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Routine genetic testing to guide use of chemotherapy has incorporated a new “African” gene variant which could potentially help save the lives of Black and ethnic minority cancer patients.

A strategic partnership with the NHS North Thames Genomic Medicine Service (NT GMS) designed to ensure better access, understanding and information to genomic medicine and research has been announced by the NHS Race and Health Observatory.

Responding to today’s Government announcement on DNA testing and research, Dr Veline L’Esperance, Senior Clinical Advisor to the Observatory, said:

The under-representation of ethnic minority communities taking part in research, along with the lack of systematic data collection and reporting, will be investigated by national health and care research stakeholders.

Generations of Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities could reap the benefits of genomic and precision medicine following the commissioning of a new study.

Wider genetic testing could save lives, reduce costs and help thousands of Black, Asian and ethnic minority patients at risk of severe side effects resulting from chemotherapy drugs.

Black, Asian and ethnic minority communities are poorly represented in genetic medicine research and artificial intelligence-based risk prediction tools used to calculate the chance of developing future disease.

The NHS Genomic Medicine Service was commissioned in October 2018 by NHS England.

A new pilot project aimed at increasing the number of Black, Asian and ethnic minority patients taking part in potentially life-enhancing breast cancer clinical trials has been announced today, 31 August.