Latest news with #genomicMedicine
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Health
- Yahoo
DoH, USCF and IGI Explore Establishing the World's first-of-their kind Centres for Genome Surgery
On the sidelines of a high-level U.S. visit ABU DHABI, UAE, July 4, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The Department of Health – Abu Dhabi (DoH), the regulator of the healthcare sector in Abu Dhabi, has announced a landmark partnership with the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) and the Innovative Genomics Institute (IGI) to explore the establishment of the world's first-of-their-kind centres for genome surgery in Abu Dhabi and California. Formalised during a strategic visit to the United States, the collaboration seeks to accelerate the Emirate's efforts to lead in genomic medicine and advance personalised genetic therapy, transforming the future of healthcare delivery for the global community. Genome surgery is an experimental medical technique aimed at modifying or replacing faulty genes within cells to treat or prevent diseases. This is achieved through personalised genetic therapies or by using advanced technologies such as CRISPR, which can be tailored specifically to each patient based on their unique genetic mutations. These new centres would enable the diagnosis and correction of severe genetic conditions as early as possible to improve outcomes. Leveraging CRISPR-based technologies, the Centres would offer customised, genome-guided interventions that have the potential to transform patient outcomes and redefine the future of healthcare. H.E. Dr. Noura Khamis Al Ghaithi, Undersecretary of the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi, commented: "This collaboration reflects Abu Dhabi's determination to pioneer real-world applications of advanced science. Partnering with UCSF and IGI, one of the world's most respected institutions in gene therapy, would accelerate our ability to integrate genome-guided care into our healthcare system, creating an unprecedented opportunity to correct genetic conditions early in life, prevent chronic disease progression and reduce long-term healthcare costs". By combining Abu Dhabi's state-of-the-art healthcare infrastructure and genomic data capabilities with UCSF's global leadership in pediatric and fetal therapy and IGI's cutting-edge research in gene editing, the partnership would drive the development and delivery of innovative, real-world solutions for patients with early-onset, severe, rare and inherited diseases. Dr. Tippi MacKenzie, Director of the UCSF Broad Stem Cell Center, at University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), said: "This is an extraordinary time to be in medicine, when we have the opportunity to develop life-saving therapies for patients with severe genetic conditions. We are excited by the possibility of developing mirrored programs that coalesce multidisciplinary expertise and link the myriad steps between diagnosing a genetic disease and developing and implementing a safe genome surgery strategy." The collaboration would also prioritise building national expertise by training a new generation of Emirati professionals in genomic surgery and clinical innovation. By intervening early in life-threatening or debilitating conditions, the initiative would build capacity to support families, reduce dependence on lifelong treatments, and ease pressure on the healthcare system, cementing Abu Dhabi's position as a global destination for advanced genomic care and life sciences innovation. Dr. Fyodor Urnov, Professor of Molecular Therapeutics at the University of California, Berkeley, and Director of the IGI-Danaher Beacon for CRISPR Cures, said: "This year marks a landmark achievement for science and medicine of a CRISPR gene-editing therapeutic designed and administered on-demand to an infant with a severe inborn error of metabolism in record time. The mission of the Innovative Genomics Institute as defined by its founder, Jennifer Doudna, winner of the 2020 Nobel Prize for CRISPR gene editing, is to make it the standard of medical care, no matter where such a child is born. The IGI's deep partnership with Danaher that made an enabling contribution to the on-demand gene edit earlier this year provides an outstanding technological and manufacturing foundation for scaling such therapeutic approaches. We are honored to partner with world-leading clinical expertise at UCSF to explore how we may ultimately expand CRISPR on demand to children living with severe genetic diseases in the UAE." This exploratory partnership aligns with Abu Dhabi's broader vision to embed genomics into public health and drive a shift toward personalised and preventive care. Central to this effort is the Emirati Genome Programme, which has sequenced over 800,000 genomes to date, to create one of the most diverse national databases globally. The programme has enabled key initiatives such as the national pharmacogenomics reporting system (PGx), with over 160,000 reports now available to help tailor treatment plans based on individual genetic profiles. Additional milestones include the integration of genetic testing into the Premarital Screening Programme, the launch of the Newborn Genetic Screening Programme, and the development of the Emirati Reference Genome platform. These efforts are supported by the upskilling of over 100 Emirati physicians in genomic medicine and counselling through advanced training initiatives, strengthening local expertise in this critical field. View original content: SOURCE The Department of Health - Abu Dhabi
The Guardian
a day ago
- Health
- The Guardian
The Guardian view on Labour's NHS plan: it is right to celebrate medical science, but delivery is the hard part
The NHS is a totemic institution in Labour's history and that of the country, and voters care more about it than most things the government does. So the publication of Labour's 10-year plan for health in England was a crucial opportunity for ministers to show that they are in tune with the public. Given that satisfaction with the health service has hit a record low of 21%, and doctors are again threatening to go on strike, the announcement was also a moment of peril – even before the damage suffered by the prime minister and chancellor earlier this week, when rebels forced a U-turn on planned cuts to welfare. The overarching principles of Labour's reforms were set out last year: more prevention, more technology, more care delivered in the community (as opposed to in hospital). So the challenge was to find something fresh, original and hopeful to say. The promise of science and the potential of localism are what Wes Streeting's team has come up with. The strand of DNA pictured on the document's cover points to high expectations of genomic medicine and other cutting-edge technology. Neighbourhood clinics, by contrast, represent a prosaic recognition of demand for more ordinary services and treatments, from an ageing and increasingly unhealthy population. The aim is to deliver most outpatient care away from hospitals by 2035. This could mean GP surgeries becoming more like hospitals, or hospital trusts taking a bigger role in primary care. The plans for new contracts make it clear that both are possible. But while this sounds fine in theory, questions remain over how, and by whom, such crucial decisions will be taken, and whether the new model will be better than the old one. With the abolition of NHS England, and scaling back of integrated care boards, the existing administration is being radically downsized. One of the risks of the next few years is that this backstage upheaval will distract time and energy from the frontline. Plans to shift resources from richer areas to poorer ones deserve an unequivocal welcome. There is no great secret about expertise being concentrated in prestigious teaching hospitals, or about richer, better educated people being more confident advocates for themselves and their loved ones. Shifting the 'best to the rest' is both a neat slogan and an acknowledgment of present unfairness. Plans to integrate employment support and services such as debt advice into healthcare hubs signal an encouraging awareness that illness and disability have socioeconomic as well as biological causes. The plan tells a promising story. Healthcare is an area of human progress that all can celebrate. It is plausible that proactive Labour ministers can both drive advances and ensure that they are more equitably shared than in marketised systems. Embedding more healthcare workers in communities, and focusing on outreach, could help to improve population health. But there are some worrying gaps. Social care reform is due to be tackled separately, but worsening mental health, particularly in young people, also needs dedicated attention and research. Ministers should also be pressed on the contradictions between their health plan and their pro-growth, anti-regulation message to businesses – including those that sell alcohol and the high-sugar foods that cause obesity. Having brought control of the NHS in England back in-house, to the heart of government, Mr Streeting must now find the people with the imagination to further develop his plan, while turning it into action.
