Appointment availability is behind huge number of missed measles vaccinations, PHE expert says A senior epidemiologist at Public Health England has said that concerns about vaccinations are unlikely to be behind figures from international children’s charity UNICEF, which show that half a million children in the UK have not received their first vaccination against measles.…
Project to sequence 100,000 genomes from NHS patients hits target The 100,000 Genomes Project has reached its goal to sequence 100,000 genomes from NHS patients by the end of 2018, Matt Hancock, health and social care secretary, has announced.…
Raised urate levels more strongly linked to genetics than diet, study finds Diet contributes much less towards the development of high serum urate levels than genetic factors, study results reported in The BMJ suggest.…
Major study boosts knowledge of blood pressure genetics A study has found over 500 genetic regions, known as loci, that are associated with blood pressure characteristics and researchers say the information could enable high-risk individuals to be targeted earlier for hypertension prevention.…
Health secretary says 5 million genomes will be sequenced in next five years From 2019, all seriously ill children and adults with certain rare diseases or hard-to-treat cancers will be offered whole-genome sequencing as part of their care, Matt Hancock has said.…
Body bionics: how the next generation of biosensors could revolutionise drug delivery Smaller, smarter and more sensitive — how four new technologies could change the way drugs are monitored and administered.…
Access to personalised cardiovascular risk information boosts lifestyle change Research has shown that giving patients personalised information about their disease risk can motivate them to make lifestyle changes.…
Genomic medicine service to be rolled out in NHS hospitals from October 2018 An NHS Genomic Medicine Service will be rolled out across England from October 2018 to help embed genome sequencing into routine hospital care and ensure that the NHS “stays at the forefront of healthcare delivery”, it has been announced.…
How genetic testing can help women with breast cancer avoid chemotherapy By using Oncotype DX test technology, researchers behind the TAILORx trial have proven that invasive and often harmful chemotherapy needn’t be the only option for women with breast cancer. …
Targeted medicines: how pharmacists can lead a pharmacogenomics revolution Though commonplace in other countries, pharmacogenomic testing is yet to become a mainstay of NHS healthcare. Here, David Wright and Dhiren Bhatt argue how this process could improve the chance of therapeutic success and why pharmacists should be at the heart of its implementation.…
