First cancer patients join 100,000 Genomes Project

The Department of Health has announced that cancer patients have been recruited to join the 100,000 Genomes Project for the first time.

Aiming to sequence 100,000 complete sets of DNA from 70,000 NHS patients, the Genomics England project aims to improve understanding of how DNA affects people's susceptibility to disease and responses to treatment.

Previously, it was restricted to people with rare diseases, but the first batch of cancer patients have now been signed up. Tests are being performed on tumours, with data compared to healthy cells from a sample of blood and saliva.

This process overcomes the challenge of extracting enough DNA from the tumour that is of a high enough quality to be sequenced – a problem that no country has solved prior to this.

Health secretary Jeremy Hunt said: "Over half a billion pounds has been invested in genomics to ensure that NHS patients continue to benefit from the prospect of better diagnosis and better treatments."

The 100,000 Genomes Project was launched in 2012 and could yield results that benefit patients worldwide.