By Clare Tweedy
As many as 100,000 patients suffering from cancer are set to have their DNA mapped over the next five years. News of the project comes as Prime Minister David Cameron announces 100 million pounds to be spent on sequencing the genomes of those currently living with cancer. It is hoped that a map of these patient’s DNA will give some clues to the causes and treatments that could best work for the individual patient. This project will therefore bring hope to the 1 in 3 people in the UK that will develop some form of cancer in their lives.
It is currently not known how the patients will be selected to have their genome mapped, or who will be contracted to carry the sequencing out. The use of DNA sequencing in the treatment of cancer has long been hoped to allow personalised medicine depending on a person’s genome. It seems that tailored treatments are one step closer thanks to the government’s investment in the project.
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