It’s time to learn more about whole genome sequencing

Genomic testing is increasingly being used as part of routine NHS patient care and treatment, and tests such as whole genome sequencing will be more widely available through the new national Genomic Medicine Service (GMS). But what is whole genome sequencing? How does it work and how can it benefit people with cancer, rare or infectious disease, and a range of other conditions?

This free, flexible online course, ‘Whole Genome Sequencing: Decoding the Language of Life and Health’, runs again in February 2020 over a three-week period. The content reflects the most current uses of whole genome sequencing in healthcare and includes information about how it will be used in the GMS; including interviews with leading experts such as Professor Dame Sue Hill, England’s chief scientific officer, and those in the fields of oncology, rare and infectious disease.

Topics covered:

• The composition, structure and function of a genome.
• The process and the importance of DNA replication.
• Genomic variation and its connections with health and disease.
• The evolution of genome sequencing.
• The advent and the possibilities of next generation sequencing.
• The preparation and processing of DNA samples in whole genome sequencing.
• The interpretation of genomic information for clinicians and patients.
• The limitations and challenges faced by current sequencing technologies.
• Additional, incidental and secondary findings from whole genome sequencing.
• The ownership, storing and sharing of genomic data.
• The impact of whole genome sequencing on healthcare in the future.

Join here!