Genomics England

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Genomics England
Formation5 July 2013
Headquarters One Canada Square, Canary Wharf, London, England [1]
Parent organization
 Department of Health and Social Care
Website www.genomicsengland.co.uk OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg

Genomics England is a company set up and owned by the United Kingdom Department of Health and Social Care to run the 100,000 Genomes Project. [2] The project aimed in 2014 to sequence 100,000 genomes from NHS patients with a rare disease and their families, and patients with cancer. An infectious disease strand is being led by Public Health England. [3] [4] [5]

Contents

In the summer of 2019, Chris Wigley was appointed CEO of Genomics England, starting in October 2019. [6] Wigley is a former McKinsey executive known for applying machine learning and artificial intelligence technology. [7]

Activity

Genomics England was formally established as a company on 17 April 2013 [8] and was formally launched on 5 July 2013 as part of the celebrations for the 65th Birthday of the UK's National Health Service [9] In August 2014, the Wellcome Trust announced that it was investing £27 million in a genome-sequencing hub for Genomics England, allowing the company to become part of the Wellcome Trust Genome Campus, home to the Sanger Institute. On the same date, Prime Minister David Cameron unveiled a new partnership between Genomics England and the sequencing firm Illumina. Illumina’s services for whole genome sequencing were secured in a deal worth around £78 million. [10]

The UK Government also committed £250 million to genomics in the 2015 Spending Review, which ensures the continued role of Genomics England to deliver the project, beyond the life of the project and up to 2021. [11]

On March 26, 2015, AstraZeneca announced that it joined a public-private consortium with Genomics England to accelerate the development of new diagnostics and treatments arising from the 100,000 Genomes Project. [12]

In October 2018, the U.K.'s Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Matt Hancock, announced that the program had been expanded with a new goal of sequencing five million genomes within five years. He also announced that starting in 2019, the NHS will offer whole genome sequencing (WGS) to all children suspected of having a rare genetic disease or with cancer. [13]

In July 2019, Genomics England announced Data Release 7, which included the 100,000th whole genome available to researchers. [14]

In June 2020, Genomics England announced a partnership with UK-based biotechnology company Lifebit to deploy a genomic research platform aimed at utilizing the genomic data generated through the 100,000 Genomes Project. [15]

In 2021 it developed a vision regarding newborn screening, initiating a research study called Generation Study looking for 200 rare conditions in parallel to the standard NHS newborn screen for 9 rare, serious and treatable health conditions. [16]

Board members

The Board of Genomics England includes a number of notable scientists: [17]

Baroness Nicola Blackwood of North Oxford became Chair of Genomics England in May 2020. [19]

History

Genomics England was established in July 2013 as a company fully owned by the UK Department of Health. [20] [21] The company was launched by Jeremy Hunt, Secretary of State for Health on 5 July, in an announcement timed to coincide with the 65th birthday of the NHS. [21]

A 2019 review identified the 100,000 Genomes Project as an exemplar in involving the public in genomic research. [22] In addition to the delivery of the 100,000 Genomes Project, it is hoped that Genomics England will also mark the beginnings of a UK genomics industry and the start of a personalised medicine service for the NHS. [20]

NHS Genomic Medicine Centres

Following the pilot studies for the 100,000 Genomes Project, NHS England ran a tender to appoint NHS Genomic Medicine Centres with responsibility for recruiting suitable patients, gaining their consent to participate in the project and taking samples for whole genome sequencing by Illumina (company). [23] The successful bidders designated as NHS Genomic Medicine Centres are:[ citation needed ]

In December 2015, two new NHS Genomic Medicine Centres were announced by NHS England: [24]

There are now 13 designated NHS Genomic Medicine Centres (GMCs) across the country.

See also

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References

  1. ↑ "Contact us". Genomics England. Retrieved 25 November 2023.
  2. ↑ McGrath, J.A. (2016). "Rare inherited skin diseases and the Genomics England 100 000 Genome Project". British Journal of Dermatology. 174 (2): 257–258. doi: 10.1111/bjd.14362 . ISSN   0007-0963. PMID   26871914.
  3. ↑ Moran, Nuala (2014). "10,000 rare-disease genomes sequenced". Nature Biotechnology . 32 (1): 7. doi: 10.1038/nbt0114-7 . ISSN   1087-0156. S2CID   33053129.
  4. 1 2 Ainsworth, Claire (2015). "Q&A: Mark Caulfield". Nature. 527 (7576): S5. Bibcode:2015Natur.527S...5A. doi: 10.1038/527S5a . ISSN   0028-0836. PMID   26536223.
  5. ↑ Marx, Vivien (2015). "The DNA of a nation". Nature. 524 (7566): 503–505. Bibcode:2015Natur.524..503M. doi: 10.1038/524503a . ISSN   0028-0836. PMID   26310768.
  6. ↑ "Genomics England Appoints AI Specialist Chris Wigley as CEO". 27 July 2019.
  7. ↑ "Chris Wigley appointed CEO of Genomics England | Genomics England". 26 July 2019.
  8. ↑ "GENOMICS ENGLAND LIMITED". Companies House . Retrieved 3 December 2017.
  9. ↑ "DNA mapping to better understand cancer, rare diseases and infectious diseases". Department of Health (England). 5 July 2013. Retrieved 3 December 2017.
  10. ↑ Gallagher, James (1 August 2014). "DNA project 'to make UK world genetic research leader'". BBC News. Retrieved 1 August 2014.
  11. ↑ "Cancer patients join genome sequencing project - News stories - GOV.UK". www.gov.uk. Retrieved 6 June 2016.
  12. ↑ "AstraZeneca joins Genomics England consortium". 26 March 2015. Retrieved 31 January 2023.
  13. ↑ "Secretary of State for Health and Social Care announces ambition to sequence 5 million genomes within five years | Genomics England". 2 October 2018.
  14. ↑ "Over 100,000 whole genome sequences now available for approved researchers | Genomics England". 31 July 2019.
  15. ↑ "Genomics England launches next-generation research platform central to UK COVID-19 response". 29 June 2020.
  16. ↑ "Newborn Genomes Programme". Genomics England. nd. Retrieved 20 March 2024.
  17. ↑ "The Board - Genomics England". genomicsengland.co.uk. July 2013. Retrieved 12 September 2014.
  18. ↑ "Professor Ewan Birney appointed to the Genomics England Board | Genomics England". Genomics England. 26 May 2016. Retrieved 6 June 2016.
  19. ↑ "Register of Interests for Baroness Blackwood of North Oxford - MPs and Lords - UK Parliament". members.parliament.uk. Retrieved 26 February 2021.
  20. 1 2 Ramesh, Randeep (4 July 2013). "Jeremy Hunt launches genomics body to oversee healthcare revolution". The Guardian . Retrieved 12 September 2014.
  21. 1 2 "DNA mapping to better understand cancer, rare diseases and infectious diseases". UK Government. 5 July 2013. Retrieved 26 May 2016.
  22. ↑ Lacaze, Paul; Fransquet, Peter; Tiller, Jane; Nunn, Jack S. (2019). "Public Involvement in Global Genomics Research: A Scoping Review". Frontiers in Public Health. 7: 79. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2019.00079 . ISSN   2296-2565. PMC   6467093 . PMID   31024880.
  23. ↑ "Genomics England - How we work". Genomics England Limited. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
  24. ↑ "NHS England » New NHS centres add their might to world-leading genomics project". www.england.nhs.uk. Retrieved 17 December 2015.
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