Health / Funding hope for Viking Genes after every community council backs screening project
THE LEADER of the Viking Genes project says he hopes that hope local funding bodies will “take note of the strength of feeling” shown by Shetland’s community councils towards its screening initiative.
Professor Jim Flett Wilson said Viking Genes has now received unanimous backing from every community council for its Shetland community screening project, which was first announced last year.
They join MSP Beatrice Wishart and MP Alistair Carmichael in calling for the Shetland population to become the first part of Scotland to be genetically screened as part of a preventative healthcare campaign.
Professor Wilson, who leads the Viking Genes programme at the University of Edinburgh’s Usher Institute, said: “I’m delighted at the unanimous support from across Shetland, which shows the strong commitment to getting the community screening project going.
“Shetlanders are now aware that they are at higher risk of disease and are pressing for a bespoke approach to reduce this health inequality through preventative genetic screening.
“This will save lives and save the NHS money in the long term: a great benefit to the community. I hope that local funding bodies will take note of the strength of feeling: it is now our responsibility to translate this ringing endorsement into substantive funding.”
More than £100,000 has been raised so far for the screening project, with a total target of £1 million from donations and community support.
The total cost through to 2029 is £1.8 million, with the University of Edinburgh set to contribute £800,000.
Raising a million would allow 5,000 Shetlanders to access free genetic screening to identify elevated risks of life-threatening conditions.
It will test for variants such as BRCA2, which increases the risk of breast, ovarian and prostate cancer, and KCNH2, which is a heart rhythm disorder linked to sudden cardiac arrest.
The initiative follows the success of earlier Viking Genes research, which has already screened more than 3,000 Shetlanders and identified actionable genetic findings that have led to early treatment and preventative care.
Community councils across Shetland have highlighted the screening project’s potential to save lives, reduce pressure on NHS services and empower residents with vital health information.
The Tingwall, Whiteness and Weisdale Community Council for example said the project “has the potential to save lives and improve health outcomes across our community”, while Yell Community Council spoke of the importance of early intervention.
Lerwick Community Council also emphasised the project’s alignment with the Shetland Partnership Plan’s priorities on prevention, reducing inequality, and improving health outcomes.
Orkney and Shetland MP Alistair Carmichael meanwhile said: “The people of Shetland have a far greater risk of suffering from inherited genetic health risks than other population groups in the UK, and as such the benefit of genetic screening as a preventative healthcare strategy can deliver so much more here in Shetland than it can do anywhere else.
“The Viking Genes screen can save lives and improve the future health outcomes of potentially hundreds of families across our islands.
“I’m delighted to see that all 18 community councils representing the whole 23,000 population of Shetland have unanimously come out in support of this bold initiative and calling for action on the Viking Genes screening programme, that would put Shetland and Scotland at the forefront of preventative medicine.”
Shetland MSP Beatrice Wishart added: “I am very encouraged by the aim of the project as we already know that there are genetic predispositions within the Shetland community.
“Screening will have long term value with future generations benefiting from preventative action and medicine.”
The screening project was also praised at last year’s annual public meeting of NHS Shetland.
Scottish junior health minister Maree Todd described it as “real, proper, cutting-edge medicine for people in Shetland”.
Once sufficient funds are pledged, a project team will be recruited. Preparation is expected to take up to one year, followed by a three-year screening and results-return programme.
The plan is for testing to be conducted via a saliva sample.
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