In October 2022, NHS England published Accelerating Genomic Medicine in the NHS, the first NHS genomics strategy. The strategy included a plan to establish ‘NHS Genomic Networks of Excellence’ as part of its commitment to provide a world-leading NHS Genomic Medicine Service (GMS) which provides cutting-edge benefits for patients in the NHS.
NHS England is now funding eight innovative networks to develop the evidence and model of adoption for cutting edge genomic advances and technology applications that will be transformative for patients.
The NHS Genomic Networks of Excellence are designed to be partnerships between the NHS, academia, the third sector and industry to leverage expertise and resources from the broader genomics ecosystem, and to ensure there is a route towards rapid informing commissioning decisions.
The North West Genomic Medicine Service Alliance will lead on the Pharmacogenomic and Medicines Optimisation NHS Genomic Network of Excellence, nationally across England.
We are also co-leads for the rare and inherited disease, and circulating tumour biomarker networks.
For more information please click on the links shown below.
Following a rigorous process of expressions of interest and business case submissions, reviewed by NHS England Genomics Unit, NHS England national clinical directors, national specialty advisors, the Office for Life Sciences, Genomics England and other key stakeholders, a further five networks of excellence have been established in the following areas:
The Prenatal genomic network of excellence will bring together key leaders to drive prenatal genomic medicine services, by the delivery of increased non-invasive prenatal testing.
It will also develop evidence to expand the eligibility for fetal genomic testing, in addition to reviewing clinical pathways of care.
This NHS Genomic Network of Excellence will work with industry sequencing providers and will link with the Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) National Institute of Healthcare Research (NIHR) Biomedical Research Centre (BRC).
This NHS Genomic Network of Excellence will harness the wealth of expertise within the existing NHS GMSAs and NHS Genomic Laboratory Hubs (GLHs) to deliver new technologies for patients with, or at risk of haematological malignancies, including a rapid (tumour-only) whole genome sequencing serivce for harmatological malignancies, via all GLHs which would enable data to be available to clinicians within ~7-10 days, which will better inform the next steps within the clinical pathway.
This NHS Genomic Network of Excellence will work with industry sequencing providers to develop the technologies and work flows in a partnership with the Oxford Translational Myeloma Centre (OTMC), as well as the Oxford NIHR BRC, the Leeds NIHR BRC and Genomics England
The Network of Excellence will bring together experts to transform understanding and management of patients, with life threatening infectious diease, with a focus on pathogen sequencing and host immunity profiling in patients with acute illnesses in healthcare settings. This can accelerate personalised treatments for vulnerable patients.
This NHS Genomic Network of Excellence will build upon a clinical service at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, in partnership with Oxford Nanopore Technologies. It will work in partnership with UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) for data systems. It will also work with a number of NIHR BRCs including in Oxford, Birmingham, Southampton, GOSH, Manchester and University College London Hospital.
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a leading cause of death worldwide,
25% of all deaths registered in England and Wale are attributed to cardiovascular disease; within the NHS Long Term Plan it was identified CVD as the main condition where lives can be saved.
The network will identify and pilot methods to improve outcomes for those at risk of acquired and inherited CVD, via precision diagnostics to manage care via phenotyping; to an identified cohort based on population characteristics, risk factors etc., which enables the identification of patients for screening tests, demonstrated to have been effective in similar popualtions.
This NHS Genomic Network of Excellence will align with the Barts NIHR BRC, linking with the NIHR BRC Polygenic Risk Scores (PRS) Collaborative, which coordinates activity from seven NIHR BRCs, as well as the BHF supported Rare Arrhythmia Syndrome Evaluation (RASE) consortium.
The NHS Genomic Network of Excellence will build a national community in genomics and AI, create frameworks to support AI deployment for the benefit of NHS patients, including improved and accelerated diagnosis and personalised medicine.
This NHS Genomic Network of Excellence aligns with the Southampton NIHR BRC, the AI Centre for Value Based Healthcare, and the Centre for Innovation, Transformation and Improvement.
Further information is available from NHS England here: https://www.england.nhs.uk/genomics/nhs-genomic-networks-of-excellence/
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