Media Monitoring: 30th April – 6th May

Birmingham researchers unveil new test for bladder cancer

A highly sensitive liquid biopsy test will be used to identify the many genetic mutations which are associated with bladder cancer
DNA from tumour cells present in urine will be analysed
In the test study, the test had 87% accuracy across 165 people with blood cancer who had blood in their urine

Link between vocal issues and Parkinson’s could pave the way for earlier diagnosis

Research has suggested that the characteristic vocal changes associated with Parkinson’s may actually appear decades before diagnosis
University of Arizona neuroscientists have theorised that a specific gene related to Parkinson’s may cause these vocal problems
Wider research, including on zebra finches, are seemingly validating this suggestion and could lead to a much earlier diagnosis

Regional health database expansion to massively help with blood cancer research

University of York researchers have expanded a unique regional cancer database, which will aid clinicians to understand conditions such as leukaemia, lymphoma and myeloma, better
The expanded database will allow researchers at York’s Haematological Malignancy Research Network (HMRN) will allow for the comparison between patients who have been diagnosed with blood cancer with the general UK population
Each year in the UK around 45,000 new patients are diagnosed with blood cancer – and by examining those who have blood cancer with those who don’t, researchers can detect patterns which can help identify characteristics of the diseases

Genomics England seeking views on which conditions should be targeted for newborn screening

In 2023, Genomics England’s Newborn Genomes Programme will begin a research study to explore the potential of using whole genome sequencing to detect a wider number of rare genetic conditions in newborns
The Newborn Genomes Programme is exploring how it might use whole genome sequencing to screen newborn babies for rare genetic diseases, to identify children that could benefit from treatments and other interventions before they begin to show symptoms
There may be as many as 7,000 rare diseases, the majority of which have a genetic origin

UK Health Security Agency signs agreement with Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency

Dr. Dame Jenny Harries, Chief Executive of the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), today signed the memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Dr. Eunkyeong Jeong, Commissioner of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA)
The areas of mutual interest for cooperation under this MoU include: public health emergency preparedness and response, surveillance and control of epidemic-prone diseases, including viral haemorrhagic fevers, laboratory capacity-building and enhancement to detect and respond to emerging disease threats of global health importance and AMR