The new All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Personalised Medicine has launched at the House of Commons, with the aim of helping the NHS and patients make best use of cutting-edge technologies to provide more personalised health and care.
Cambridge biotech cluster is playing a significant role in the new initiative, with Cambridge-based science for health policy think tank the PHG Foundation providing the secretariat, and the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute at Hinxton one of the supporting partners, alongside BMJ and the Northern Health Science Alliance (NHSA).
Over 100 delegates were expected at the event to hear Life Sciences minister George Freeman speak on the Government’s approach to personalised medicine. Delegates also heard from distinguished speakers Prof Peter Johnson (Chief Clinician, Cancer research UK) and Prof Hugh Watkins (Head of the Department of Medicine, John Radcliffe.
APPG Chair Jo Churchill MP said: “As a two time cancer survivor, personalised medicine has been a dream of mine and I am keen to move this APPG forward… I believe this group will provide a much-needed forum, for productive discussion and insightful debate, on how personalised medicine offers us opportunities to provide a more efficient and effective NHS”.
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