Does the Welsh Government support genome sequencing of newborn babies in Wales?
The Welsh Government supports using precision medicine to provide diagnostic information to help critically ill babies and children with unexplained diseases in Wales.
In April 2020, with Welsh Government funding, the All Wales Medical Genomics Service launched WINGS (Wales Infants’ and Children’s Genome Service). In just one test, whole genome sequencing is able to rapidly diagnose thousands of rare neurological, metabolic and other genetic diseases in a patient's DNA.
This is the first service of its kind being established within an NHS setting in the UK, offering improved patient management with shorter hospital stays and fewer invasive procedures.