Funding for genome sequencing hopes to revolutionise cancer treatments

Companies involved in whole genome sequencing to help analyse cancer can now apply for a share of £5.4 million thanks to a new government initiative.

The funding comes from the government’s Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund (ISCF), which is inviting projects that are applying whole genome sequencing to the analysis of cancers.

The UK has just announced the world’s largest genome project as part of a 200 million public-private collaboration between charities and pharma.

By studying the whole of a person’s genes, genomics hopes to revolutionise many cancer treatments and improve diagnosis.

The UK has already developed the largest genome database in the world through the 100,000 Genomes Project.

Led by Innovate UK as part of UK Research and Innovation, the project will fund researchers and industry to combine data and real-world evidence from UK health services and create new products and services that diagnose diseases earlier and more efficiently.

Ultimately, the competition hopes to encourage new targeted cancer treatments based on the disease’s molecular signature. Projects must use whole genome sequencing to analyse cancer and can adopt various approaches including development of reporting tools, identification of molecular signatures, identification of therapeutic targets, and new genetic signatures.

Businesses have up to 22 January 2020 to apply with a briefing event being held on 30 October 2019.  

Businesses of any size may apply though all projects must include one SME and range between £50,000 and £1 million.