Genomics

Join the thousands of healthcare staff using the QGenome app

Clinicians across the East Midlands and East of England can now have genomic referral, risk assessment and testing guidance in the palm of their hand, thanks to an NHSE-funded app called QGenome. The app, which can be downloaded for iOS and Android devices (with a web-based version also available) is based on national guidelines including NHS England’s National Genomic Test Directory. The app currently supports clinicians in the areas of cancer, cardiology, renal, prenatal and primary care. Some feedback from clinicians currently using the app includes:

• “Incredibly useful. Feels like I have a Genetic Counsellor on my shoulder.”
• “For someone new to genomics it has been invaluable in understanding eligibility pathways and has improved my knowledge and ability to speak to patients about their concerns.”
• “User friendly. Great educational and clinical decision support tool.”

You can find out more, including how to download the app on the QGenome website.

To watch a demo of the app by Dr Anju Kulkarni (one of the creators), please click here. 

Communities of Practice

East Genomics are supporting 16 Genomics Communities of Practice to support healthcare staff across specialities and job roles to share best practice, upskill and better integrate genomic medicine into their clinical practice.

For cancer these include:

Urology / Lung / CUP / Paediatric, teenage & young adult haemato-oncology / Pancreatic / Haemato-oncology / Gynaecological Oncology.

This link will take you to view each of the Communities of Practice including who is leading it, a schedule of upcoming meetings, how to join, and where to access slides and recordings from previous meetings

https://www.eastgenomics.nhs.uk/for-healthcare-professionals/east-genomics-communities-of-practice/

The NHS England Cancer Vaccine Launch Pad (CVLP)  is a platform facilitating access to clinical trials of cancer vaccines, with the aim to accelerate the development of cancer vaccines and increase the opportunity for patients to take part in cancer vaccine trials. The CVLP is being set up in a phased approach to support multiple industry partners with new cancer vaccines across a broad range of cancer types, this started with a focus on patients with colorectal cancer.

The opportunity to be a recruitment centre for the Cancer Vaccine Launch Pad study in Colorectal Cancers is now closed. In the East Of England Cancer Alliance we had  5 Hospital sites participate, those being Ipswich, Colchester, Milton Keynes, MSE and Cambridge.

The Cancer Vaccine Launch Pad (CVLP) study, is now supporting a cancer vaccine trial in unresectable recurrent/unresectable metastatic Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma (HNSCC). This is a research project and so to activate as a CVLP site Trusts would need their R&D department to issue confirmation of capacity and capability (C&C)

The Head & Neck BNT113-01 is a phase II randomised control trial to compare BNT113-01 in combination with pembrolizumab versus pembrolizumab monotherapy as a first line therapy in patients with unresectable recurrent or unresectable metastatic HNSCC that is positive for HPV16 and expresses PD-L1. As part of the BNT113-01 study, patients will be centrally tested for HPV16 DNA and PD-L1 with results returned within 7-10 working days, which may be quicker than local testing and may help reduce the burden on your local testing facilities. We hope that in the East of England our 4 tertiary centres will be taking part: Norwich, Cambridge, Luton and Mid & South Essex.