Yesterday (Weds) was the anniversary of the discovery of the double helix by Francis Crick and James Watson, and Eastern Academic Health Science Network is supporting the tradition in groundbreaking achievements in genomics and life sciences generated by the region, which hosts major genomic research institutes at Norwich Research Park and the Wellcome Sanger Institute.
Eastern AHSN is working in partnership with East of England Genomic Medicine Centre to accelerate the implementation of genomics within primary care, by supporting two projects starting this year, selected through its Primary Care Accelerator.
The first project focuses on better prescribing for anti-depressants and testing for Familial Hypercholesterolemia (FH), an inherited high cholesterol condition. Eastern AHSN is working with GPs in Huntingdon and Cambridgeshire to implement the project which will improve outcomes for patients and save money through better prescribing.
The second project, led by North East Essex CCG, will support children with uncontrolled asthma. This will involve setting up a test to establish the presence of genetic markers for responses to steroid treatment. If identified in children at the earliest opportunity, the course of treatment could be altered to improve outcomes for patients.
Andrew Ormston, consultant project manager at Eastern AHSN said: “On the anniversary of an incredible discovery for genetics, I am pleased to announce details of the new genomics projects we will be supporting through our Primary Care Accelerator. Both projects are at an early stage with planning underway, and we will be supporting the teams as they progress, looking forward to sharing their experiences and learning to encourage innovation in primary care. We also have a Primary Care Talks podcast on genomics planned for release next month, so listen out for the next episode!”
Each genomics project is designed to ensure patients can access health and care services at their convenience, increase use of personalised medicine, genetics or genomics to improve patient outcomes and support enhanced multidisciplinary working across primary care teams. More details will be announced over the next few months as the projects get underway.
Eastern AHSN will be releasing the next Primary Care Talks podcast featuring genomics, on the website next month. You can listen to the first episode on ‘Breaking the language barrier’- designed to help primary care professionals tackle the challenge of delivering high quality primary care for non-English speaking communities.
If you are working in healthcare and interested in learning more about genomics, Health Education England offer a range of courses to help you prepare for the future of healthcare. Find out more about resources available to enhance your knowledge and skills in the rapidly evolving field of Genomic Medicine.