Prime Minister Cameron has earmarked £100 million for sequencing up to 100,000 patients' DNA over the next three to five years. Participants will be drawn from a pool of patients with cancer or rare diseases. The resulting database will be available to researchers for the study of new treatments.
The plan falls short of the national DNA database that was recommended in 2012 by the Human Genomics Strategy Group, which was to include the population at large. Still, Sally Davies, the chief medical officer, told BMJ that, "Understanding and harnessing genetic information offers huge potential to target effective treatments and develop new treatments and cures."
Source:
- http://www.bmj.com/content/345/bmj.e8413?etoc (subscription required)