Helen Salisbury: The Generation Study

The arrival of a new baby brings fierce and strong emotions, and for some parents the feelings evoked by a tiny, dependent person are almost frightening in their intensity. You know without question that you’ll do everything in your power to protect your child, keep them free of illness, and help them grow up to be as happy and healthy as possible. So, when the UK’s Newborn Genomes Programme offers to look for hundreds of rare diseases that could affect your child, just by taking a blood sample, most parents are likely to say yes.This programme, also known as the Generation Study, is run by Genomics England, a company owned by the Department of Health and Social Care. It proposes to collect and analyse the genetic information of 100 000 babies, looking for variants linked to genetic conditions, and the study is set to start recruiting participants this year.1 The…
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