Tens of thousands of patients have been promised faster diagnosis and more personalised treatment as part of a project that aims to make DNA analysis a routine part of NHS care.
Eleven hospitals across England will start recruiting patients in the new year as part of the “100,000 genomes project”, which aims to make the genetic revolution in medicine an everyday reality in the health service.
Ministers want to transform how the NHS treats cancer and many other diseases, with sequencing of patients’ entire genetic code becoming a normal first step in deciding on treatment.
“This is the day when genetic medicine starts to deliver real benefits and mean something for patients,” George Freeman, the life sciences minister, said. “Genomics goes from being something done…