Lord Patel talks in Bay area about UK policy to Genomic Medicine

Lord Naren Patel, who chaired the House of Lords Science & Technology Committee on Genomic Medicine, visited the Bay Area on 10-11 September to talk to scientists, businesses and the media about UK policy developments in the area of genomic medicine--the potential of gene scanning that could lead to customized disease prevention, diagnosis and treatment tailored to an individual's genetic code.  Lord Patel was interviewed on NPR's BioTech Nation, and held seminars at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) and at Stanford University where he was able to publicise the findings of the House of Lords Science & Technology Committee on Genomic Medicine Report to an audience of academic experts, businesses, California state policy makers, and insurers .  He also met with individual genomic medicine companies.
 
Released on July 13, the House of Lords Report provides an analysis of the state of genomic medicine, and looks at steps the UK government must take to make genomic medicine accessible for the National Health Service. Apart from the UK, the report is expected to influence legislation in other European countries and the US.

Specifically, the report identifies current barriers to translation of advances in genomic science into clinical practice, considers how advances in genomic medicine might impact healthcare services and examines information technology aspects of genomic medicine. It also explores some of the ethical, social and legal issues arising from this area of medical research, such as data security, confidentiality, and the potential use of the information by the insurance industry. In addition, it addresses issues relating to the training and education of the medical workforce, an aspect which is of particular interest to the US biotech industry as it has implications for direct-to-consumer testing. Several Bay area companies contributed evidence to the report.

During his visit, Lord Patel also met with the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) to further discuss recent developments in regulation and clinical translation of stem cell therapies and to explore future opportunities for collaboration under the UK-California stem cell MoU.  Lord Patel is currently the chair of the Steering Committee for the UK Stem Cell Bank and was also involved in early UK stem cell legislation.  

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