My genome our future

The JRC is organising a high-level conference titled "Integrating genomics into personalised healthcare: a science-for-policy perspective" on the 12th and 13th of February, 2019.

This conference brings together experts from around the world to discuss the potential of genomics in the prevention, diagnostics, and therapy forcancer and the new pportunities it may bring for citizens and patients in the EU.

The discussions will also highlight challenges to the implementation and uptake of genomics-based screening and diagnosis in health systems and map the appropriate actions.

The focus will be on supporting patient-centric policies, covering important aspects such as quality assurance, ownership and security of the genetic information produced, ethics and the impact of the genomics market on healthcare systems.

The conference will promote cross-disciplinary interactions between specialists in genetics and genomics, health professionals, decision-makers, patient organisations and other relevant stakeholders.

The event supports:

A. The implementation of the Communication on enabling the digital transformation of health and care in the Digital Single Market; empowering citizens and building a healthier society (https://ec.europa.eu/digital-single-market/en/news/communication-enabling-digital-transformation-health-and-care-digital-single-market-empowering)

B. The Member States' Declaration on joining forces and genomic data to personalise Healthcare.( http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-18-2902_en.htm)

Conference themes of interest

The conference will be structured into four sessions, reflecting three main themes.

Theme I. Genomics for health: the breast cancer example

What is "genomics"? How does it apply to health? What's in it for me – as a citizen?

Starting from the use of genomics, in the field of breast cancer, the theme will stimulate a broader discussion to illustrate the evolution of genetic testing and gene panels, with a particular focus on:

How this facilitates bridging the application of whole-genome sequencing into clinical practice.

How genomics can support better diagnostics, targeted treatments, disease monitoring and clinical follow-up.

Theme II. The public health perspective

What are the opportunities and challenges of implementing genomics approaches in public health? Who are the actors, and what are the actions that are needed for this implementation to succeed?

The theme will foster a debate on public health topics like evidence-generating healthcare, harmonisation, reproducibility, data interoperability, quality and security in the context of genomics.

It will also map out how the process of translating genomic data into the clinical setting could be facilitated, and explain the impact that the genomics market has on healthcare systems.

Theme III. The citizen and patient perspective

How is genomics experienced by people, as patients, consumers, citizens? How will the citizen and the patient be approached and involved? How is the individual's information valued, and who will use and have access to it?

The theme will propose a consideration and reflection on regulatory and ethical challenges with a particular focus on the societal and legal implications for the citizen. It will highlight the importance of literacy, both from citizens, patients and health professionals, and discuss ways to mobilise citizen engagement.