthroughs are expected, while a drop in premature deaths is also forecast, boosting survival rates throughout the country.

Mr Cameron stated: "By unlocking the power of DNA data, the NHS will lead the global race for better tests, better drugs and above all better care. We are turning an important scientific breakthrough into a potentially life-saving reality for NHS patients across the country.

"If we get this right, we could transform how we diagnose and treat our most complex diseases not only here but across the world, while enabling our best scientists to discover the next wonder drug or breakthrough technology."

The government's chief medical officer, professor Dame Sally Davies, believes harnessing genetic information will offer "huge potential" when it comes to targeting effective treatments.

"At the moment, these tests focus on diseases caused by changes in a single gene. This funding opens up the possibility of being able to look at the three billion DNA pieces in each of us so we can get a greater understanding of the complex relationship between our genes and lifestyle," she continued.

Ms Davies pinpointed that single gene testing is already available across the NHS and is used for a number of purposes, including diagnosing cancer cells and assessing patients' risk of being affected by side effects from treatments.

Posted by Neil Clark