Every baby will have their DNA mapped under an NHS revolution to predict and prevent disease.
Within a decade, every newborn will undergo whole genome sequencing, which assesses the risk of hundreds of diseases.
Wes Streeting, the Health Secretary of the United Kingdom UK has said the advances in genomics would allow people to “leapfrog” killer illnesses and receive “personalized” health care.
The advances aim to pave the way for an end to blanket screening and rudimentary health Measurements, Observations, and Tests (MOTs) that simply check for markers like high cholesterol and blood pressure after problems have become entrenched.
The move is part of a 10-year health plan, due to be published early in July, which will have personalized medicine at its heart. Mr. Streeting said: “The revolution in medical science means that we can transform the NHS over the coming decade, from a service which diagnoses and treats ill health, to one that predicts and prevents it.
“Genomics presents us with the opportunity to leapfrog disease, so we’re in front of it rather than reacting to it. “With the power of this new technology, patients will be able to receive personalized health care to prevent ill health before symptoms begin, reducing the pressure on NHS services and helping people live longer, healthier lives.
“Our 10-year plan will build on the founding promise of the NHS, so that it provides health care free at the point of risk, not just need.” He said.
Plan to avert illness before it happens
The plan will set out a long-term strategy to ensure that genomics, artificial intelligence and predictive analytics are used to forecast and avert illness before it becomes a burden, and to accelerate the delivery of new treatments. Instead of mass screening, patients will increasingly be offered personalized health checks, allowing targeted medicines to be offered earlier, and avoiding adverse drug reactions.
It also means that the use of medicines could be transformed so that drugs can increasingly be administered preventively.
Experts have long said that curing diseases such as cancer and Alzheimer’s disease means identifying them before any symptoms are found.
Health officials said the shift would “help transform the NHS from a reactive healthcare system to a proactive one”. The ambitions, which will be detailed in the 10-year health plan, will be funded by a £650 million boost into genomics as part of the Government’s life sciences sector plan.
The 10-year health plan – expected to be launched in the first week of July – will set out three major shifts in the way healthcare is delivered: from hospital to community, from analogue to digital and from treating sickness to prevention. It comes after the Chancellor awarded the NHS a record cash injection of £29 billion a year. The plan will include the rollout of “neighbourhood health teams” to bring together a range of services, with far more use of private companies to deliver care and hospitals able to take over the running of GP services.
Attempts to harness technology will include providing smart watches and wearable tech to patients, as well as the rollout of virtual hospitals, allowing patients to directly contact consultants on an “Uber-style” platform. The shift from sickness to prevention will see a greater emphasis on identifying risks early – such as via genomics – as well as efforts to overhaul lifestyles, and tackle wider determinants of health, such as damp housing.
It will also involve a drive to improve poor maternity outcomes, with Mr. Streeting meeting dozens of bereaved parents this week and promising action to improve care.
He has already vowed to tackle a “cover-up culture” that has meant those who have suffered at the hands of the NHS have had to fight too long for the truth and for lessons to be learned.
Mr. Streeting has said embracing a digital revolution will be key to ensuring the survival of the NHS, and lifting pressures on it.
Last week, he told NHS managers: “As we deliver the transformational shifts in our 10-year plan, from hospital to community, analogue to digital, and sickness to prevention, it will have radical implications for services. “Much of what’s done in a hospital today will be done on the high street, over the phone, or through the app in a decade’s time.”
“The rollout of genomic tests is one of the most radical aspects of the plan.”
Mr. Streeting has previously said he has been inspired by Japan, which is examining how to combine genomics and AI machine learning to create personalized MOTs.
The NHS has already embarked on plans to screen 100,000 newborn babies for genetic conditions.
Currently, new parents are offered a blood spot test for their babies, normally when the child is five days old, to check whether they have any of nine rare, but serious, conditions. The newborn’s heel is pricked to collect a few drops of blood on a card that is sent away to be tested.
Whole genome sequencing uses blood samples typically taken from the umbilical cord shortly after birth.
The national rollout of genomics testing will be welcomed by many scientists, charities, doctors and patients’ groups. But it is also likely to trigger an ethical debate.
Parents will be able to give consent, but it means their children will end up with information which some may not want to know – and which could change their future.
While current programmes focus on rare diseases – and can lead to prompt treatment or prevention of potentially fatal conditions – medical advances mean forecasts are likely to become far more detailed.
This could mean children growing up knowing they have a much higher risk than normal of aggressive cancers or Alzheimer’s disease.
A large study screening 7,000 newborns found 27 cases with the BRCA1 gene.
This has become known as the Jolie gene, after actress Angelina Jolie spoke out about finding out she has a gene which increases her chance of breast cancer to 87 per cent.
There are also questions about the security of crucial data. Under the current programme, the baby’s DNA, health records and contact info are stored in the National Genomic Research Library, on secure UK cloud systems and data centres. Identifying information, such as name and date of birth, is stored separately and encrypted. Access requires strict authorization.
However, such data is extremely valuable to hackers. Genetic testing company 23andMe has recently been fined £2.31 million for failing to properly protect the personal information of UK users from a large-scale cyber-attack in 2023.
Additional source: The Telegraph UK
